" Being"
Istanbul airport can be a confusing place, but on the day I was transferring to Kathmandu, it was easy. There were hundreds of people heading for " my" gate- and they all looked strangely alike, so I followed them. Rescue workers in bright orange and red jumpsuits with RESCATE or MEDICO emblazoned across their shoulders hefted heavy backpacks aloft,
while muzzled rescue dogs waited patiently to board. Overhead bins were stuffed full of backpacks and equipment, hard hats and supplies....and when all was stowed -we were off.
Similar scenes accompany any disaster situation. Planes full of rescue worker arrive at airports that have supplies and cargo stacked high along the runways, helicopters are parked haphazardly and the arrivals hall and customs are congested with teams of people try to figure out what's going on and what to do. Eventually, mysteriously, the new arrivals dissolve away to the places where they will be most needed and somehow through the chaos, lives are saved, people are rescued and pulled from the rubble, wounds are dressed, limbs are set and a collective International cheer goes up when after seemingly all hope of finding survivors is gone, a baby, a child or an elderly man is rescued. The whole world comes together to help and to work shoulder to shoulder .....red crescent alongside Red Cross, Israeli and Arab, Christian and Hindu- a brotherhood of man joined in one common purpose- to help and to serve and to save lives.
However, each disaster situation is unique in other ways, so teams need to be flexible, patient and ready for anything. It's great when you can land ,walk into a hospital and get stuck into saving lives like we did in Haiti. It's great to be first on the spot as we we on Nias Island in Indonesia, or to be helicoptered into the epicenter as the first relief workers on site, or plug right into a highly effective team and make a contribution. Often though, it takes time to see where a team can be most effective and great patience is needed especially since teams have usually travelled in from a long way and are eager to start work. We always feel the need to be DOING
On this recent trip to Nepal it was three days before we managed to get to " our" community. Harmi is where we have friends and brothers with whom we have shared tea and eaten daal baat. We have slept in their homes and played with their children. In a sense, on this occasion, we never really got into the community because the houses are gone, reduced to piles of rubble and bricks. In a different sense, we were part of the community in a way we never had been before.
" being with" or " accompanying" is an important and therapeutic aspect of caring and showing compassion.Health care professionals naturally like to " do". We train for many years, we prepare, we study, we aquire skills and probably we are happiest when we are able to use those skills to make a difference. However, much has been written about the therapeutic effect of " being"...the unhurried presence of another person that can make a huge difference to a person especially in times of sickness and suffering.
The book of Job tells the story of a man of God who had a living vibrant faith, pleased God by all he did and had seen the blessing of God in his life. In the space of a short time he lost everything. He lost his family, his home, his business, his money and his health. While he was In the midst of despair, three friends came to him to comfort him. Job chapter 2 says they sat with him for seven days and did not say a word. The therapeutic prescence of " being".
The story of Job resonated with me while I was in Harmi. These were people who had lost everything- homes, food, animals, clothes , cooking utensils. Most of them do not have a living and vibrant faith in God to sustain them. There was nothing to say that would ease their pain of loss, so I sat with them. I listened to their stories. I witnessed their tears. I saw the shock and disbelief written on their faces. I shared their fear as the ground continued to shake. I felt their helplessness. I witnessed their desperation. There was nothing to say - there was much to hear.
I will never forget the experience of " being" with the people of Harmi that Saturday just a few weeks ago. Accompanying them, hoping they would understand our concern for them, our love for them our desire to stand with them....all borne out of our love for Jesus and knowing the only hope we can offer is in Him. Houses can be rebuilt, but nothing is permanent except for Gods love.
We will continue to be involved in the rebuilding of Harmi. We will continue to try to encourage the small group of believers and our other friends there. We will continue to pray that others will come to know Jesus in that community. We will continue to " be" with the people of Harmi for many years to come.
Istanbul airport can be a confusing place, but on the day I was transferring to Kathmandu, it was easy. There were hundreds of people heading for " my" gate- and they all looked strangely alike, so I followed them. Rescue workers in bright orange and red jumpsuits with RESCATE or MEDICO emblazoned across their shoulders hefted heavy backpacks aloft,
while muzzled rescue dogs waited patiently to board. Overhead bins were stuffed full of backpacks and equipment, hard hats and supplies....and when all was stowed -we were off.
Similar scenes accompany any disaster situation. Planes full of rescue worker arrive at airports that have supplies and cargo stacked high along the runways, helicopters are parked haphazardly and the arrivals hall and customs are congested with teams of people try to figure out what's going on and what to do. Eventually, mysteriously, the new arrivals dissolve away to the places where they will be most needed and somehow through the chaos, lives are saved, people are rescued and pulled from the rubble, wounds are dressed, limbs are set and a collective International cheer goes up when after seemingly all hope of finding survivors is gone, a baby, a child or an elderly man is rescued. The whole world comes together to help and to work shoulder to shoulder .....red crescent alongside Red Cross, Israeli and Arab, Christian and Hindu- a brotherhood of man joined in one common purpose- to help and to serve and to save lives.
However, each disaster situation is unique in other ways, so teams need to be flexible, patient and ready for anything. It's great when you can land ,walk into a hospital and get stuck into saving lives like we did in Haiti. It's great to be first on the spot as we we on Nias Island in Indonesia, or to be helicoptered into the epicenter as the first relief workers on site, or plug right into a highly effective team and make a contribution. Often though, it takes time to see where a team can be most effective and great patience is needed especially since teams have usually travelled in from a long way and are eager to start work. We always feel the need to be DOING
On this recent trip to Nepal it was three days before we managed to get to " our" community. Harmi is where we have friends and brothers with whom we have shared tea and eaten daal baat. We have slept in their homes and played with their children. In a sense, on this occasion, we never really got into the community because the houses are gone, reduced to piles of rubble and bricks. In a different sense, we were part of the community in a way we never had been before.
" being with" or " accompanying" is an important and therapeutic aspect of caring and showing compassion.Health care professionals naturally like to " do". We train for many years, we prepare, we study, we aquire skills and probably we are happiest when we are able to use those skills to make a difference. However, much has been written about the therapeutic effect of " being"...the unhurried presence of another person that can make a huge difference to a person especially in times of sickness and suffering.
The book of Job tells the story of a man of God who had a living vibrant faith, pleased God by all he did and had seen the blessing of God in his life. In the space of a short time he lost everything. He lost his family, his home, his business, his money and his health. While he was In the midst of despair, three friends came to him to comfort him. Job chapter 2 says they sat with him for seven days and did not say a word. The therapeutic prescence of " being".
The story of Job resonated with me while I was in Harmi. These were people who had lost everything- homes, food, animals, clothes , cooking utensils. Most of them do not have a living and vibrant faith in God to sustain them. There was nothing to say that would ease their pain of loss, so I sat with them. I listened to their stories. I witnessed their tears. I saw the shock and disbelief written on their faces. I shared their fear as the ground continued to shake. I felt their helplessness. I witnessed their desperation. There was nothing to say - there was much to hear.
I will never forget the experience of " being" with the people of Harmi that Saturday just a few weeks ago. Accompanying them, hoping they would understand our concern for them, our love for them our desire to stand with them....all borne out of our love for Jesus and knowing the only hope we can offer is in Him. Houses can be rebuilt, but nothing is permanent except for Gods love.
We will continue to be involved in the rebuilding of Harmi. We will continue to try to encourage the small group of believers and our other friends there. We will continue to pray that others will come to know Jesus in that community. We will continue to " be" with the people of Harmi for many years to come.
