No Habla Espanol

No, really I don’t speak Spanish! My need to quickly learn Spanish became apparent when I met with the women from the Latino aerobics class who rock out at JRC every Monday and Wednesday morning. We met after their class to discuss the adult mobile dental van program, answer their questions and process their paperwork. Thank God Pilar (on staff at JRC from Colombia) was available to rescue me!

Through the collaboration of Medical Teams International, we held the first adult dental clinic on January 8^th at Jubilee REACH Center (JRC) and it was a huge success.

Even though the translator had three sick children and arrived late, God used the other patients to translate for each other. Only one patient didn’t come and the appointment was filled by the translator. She arrived just in time. We also squeezed in three patients waiting standby and saw a total of 19 patients.

I was so amazed at the eagerness and gratitude of those we served that day. As I watched patients arrive unsure about the whole situation, I saw them come out of the van with a smile on their face and a look of relief. Your prayer and financial support allows me to work with an incredible team from Medical Teams International and all of the tremendous professional dental volunteers. It was amazing to witness how they loved the people and cared for them so tenderly.

Here’s my average day today!

I feel as though I’ve been on a long trip and came home this morning. This place is all about hospitality with the immediate sight and smell of the kitchen and the goodies placed for the taking and hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate always ready. Then I walk up the stairs towards my office and there’s a large area at the top of the stairs with many black leather couches and chairs with blankets ready to curl up and rest or sit and talk. I hear laughter and “Happy New Year” greetings from many people back from their breaks and eager to serve.

Today I met with a woman who is the grandmother of an 8 year old boy. She is a senior, single, and struggling financially. She is the legal guardian for her grandson. She called asking if she could come talk with me. She had received a shutoff notice for her water and has no money to pay that bill or any others right now. It is hard for her to ask for help. I called the City of Bellevue and was able to get her shutoff postponed for a week. JRC will pay her $153 bill because of the generosity of those who have donated. On the horizon is a move to other housing. Her home was scheduled for foreclosure. She has able to find a buyer for substantially less than what is owed on her home but the bank will accept this offer. She and her grandson will need to find housing but on her $1200 per month social security there are not many options. I will start working on some options for her. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

Each Monday and Wednesday a group of Latino women pump up the music in the theatre and do aerobics for one glorious hour. After they were done today, I met with several of them to see if they would have an interest in participating in the adult dental clinic van coming this Friday for the first time. They all signed up – with the help of Pilar. Pilar is a delight. I love her faith in the Lord, as well as her excellent translation skills. She is from Colombia. Several of the women only speak Spanish. I do not! One of the women was concerned that her son who is very allergic to nuts might have an allergic reaction the day of her appointment and she would not be able to come. Pilar told her not to worry because she was going to pray to God for her little boy and he would be fine so she could come.

It is awesome to be surrounded by these special people on staff with such huge hearts for the Lord’s people. At today’s staff meeting, I am reminded of how much He does through each one of them just because of their surrender to Him. They possess a willingness to show up and be used however that might be for the given situation that presents itself each day. Every day is a surprise!