One word difference
This weekend was time for our scheduled trip to Donaldsonville HPC Dream Center for clinic. However, the winds from Hurricane Ike were still too high to take the mobile clinics on the road, especially crossing the Mississippi River. We had to cancel dental clinic because we need the dental unit, but the medical team loaded everything into our cars and off we went.
We set up in the Dream Center where Healing Hands clinic first began in February 2005 in Donaldsonville. We saw 26 precious people who just endured Hurricane Gustav. This area is so devastated. This trailer is one of many that are destroyed. 20 of our patients still (day 13) do not have power.
One of our ladies we have been seeing for over a year looked wonderful. She had such a peace about her like I had never seen. When I asked her how she made out for the storm, she told me that her home was destroyed. She was spending a few days at her mother-in-laws and a few days in her son's home. I soon found out that 2 other of our patients no longer have homes that are liveable.
After clinic as we ate our lunch, I talked to our prayer partners and asked them how our patients were holding up spiritually. They were excited to tell me that although the patients were in horrible situations, they were telling the prayer partners how good God has been to them. They spent more time thanking God for what they still had than complaining about what they lost!
I wrongly thought that we would be spending the day praying FOR our patients instead of praying WITH them. Think about the implication of that one different word. The way I think of it is that we pray for someone when they are in such a valley in their life that they can't pray for themselves. I have been there and been thankful that I had friends that prayed for me. But then there are times, usually times of thanksgiving, that we pray with people when we are all participating in approaching the throne of God for a request or in thanksgiving.
What an awesome day we had praying WITH our patients as we thanked God for all the things we still have.
Have you prayed for someone or with someone today? Both are important in our walk with Christ.
Blessings,
Cheri
posted by Joseph & Cheri LeBlanc @ 3:13 PM
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