There are moments full of joy in working - moments when there's no place I'd rather be even if I'm just emptying trash cans in the volunteers' bathrooms. Honestly this is how I always felt as a volunteer the past three summers. But with the privilege of spending the whole summer here, comes the temptation to be distracted and frustrated. It's easy to get annoyed when the volunteers leave the lights and fans on, flush toilet paper and clog the drains, don't clean the coolers. . . I could go on, but the long list would be as senseless as my annoyance. On Fridays the teams have "share night" when they're welcome to talk about things they've experienced and how they've seen God at work in their life that week. I'm always convicted and humbled. . . and then tested again the next morning because those same volunteers that are so thankful to be here serving and worshipping God have left their dorm rooms a complete mess.
This week the team is half medical and half construction. Having so many doctors changes the team dynamic in interesting ways - for one thing, the food lines move slower because they all remember to disinfect their hands. These thirty-odd doctors and medical students set up a clinic at the shelter for deportees and migrants. From reading Enrique's Journey, I've been learning a fair bit about the terrible hardships that migrants go through attempting to reach the states - kidnapping, beatings, torture, theft, rape, injuries. Part of me wanted to think - or at least hope - the author was sensationalizing the story, but really that is not the case. The vast majority of the patients the doctors treated today had been held for ransom and tortured. One had been beaten two times a day for 13 days, another was held hostage for two months with 210 others. How difficult their life must be at home to consider the slim hope of a better life worth these trials!
Perhaps more later on the topic.
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