Things I'll Miss about Shell, Hospital Vozandes and Ecuador

• · Everything within walking distance.
• · Living across the street from the hospital.
• · Getting into a car maybe once a week or less.
• · Little kiosks where you can interact with a human when you buy something.
• · Serving the very poor.
• · Shaking hands with everyone you meet.
• · Saying hello to everyone every morning and again in the afternoon.
• · So little car traffic that you can walk or jog in the middle of the street.
• · The big crime wave: some lawn chairs stolen from a porch.
• · $1 lunch, $1.30 if you go to the expensive place.
• · Knowing most everyone I deal with daily.
• · Praying at the start of every work day and whenever a patient has a crisis.
• · NO INSURANCE FORMS
• · No malpractice claims, lawyers, or threats.

Born on Third Base

If life were a baseball game, I was born on third base. There's nothing wrong with being born on third base, unless I become proud and think that I got to third base through my own efforts. Honestly, anyone who is reading this was probably born on third base, also.

For those of you who don’t know baseball, think of football (soccer) as being born getting to kick a penalty kick with no goalie trying to block the shot. It’s not a guarantee you’ll make a goal, but the odds don’t get much better.

Why do I say I was born on third base? My parents could read and taught me to read. I was born in the US, where free public education is really free. In some of the countries I have visited, "free public education" means you have to pay for uniforms, buy new textbooks every year, pay special "fees" for the teacher, computers, and miscellaneous rip offs. In the US, public education is really free and quite good.

Why else was I born on third base? Despite claims of reverse discrimination against white males, white males in the US have lots of advantages. Some people are not fond of the US at this point in time, but having a US passport gives lots of advantages throughout the world. When I go to get my Driver's License here, I don't have to pay a bribe like my national friends. Why no bribe? I have a blue passport form the USA.

I could easily have born to a family in the jungle, where my parents could not read and there are no schools, where a man has to kill or be killed, where girls are married off after their first menstrual period. (I really have delivered a baby from a 12-year-old girl from the jungle.) I could have learned a language that is only spoken in a handful of villages and precludes me from getting a job in the money economy. Those are people are born at bat standing at home plate.

For those of you following the football (soccer) analogy, jungle folk were born at the far end of the field, all by themselves, with all eleven players from the other team trying to stop them from scoring a goal. It’s not definite that they won’t make it, but it’s not likely.

I have a friend who was born in Africa to Indian parents. However, both his parents were teachers, taught him to read, instilled in him a love of education and passed on their intelligence genes as well. He didn’t have his mental development destroyed by malaria, malnutrition or military actions. My Indian/African friend was born on second base. (For you soccer fans, that’s a little outside the penalty area.)

So now that we all realize that we were born with multiple privileges… (What? You’re still not convinced?) You have access to a computer. You learned to read from your parents. You aren’t in prison or trying to survive from day to day like the folks in Zimbabwe or the rest of Africa. You can see so that you can read. You have hands that can manipulate a computer mouse. Yes, you have made the most of the opportunities God blessed you with, but you didn’t earn those blessings.

We’ll try again. Now that we all agree that we have blessings we didn’t earn, what do with do with that knowledge? I can’t tell you what God wants you to do with the gifts He has given you, but I can make a couple of suggestions:

• Share. You can share the money you make from what you do with your gifts or you can take the gifts on the road to share them with people who don’t have ready access to those gifts.
• Thank God for the gifts. If you didn’t earn gifts, you can thank the Giver daily for them.
• Avoid pride. If you could just as easily have been born to live you days barefoot in the jungle, don’t feel so smug. Really believe the phrase, “there but for the grace of God go I.”
• Share regularly. If you have money in the bank, or even loose change in your pocket, you are richer than 80% of the people in the world, so share some of that blessing every pay day. Kind of like a tithe. I know we live under the New Covenant, but tithing is one of the best ideas the Old Testament has to offer. God doesn’t need your money, but you need to give it to Him.

So now that we are all on third base, let’s get home well. Now that we are kicking to an open goal, let’s score. God is on His feet, in the stands cheering for us.

Blessings,

Jerry

What I Will Miss about Shell

You can walk on the street anytime before midnight and feel safe.

The kids can walk to their friends’ houses safely.

After 50 years of missionary presence, there is a lot of kindness and care in Shell.

The hospital really makes a difference. People come from very far because we treat them well and give good medical care.

I have patients who are good friends.

The weather is great.

The fruits and juices are wonderful.

Beautiful birds.

I can pray openly with patients.

We start every day with group prayer.

The medical students and residents are eager to learn.

The missionaries.

Getting a front row seat to see God’s miracles.

No TV, no X-boxes, and no weapons in neighbors’ houses.

The children’s friends’ parents share our values and standards.

We will miss Shell a lot.

Blessings,
Jerry