Watching God move mountains

We've been in country for a week now.  Thanks to a lot of help from some very good friends, we were able to get to the airport in Des Moines with all four kids, a stroller, a car seat, seven 50 (and a half) pound bags plus carry ons.  Our house, grass, garden, and mail are all teed up to be cared for by some special people- you know who you are and we thank you.

So far we've gotten settled in to the guest house here in Canillá, which will be our home for the next couple of months.   The long term missionary community here is great and we found ourselves settling in more quickly than we have at the beginning of previous trips.   The kids don't sleep too much, but that's nothing new.  They are great.  They just don't sleep.  We are both tired and blessed.

The longer I've been involved in missions, the more obvious it becomes that God has a different set of priorities than I do.  His inherent completeness and profound love for people result in Kingdom of Heaven social and economic policy that would leave both mainstream economists and time management gurus scratching their heads.   One of the really beautiful things about being involved with organizations that provide care for "the least of these" in the name of Jesus is seeing the impossible (or, OK, the exceedingly improbable) happen to the benefit of those who, in the opinion of the world, don't really amount to much and probably don't deserve it.

God's love is like that.  Time after time, God shows up and makes impossible things happen.  I've never actually seen a mountain get thrown into the sea, but I think you get the point.  These things do happen every day. It's just that sometimes we are so distracted or preoccupied that it's hard for us to see them.

I'd like to tell you about Sarah *, a sweet 28 year old mother, whom I first met in our outreach clinic in San Andres (a 20 minute drive from the hospital).  Sarah smiled as she lay on the ultrasound table, her triplets wiggling wildly within her. She and her husband locked eyes, beaming as we watched one of the babies suck her thumb.  We have been planning for Sarah- already high risk with triplets- for the last few weeks.  She is now 28 weeks along (37 weeks is full term). As I carefully measured her various parts on the ultrasound and checked her baby's fluid levels, all seemed to be well.  

Before completing her prenatal visit, our nursing staff checked a blood pressure, which produced an alarmingly high result.  We then checked a urine study, which confirmed that, despite a lack of symptoms, Sarah was in the early stages of a dangerous pregnancy related condition called preeclampsia.  Thankfully, we were able to bring Sarah back to the hospital for further evaluation.  

Preeclampsia is a condition defined by high blood pressure and protein in the urine which can progress in severity to eclampsia, which is a life-threatening emergency for both mother and baby(s).

Because of the Hospital staff, laboratory equipment, and nurses we were able to provide proper diagnosis and treatment for Sarah.  Without these resources, we would not have been able to identify abnormalities of Sarah's liver enzymes as well as her blood sugars.  This liver problem allowed us to categorize Sarah as very high risk which led us to give her medicine to prevent life threatening problems and protect her babies.  Because of the extremely high risk nature of her pregnancy, we flew Sarah and her premature babies to a larger facility in the capital city where appropriate neonatal care will be available after delivery, which will occur in the very near future.  Without the hospital facility and laboratory capability that we now have, this disease progression would have been impossible to detect in a timely fashion and results would have been catastrophic for Sarah and her family.  

The history of this Hospital is long and winding.  So many different people and resources have come together in the most unlikely of ways to bring us this particular point in our history. It has been said that it's like somebody took a box of puzzle pieces, dumped them out on a table, and had all the pieces just fell together and completed the picture.   

The construction of the hospital itself has been expensive, exhausting, and challenging for many involved.  But also a beautiful and inspiring thing and is surely a picture of God's goodness, greatness, and his love for those we serve.

I'm convinced that God brought this hospital into existence to bless many, but would have done so even if Sarah was the only one to benefit.  His love for her is like that.  God often shows up in impossible situations against overwhelming odds in order to confirm his love for individuals.  He still moves mountains.