Connections

Have you ever heard "It's all about who you know."? It seems as if people who "know people" and have more connections are a step ahead. For years, the Fickers have been the people "to know" mostly because they are North Americans and the people here have this perception that we are all rich and have unlimited resources. Well that is kind of true - the United States is a very rich country and even the poorest in our country have more than most people in the highlands of Guatemala. People including pastors, parents with sick kids or even friends, come to the Fickers expecting miracles for their sick kids, loans, jobs, free stuff etc. Everyone seems to want something. Yesterday we met Guatemalans who were different. They didn't want anything, in fact, they wanted to give.

Through a series of God ordained events and meetings, the Fickers have begun a relationship with a church in Guatemala City called El Shaddai. (See the Fickers blog for more on this) The plan was for a team to come on Friday and do a worship service in the park. They wanted to use the Ficker's clinic building for their medical outreach so we spent all day Friday getting ready for them. They planned on staying at the hotel in Canilla who would also provide all their meals. Of course it didn't happen exactly the way they planned. It took them a very long time to get to Canilla from the City - like almost 12 hours. They had large vehicles and drivers who weren't used to these mountain roads. Because they were so late, the hotel manager rented half of their rooms to other people. A few who drove separately were able to get here a little sooner and did hold a short service at about 8 pm but the rest of the team did not arrive until around midnight. The Fickers opened their home and found beds for about 12 of the team so they would have a place to spend the night.

Saturday started early with Leslie preparing hot drinks and breakfast. Once everyone was fed the organizing began. The team was so well prepared and knew exactly how they wanted to run the day. They had brought 3 dentists, a pediatrician and a physical therapist. They also needed to have room for Leslie, Don and Katie. Here is a picture of the makeshift hallway and some of the people waiting.


While the medical clinic was going on, several of the team members played games with the kids who were waiting with their parents to be seen.


The day was long and many, many people were seen. The last patient came through at around 6 pm. The team wanted to pray for us before they went to the hotel for dinner. It was at this point that I realized how much this was the connection that the Fickers needed. The connection was based on a mutual relationship with the Lord. This was a working together of the body of Christ the way the Lord desires it to happen. The Fickers now have names and faces of people who are in Guatemala City. When they have to send someone to the city for the medical care that they need, they know that they can count on these individuals to help and care for the ones who are being sent. One of the best blessings of the day was to see the Guatemalans serving other Guatemalans. The Ficker's goal has always been to work themselves out of a job. If people are looking to the Fickers for all their needs they won't see the Lord or the resources available in their own country. If the Fickers and other missionaries can point people to Christ, then they can rise up and point others to Christ and His provisions. (For more pictures of the day see our February newsletter!)