Winding Down

We have 2 1/2 weeks to go here ... though it feels like we will be leaving tomorrow.

Please pray that we would finish our time here well. This would include both being faithful with the work we have been given to do and trusting God for the results of our work.

Please pray that short time of work here would bear fruit for years to come.

Please pray that we are remembered fondly by friends and staff and neighbors - but more importantly, that God is thought of and thought well of as a result of our influence.

Finally, pray that we are still open to be taught by God through people and events here. There is much for us to learn.

Thanks.

Musings

So we know that God is the Creator of all men, and we know that the good news of Christ is for all, or else we would not be here.
However, a couple of events over the last few days reminded me of these facts.

First at church.
We were contrasting the allure of the world as depicted by the Great Prostitute in Revelation 17 and that of Christ and His majesty.
We talked about how prone we are to be short-sighted and trust her riches and not Christs', even though we know how the story ends.
Anyway, the discussion sounded exactly like one we would have back home, only some of the specifics were different.

And then yesterday, a husband and wife came for some counseling.
As in most counseling, the parties involved tried to hide their respective culpabilities.
And then there were language barriers and cultural barriers too.
But based on what I could determine and what the staff also picked up, nothing short of repentance and turning towards God would provide them with hope.

Just like home.

So pray for the people here and the people at home.
That we would see the riches of Christ, and what He has to offer and turn towards Him.

Prayer request

A child who needed the medicine, indocin, died on Saturday. This was a premature baby who had an prenatal artery stay open that was supposed to close - a condition called patent ductus areteriosus (PDA). In utero, this artery shunts blood away from the lungs to the rest of the body - not a problem as the blood is all oxygenated from the Mom. At birth, this artery closes and the blood then goes to the lung as it should. In some infants, this artery stays open and so the blood going to the body does not go to the lungs first - so they get hypoxic, which leads to progressive heart failure.
This condition is fairly treatable in the U.S. with either an I.V. medicine or surgery. Neither of these options are available in Belize - or in most of the world for that matter.
Anyway, we brought some medicine down to close this artery. It was expensive medicine and also time-dependent - ie. the baby needed it within a short time-window or it would not survive.
We were excited to be used by God to be involved in the helping of this child and their family.
We were saddened to hear of the dying of this child, as the timing of our arrival and the ability to get this medicine seemed providential.
God's judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out, and so the O'Neill's will trust that He has other things in mind besides the preserving of this one life.
Pray for the parents of this child that they would seek Him amongst their sorrow.

Spanish

I really want to learn more Spanish.
It would definitely aid in taking care of patients in the clinic – usually a family member or office staff can translate, but it is not the same.
It would be helpful to form relationships with neighbors and church members.
But most of all, I would like to learn more Spanish so I could understand the peoples prayers.
Their prayers are earnest, so I wish I knew what they were asking our Father.
They are lengthy, though I don’t get the sense that they contain vein repetitions.
There is also a melodious tone to them, that is music to the ears.
So pray for me that my ability to understand Spanish would increase.