Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Send me deep

My son, Zacharia sharing a video with precious children in Haiti {of themselves} during his recent medical mission. I think they like it. :)

I shared with you when my son was on this mission in Haiti, a medical one, a few months ago. He will be returning this Fall {2011}. Zach has just set up a blog to share, inform and hopefully even assist in facilitating these continued missions.

Last year, on Monday, before he left Friday, I called him to ask whether he still needed anything. And he did! Boy, did he still have needs! He needed scrubs, enough for a few changes a day. He needed blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes . . . and a few other items that escape me right this minute. My first thought was to write a check, followed immediately by God telling me to share the blessing {of helping} with others. I realize that the cynical among you will think I'm just being cheap, but others will know whereof I speak.

I called my other children, and posted his needs on Facebook. His siblings also posted his needs on Facebook. I called friends and relatives who had asked me to let them know what he might need. Several modest financial donations, from distant relatives, even from his sister's Grandma-in-law flowed in. :) Even a couple of not so modest donations. I know!

Friends, family members, distant acquaintances . . . people we had nearly, or mostly lost contact with, started calling, and writing! And dropping supplies off at my house, at his sister's house, at his!

A friend who works for a medical supply company dropped by with three boxes full of medical equipment, like gloves and wall mounted blood pressure cuffs for the hospital, and a promise for things that might be needed for the next trip {with more notice}.

A hospital 65 miles away donated scrubs! This, because the father of a woman in Sister's Bible Study group works there, and she called him.

Hospitals, and specifically nurses in the city where he works as a paramedic donated scrubs and stethoscopes.

Friends who work anywhere in the medical field came through with donations, not just of the known needs, but items that they felt he might need. {Next time he wants to take soccer balls, too.}

Just a couple of days before he left, he sent a text to me, "Thermometers! We need thermometers!" I was out of town, so I contacted his sister, who posted it on Facebook. :) A couple of hours later, I received this text, "We don't need any more thermometers!" I don't even know the details of how that need was filled.

Maybe after reading this, he will refresh my memory of the other wonderful material blessings that were heaped upon the effort to supply his mission. It was a lesson in trusting God to provide. Always enough, always in time.

Read the post on his new blog as he prepares for a return trip this year. It will touch you. :)