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| HONDORUS RESDENCY PAPERS FOR GAYLE |
Gayle Davidson Journal entry Monday June 24, 2014
Roatan Honduras with Hines /Davidson team
This is my 15th year to have the privilege of
co-leading a mission trip to Honduras with Tim Hines, the best man I know, a
man of God, a friend, example and accountability partner. He is the one that
convinced me to go on my first trip and what God has done with that is simply
beyond words. He is also the one who convinced me on a dock on this very
island, that I was worth something and God could use me in the light. I had
been in darkness doing my duty for so long that I did not even understand it at
first. Couldn’t wrap my head around God’s perfect plan for me.
God has shown me this over and over again in these last 15
years. Today I want to talk about the Clinica de Esperanza. With God’s perfect
plan and His help and the support of IRC and Torch Missions, a free clinic was
born in August of 2007. Tim agreed to be
the executive director and work through all the legal work in Honduras and help
with the on-site visits and contracts and meetings with the staff.
It was gayles will that I would be able to move there
and run it. I even got a job at the embassy and a place near my best friends that suddenly had a “for rent” sign in the yard in Tegucigalpa. We went and looked at it and it was
perfect. Many other things happened and it was soon crystal clear that it was
not God’s plan but mine. A Honduran staff is running the clinic which helps the
economy by providing jobs. My placement in the US was perfect to make enough
money to fund the clinic and put me with medical contacts that allowed me to
get the medicine and equipment that we needed
donated.
This has all changed. No job in 2 years, little income, and
many a month I did not know if I could pay the staff or buy any more medicine.
THE LAST 7 DAYS WAS ALL GOD NEEDED TO CHANGE ALL OF THAT…
A week ago, with Tim’s help I became a resident of Honduras
after 1 and ½ years if trying.
A global giving representative, Lydia Sorenson, came to
evaluate the clinic. She has been all over the world evaluating projects and I
have to admit, I was fearful as the clinic is a 60 year old adobe building that
we are very proud of, but I was afraid the fancy ones with loads of money with
new equipment would be more impressive. It turned out to be the opposite, she
was very happy with what we had to offer the people of Honduras and spent a lot
of time telling me how to keep it in business. Top of the list was a website
(which always looses to medicine and gets pushed down the list, )
A few days later we were at the clinic on a Saturday, we
were painting a wall and putting away medication. A man named Gregg Mock came
into where I was working, as he was on property with another Torch team. He
asked if he could talk to me. He is a nephrologist with many connections. He
took a lot of notes and asked a lot of questions. I told him we had been
praying for help and I welcomed any advice he could give me. He said he wanted
more that that, he wants to help with the work.
WOW.
THEN he says, “can you wait here a minute?” I said “sure.”
In 10 minutes he shows up with a Matt who does all the
websites for the University of Mississippi. We talk for 40 minutes, and I said, pray and think
about it and let me know. (he is the 4th person to consider this and
none have come through so far in the last 7 years)
He said “I don’t have to think about it, God laid
it on my heart while you were talking, can I start in July?” My project I’m
working on now will be finished." He said he would be honored to do it. Through
tears we said goodbye, I sat there speechless. and I believe him.
Today was the craziest example of prayer answered I have
seen in some time. My daughter Megan, had taken a scuba refresher course that
day as she wanted to do a night dive, (we both forgot our dive cards and I
chose not to spend the money) She came to my room and became upset that I was
still working on the presentation to the team that night and had not left my
room. She also knows my favorite place to be is on, near or under the water,
She insisted I go snorkeling, So, I did as she requested.
On the way back from my water adventure I met Megan and her
new scuba buddies on the beach. After introductions, I left in a hurry to
finish the slide show. About 100 feet away I heard Megan yelling my name. Apparently
she met one of the dive buddies mom and she asked her what she did for a
living, She runs research studies and was looking for a clinic in Honduras. She
is the regional manager of TKL research and works with all the large companies
in th US. We talked for quite some time about her business and she was so
excited that we would allow her to work through our clinic. She said it paid
about 5-10K. I asked if I the pharmaceutical companies would give us enough of
the funds needed for these diagnostic equipment needed to do the work, or would I
need to take out a loan. She said not to worry about it, she would work it out.
Later she asked about the clinic, current budget, donations, ect. I explained
how it worked and told her 10 K would keep the doors to the clinic open for a
while longer. I had thought we may have to close by December the way it was
going. She looked at me funny and Karen said, “I don’t think you understand, it
is 5-10 k PER PATIENT” We are standing in the sand in our swimsuits and I cant
even form a coherent thought for at least 10 seconds, I just looked at her with
my mouth open and hugged her and said “God is good, He meant for us meet today”
She pushed me away from our embrace and crunched her eyes at me and said “WHAT
DID YOU SAY”???? My immediate thought in
the first nanosecond with her looking at me that way was that professing faith
was not what she wanted to hear, but in the next nanosecond I knew that there
was not any amount of money that could make me step down from my faith so I
looked her in the eyes and repeated “ I said , God is good and he meant for us
to meet today”
Im prepared for her to back up and go on her way but
instead, she hugged me again and said “Im a Christian too, that just puts you way up on the list” Then she said “do not move from this spot” and
ran off towards a hotel. 15 minutes later, she is back, breathless with not
only her card but 4 other ways to find her.
As I walk back to our hotel with happy tears, I run into a
member of our team, Jose. He knows where I’m at with the clinic and had
expressed a desire to help. In his hand is a crumbled up piece of torn paper
with a Ashley Robinsons name on it from Global Medical Brigades. He ran into
her downstairs, She is looking for a clinic to give medicine and supplies to.
Jose filled her in and I am to email her as soon as possible as she wants to
help.
God has literally poured buckets of blessings on this trip
in many other ways but what He did for the clinic in such a short period if
time is simply powerful and amazing. And as I think about it now, it really
isn’t amazing because God can do anything if we trust Him to take care of it.
Im so small in the scheme of things to be seeing his
greatness first hand.
A great week to be in His service,
gayle
