This is What it is All About

Something happened today that totally illuminated what doctoring in a community means. Real ministry is very far from the in and out ambush trips that are more about adventure and exposure than dedicated serving. They are not inherently wrong, but boy are they missing out.
Today I had a first, and I hope to have many more of these. We went on a hike today up in the hills surrounding and overlooking Nalerigu soaking in all we could and finding some time to rest. On our way back we walked through the town and were speaking the little Mampruli that we can and waving at everyone yelling out "Saming-doa" (white man).
As we were walking through the market we saw a familiar face. It was a little boy Ibrahim Abubakari who had surgery last week. It was SUCH a joy to see someone you know, someone you had seen sad and hurting, someone who was now smiling. That is what it is all about. You don't do medicine, you don't do ministry, you don't do life from far away. The Christian life is about serving the people you see on the street. It is about loving them with a love that is not capable of being wrought on your own. Man what if every time we went out we saw someone that we had actively loved. What if simply going to the market (mall) was a joyful experience because in each familiar face there was an image of Jesus, of hope, of redemption? What if we were actively involved in the struggle to love people properly to such an extent that there were specific names and faces that we were striving for? What if you saw that person and it all felt worth it?
Doctors get a special experience of this because we get an unique view into each patient's life, (I mean seriously, who else tells you to get naked and you actually listen. Case in point.) but all of us have the opportunity. Ministry is not something people with degrees do, it is a lifestyle. It is how you breathe, it is what we do because Jesus Christ taught us to do.