Director’s Letter February 2021
Sue in the new COVID tent
We are so thankful for each of you who pray for the clinic!
Since the clinic started over 18 years ago, we have always prayed for people who would be at the clinic, praying over the work, the patients, and volunteers. We have had times when someone would stop by and do this a few times, and St. Benedict's church had sent a team once a month for many years until the pandemic. With the addition of Pastor Dionisio, we are now seeing God answer that prayer! He has joined us several times and is looking for others to help cover other times that the clinic is open. We are really praising God and excited to see how He will move through this.
We were surprised and grateful to receive an unexpected financial gift late last year! Our board decided to hire two part-time assistant directors to help me! They each had been actively looking at other jobs for some time, but keep turning them down because they felt led to be at the clinic. I would have loved to have had them, but we didn't have any paid positions to offer. Then all of the sudden we did, and so we were able to bring both onto our tiny staff. Now there are three of us! I will be training them, so please pray that God directs me to ground them well in the ministry He has given us. We went from 1,000 patient visits a year to 3,000 last year. We were wondering why we were tired and had been so busy!! Now God is sending help and I am so grateful.
Part of having an extra busy year meant putting a lot of less essential jobs on the shelf. We have recently found out that a local church will be using us as a summer missions trip site! This will help us catch up on long delayed behind-the-scenes jobs. The trip is called “Refresh and Restore.” The Refresh Team will do a Saturday work day to help with deep cleaning and maintenance projects. A month later, the Restore Team will provide specialty medical care in a one day clinic, so that patients can access specialists that they normally could not. I have always felt like every day at the clinic is a local missions trip. It'll be so much fun to join up with these guys!
Fran, a Compass attendee who has volunteered with us for 8 years, has moved away. She has served so well by keeping the clinic clean and sanitized. We are praying for someone to volunteer to fill her shoes and take on the role of weekly cleaning.
In February, we added a cardiologist. It is so interesting how the Lord's timing was at work to take care of a patient in dire need. Dr. David Kim had been planning to join us for 2 years, but through a series of life events needed to put it on hold. We were very thankful when he finally was able to join us… and as soon as Dr. Kim started at the clinic, his schedule filled immediately.
One evening, we detected an abnormal heart rhythm in a patient who had not had health care in a long while due to the pandemic. We asked her to come for lab tests, telling her if any other patient did not show up for a cardiologist appointment, we would add her to Dr. Kim’s schedule.
It worked out that he could see her, and was able to diagnose and treat her immediately. Our testing showed a serious condition, but with treatment, we expect her to be safe. We all were able to see the steps where God intervened and protected and provided for her. It was great to celebrate His goodness together!
We received a grant that I submitted recently! This grant will ensure that our 2 new assistant directors have a secure salary, and there is enough funding to purchase or rent some type of outdoor screening shelter which will make things much better for our volunteers who work outside. The winter snows and the summer rains and sun make it hard to administer COVID tests out in the elements. If we can get a shelter set up and put some type of awning on it, we should have a very good system for caring well for our patients and volunteers.
We are praying for God to send us volunteers who want to serve Jesus at the Clinic in particular areas — physical therapy, nutrition, endocrinology, podiatry, fitness trainers, optometry and ophthalmology. We also could use someone with handyman types of skills!
Thanks for praying for us!
Sue