I became an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) while pastoring our first church in Electra, Texas. There was a need then, and there is a need today. Most villages in Malawi do not have any medical facilities. Sometimes, those facilities are a great distance away. Many minor injuries, or insect bites are left untreated and therefore become more severe than they should be.
When I work in the village, there is always someone who needs simple, basic first-aid attention. This past week was no exception. We built a tabernacle (metal church building) for a church. The pastor brought a young girl to me with an injury on her leg. She was leaning on a make-shift crutch, and trying her best to keep from putting weight on her left leg. When I looked at the sore, I believed it to be a tropical ulcer. It was already very large and very deep. I doctored it, and tried to stress the need for her to seek medical attention. Then we prayed for her. The next day she had been taken to a clinic about 15 kilometers away. When I saw her again, about 4 days later, she was much better, and not limping so much.
One woman had some sort of insect bite that had become infected. Simple needs, yet so dangerous when left untreated.
A mother brought her young daughter for me to look at. She had sores covering almost all of her body, and like many children, she was just a bit afraid!
With each need, there is an opportunity for prayer and to share the love of Christ. Not all ministry is with a Bible. Sometimes, we are the Bible!
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