Screening day/ Selection day

A few days after screening day I have been able to digest some of what happened that day. Still even writing this makes me emotional.

Lets start with numbers around 7,000 people queued up all day to be seen. Around 6,300 went through the main gate. 4,200 of them were potential patients. Over 1,000 went through the pre-screener and onto the surgical specialities. This selection day was the biggest in Mercy Ships history. They are amazing numbers but it also shows that there is a big need in this country.

The people queued for hours during the day just to be seen by a doctor, for some the last hope they have. It was great to see the people who received the appointment card to come back to the ship, their big smiles and their "Merci" (Thank you), some were so excited, it made my day all so worth the pain and aches of walking miles. But of course I dealt with a lot patients who unfortunately could not be helped. It was heartbreaking to see the people walking the line which meant they were not a candidate for surgery. In my little French I tried to show them that I cared, that I was sorry we could not help. At the end of the line we ask if they wanted prayer by our prayer team, it was encouraging to see so many take the opportunity to be prayed for. That maybe we could not help them physically but we could help spiritually.

The most frustrating thing of the day for me is that some of the problems the patients had and that the ship could not help with could so easily be sorted at home, they would see the GP and then referred to the right doctor and have their health issue sorted in a matter of days/months. While here they suffer with their problem for years and years.
What do you say to a teenager that has deformities in her legs which means she has to walk with crutches or stick for the rest of her life, as we cannot help her, as she sits there sobbing, all I could do was give her a hug and  I gave her a silent prayed that she would know she was loved. 

As you can tell I found it very emotional, and I have shed a few tears everyday since. But also I had moments of pure joy, as a little girl (the one in the picture) gave me loads of hugs and played with me for a little while, while her mum waited in line to get the appointment card to return to the ship. Or when a group of men were discussing why they had not been accepted, I explained why to them, I got the translator to invite them to prayer if they wanted to. One of the men wanted prayer, so I took him to the prayer room, while walking with him, he asked if I was a Christian, when I replied yes, he had a smile in his face, then he asked me if I loved Jesus, when I told him yes I did, his smile got bigger and said that was very good. I then told him I was sorry we could not help, but his reply was so good, he thank me and said that it is all in God's hand. It brought me back to reasons why I was there.
It is all in God's hand, he has chosen the patients we are going to have, and that we are here for a reason. I am excited to see what He has planned for our time here in Congo.