Medical Team Breaks Through

Greetings from Thomas in South Africa!!

We had a really great day today! The medical team devised a more efficient way to see more patients in the clinic. We brought in 30 patients and sat them all together. Lisa Wolff and a local preacher delivered the gospel message, and then we prayed with them. Then the 5 providers (Me, Sandy, Leili, Nicolette and Linda) spread out and spent a few minutes with each one. We were able to pray with most and prescribe them medication if necessary (this of course made Lori very busy in the pharmacy). All the patients were seen in about 30 minutes. It was fun, and we all grew spiritually. We are looking forward to employing this same technique tomorrow.
In the afternoon, we packed up and created 4 roaming medical units that went out into the community to see those patients who were too sick to come to the medical center. It was a great experience, and it enabled us to really connect with the community. Seeing their living conditions really reminded us of why we were there, but I will say that while walking through the very poor living conditions and trash, I only saw happy children and friendly people. These people are an inspiration to be thankful for what you have, whether a little or a lot.
I believe that God is really giving each of us a love for these people and their community. The opportunity to minister both physically and spirirtually seems endless. The children are beautiful and provide such a hope for the future.
The leaders of our teams, Heather, Lisa and Beth are adapting to changes everyday to make our mission more effective. Please pray for all 20 of us to keep up our strength and committment.
Thomas Waller