“Sir Kelsion, Sir Kelsion,” I heard the voice shouting from afar. I had been half-asleep after a long day and a delicious evening meal of pancakes with banana and caramel topping. From experience, I had a strong suspicion about what the alert would be.
As I live in a region further away from the school and clinic, the only reason for anyone to arrive at my house at 9:00 p.m. would be because a patient needed to be taken to the hospital in the city. It had happened before.
“Just meet me at the clinic,” I told the young Palawano. I needed to change clothes.
As I arrived at the clinic, I saw the patient; he was in bad shape. He had been cooking his breakfast a few days before when he suffered an epileptic seizure, falling on top of a pan of boiling water and burning over half of his body. The nurses tried using a burn cream for the first few days, but it provided little help. After his right hand darkened, the nurses decided to send him to the hospital.
As one of the only men working here as a missionary, one of my tasks was taking patients to town. Unable to take him alone, I ran to ask for help from some of the men who lived closer to the clinic. It was 10:30 p.m. when the five of us (three adults and two teenagers) began taking the patient to the closest point where the ambulance could arrive. Here, an ambulance is any available vehicle. It was around midnight when we arrived. The ambulance was already there waiting for us. After the medics gave him some primary care, they whisked him off to the hospital with one of our nurses while we returned to the mountain.
When I arrived home, I noticed my watch showed that the trip had taken 9,477 steps and that it was 2:18 a.m. I only had a few hours before needing to get up and prepare my meals for the day. When I awoke a few hours later, I thanked God for giving me daily strength in the mission field.
Like back home, surprises and difficulties are common in the field. Only here, they often include hiking along a mountainous trail with a patient on your back. At times, missionaries may reconsider whether they have made the right decision to serve in the field. This I know: Jesus went through a lot of pain and suffering to ensure we could have hope that one day, we could enter a land without difficulties or unpleasant surprises.
Present His message to others so this day will come very soon.
