The Weight of the World

It’s easy to let pain crush you. We live in a broken world, and, both on and off the mission field, we see wounds that we can only bandage, not heal.

I’ve been reading Henri Nouwen’s Gracias: A Latin American Journal, which records the time he spent in Latin America in the early 1980s, a time of much violence and political and civil unrest. Part of that time he spent in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where our hospital is located. Although Bolivia is considerably more peaceful now than it was then, some of his reflections speak directly to the experience of ministering there – or pretty much anywhere else – even today.

He writes,

As I let all these pains in the lives of my family and friends enter into my heart, I wonder how I could offer true comfort. How could I ever enter into their pain and offer hope from that place? How could I enter into real solidarity with them? But then I slowly realized that I do not have to be like them or to carry their burdens, but that our Lord, my Lord and their Lord, has carried all human burdens and was crushed by them, so that we could receive his Spirit, the comforter.

This is a realization I’m slowly coming to, and that I’m praying to understand more and more. We cannot stand up under the weight of the world, but we don’t have to. Jesus can carry it.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

While we do – and should – try to meet physical needs, ultimately our goal has to be to bring those needs to Jesus. Only he can heal the wounds we all bear, and only he can strengthen us to offer hope to those around us.

One Year Out from the Quake in Haiti

One year ago today, the earth shook. At 4:53 pm, Haiti experienced a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands and forever changed the lives of those who survived.

In the days that followed, we at Hospitals of Hope thought and prayed about our response. Calls poured into our office from supporters wanting to know how they could help and if we were going to send any disaster relief teams.

We decided that the best way Hospitals of Hope could contribute was by helping to build medical infrastructure, much of which was destroyed by the quake. As we talked to other organizations on the ground in Haiti, they told us, "We have enough doctors. We just don't have anywhere to work."

When we announced what we had decided to do, our supporters and the Wichita community were quick to respond. Volunteers poured into our office to help with construction of two "Clinics in a Can" -- self-contained clinics built in shipping containers. Area businesses donated building materials and medical supplies, and cash donations flowed in. Within weeks, the clinics were finished and ready to ship.

On the day the first clinic opened, it saw nearly 200 patients.

Since then, we have sent a third clinic to Haiti, and we're in the process of building a small hospital, constructed from three shipping containers.

Haiti has a long way to go. Many are still living in camps, cholera has taken thousands of lives, and the birth rate has tripled in the last year, leaving children abandoned by desperate mothers.

But Hospitals of Hope, the organizations we partner with, and countless others remain committed to making a difference in Haiti, one life at a time. Thanks to you, our clinics are offering quality medical care to many Haitians -- a vital step in the process of rebuilding.

The problems in Haiti won't disappear overnight, but we remain committed to our work there. The new hospital is due to ship this spring, and we will be sending a volunteer team this summer. For more information about how you can help, call our office at 316.262.0964 or send us an email at info@hospitalsofhope.org.

Pray for Peace

This Sunday, January 9, Southern Sudan will hold a referendum in which it is expected to vote for secession. The entire country is holding its breath as it waits – not only to see if the South will vote to secede but also to see if the North will respect the election results.

This is a time of great hope. Refugees are returning home to vote; plans are being formulated for building a country and developing an infrastructure.

But this is also a time of great fear. Tensions are high along the border with the North, and international observers are watching closely in an attempt to avoid another civil war. In the North, there’s talk of enforcing stricter Sharia law if the South leaves, which means that non-Muslims living in the North fear for their safety and freedom. Refugees returning to the South are living in schools, crowding in with other families, living in camps. There aren’t enough schools for them, and health care is hard to come by.

Because of this dearth of infrastructure, Hospitals of Hope is working with Covenant Presbyterian Church and the Healing Kadi Foundation in Omaha, Nebraska to construct a Clinic in a Can hospital – a small hospital built out of 3 shipping containers – to ship to Kajo Keji in Southern Sudan. The Healing Kadi Foundation eventually plans to construct a larger hospital, but that will take too long. In the meantime, this pre-built hospital, which will ship to Sudan this Spring, will provide much-needed medical care to the more than 450,000 refugees living in Kajo Keji.

Please pray for peace in Sudan and for the successful development of a new nation. You can keep apprised of developments there on the Satellite Sentinel site or on the BBC. If you want to volunteer to help construct this hospital or are looking for other ways to get involved, contact the Hospitals of Hope office at 316.262.0964 or at info@hospitalsofhope.org.