so, in thinking how we could avoid this, we decided we would go door-to-door and primarily do TB assessments...and if we happen across any emergencies or sick individuals, we would get them the meds they needed. this helped us avoid the long lines, the numerous request for (what i call) "poor lifestyle meds", and people being disappointed that they did not get some kind of meds.
i also wanted to work with a specific tribe that we had not concentrated on before. so we took the students to the resettlement villages and mountain village of Basao. The basao people have a feared reputation among the kalinga population for being vengeful and dangerous (most of this is exaggerated). even people from other tribes would warn us when they heard we were going there.when we entered the resettlement and mountain villages of basao, we weren't met with fanfare or people offering to carry our boxes of supplies (as i have seen in the places where we are familiar). maybe the people were a little curious or suspicious why we were going there. when we went to the mountain village, i drove for most of the day in a vehicle manufactured from galvanized iron sheets, really bad suspension and no power steering. (halfway through the trip i realized that our vehicle was not suited for carrying 15 people plus luggage up steep dirt/rocky roads up and down the mountains, as i noticed oil leaking, all my clutch fluid pouring out, and our vehicle slamming the front suspension on rocks.) after the exhausting drive, i went with my work partner, Arturo, to talk with the barangay captain. after a serious of events (plus being physically tired), it seemed nothing was prepared for our arrival and i assumed were were not welcome there. the next couple of days we w
ere met with a mixture of some very kind and gentle people, and also with people a little more "difficult"...drunk community leaders, pushy patients demanding medicines, and even gun fire one night right outside the clinic where part of the team was sleeping...
ere met with a mixture of some very kind and gentle people, and also with people a little more "difficult"...drunk community leaders, pushy patients demanding medicines, and even gun fire one night right outside the clinic where part of the team was sleeping...our team met one night to have a discussion of how things were going. my tendency is to look at the things that "need improving", but once we got into the conversation, it seemed that God checked my attitude. the discussion about the barangay captain came up and i remembered that just 2 or 3 weeks previous, he had lost his 20-something year old son to kidney failure. not to excuse drunkenness, but to try to understand his condition. then we talked about the tribal war that is all-too-common in that village. we saw many men carrying spears to the rice fields for personal protection and some had automatic weapons and were posted around their homes. FEAR rules much of the lives of these people. many still believe in old rituals that include animal sacrifice and consulting witch doctors and demons. some just laugh and say "it's only superstition", but superstition is rooted in the fear of doing or not doing something to avoid a curse or gain a blessing. when we begin to look at the condition of the heart and ask God to speak, touch, and hear through us...we begin to love like God.
we then saw our mission as more than just doing assessments for tuberculosis and assessing sick patients, but shining the light of God, praying for God's mercy for this people group, and bring LIFE to sick and dying bodies and souls. during our outreach, we went to every house to see if there are people at risk for TB or other illnesses. we pray for the family and ask God to bring healing on the sicknesses and peace to their house. in short, we ask God to bring salvation, healing and peace. this is the reason Jesus died (then rose again). during Jesus ministry on earth, his main focus was to preach, teach and heal...this also was his example for us to follow.
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE MISSIONARIES. MOST IN OUR "SECULAR" JOBS, SOME IN THE CHURCH, AND A FEW IN ANOTHER CULTURE...WE ALL HAVE THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO LIVE OUR LIVES AND LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS.
missionary idol
sometimes i want to do my "acts of kindness" and see immediate results and receive gratitude from those i am giving to...but this is a very false image of what it means to serve. when i do "mission outreaches" where the "poorest of the poor" and weak come to me, i feel good about myself and what i have to give them and send them on their way as they are repeatedly saying "thank you, thank you" with their head bowed low...but most of the time, it turns out my own motive is very selfish and the poor and weak walk away a little poorer and weaker than before they had to present themselves before the "rich" and admit they are the "poor".
i have to be able to smile and love the lady who demands medicine for herself (even though there's no reason to give it), the man who asks money from me even though his cell phone cost more than most people earn in a year, and the man who is drunk and trying to touch on the girls in the group. i am called to be taken advantage of and used. it's easier to serve the poor and needy, but how about the annoying and demanding...or the manipulator and liar. it's a very anti-american thought in this age of lawsuit-happy-equal rights-capitalistic society, but Jesus taught something very different. if someones steals your shirt, give your coat Luke 27-36. love your enemy. turn the other cheek. forgive. give without question. love those who use and abuse you. oh how i wonder what the world would look like if we all could love like that.
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