Tomorrow will be the halfway point of our stay in Austria. Two weeks down, two weeks to go. It's going extremely fast! :S I don't know how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm glad that we are keeping busy and that time isn't dragging. On the other hand, two weeks left seems like such a short time! I think it will be hard, for me, anyway, to leave the Oasis and the team and everything else after such a seemingly short time. Guess we'll see.
To be honest, I'm having sort of a difficult time deciding what to blog about tonight. I don't want to bore you by saying that we had another haircut day (which we did). You've already read about haircut day. So bear with me. I'll just be writing what comes to my head.
One thing that I hear about a lot that just boggles my mind is the fact that it is so hard for refugees to get a doctor to look at them. I mean really, it makes me mad to hear about that. How can doctors just blatantly refuse to look at someone who needs their help? And for what reason, because they can't pay, because they're foreigners? Because they're "too busy"? Honestly, what good excuse can they give? I'm sure there are plenty of legalities and such that I'm not aware of, but still - it makes me angry. Austria does far more for refugees than Greece ever has, but I've still heard many parents say that doctors won't look at their sick children. Children, for heaven's sake..I just don't see the logic in this. How can one claim to cure sick people when they won't even look at a 3-year old Chechen girl with a bad fever and give some antibiotics? It makes me feel helpless, but what I feel is probably nothing to what these parents feel.
I don't doubt the power of prayer that I can offer, but I wish so badly I could be able to physically do something. I feel so limited right now. I want to be able to do more than give a sympathetic look and shoot up a prayer. I can't even tell them "I'm sorry, I wish I could do something" in their language. It's extremely frustrating.
Kendra
7 comments:
Compassion can be a good thing, but you can't force it on people.
I work for an attorney. He could offer his services for free for anyone who needed them, but he wouldn't be making a living anymore. And I wouldn't get a paycheck! If he were too compassionate, he'd end up with no money and be on the street with nothing himself.
Doctors are the same way. They've gone to school and studied hard to get a good job. If they were to treat everyone for free, how would they feed their children? The truth is many doctors do treat people without charging them, and they do it in their own offices and all over the world. In Austria it's probably even illegal for them to treat people without going through the proper channels.
Health care isn't a right, just like food and shelter aren't human rights. Somebody has got to pay for them somehow. If the government pays for it, it takes money from everyone who pays taxes. And the people who pay taxes may not want to hand over money to take care of people who weren't born in their country, don't believe what they believe, and just came there without anyone inviting them. If you give someone money to go see a doctor or just get a meal, that money in your pocket had to come from somewhere. You could go without a meal or without your plane ticket home, but it's got to come from somewhere.
If you really want to get medical care to people, go to med school, spend YEARS paying off your student loans, then save up enough or raise enough support to treat people full time. Of course, you'll have to buy medicine and supplies somehow or convince the companies that make them to give them to you (which they do tend to do). Or you could practice most of the year and spend your vacations treating people who can't pay.
Hey hon. I understand your frustration. It's horrible to feel so helpless, but realizing our limitations is what keeps us dependent on God, and that's a good thing. Even our helplessness is for a purpose. If we could do everything for people we would never experience the "in my weakness, He is strong" reality, and neither would the people that we want to help.
What Jonah said is true, but what you said is true, too. What you're feeling is "righteous anger" and the injustice that God talks about over and over. When people need medical care and can't get it- that's a ultimately a result of sin in this world.
So, all we can do is ask God HOW we can be His "hands and feet" in this particular situation and then listen for His answer and do it. And listen to people and pray for them- you have no idea what it means to people just to have someone else feel their pain and frustration with them.
Maybe this is part of your "calling" into nursing! It's a good starting place, for sure.
I love you, I'm proud of you, I'm praying for you! "For in this world YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE, but take courage, for I have overcome the world!" Hugs to you, Mom
So, I saw Kyria Efi in church the other day, and she told me to say hi from her and that she's praying for you.
hi girls,
i know it is frustrating. the only thing we can do is to pray that God would raise up people with medical knowledge to have Heart to serve God.I enjoyed reading your blogs.I will be praying for both of you that God would use you mightly in this time.if you see Joy again Say hi to her.I miss you.
sahar
More photos, please!
With a loving heart,
Dad
"...the people who pay taxes may not want to hand over money to take care of people who weren't born in their country, don't believe what they believe, and just came there without anyone inviting them. If you give someone money to go see a doctor or just get a meal, that money in your pocket had to come from somewhere."
The very definition of refugee, Kendra.
"For I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me." Matt. 25:42
Life is difficult, but God has called each of us to minister to the needs of all men, even those uninvited. I really think you're doing amazing things with Beck, and you have greater things ahead.
Yeah, watch out for being too compassionate...you never know where it might lead you...denying yourself, picking up your cross...laying down your life.
...all of which have much more resonance in the Bible than contemporary talk of "rights".
Really appreciated this blog Kendra. I've felt the same things many times running around this city trying to access care for people.
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