A Day With The Luke Commission

We had the amazing opportunity to join the team from The Luke Commission for one of their mobile medical clinics in the rural village of Sigwane. Rising early, the team prepared for the all day event. With trailors loaded and lunch packed, we all loaded up for the hour and a half drive to the village.

 

Once we arrived, the trailors were unlaoded and a makeshift clinic set up in one of the town buildings. People had walked for miles to gather, awaiting their chance to receive care. The numbers were estimated around 500.

 

The crowd was told to gather near a grove of trees for to receive instructions for the day. As I stood by, I was soon joined by a little boy in a red shirt. I asked him his name but I could not understand his softly spoken reply. I noticed an embroidered patch on his shirt that said DUDE. I asked him if I could just call him that, I don’t think he understood but he also didn’t seem to mind. After a few minutes he walked away again with some other kids. Soon after that I was joined by a young lady. She came and sat beside me and introduced herself as Bucle. We talked on and off throughout the day. She’s a real sweet and friendly girl. The whole crowd was very inviting and friendly, saying hello and greating you as you pass by.

 

When the instructions were finished, everybody formed a queue (line) from the tree up to the side of the building. Amy Jo was able to join the crew doing triage since she is a nursing student. The took blood pressure, checked blood sugar levels, and did HIV tests. Once the triage was completed, patients lined up on benches beside the building to wait for their turn to see the doctor. After seeig the doctor, it’s on to the pharmacy trailor. 

 

   

 

Since I have no medical qualifications, I helped with the eyeglass station. Metal racks filled with boxes of donated glasses were loaded into the main room in the back of the building. They used a machine to test their vision and print out a report. Then we searched through the boxes to find the prescription that matches the report. Sometimes we had to go through several pairs to find the right match, and sometimes we couldn’t find a match at all. There was only one pair for every priscription number, so as the day went on the chances of finding a match grew slimmer.

 

 

In addition to the corrective lenses, we also provided reading glasses. The patient would have to read a series of paragraphs in progressively smaller text until it was too small to read. Beside each paragraph there was a prescription number that for the correct compensation. We had lots of reading glasses, so that task was much easier. Some people left with two pair of glasses, one for general use and the other for reading, while some left with nothing.
It hardly seemed fair, but none complained.

 

 

 

Those who were unable to walk properly also received wheel chairs. Not the kind we’re used to, but rather a sort of box on wheels. They are produced on Florida and shipped overseas, and assembled onsight. It was great to watch as the chairs were distributed to their new owners. There was a little bit of a learning curve as owners learned how to opperate the hand cranked peddle system, but the smiles on their faces said it all.

 

Early in the day, Bucle had asked me about a Bible. When I inquired of the team, they said they hand out Bibles to those who stay until the end. I passed the news on to my new friend. She was dissapointed that waiting would mean missing the bus that comes by, but she was willing to wait. She has wanted a Bible for a long time. Finally at the end of the night, the people formed a queue one more time and received their own Bibles. Bucle was so delighted to have it even though now she would have to make a long walk in the dark to get to the bus station. She was so grateful, and did not complain at all.

 

It was a great blessing to join this team for a day. Their dedication and saccrafice for the people is inspiring. I pray that God will continue to bless their ministry and extend their reach to wherever it is needed. It is so glorious to see physical needs met in a place with so much suffering. But even more glorious when the Word of God is received with open hearts.