Starry, starry night...

I know it seems as though some of the blogs are so long…this one might break the record. But I hope you forgive me my wordiness, look through my fluff and see our God at work. This past weekend was our clinic weekend in Rio Blanco. Although Susanna had other commitments and was not able to go with us, Roger and Rhonda, our friends from Jinotepe, graciously agreed to make the trip, which is a long trip for us but an even longer one for them. They were taking their two children, Josiah and Rachel, and a friend of theirs, a young Nicaraguan girl of 15, Josey (sp.) who was coming along to take care of their children during the clinic.

Jim and I decided to do a little prep work to save us some time during the clinic by bagging up vitamins ahead of time. This is a standard item that is always dispensed at the clinics and we go through a lot of them. As a matter of fact, that’s one of the things those who work with medical clinics often bring back from the states. They are difficult to find here and when they are available, they are very costly. The folding table where Jim is working is one of our recent splurges which has really saved us with our backs. We are able to set it at different heights and it is perfect for us to use as our pharmacy counter.

We had the back of our car loaded to the max with 14 totes of medicines, 3 cardboard boxes filled with extra meds and other items and the 9 drawers of reading glasses. Our suitcase, tote bag, blanket and pillows went in the back seat along with drinking water and snacks. We loaded the folding tables and the stand fan in the back of Roger and Rhonda’s van.

We had originally thought there was going to be a woman from the States going with us but found out she was still state-side. But Pastor Sergio had a friend who needed a ride to Rio Blanco so although the mix changed, the numbers remained the same. We had to do some shuffling around so that Sergio and Vincente could ride with Roger and Rhonda and we were so thankful they had their van. We would have been really cramped in our car.

The drive is always such a pretty drive up to Rio Blanco and we had a great day for traveling. Although it’s the dry season here and things are really getting brown, I still think it’s beautiful. And there’s always something interesting to see on that drive. ..like a guy sleeping in a hammock strung in the back of a transport truck. We were also surprised to see that the new bridge had been opened. This is the one we sat at for hours last fall. We saw new construction which was encouraging. But then, there’s also the not-so-pretty side of the drive…the “houses” by the side of the road that are “built” from sheets of plastic. Kind of makes your own place look a lot better, doesn’t it?

Outside of Rio Blanco, there are several little roadside places that serve guirilas. This is one of those things that you just try and either you like it or you don’t. It consists of a bowl of fresh cream (no, it’s not pasteurized, homogenized or sterilized) with a slice of cuajada (a type of crumbly, mild and salty cheese) and two sweet corn tortillas that are grilled on banana/plantain leaves. It doesn’t sound like much but it is so rich and filling. It seems to be a regional dish and is a must-try for anyone who goes up that way.

After our guirila break, we drove on in to Rio Blanco to drop Sergio and Vincente off at their respective families’ places downtown. Then we checked in to the hotel. We have been there often enough now that they recognize us…after all, it’s not really known as a gringo hot-spot so we’re more the exception than the rule. We had dinner around 8:00 p.m. although none of us were very hungry. Jim and I shared a chicken dinner which was very good and then we all sat and visited for awhile. We decided to turn in early knowing we would have a very busy day ahead of us on Saturday.

Saturday morning came much too early and because we were all late getting around, we forfeited breakfast at the hotel. We loaded the cars with our bags, paid the bill and waited for our receipt…and waited, and waited. It seems that the young man who collected the money wasn’t able to write a receipt for us. I told him I had paper if he needed it but he just shook his head “no”. We told him we would stop back by that night before leaving town and get a receipt then. He seemed very relieved that he wasn’t going to have to go to the owner’s house to get him to come write us a receipt. And so we piled in our cars and got ready to leave.

Jim put the key in the ignition and turned it. Click. Uh-oh. Jim tried again. Click. That was not the sound we were hoping to hear. I jumped out of the car and banged on Roger’s window and told him our car wouldn’t start. We were to be at the church in 15 minutes. To make a long story short, Roger and several guys who were working on the hotel’s expansion project, pushed the car and Jim popped the clutch…it started and we just prayed it would keep running until we made it to the church.

We got set up and it wasn’t long before the people started coming and coming and coming. It was a long day. Most folks waited patiently for their turn. We dispensed medicines, reading glasses, toothbrushes, prayers, handshakes and hugs throughout the day and by the time 5:00 p.m. came, we were bushed! Our necks hurt from looking down so much. Our feet hurt from being on them all day. Our backs hurt from what seemed to be a semi-permanent slightly bent stance. Our heads hurt from too much heat and not enough water. But you know what? It was a great day! We had our largest clinic to date with 137 patients being seen by one doctor from about 8:30 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m.

It seems like there is always someone at each clinic who captures my eyes and a piece of my heart. This time, it was an old man named Cita. His clothes were torn and dirty. He had no shoes and he just had a lost look about him. He sat quietly, waiting his turn and was as grateful to receive a pair of reading glasses as he was his prescriptions. I couldn’t quit watching him. I always am wanting to speak and understand this language better, but that day, I wanted that more than ever. I wanted to ask Cita what those watery eyes of his had seen through the years. I wanted to know what it was like to live at a time in a country that was torn apart by war. I wanted to hear his story of surviving Hurricane Mitch. I wanted to know if he had ever had a family and if his life had always been so hard. I wanted to know if he knew my Jesus. When Cita had received his meds and his glasses, he quietly stuck his hand through the crowd of people around our pharmacy table and solemnly shook each of our hands, thanking us for the help he had received that day. I didn’t know a lot about Cita but one thing I knew, he was a gentleman.

One other special man was at the clinic that day. The team who was here in June built the framework of a new house for a man who lives outside of Rio Blanco on a hill. His name is Simon and he is missing a leg. We have gotten to know Simon through some follow up visits and through helping him receive some medical care in Managua. That morning, we saw Simon (with brand new crutches which had replaced his homemade crutch), slowly climb up the uneven flight of steps to the clinic. He is a gentle and sweet man who is very open about giving God praise for the blessings in his life. He always makes me smile when I see him and Saturday morning was no exception. Jim saw him later outside sitting on a bench across the street, waiting for someone to come and get him to take him home.

What struck me about these men is just how gentlemanly they both were in spite of their circumstances. Neither complained nor asked for special treatment. Neither asked for more than what they received. They sat, they waited and once their needs had been met, they both expressed quiet yet heartfelt gratitude.

There was also a family who came through who got my attention. The young woman was the mother of four children…all were sick. She had no money and she was fearful she wouldn’t get her medicine once we found out. Of course, that wasn’t a problem. Everyone received their medications and we received some great smiles in return. It’s a shame the drug wholesalers wouldn’t be content with that for their pay because they just don’t know what they’re missing!

There’s no doubt these clinics fall short financially. We don’t come close to breaking even. But, we’re not in it to make money…we’re in it to serve those who don’t have money. There will always be the few who take advantage of the clinic and the ridiculously low priced medications we provide, but we can’t let those folks be a deterrent. There are far more who wouldn’t receive any medical care if clinics like this weren’t held. I can’t help but think in the natural world, we are terrible “business” people, but in God’s economy, we believe this is exactly how it’s supposed to be. We have our own “stimulus package” of sorts going on here and it seems to be very effective.

While we were doing the clinic, Pastor Sergio’s brother, Julio called his wife’s cousin (don’t you just love these kinds of stories?)who is a mechanic and he agreed to come look at our car. We feared the worst might happen - a starter problem without any parts available in Rio Blanco. Instead, we found out that we had cables that had come loose (probably as a result of the bumpy ride up from Managua) and all he had to do was to replace and tighten them. 100 cords later (about $5), the car was fixed. Thank you, Lord!

On the way home, we stopped at the hotel to get the receipt and then we began the trip home. We left Rio Blanco at 5:40 p.m. and figured we should get home somewhere between 10:00 and 11:00. We stopped to eat at a little café about ½ way home. After dinner, we piled back in to our cars and started out again. We hadn’t driven very far at all when Rhonda buzzed me on the walkie talkie that they were going to have to pull over as their van had just quit running.
There we were, stopped out in the middle of nowhere. Jim and Roger put on their respective flashers and then both of them pushed, pulled, flipped and tugged on every part under the hood…nothing. Every now and then, an occasional semi or transport truck would fly by us but for the most part, there wasn’t any traffic. And talk about dark…it was dark! Which made the cars’ flashers seem all the more brilliant…and irritating.

After awhile, Jim came back to the car and mentioned how beautiful the stars were. I glanced up but for no more than a second. I was more concerned with how we were all going to get home…we weren’t in a populated area by any means and the reality of our state of vulnerability was starting to hit me. I have never been overly fond of the dark and I was becoming more convinced minute by minute, that the boogie man of my childhood was lurking out in the weeds just beyond the reach of the flashing lights. Jim just patted my arm and told me everything was going to be alright. I really wanted to believe him.

He went back to Roger’s van and I looked up. The night sky was the most remarkable thing I think I’ve ever seen. I have seen starry skies before but never anything like that. It was absolutely breathtaking. There were layers and layers of brilliant shining stars stretching from horizon to horizon. We were far removed from any kind of artificial light, save the blinding flashers, but even with those blinking in their annoying rhythm, the night was without a single cloud and it seemed that not one beam of starlight was lost on our small stranded group.

There aren’t enough adjectives to adequately describe the sky that night. It was mesmerizing. The Big Dipper had spilled a stream of sparkling stars all over the twinkling stellar carpet and it was laid out before us. Psalms 147:4-5 says, “He determines the numbers of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power”. Jim was right. Everything was going to be all right. Our Holy Creator God cares for His creation…whether it be each and every one of those celestial points of light or each and every one of His children. We often talk about feeling small when looking up into the heavens. I can completely understand that…but I also have to say that there was an overwhelming sense of peace which flooded my soul at that moment. There was nothing to fear. God had it all under control.

When Jim and Roger had finally exhausted every resource they had to get the van running, the decision was made that Jim would stay in the van with Rhonda, the kids and Josey while Roger and I returned to the little area where we had eaten dinner. Besides the restaurant, there was also a gas station there. The café’s little store had some nylon rope and although they were getting ready to close up as it was almost 10:00 p.m., they sold it to Roger. Our waitress from earlier in the evening asked Roger what was going on and he told her. “Amazingly” (God is always amazing, isn’t He?), her cousin was a mechanic and was there so he followed us back to the car. Even though he had been hitting his beer pretty hard, he still managed to look at the car enough to tell us that it was something more than he could fix.

So, Jim, Roger and I braided the rope and Roger tied one end to the underside of our car and the other to his van. Our first attempt to pull back on the road ended with the smell of spinning tires and a snapped rope but the second attempt, after tying the rope a bit differently and Jim putting our car in low 4-wheel drive, was a success. We got us both out on the highway and at a top speed of 32 km/hr or about 20 mph, we drove back to Managua. We arrived home at 3:00 a.m.
It was a long drive, no doubt, but honestly, it was very pleasant. Jim and I turned off the a/c and kept our windows down. The night sights and sounds at 20 mph were much more enjoyable than what we would have experienced otherwise going 60 mph. We took turns listing the positives in the situation and I can honestly say, by the time we pulled in to our driveway from our slow crawl home, we didn’t have one ounce of agitation, annoyance or anxiety…only a profound appreciation for God’s protection and provision.

Everyone stayed the night at our house. As the last little bit of stirring ceased around 3:45 a.m., I closed my eyes and the last thing I remember was thinking again about that unbelievably beautiful night sky. It's a sight that I hope I never forget...I love it that my God really does leave me starry-eyed.