Who Am I?

Recently, some friends were admiring my china. I told them that I had been asked to play the organ for the high school chapels while teaching in Japan. There was a pipe organ in the senior high chapel, and an electric Allan organ in the junior high chapel. When I was given a money gift for my services, I was stunned. It was special, so I bought my china! Later, Bill asked me how I learned to play the organ. I related how my father had asked me to take lessons when I was 13 years old. The Lutheran Church had the best organ, so my teacher agreed to teach me there. I had a key, and walked there everyday after school to practice. When I moved away from San Diego, I never played the organ again until I was asked to play in Tokyo. I know that my Dad was smiling!

Why do I care about healthcare reform? While in St. Vincent (the poorest country in the Caribbean next to Haiti), I was hostess and assistant to several Touch Teams. I will never forget one time when the supply plane was late arriving. I was sent to the Kingstown hospital to beg for thermometers. I had to dodge chickens and dogs once inside. The head nurse informed me in her kindest Bristish accent that every nurse had their own equipment, and I would have to find out who was off duty. After obtaining my treasures, I drove quickly to the make-shift clinic. From there, I headed to the church where I had been assigned to the dental clinic. A door had been put across two chairs. The patients would lie there while having their rotten teeth removed. It was my job to register each person and draw a circle around the teeth on my chart that were causing pain. Another time, while driving past the hospital, I saw a young mother holding a new born. She was waiting for the open-air bus to drive her home. I bundled the two into my car and drove them up the mountainside. The mother cried, thanked me and asked me to name her baby. I like Irish names, so I named him Sean.

While in Kenya, Bill and I taught at an international school where many missionaries sent their children. The majority were there on medical mission. Several of my students had fathers and mothers who flew small planes into the bush. Several of the parents worked for Doctors Without Borders, and one of my little boys had lived on the Mercy Ship. On one occasion, high school students were excused from school to help at the orphanage for aides children. There had been a breakout of chicken pox. The workers couldn't handle it, and babies were going to die. Christians responded immediately.

Yes, I have experienced sub-standard healthcare, but I know that I haven't suffered like other people. I also know that most Americans will never see or do the things I have in my life-time. Their world view is limited by what they know and the books they choose to read. I was telling my mother, just yesterday, that I can't believe what God has allowed me to do. I've enjoyed five-star hotels, and I've cried with the destitute. God loves the rich and He loves the poor! I am truly humbled and am grateful that my children are letting God express Himself through their abilities.