Busting clinic!

We had a very busy day in Lemoa.  When we started, the promoters told me that 30 patients had arrived. I got off to a slow start but a good start.

My first group of patients was a middle-aged man and his parents.  His parents were not able to speak very much Spanish so he translated for them.

Through questioning, I found out that his dad was a heavy drinker for most of his life.  His stomach has bothered him for several years so he drinks to take the pain away.  We talked about that for quite a while.

When we were close to finishing, I wanted Gaspar come in and meet them. I introduced them to Gaspar and explained his role in the clinic. I explained what I had talked to the family about.  That sometimes when a person starts drinking, they have it under control and it is not a concern. Then the more they drink, the more problems that they have physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It is the same as a person who is out in the middle of a lake and can't swim. The first minute or two, they can tread water and remain calm.  But the more that they drink, the more difficult it becomes to stay above the water.  Eventually, the person is struggling to breath with their mouth.  Then the real panic begins when they lose control, unable to breath through their nose and begin to sink.

When we finished talking they went outside to spend some time with Gaspar. The conversation continued to go well and then they invited Gaspar to visit them in their home on Tuesday to talk some more.  It is situations like this that make this ministry so very rewarding.

We had 28 patients today and 18 of them were new!! The  word is spreading, the clinic is growing and people are being receptive...................what can be more exciting than this???