Tonight we gathered as a team after dinner and had a debriefing time where we were prompted to talk about where we have been challenged this week. We quickly found many of us felt the same way- inadequate. As students, we are still working to gain confidence in our different fields. Since our team is mostly students, we are pushed to act more independently at the clinic and at Keramin, and practicing new skills can be intimidating. Our patients are looking to us to answer their questions, address their aches and pains and to provide a solution. This is an exciting opportunity but can also be overwhelming. In addition, there is an obvious language and cultural barrier present, so we are often challenged as to how to best provide education and care to the people we see. 

On our first day we all felt quite overwhelmed by these realities, but every day God has been showing us over and over again that He is the one in control. In our devotion this morning, Hillary spoke about the importance of taking off our crowns. As humans, it is so easy to feel that we are in control of our own lives and our own situations. This also carries over into how we view others and our relationships with them. It is easy to go into a mission trip with our own agendas, believing that we are going to “save” the people we serve. Even though we have felt overwhelmed and inept, God has repeatedly reminded us of his power and grace this trip. We reflected on the importance of letting God take control, which has drastically changed the pace and outlook of our days. Knowing that he is the ultimate one in control has allowed us to have peace and to actually gain confidence in our skills and assessments today.

In the midst of our feelings of chaos, God has shown up. Keramion is a school for children with special needs that the therapy faculty and students have been serving. On Monday, we were told that the school has been without running water since last July as they have not been able to cover the bill. This was where God decided to do his work. In two days, due to a simple Facebook post, over $1500 was raised for the school. This will cover their future water bills and add groceries to their pantry to feed the students. Today, we were able to tell the school and they were incredibly grateful. It was an emotional moment for all involved, as we truly felt the power of God and his faithfulness to those who continue to serve him even when things feel impossible. 

There are 3 volcanoes we can see from the windows of our house that repeatedly remind us of how big and majestic our God is. Honestly, we are inadequate, but our God is mighty. We feel humbled to have seen Him move this week. 

Savannah, Kate, and Gabbie