Fulfilling God's Call to Heal in Venezuela

Back: Christian Updike, Mark Gillespie, Jake Arthur, Ann Karlberg, Dawn Nottingham, RIchard Robledo
Middle: Christina Gillespie, Debra Bornhodlt
Front: Diane Sealand, Lili Mendes

The man hobbled into our clinic using a stick as a cane. His two sisters accompanied him and explained that many years ago, he was seriously injured when he was struck by a vehicle. His knee and elbow were damaged and his tongue was nearly severed. Because he was missing almost a quarter of his tongue, he was quite difficult to understand. In the community, the children made fun of him because he mumbled. He responded by throwing rocks at them and threatening with his stick. Over time, the townspeople came to fear him. His sisters complained that he never bathed and was filthy.

His life had become wretched and lonely. He was rejected by his community and he responded with anger and violence. On this muggy Venezuelan day in the little town of Cardones, he sat in the clinic before the American doctor and translator hoping to receive help for his aching foot.

Medical care in Venezuela has shown great improvement over the past ten years as a result of national efforts at social development. Nevertheless, remote rural areas of the country are still in need of basic health care services. The clinic in Cardones was one of two clinics provided by our medical mission team to address this need. The mission team consisted of ten people who came together from UCC and Disciples of Christ churches throughout the Rocky Mountain region. We were organized and commissioned by Global Partners, a committee that has sustained a 10-year partnership between these two denominations and the United Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Venezuela (UEPV). 

The leader of our hosting church in Venezuela was Gamaliel Lugo, the bishop of the UEPV in the Venezuelan state of Zulia. Gamaliel is a dynamic man of faith, passionate about his work for God, for his people and for his country. During a day of orientation, we learned from him the details of national efforts to improve the quality of life for all Venezuelans, especially related to health care. Christians of the UEPV are intensely involved in these development efforts, pursuing their mission of service to the poor and disenfranchised members of society.  This call is a manifestation of the liberation theology they embrace.

Our team was also called to serve. Among us were two doctors, two nurses, three translators and three helpers. Not only were we called by our faith to share the skills and talents that we have, but we were also called to reach beyond political boundaries, to join our brothers and sisters in Christ and to work side-by-side in the global struggle for justice and peace. 

Gamaliel began each day of service with a devotional. He reminded us that as Christ would show compassion toward even the least desirable among us, we should do so as well. So there in the clinic, the filthy man with his aching foot, an outcast of his community, sat before the doctor, aptly named Christian. With the help of the translator, Christian asked him to remove his shoe and sock. His foot was black with dirt and tiny flies darted from the putrid skin. On the ball of his foot was a large, hard callus, the size of two grapes. Likely caused by a virus, the wart had long since died leaving a mass of scar tissue. Undoubtedly, this caused the man pain and difficulty in walking. Christian gently and carefully cut the dead skin away, cleaned the area with antiseptic and put his sock and shoe back on. Gamaliel observed that the man, who was among the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters, was shown compassion and care in our clinic that day. This act of mercy healed the man in both body and spirit and, in a small but profound way, we had fulfilled the mission to which God had called us. 

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