The Least of These

After the first three or four days of seeing primarily earthquake-related wounds and injuries, the crowds of folks waiting to be seen every day swelled to upwards of 300 which was a severe test of our abilities to take care of in one day. We worked as hard as we could, but you can only do so much. Alot of people from the village started showing up with minor (relatively speaking, of course) or chronic problems, such as headaches or scabies, or whatever. At first we got them all seen, but as word got out in the village, we simply got too busy. (Hey, when you're good, you're good). I felt bad when we had to announce to the crowds that we could not see chronic conditions that day. Here we were, the first medical people to show up, and we didn't have time to see them. It felt so wrong, but we had to take care of those most sick or injured.

The precious people of Haiti are so hungry for someone to sit and listen to them, to hear what they have to say, to lay a compassionate hand on them. They soak you in, as if unable to get enough of you. And they're sooo appreciative.

I think of Jesus's words when He said, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me." Is it possible? Is it possible that I actually encountered the living Jesus in one of my patients today? I wonder which of the least of those... was him.