Today was the first day that we all had the privilege of having some real interaction with the community. It’s such a blessing to be able to share God’s testimony using healthcare as an avenue. I can sense the serving attitude of the group of healthcare professionals in this group.

Our first encounter with a real family gave me a better picture of the state and mentality of the neighborhood. There are real, underlying issues such as hopelessness and despair, but God’s love is still present as well. The presence of God was especially present for me in our sincere prayers. I could sense a bit of the hopelessness and anxiety being lifted through the power of prayer.

It’s awesome to see people’s skills really shine. Sign language, Spanish, patience, communication skills, cheerfulness, to name a few. As we all gathered back to hq to debrief, we had the blessing to hear each other’s encounters. It was evident that God’s presence was very real in the various stories such as in the case of the man on PCP who didn’t lay a finger on the team but rather showed appreciation for their caring attitudes. One team member mentioned something that stuck with me about how we are not really here to help people, but rather just to offer to serve them because we can’t fix their problems. Only God has that power. On another note, here is a photo for your enjoyment of a gentleman that a team had the pleasure of getting to know very well.

Can’t wait to see what God has in store for day two.

Blessings,

Arnold.