Above: Austin, Kelsey, Dr. Moonga, Mel, and I - from this day I learned how God does not call the able - he calls who he can use for his purposes.
Above: Dr. Moonga, an amazing man of faith sharing stories of the ways he has seen God move in his life and the lives of patients.
Above: Emma & Fannie from Zimba - caring for a loved one dying of AIDSToday I attended the funeral of a close family friend. I am heartbroken for this man's family, but the service and the scriptures that were read also caused me to reflect on the men and women our team saw suffering and dying in Zambia.
My biggest takeaway from my time abroad was that yes, nursing is about caring for the physical body, but as a Christian nurse, my duty is more to the spirit than the physical body. Why? Because this "earthly tent" we live in now will be destroyed, but eternity comes after that. It is my call as a Christian to ensure that I do my part to ensure that after that "earthly tent" is no longer, that people have a building from God. Suffering on earth sucks, but imagine that suffering continuing for all of eternity. I can't stomach that.
The physical body WILL fail. It is a fragile jar of clay, but that reminds me of the urgency to share the hope of Christ with everyone I care for...I love how Paul says it in 2 Corinthians 4&5.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not build by human hands. Meanwhile we GROAN, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked." 2 Corinthians 5:1-3
Many times in Zambia I felt helpless and paralyzed because for many patients, nothing more could be done medically for them, but I realized that I have so much to offer in those situations - the hope of Christ, prayer, a word of encouragement. I learned to look towards heaven and see arriving there as the ultimate healing. It got me so excited - but also renewed purpose in me - to win others to Christ so they can be in heaven one day too.
Brucie
