Saturday, October 19, 2013

Goings On

Our last couple of weeks have been packed with activities--some work and some play which is always nice!  Dr. Sara and I (Lisa) were blessed to take part in an educational conference two weeks ago to get certified in cervical cancer screening using the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (or VIAA) method.  It was a long week of study and clinical practice but well worth it.  As a group we attended to more than 700 women and treated several for precancerous lesions with cryotherapy.  This is a service we want to begin here in our area soon and pray that it will help us reach many women who have never been screened and also open more doors for future evangelism contacts. 

After finishing the course Kemmel and I took advantage of some saved up days and made a trip to Hollywood, FL for some relaxation and a visa renewal stamp.  The tickets on Spirit airlines to Ft. Lauderdale were too cheap to pass up so we took off!  We love Hollywood Beach because of the beautiful beach, long boardwalk and ease of public transportation.  In fact one of our favorite pass times is riding around on the buses and seeing what (and who) there is to see.  Although entertaining, it is sometimes so frustrating waiting on a bus that is late or passed by earlier than you arrived and only comes by every 20-30 minutes.  One day we took the bus to a shopping center with plans to get back in time to eat dinner in the park at the food truck row.  We should have had plenty of time but the bus never came and after waiting an hour it started to rain with us out in the open and no covered bus stop in sight.  After getting completely soaked we decided to scrap the dinner plans and run over to Red Lobster for dinner (I know, "who eats at Red Lobster when they are visiting the coast???")  and just call a cab to take us back to the hotel.  After being seated we saw our bus pass by (1.5 hours late)!  It helps us realize what a lot of people have to go through to get to work and get groceries, and just survive every day, and what a privilege it is to have your own vehicle or live close to work.  It also opened our eyes to the rudeness and indifference people routinely face, and how a kind word or show of compassion shines like a spotlight.

Anyway, we are back in the saddle and tomorrow we get to celebrate 9 baptisms with the church in Xepocol.  They are such a loving church and their good reputation in their town is drawing people to Christ. Praise God and keep looking for opportunities to do good!

No comments: