The drive up to Rio Verde on this past Monday morning was glorious, as usual. We were blessed with a relatively dry road, and the chill of the air in the back of the pickup was refreshing. The Rio Verde was running with plenty of water, and the new bridge looked great. When we arrived at the Rio Verde school, a good-sized crowd of Awa were awaiting us. The team was glad to see our missionary friends Kevin and Kathy Bruce as well as well as Andy and Chrissy Schwab once again. Kevin had informed me the night before that their partners with the Awa mission these past sixteen years -- Doug and Dorcas Williams -- had made the difficult decision to begin their transition back to the US for the sake of their children. This will change life signicantly for the Bruces and the Schwabs.As we quickly set up the clinic in the school building, Kevin announced that a family was bringing their ten year old son to be seen. While working the day before, he had sustained a significant laceration to three fingers of his right hand. They hoped that we could repair the hand without causing much pain. As I examined his hand, I could see that he may have lacerated the extensor tendon of his index finger. In addition, he was none too happy to be at the clinic. Nonetheless, his parents insisted, and so we got started. I gave him two meds to sedate him, and an hour later he was able to rest on the table while we began irrigating his wounds with sterile saline. He tolerated the local anesthetic quite well. His grandparents - who just happened to be to the next patients to be seen by me -- sat alongside the patient as I began the repair of his hand. His third and fourth finger lacerations were only skin deep, and were easily repaired. The index finger laceration , however, was much deeper, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and good light, the tissue came together nicely and I believe the tendon was intact. After further irrigation, the skin was closed and his hand bandaged. His parents and grandparents were pleased, and the boy was glad to be asleep!
Later that day, Phillip Duncan (a member of our team) commented on how fortunate it was that the boy sustained his injury just the day before we were to arrive. Indeed, the team´s witness of God´s love and concern was magnified by this opportunity to provide needed care. Wilman (the Ecuadorian pastor and friend whose church assisted us this year) prayed with the boy and his family, completing a time in which we felt the presence of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Affected by His Touch,
Dr. Tim
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