For I know the plans...

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."


So what kind of New Years resolutions will you set for 2013? I did a fair job last year with keeping my resolution....I resolved to give up fast food restaurants. I would say I was 75% successful throughout the year. This was a big deal for me, as one of my greatest comforts in a stressful hectic day is to pull into McDonald's and order the number 2 combo quarter pounder with cheese, no pickles, with fries and a coke. YUM. I shudder to even read the description of my very favorite fast food delicacy, I mean, we all know the ingredients of fast food are only disastrous to our health....but when my day is 'over- the- top- out- of- control' stressful, I rationalized this was my reward for a hard day but job well done. I know...that makes no sense whatsoever.

I think many days - when work is stressful, or I feel burdened and tired -  I feel that I am being punished and I deserve some kind of reward...when in fact, the job well done is the reward itself. As I look back over 2012, and really over my life, I see clearly the happiest and most rewarding memories are when I was helping someone else. New year's day is always a day of planning for me...what will I do this year? Where can I travel? What will work bring my way? What will happen with my family? Surely there will be sadness, and trials will lie ahead. But blessings will be abundant too, as I look back over last year and what I most vividly recall are the happier memories formed from the hardest days of doing what I know was God's plan for me that day.

When I traveled to Belize this year for a medical mission trip with Oakmont Baptist Church, I learned about George Cadle Price, the first prime minister of Belize. He was born in 1919 and lived until 2011 when he passed away at the age of 92. He was often referred to by many as "the father of the nation." He was instrumental in leading Belize to independence and ultimately received the highest honor from the country, the Order of National Hero award in 2000. His achievements were remarkable. Every day of his life, regardless of where he was working - either in his home in Belmopan Belize, or traveling abroad to other countries, he carved out his time for worship at 5:30 each morning and faithfully prayed and attended mass. His approach to life, and his philosophy regarding the human spirit left a greater impression on all those who knew him and loved him. He believed "happiness consisted of serving others and not of serving oneself." In fact, by our country's standards, he lived a life of poverty, surviving on only mere pennies per day at times, but never asked for more even when offered to him. God provided for him always, just that which was sufficient. He truly was the epitome of Matthew 25:40 when Jesus said "'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Sometimes, I often wonder if I am doing any good at all for my patients, and if I am living up to the Lord's expectations of me. Surely there are many other physicians who are smarter than me, or more capable to handle the complicated illnesses that I encounter each day. Am I truly even qualified to do such important work as "God's work??" Never do I feel this more than when I am traveling abroad on medical missions and have no luxury of modern era technology to help me in diagnosing and treating patients. While in Belize, I met a young girl, Rebecca, who complained of belly pain, and on her examination, she had a large mass entirely replacing the right side of her abdomen. She was so tender when we placed the slightest pressure on her belly. After her examination however, and while we spoke with her mother, I noticed she was still able to run and play with other children, and she was smiling, and actually looked quite well. I even thought to myself, maybe there is nothing really there...maybe she is really fine.

Rebecca getting her first Xray

I learned however, that Rebecca had already seen another doctor a week or two before we arrived, and that doctor had come to the same conclusion as we had: she had a mass in her abdomen, and she needed to see a surgeon as soon as possible. She needed a CT scan, lab work and a surgery consult. This doctor was already in the midst of trying to make these arrangements, but there were many obstacles. For one, money was a major issue. The girl would need to travel to a larger city to get the care and attention she needed, but she had no transportation. A bus would be costly, and once she arrived to the medical center, she would need money to pay for her care before anyone would do anything for her. This was reminiscent of the same predicament I had experienced in West Africa, when a young patient with obviously advanced breast cancer simply did not have the means to get the care that could prolong her life.


I could not believe for one moment, however, that the Lord brought our team all the way to Belize to meet this child, and to have no solution for her to get the care she needed. Our team prayed with her and continued to pray through the duration of her stay, for God to show us a solution. When I returned home, my husband and I talked about her to our family, and I wrote about her to friends on Facebook. Others from our team did the same. A website was created to raise funds for Rebecca. Miraculously, funding was secured for Rebecca and her mother to make the trip to get her care. She was diagnosed with stage IV Wilm's tumor, a cancer arising from the kidney, which in Rebecca's case had already spread to her lungs. She was surrounded by angels. While her mother traveled with Rebecca to Mexico to get her treatment, mission workers living in Belize were able to care for her older sister while she stayed back home and attended school. The miracles around her were happening daily! The money was secured for travel, lodging, food and medical care, and funds continue to come in. I was witnessing yet another one of God's miracles. I know now that our purpose in meeting Rebecca was not to be the providers of her medical care, or even to make the diagnosis (this was already in motion prior to our arrival), but rather we were placed in her life so that wheels could be put in motion through God's perfectly orchestrated plan to heal her cancer.

Rebecca shortly after her first chemotherapy treatment

Rebecca is continuing on her journey, and we all continue to pray for complete healing. We pray for her family and for her doctors and the mission team involved in their day to day lives. She has changed my life. And her story has again changed how I view God's plans for me as often being very different than the plans I have made for myself, or what I think I know about God's will for my life.




And so in 2013, I have decided that my resolution will be to strive harder to hear the plans God has for me. From Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I am so peaceful with this promise. No matter what may lie ahead, He is constant and gracious and loves us no matter the circumstance. We can all have comfort in His promise for 2013 and all years to come.

Blessings to you for a hopeful and prosperous new year ~ Heather

If you feel called to contribute to Rebecca's cause, please read more about her and the Children of Hope Foundation in Belize:
http://raising4rebecca.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenOfHopeFoundationBelize