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Around 65 people came through our doors on Friday, and then another bunch on Saturday, numbering more than one hundred in all by the end of the two days. Men, women, teens, children, babes in arms, they arrived and waited to be seen by our volunteer medical providers. They came with coughs and colds, with dangerously high blood sugar counts, with high blood pressure, or just with a desire to see a doc when they usually don't. They sometimes complained of aches and pains, or of stresses and anxieties. We saw kids with scabies and kids with lice. That'll make you itch a bit, just thinking about it.

Only one day before, my pastor friend reminded me that his constant prayer for us is that we would have opportunity to know our neighbors, that we would have opportunity to tell them and to show them Jesus. Thanks, brother! We saw that prayer answered this weekend. We met one man who told us that, not long ago, he had been left for dead in a hospital morgue. He considers his survival story a new lease on life, a new opportunity to live his life differently and with specific purpose. He wanted a bible to take home with him. We didn't have any handy and so we gave him one of mine. (Anyone want to send a case of Spanish bibles for us to share?) We met the mom of one of our outreach kids, who we learned also happens to be the grandma of one of our outreach kids. She expressed eagerness for the girls to learn more, to come to our tutoring. We have a list of many people who are interested in learning more, in participating in Bible study, and in joining us for prayer.

As is often the case, we finish the day tired and humbled. Many of our neighbors have plenty of reason to be anxious and stressed. One elderly woman visited one day and returned the next for a new prescription; her pills had been stolen in the night, most likely by a family member. (They would be sorely disappointed; it was only ibuprofen and vitamins that they got away with...) One woman told us how her young adult son has been missing for over a month and she fears he is dead. Another couple came from their home on the edges of the nearby dump, grateful for the opportunity to receive medical attention once again. Our volunteers talk about nutrition and basic care, but how does someone without much means eat better than the standard beans and tortilla diet? How does a family sanitize their clothing and linens without hot water or a dryer?

And although our providers served our community with first-class medical care, they also finished each appointment with the question, "Can we pray for you?" We know that the physical needs are great, but the spiritual needs are no less. We know that all of us have need of a doctor to address our health needs, but that Jesus is the only one with the mercy and might to heal us for eternity. Hosting a medical clinic gives us opportunity to tell about both, and we're grateful for those that come to us and allow us to share generously with our neighbors.