On October 2nd, I had the opportunity to travel up to San Luis del Rio Colorado for a medical brigade. This brigade is organized by Caring Hearts and has been held annually for 15 years or so. The group was made up of about 70 people, 50 of which came from various places in the States, mainly Pennsylvania. The people who came were mainly medical people who took there vacation time to come down to Mexico to serve. It really was an amazing experience. Everyone was divided up into groups of approximately 12 people, and then we went to different sites to hold the clinics.
All in all, with all the different clinics for the whole week, we saw almost 5,000 people. Each clinic had a ministry aspect which distributed beans and rice and a Bible to each person who came through. We distributed 8 tons of beans and rice, and according to the records approximately 1,000 people came to a saving knowledge of Christ.
I was a part of group that went out and did two three-day clinics. Our first clinic was about an hour away from the orphanage where we were staying in a little town of Riito. We were assisted by the leader in the town. We held the clinic in a government owned building, and all he really needed to do was open it for us, but instead he stayed all day with us all three days. It was not one of the busier clinics but this gave us an opportunity to build a relationship with this leader. He was a very nice and helpful guy, and because of his leadership position, not someone that we would have expected to reach for Christ. On the last day of that clinic, in the morning during group devotional time, we were given a chance to pray for our various clinics. All of us felt a specific need to pray, for God to work, and to give our ministry leader, Ricardo, boldness, and for the people who were helping us out to be open to the gospel. That day was slower than the other two, and Miguel (the leader) started talking to Ricardo about the Bible and God. He was a catholic, which here means he was involved in the worship of a saint, or idolatry. He had some relatives who were evangelical Christians and others who were Jehova Witnesses, and he was really confused about what was right. Ricardo was given the boldness that we prayed for, and he showed Miguel in the Bible what was right and shared with him the gospel. And after all that, Miguel prayed and accepted Jesus as his personal savior. We were all so excited. Here was a man we really had not thought would come to know Christ, but he was searching and God allowed us to be a part of His work in this man's life. This is especially exciting because Miguel is a respected leader in this town. We can only hope and pray for what God is going to do in this town as a result of Miguel. And because the orphanage is a known and established ministry in San Luis, and because Miguel met some of the full time workers there, he will have the support he needs as he grows in his relationship with God.
It was a very exciting time. It was great to meet people in the medical profession who have a heart for missions and come every year to serve in San Luis and the surrounding areas. The trip did not meet my expectations at all, it exceeded them. Although I was exhausted afterwards, I am still so thankful for the opportunity that I had to go - not because of the medical experience I gained but because of how I got see God work.
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