Musings of a Medical Missionary

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42

The New Year celebrations have passed.  Another year ends and another year begins.  All of the toasts and well wishes for good health, success and happiness have been made.  The reality of life now returns to us.  The nights are long and the days are often cold and gray. When all is said and done what will make a difference in our lives and the lives of those we know this year?

The story of Mary and Martha is well known to Bible readers.  Both knew Jesus.  Both were believers who trusted in Him and in the resurrection on the last day.  Both met Jesus after their brother Lazarus died and said to Him, “Lord, if you had been there, my brother would not have died.”  Both were witnesses when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead demonstrating great compassion.

Yet, each chose different ways to serve Jesus.  Both welcomed Him into their home.  Martha chose to be the perfect host, while Mary chose to sit and listen to the living Word.  Martha was distracted with the mundane and business of life while Mary anointed Jesus with oil and wiped His feet with her hair.  Martha’s work definitely needed to be accomplished, while what Mary did might be considered wasting time and extravagant.

Jesus said Mary made the better choice because she did what was needed and would not be taken away from her.

In our lives we recognize we sometimes behave like Martha and at other times more like Mary.  Like Martha we complain when we see others not behaving according to our plan.  We get distracted by the business of providing care to so many patients, making enough money and pleasing all around us.  So how will we choose what to do day by day, month by month, year by year?

First, spend time reading the Bible daily and listen.  The Word of God helps us to know him and to renew our minds in order to know what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God  (Romans 12:2).

Second, decide to do what has an eternal value and cannot be taken away from us concentrating on our needs instead of our wants.  Therefore, lay up treasure in heaven and not on earth (Matthew 6:19).  Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21).

It is your choice!

Read and meditate on John 11-12:8, Luke 10:38-42.

Now there are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city. Ezra 2:1

Have you ever thought what is the real purpose of my life?  You may have asked God as a student, here I am studying for so many years, will there be an end to this drudgery? Or after years of working two or three jobs to make a living, wonder why has this been so hard?  Or surely LORD I have been faithful, when will I receive your blessing? Or those who are supposed to be guiding me are teaching me things contrary to my faith, why?

No matter what stage of life or our professional career, we often feel captive to our circumstances.  Trapped by those who teach us, by those in charge over us or maybe even by the patients who we have been called to serve.  How about those students from foreign lands who come to study in Ukraine, leaving all that is comfortable to study and live in a place unlike their own country.

I think we are all held captive in some way by our circumstances.  Think of how the Israelites must have felt being taken away from the Promised Land to serve in a foreign country.  There they were being held captive in Babylon.  Yet they were clinging to the hope offered through Jeremiah and Daniel that God would not leave them or forsake them but restore them.

Then one day after their enemy Nebuchadnezzar was defeated by King Cyrus of Persia, their circumstances change.  By God’s sovereignty, the prophesy of Jeremiah is fulfilled.  The Israelites are heading back to Jerusalem.

That is all well and good for the nation, but what about me?  The answer is found in Ezra 2:2-35.  This is a list of the common people who returned. Note they are listed before all the earthly important people, the priests, the Levites

So what do we learn.  First, the Lord knows his people by name.  He cares for us because he knows us personally.  God is involved in the details.  Why else would he list their names and give significance to  what is common. Second, the seemingly insignificant have value and usefulness in bringing about God’s plan.

Therefore, no matter in what circumstances we find ourselves we can be assured God has our best interest in mind because He is sovereign and faithful.  He has created us for good works that He has prepared for us in advance for us to do.  Yes, God is in the details!

Read and Meditate: Ezra 1&2, Genesis 50:20-21, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:28-30

So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. Numbers 12:15

Medical professionals many times are asked the question “Is it contagious?”  Family and friends ask this question not so much for the patient, but because they fear for their own health.  If the illness is contagious, there is a period of isolation so as not to infect others until the period of infectivity has passed.  If the infection becomes chronic, stigma may result.  The infected person is often further isolated in the community even if the problem is not contagious.

When we read Numbers 12, we learn that God considers sin as contagious, thereby requiring isolation.  Miriam was diagnosed with leprosy.  She developed this disease as a punishment for her pride and jealousy towards Moses.  She and Aaron were envious of the attention Moses was receiving as the leader of the Israelites.  God made Miriam a leper as a punishment for her pride and thus associated her sin with disease.

We must be very careful here.  While all disease is related to sin, not all disease is related to specific personal sin.  In this case Miriam’s disease was related to specific personal sin, pride and envy.

We learn that both disease and sin have consequences.  When we sin, we do not only affect ourselves.   Initially, it appears only Miriam will suffer from this disease.   However the whole nation of Israel had to wait for Miriam to be healed before moving on, creating a delay in their journey of seven days.  How often when we sin do we think of all the people we affect?   Typically we are only thinking of ourselves.

Finally, we find out just how merciful our God is to us.  While He could have left Miriam to deal with the consequences herself, isolated from the community, in shame with an incurable disease, He restored her.  Moses acted as a mediator and offered a simple prayer, “God, please heal her.”    God provides a mediator for us and our patients, Jesus Christ.  He is the cure for our fatal disease, sin.

We are no longer contagious.  We also have the incredible privilege of being God’s instrument of mediation.  Many times a day we have the opportunity to pray with our patients though we must do so with sensitivity and permission.   In doing so we bring about reconciliation with God and the ultimate physical and spiritual healing we all need.

Further reading: Numbers 12, Proverbs 16:18, Philippians 2:1-11

After two days of rest, the adventure continued in Kyiv.  Relationships are not as deeply developed with our hosts in Kyiv as they are in Lutsk, but they are growing.  Olga Pavluchenko was our host last year for the first time.  Valentina Shorohova attended the conference last year and offered to provide the lecture halls and assist with translation of materials this year.  Both ladies were extremely helpful and worked down to the wire to help us prepare.

Olga (L) and Valentina (R)

Our time in Kyiv presented additional opportunities to practice our flexibility.  Our main audience in Lutsk was psychologists, but in Kyiv it was educators.  Each group has a different set of interests requiring us to alter our teaching to meet their needs and interests.  However we did not alter the Biblical references in our presentations.

God provided evidence that our Christian message was being heard.  At lunch an attendee began talking with us.  Where are you from?  What are you doing here?  What is your purpose?  As the conversation continued, she said, “I knew you were Christians.  I attended one other conference based on Christian principles.  What you teach is exactly what my country needs.”  It is good to know that people are watching and listening.

UMO assistant Anatoly did the oral translation both weeks as well as the written translation for slide presentations prior to the conferences themselves.  We could not have done this without him.

In both cities the information was received enthusiastically.  Comments heard over and over were that the information presented was at a very high level.  This is very important because we do not want our reputation to taint the name of Christ.  By being excellent in what we do elevates our Christian message as well.

The Balametrics program taught by Ron was so popular that many people wanted to know how to purchase

Working with children on the board

such equipment for themselves.  Currently there is no way to buy this equipment directly in Ukraine.  The equipment provided for each training was donated by a single sponsor from the USA.  Ron was always quick to point out that it was really a gift from God to the children with disabilities and their  families.  Now that the information about the Learning Break Through Program has been taught, there is a real interest in obtaining the equipment.  Please pray for Ron as he determines how this can be accomplished.  He truly does not want to lose the Christian message that accompanied the equipment, so it is vital that he find the right person or group here to represent him.

Linda Sauke had another busy week.  Her time was spent evaluating and making suggestions regarding programs for  children attending Kyiv Christian Academy.  Marianna was grateful for Linda’s input in UMO projects at a preschool for children either affected by or infected with HIV.  Linda is a wealth of knowledge gleened from personal experience in the field of ESL.

As the week closed, we said good bye to the Elsinger family first.  Their children accompanied them on this trip so they could spend time with Oksana’s family in Ukraine.  The children needed to begin school and Dave had additional business to attend to in the states.  The Saukes stayed on for a few more days to meet with members of the Evangelical Free missionary team and sightsee.

The feedback from our work has been encouraging.  Most frequently heard were comments about the high level of information, the quality of the teaching and the practical value.  The information did not remain long in the hands of the participants.  Our powerpoint presentations were posted on the internet by the Kyiv Institute.  In November in Lutsk will be a meeting of the National Association of Ukrainian Educators  where the Learning Breakthrough Program will be presented by Anton, Ron’s star student.

Most importantly we pray the relationships developed and deepened will have an eternity consequence.  May we have compassion on the children with disabilities and their families.  May the kingdom of Christ grow and the God we serve glorified.