Go Beyond

Amazonas, Brazil

Those of us who have unlimited and unrestricted access to medical care are indeed fortunate — more so than most people on the planet. Living in places where there is no doctor adds layers of difficulty to life. People in remote areas have little choice but to deal with their aches and pains and the uncertainty of what may happen to them without treatment.

On our recent trek to the Amazon, our team provided medical, dental, and optical clinics for the people of the villages we visited. The presence of doctors in these remote villages is huge. And whenever a doctor is available, word travels fast both in the village and along the river to neighboring villages. People will drop what they’re doing to see a doctor.

Our medical team provided compassionate help to many. What I loved most was watching our team take an interest in every patient, ask about their families, console crying kids, address every need, explain every medication, share about Jesus, and pray with every individual. No hurry. Our clinics were not about herding people through. They were all about taking the time to make meaningful connections.

Our medical clinics also provided opportunities for us to share with folks about why we had come. While ministering to Syrian refugees in Jordan, my friend Jamal said something to me that made a lot of sense. “If we will allow people the opportunity to listen to the music of our lives,” he said, “then sooner or later they will want to know the words.” We had lots of opportunities to share the words to the music of our lives with folks in the Amazon.

Helping people in need through compassionate acts of service is a hallmark of the Christian worldview. Jesus Himself set the ultimate example of service and sacrifice for His followers. That’s why you can count on His followers selflessly serving others around the globe every day of the year, not just in times of disasters or humanitarian crises.

I am grateful for our medical team and also for our children’s ministry team. I absolutely loved hearing the laughter of the kids we met in each village. Our team shared Bible stories, used creative craft projects to reinforce what they taught, and had a blast doing recreational stuff with the kids.

I could not help but think how different our presence in these villages was to the stories I had heard earlier in the year from Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqi Christians who had made their way to Jordan. When ISIS came to their villages, the people fled in fear. How sad! But a reminder of how different and how beautiful Jesus is. He brings joy, dispels fear, and affirms the value and worth of every man, woman, and child.