Jungle Sacrifices

Jungle Sacrifices

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. Matthew 9:35

One of my trips to Ecuador took me to the jungle lowlands, where life is very different from life in Tennessee. Before I left Nashville, my missionary friend reminded me to get all my shots.

The heat in this part of Ecuador reminded me of South Georgia in July. Gnats and mosquitoes big enough to carry off a small child swarmed and splattered on the windshield as our mobile medical caravan bumped along the dirt roads.

At night, we slept under the jungle canopy, looking up through mosquito nets to catch a glimpse of the stars. We had to be wary of nocturnal animals, some of which could inflict serious injury if we weren’t careful.

We stayed in the shallow part of the river for bathing, and no swimming was allowed. That was fine with me. A waterfall provided a cleansing shower. Our drinking water was boiled and used in coffee or strong tea to keep us from getting intestinal parasites. This was not the living water that Jesus promised!

While we were concerned about our own health and safety, none of our problems compared to those of the patients we treated each day. During daylight hours, we saw between 100 and 150 patients—many of whom had never seen a doctor before. Meanwhile, an additional 300 or 400 villagers sat patiently watching the JESUS film and listening to the pastor’s healing message.

I’m not saying, “Look at all the sacrifices we made to help so many people!” because nothing would be further from the truth. God’s Word—spoken through the pastor and portrayed in the JESUS film—healed many more people than our hands did. And the people we treated medically had a tremendous impact on healing us spiritually—even more so than our healing them physically.

The New Testament is filled with stories of Jesus traveling through back roads, small towns, and large urban areas to attend to hurting people. He willingly gave up the comforts of life to meet the needs of humanity. Having had just a taste of that has transformed the way I read the Bible.

TODAY’S RX

Jesus did so much to heal us. All he asks in return is that we place our trust in him.

Jesus, use me as a model of your compassion and love. Help me to forsake my own comforts for what’s important—sharing your Good News. Thank you for all you’ve done to spread your love to the edges of the earth.