Even after the operation we were
not sure that it would be successful. The plan was to leave the
catheter in her bladder for three weeks to allow healing. During
the third week, the catheter became blocked and her bladder filled
up with urine. Thankfully, the nursing staff and the clinicians
on call responded promptly to the problem and inserted a new catheter.
The new catheter allowed her bladder to empty, and healing continued.
This Saturday morning was the day to remove the catheter. I went
with the nurse to see Lucia after the catheter had been removed.
You can tell without asking if an operation like this has been
successful. You can tell by the smile on the patient’s face,
the smile that says she is not leaking any more. Lucia had that
smile on her face this morning.
The message brings us this version of Matthew 5:1: “When
Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside.
Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with
him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing
companions.” We are familiar with the blessings: blessed
are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are
the meek. Have you ever wondered why Jesus began his ministry
with blessings? The situation at that time was perhaps similar
to ours: locusts laying waste to the land, earthquakes leaving
rubble in their wake, and famine and drought.
I quote the Reverend Wayne Eberly of Pines Presbyterian Church
in Houston, Texas: “Most of the major commentators are agreed
on this. Jesus isn’t asking for anything from the crowd
or his disciples. He isn’t commanding people to be poor
in spirit or to mourn. He has made an assessment. He knows the
condition of the human heart. He knows the hungers and the yearnings.
He knows that as mixed up as we humans can be, there can also
be a purity of heart, acts of mercy, a desire for peace. He surveys
the landscape of humanity. He takes our pulse. He puts his spiritual
stethoscope to our chest and hears the flutter of our heartbeat.
Because he created that heart he can tell it is broken. So without
asking or commanding anything of humans, his first words pronounce
a most unusual word. He blesses.”
So this Saturday morning in Malawi we are blessed with the smile
of Lucia Dulla, and we are encouraged to reach out to our nearest
neighbors here, many of whom are in distress from hunger, disease,
and poverty. Blessings on all of you who read this letter and
be encouraged in your own spiritual journey as you reach out to
others in love.
Dr. Sue Makin
Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Mulanje Mission Hospital
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
337 |
