The Race is not to the Swift

I arrived in Canada on Sunday, August 24th, from leading a ten-day international EMAS team to Zimbabwe. I was tired, relieved, but happy.

We had gone to test-drive the dental clinic, tryout a surgical camp with ten major cases, and participate in a local fundraising event among other activities.

Careful planning, timely communications, and team selection are among the factors critical for success in such endeavours. I did my best to manage these factors with resources at our disposal, and as is common in Christian missions, we put hours of prayer into these matters.

Time and chance are things I have no control over.

Prayer and planning do not give me this control.

I am vulnerable to their vagaries, my convictions about the sovereignty of God notwithstanding.

We did our best to prepare for our mission; however the weekend before travel we learned that 45 and not 10 patients had been signed up and waiting. We learned the day before the first case that the autoclave needed major plumbing and electrical works and the technician lived 90km away.

Getting the autoclave working was not a viable option. The surgical teams borrowed instruments from the provincial hospital and the efficient OR nurses somehow kept things running smoothly.

Working in two teams from Friday to Sunday, 8 am to 8 pm, 42 major surgical procedures were done, but we left many unattended.

The dental equipment had been serviced and tested the day before the clinic.

We had no idea about how many dental patients would be waiting, nor that the compressor would fail.

And once the dental clinic opened its doors the patients kept coming, in the end one hundred and twenty were seen, some for multiple procedures.

Once the compressor failed, we prioritised for urgent extractions, sadly many patients had to be turned away for a later date.

The wisdom of Ecclesiastes proved again that success was not ours to command, our good plans were at the mercy of time and chance.

But we were successful, well beyond expectations. There was another source of wisdom combined with grace, generosity, and going the second mile repeatedly.

When called upon for last minute help my friends from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Zimbabwe, a Dentist from the Christian Medical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, and the EMAS Canada administrative staff rallied behind us, working extra hours and finding solutions when I felt stymied.

When you pray for EMAS Canada, imagine what it must be for our team currently in the Philippines and the challenges that we will face in Mongolia later this year, and remember to thank God for the counsel and support I get from the EMAS Canada staff.

You can support EMAS Canada programs of your choice here.

For more details on any EMAS Canada programs use email.