Adult Servant Trip October 2001
VOLUNTEERS REACH OUT TO THE NEEDY IN JUAREZ,
MEXICO
Swirling clouds of sand and dirt, driven by fifty
mile an hour winds, limited visibility, as one of the medical teams
sponsored by St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Barrington, arrived at
the home that would be their clinic for the day in Kilo Veinte,
a village just south of Juarez, Mexico. By the end of that day the
medical team would serve more than fifty patients.
During the week of October 7-13, two medical teams
and a construction team from St. Matthew worked at three sites on
the eastern and southern edges of Juarez.
The team's physician, three nurses, and support
personnel were able to serve 439 patients during the week. Their
medical complaints ranged from hypertension to chronic diabetes
to acute infections.
Infant care education was an important aspect
of the team's work because of the number of teenage mothers who
were seen at the clinics. Many of these mothers lacked basic understanding
about breast feeding and child nutrition. Oftentimes the health
problems of the mothers were compromising the health of their children.
Medical supplies for the team had been donated
by doctors and manufacturers. Other medicines were purchased for
patients in Juarez. Along with the medical care, the team also provided
spiritual care for their patients. They prayed with all of the people
who came to the clinic.
When patients left the clinic, they were given
hygiene kits which included tooth brushes, tooth paste, soap, shampoo,
socks, and underwear. In addition to the medical work, a construction
team erected a fence around a piece of property which was purchased
for a home site for the local pastor, the Rev. Jose Hernandez. By
securing the site with a fence, other mission teams will be able
to work on the construction of the house.
This team of fifteen adults was the twelfth group
sent by St. Matthew Lutheran Church to work in the Juarez area since
1995. In addition to medical and construction teams, the church
sends a team of teenagers and adults to teach Bible School each
summer. This past July a team of thirty conducted Bible School of
an enrollment of 230 children.
These mission trips are also a learning experience
for the people who go to Mexico. Dr. Reena Jabamoni, the team's
physician, reflected on her contact with the patients at the clinic
by saying, "I was impressed with the mothers' care for their
children in Mexico. They were poor but rich in love."
