It’s hard for me to grasp the concept that my time in Puerto Barrios is done, at least for a little while. I won’t be holding orphans, teaching them how to walk, and playing with Dalia every Monday. I won’t be at the Children’s Hospital every Tuesday coloring with sick kids and talking with concerned parents. I won’t be talking to prostitutes or walking through garbage dumps every week anymore.
Some things I’m happy are coming to an end- cold showers, constantly sweating, power outages, water shortages, rice and beans, pila washing, and language barriers. But then there are those things, like Pastor Roni, the kids at the hospital and orphanage, my neighbors, and my team, who make all those discomforts seem insignificant.
One of the many things I will take away from this experience is motivation, motivation to continue my education and become a medical missionary. It upsets me when I look at the statistics at the hospital and see that kids are dying from easily preventable diseases. It infuriates me when I see some of the conditions patients are put into and how untrained some of the doctors are here. From misdiagnosing a Staph infection as bug bites to giving the incorrect dosage of medicine, the past few months has shown me how much of a need there is for competent and trained doctors.
Before coming on this trip, the thought of medical missions sounded appealing but the thought of living in a foreign country for longer than a month didn’t. I wanted to have the American Dream: a husband, some kids, a house, and a stable job. I figured I could go on a medical mission trip once or twice a year for a couple weeks and that would be enough. That may be what God has planned for my life, but because of this trip if that is not what His will is, I will be ok. In fact, I will be more than ok. I will be happy because I know that He has something bigger and better planned for my life. I realized that there is nothing I would rather do than what God wants me to do. That means that if He wants me to pack up my bags and move to Central America and work there, I will. If He wants me to stay in the States and work in an undeserved community, I will do that. And if He doesn’t want me to become a doctor, I will be obedient to His call. And that is something that I couldn’t say with confidence three months ago.
God has used the people of Puerto Barrios to teach me humility, patience, and contentment. He has changed my outlook on life. In the last three months, He challenged me when I needed to be challenged and strengthened me when I needed to be strengthened. He gave me comfort when I needed comfort and taught me patience when I needed to learn. He showed me how good He is and how He always wants what’s best for me. He showed me that His plans are far greater than anything that I could come up with.
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.’”
-Jeremiah 29:11-13
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