Lemoa Clinic.......

Today we had clinic in Lemoa. It was a small clinic of 13 patients but considering the weather, we were fortunate to have that many. There has only been a few minutes of sun in the last week. The rains have slowed some but it is still cold and damp.

Allison was in clinic today. We had a slow morning but were able to see some patients. Here, one little boy is giving us the "Guatemalan look."

Of the patients that we saw today, one young man has struggled with depression for several years. His first wife left him for another man and it was a tragic experience for him. He waited for her to return for three years and then he said it was time to move on and, "to find another wife." He may have moved on but I do not think he has completely healed.

Depression is not a new emotion in our lifetime. There are many examples of people in Bible times that suffered through periods of depression. Sadness in a normal emotion but we have to find a way to prevent it from overwhelming us. Sometimes that is easier said than accomplished.

When depressed or sad, sometimes we do not feel like praying. We may feel guilty for our sadness. Maybe we do not have the energy, do not know what to say to God or feel inadequate. We have to remember that for Christians, the Holy Spirit will help us through these times.

Romans 8:26,27: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

So, even when we don't know what to pray for or the words are too difficult to articulate, the Spirit helps us. The most important part is that we do not give up on praying. That we don't stop meditating on The Word. God hears us in silence. He wants us to silent and to know that He is God.

I often think of Elijah in I Kings 19, where he is in the side of the mountain waiting for God. He expected God in the great and powerful wind, in the earthquake and in the fire. But after all of this, God was in the gentle whisper. God wants us to be at peace.

In our time of depression, we need to draw ourselves nearer to God and He will provide. This takes a lot of faith and sometimes is very difficult.

I hope that this man continues to heal from his past experiences. There are some things in life that only God can heal.