What a day! It is amazing how certain experiences can energize you. I started this morning thinking that it would take a lot of coffee to get through the day. But even as I’m writing this, I feel like I could stay up several more hours.
HITTING THE GOALS
There were eight hernias on the schedule for today. I knew that if we were going to make it we would have to be extra efficient and there would have to be little to no hiccups. Well we did not start well. The patients were not ready to go when we got there so our plan to start early fell flat on its face. But we got going, and by the end of the day, guess what? We did it!!
And the other surgeries were done as well, save one that we will do first thing in the morning. All in all, today was a very successful day and I’m very proud of the team that worked so hard to make it all happen.
CELEBRATING THE GOALS
Dinner wasn’t our standard offering. We celebrated the success of the mission trip with an extra fancy dinner and a mariachi band playing wonderful music for us. We invited the local staff that has been supporting us throughout our time here as a way of thanking them. It was really a fun time to put aside the work for a bit and just have some fun.
The local staff has been such a blessing. They worked hard and helped us with everything we needed. And they did it with a smile. It is the best staff I have worked with on a trip like this. I hope they are here when we come back next time. I would love to work with them again.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
The head of the health department attended our dinner and asked to speak to us after the meal. I was ready to hear that she was unhappy and that there would probably be no chance of us coming back. We had heard that behind the scenes, where the politics happen, there had been some strong conversations (that’s code for people yelling at each other). She began the conversation by thanking us for all that we did and inviting us to come back again, and that they would like to do even more with us. I almost fell out of my chair.
Her words began a conversation that ended with them and us agreeing to a long-term relationship where all parties come together to help even more people. I couldn’t believe it. Everything that we have wanted for our ministry seemed to be coming together. It’s amazing how God works. You show yourself to be faithful to the calling he places before you and pretty soon he is expanding your influence and reach. I can’t wait to see how God is going to take this experience here in Mexico and blow it up to something even we never imagined.