None Of Our Angels Had Wings!

On our recent trip with the Missions India Team, we visited Karunya Balabhavan in Orissa.  (Boys kneeling in prayer.)

                        He Who Called You Is Trustworthy!

we are honored , privileged and excited to to share our mission experience with you. We are like Apostle Paul, who when writing to the church in Corinth wrote; "when I came to you ..... I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" We pray our testimony will glorify God and will nudge some one to feel the Holy Spirit nudging him/her in the right direction.

When we both decided to go in to retirement from our 32 years of medical practice here in South Louisiana, it was a time for reflection. A time to reflect on the wonderful ways in which God sent his angels to direct, guide and protect us in our life’s journey. We started counting men and women who helped us to become what we are today. They were there in India where we grew up, they were in Tanzania, East Africa, they were in New York city and sure many of them were in Louisiana. While growing up we had Christian parents and older siblings, sunday school teachers and wonderful school teachers, missionaries and preachers and good christian friends. 

In 1972 when we moved to Mwanza,Tanzania, we were amazed by the number of men and women whom God had already arranged there to help us. Among them Dr. Kimati, a Tanzanian doctor and Professor of pediatrics who took me under his wings to train me in pediatrics. He was there to give us a ride to and from the hospital every morning and evening until we were able to get our own car. There was Dr. Evans, a OB/GYN specialist from the UK to take care of me in my 1st pregnancy and delivery, there was Dr. Myrtle Keller, a Gynecologist and a nun from PA to care for me at a time we needed medical care, there was Dr. Magda VanHoyweghen, a nun and surgeon from Belgium to train KE in surgery and later on  be instrumental in obtaining a position for him in residency in surgery in mid town Manhattan. There was Dr. Monach from the Netherlands who introduced us to the Anglican church in Mwanza and there were two Baptist missionaries, Jack and Don to lead us in Bible study on a regular basis. There were several other  men and women God ordained to help us in various ways while in Mwanza. 

His helping hands continued to follow us to New York City where he had arranged Ms. Delia, an elderly Irish lady to take care of our daughter while we both were busy in residency training. So many in the South Louisiana community helped us. 

 The  list of His angels that He sent on our way is pretty long and there is no way that we can ever pay back to even part of the favors that they did to us. Some of these men and women have passed away and some are continents apart. The only practical thing that we could and we should decide to do was to "pay forward" in other words do the favor to some one else that God brings to our path. Going for short medical missions gave us a chance to give back some to God’s children in need. 

In addition to the patients we see at clinics or hospitals, often we encounter people in need during these trips. 

There was a young lady helping us in our apartment when we did a short mission at Oddanchathram in India last year. This lady was a single mom whose daughter was in my clinic with acute leukemia. Even in that mission hospital, the cost of chemo treatment is prohibitively high for that poor lady.

At Tenwek Hospital, during our last visit we were assisted at our guest house by a Rowandan refugee. Her story was heart wrenching. She witnessed the killing of her parents and siblings and ran away from her country. She and her husband settled in Kenya and was raising their three daughters, when her husband was diagnosed with cancer of esophagus and he died. This young lady is struggling to keep her children in school. We met her beautiful children. intelligent and hard working, one wants to be a lawyer and another a doctor. Our God who takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field still cares for Cecilia and her children. We were glad to help them as we could and the smile on their faces and their promise to keep praying for us is more than enough as reward.

Be on the look out. God will sent people in need on your path.    (Leya and K.E.Mathew)