This past week, the Lord has been teaching me about how He is in control of all things.As many of you have been following, the Lord has blessed me with the incredible friendship of Nicolas Mølmen, a fellow student here in Antigua. Though we have known each other for a short time, our friendship has grown into a relationship I have with few others in terms of understanding and respecting one another. To put it another way, he "gets" me and I "get" him.
From my intellectual outlet to my social network, Nicolas has been a friend I was not expecting to find. While he does not believe in Jesus, Nicolas and I have had more conversations about faith, belief, my relationship with Christ, and his beliefs than I have ever had with any other friend. He has been an abundant blessing for me. Nicolas has a heart for service that is rarely seen in others as he is constantly seeking to serve those who have had less opportunities than himself. He saved the life of a member of the family he lived with here by paying for the surgery to remove her cancer, but he did not say a word about it until I asked him directly. His life is dedicated to self-betterment and service to others, and his perspective and passion for loving others is one I find sometimes lacking in the Christian community, including my own life. I have been able to learn much from my relationship with him, but also have been reminded of how much Christ is still the beginning and the completion of all good things. Please pray for Nicolas, as my heart literally hurts in the knowledge that he does not know the peace and assurance that I have in my life and that I know to be true.
Nicolas went back home to Norway this past Wednesday and it has been a difficult transition for me as so many of the places and experiences that have made Antigua so spectacular have been shared with him. I received an email from a very good friend the day Nicolas left and I share part of it with you:
"I believe that God brings wonderful people into my life for different reasons. And during really specific times that I needed that person. And even if it might not be the same again, I can really take comfort in knowing that they were with me to love me, to accept me, to laugh and cry with me, to model wisdom and understanding for me, to teach me, to discover with me things about myself, about life, about God. And that doesn't make the goodbye any easier, but in many ways, He shows me the relationships that matter and that are worth persevering in."
But the Lord continues to provide, even through a difficult transition. I have been blessed with the opportunity to volunteer in the ASSADE medical clinic about 30 minutes away from Antigua. The woman who started the clinic is named Maria Elena, a tiny little woman with short hair with a heart of gold. About five years ago, the mayor-ship in the province of Iztapa changed over, and the new leadership decided to cut off funding for medical services in the villages (there exists a lot of racism against the indigenous people here, particularly in the government). Maria Elena was working as a Physicians Assistant for the government, but she saw the need, quit her job, and with her own money and help from her sister Carmen and friends, she started ASSADE.
The clinic receives around 40 patients every day, and each visit costs 3 Quetzales, or the equivalent of about forty cents. Even this fee is usually waived. ASSADE also has a pharmacy that sells all of its products at cost to the locals. The clinic runs off of the donations of the citizens and off of Maria Elena and her sister Carmen's generosity. It is one of the most spectacular places I have ever worked in, as the intentions are so pure. The trust that most of the locals have in Maria Elena (she works as the doctor, as they currently have no physicians volunteering) is incredible to see, as they have a deep-rooted distrust of the healthcare system. The way she pours her time and efforts into loving this village are really encouraging to see, as it is another reminder that there are good, self-less people in the world. We have our Christmas party for the kids in the village this Tuesday, so we spent my past visit stuffing huge piñatas, putting candy into old medicine bottles and painting them Christmas colors, and putting up decorations. It is really great practice for my Spanish and a fantastic ministry opportunity that the Lord has blessed me with. If you would like to see more photos of ASSADE, or to read a better description of what they do, please visit their website (it is in English as well) http://assade.org/introduccion-en.html Even just an email for them letting them know you are praying for their ministry in San Andres would go a long way.
The Lord gives and He takes away, and I rejoice in the knowledge that it is all according to His plan. God took away Nicolas for now, but He brought me a new opportunity in ASSADE. Today, I rejoice in what I have. Today, I praise the Lord.
