An Act of Love and Hope
The mission of the Church of the Nazarene has always been to preach the Gospel holistically. Offering healthcare to needy communities is a tangible way to reflect God’s love. Because of this belief, the Church of the Nazarene in Guinea Bissau began work in the community of Uabe, located about 80 km from the capital city of Guinea Bissau. The roads are so difficult that it takes up to four hours to get there, but the effort has been worth it. God is using this project to impact lives in a profound and transformative way.
In mid-February, missionaries, Ezequiel and Susy Ramirez, along with a team of four doctors made the decision to spend a Saturday afternoon, spend the night and then spend a Sunday offering medical care. When the team arrived after their long journey, there were already more than 94 people waiting. Some had arrived the night before, enduring the cold under a campfire.
The medial team was able to perform ultrasounds and electrocardiograms, and 78 people were treated for various conditions and given medications. The day ended when night fell as there is no electricity in the area to continue.
Along with the medical outreach, the women of the church and Compassionate Ministries took the opportunity to evangelise and converse with all who were waiting in the queue. In addition, they offered water and some cookies, since many of them spent the day without having eaten. The local NYI and NDI ministries held activities with hundreds of children and shared Bible teachings with them.
In the middle of the night, the team could hear people gathering around the campfire to get their spot in the queue for the Sunday medical outreach. When dawn broke, more than 30 were waiting to be attended to. This moment moved the team deeply and made them understand that the need is much greater than they imagined.
As the doctors began to attend to the patients, the rest of the team had the opportunity to talk with those waiting and listen to their stories. One person had travelled more than 36 km to receive the medical attention they needed.
The stories of different people who thought they were going to die because they couldn’t travel the 80 km to the city to receive help, or people who had walked 10 km and crossed rivers to get there touched the hearts of the medical team and the missionaries. Throughout the second day of the clinic, 58 additional people were helped.
The leaders of his village, grateful for the attention received, contacted our pastor to offer a piece of land where we can build a church and a clinic, a gesture that was repeated with at least three other
communities.
We ask for your prayers, because in contexts like these, pagan beliefs and the harmful rituals of other “doctors” continue to be a threat. But despite the difficulties, we are convinced that God’s love is at work in every corner of these communities.
