When combating injustice, the tragedy of lost opportunities and the senseless loss of life, both here and abroad, for the sake of those we choose to defend as well as our own humanity, it is essential to remember to live out a “thirst for righteousness” on multiple fronts. While exposing and confronting the perpetrators of injustice with their selfishness and shortsightedness is a noble cause, it is equally if not more important to bring to light and labor together on constructive solutions to some of the seemingly intractable problems that beset us. And beyond that, sometimes it is good and right, even for warriors, to sheath their sword, lay it down for at least a little bit, and take up the good work of lending a helping hand and a broad smile to those that are struggling and hurting.
This past June I had such an opportunity to take up a good work, and though it was well out of my comfort zone, I took it. I joined a medical mission team of 37 Americans and Canadians, and traveled to the “land of my fathers”, Armenia. Armenia is a tiny Christian country of just three million people that is surrounded by Turkey and Iran and other large countries that are hostile to it. While free from Soviet occupation for the last 25 years, seven decades of Soviet mismanagement and under-investment left it with both poor infrastructure and a medical care system that is unavailable to much of the general population.
The medical mission team I was honored to be a part of was an incredible model of both efficiency and compassion. As a group, in the space of just seven days, we set up two clinics and diagnosed and treated 1,100 patients, many of whom had serious illnesses. Given that I have no medical training or skills, my role was “crowd control”. I guided people from physician rooms to a waiting area just outside the pharmacy. Given that the pharmacy was often backed-up and people had to wait a bit, it wasn’t hard to see that most of the people were somewhere between apprehensive about what might happen to them to clearly hurting. So I did the only thing I could: I played with the children, sang and danced up and down the hallways, and did my utmost to bring each patient a little laughter. Snapping my finger in middle-eastern style dance, and singing Tevye’s song “If I were a rich man” from Fiddler on the Roof, hopefully they saw that I and the rest of the staff really cared about them.
Given that I spoke little Armenian, and they spoke little English, I could neither heal them physically nor provide any spiritual comfort, but I could till the soil for those that would come after me. From my walking perch above the tables where the pharmacists, pharmacy students and translators so very patiently explained how to take their medications and what the side effects might be, it was clear that our team was pouring compassion into people. Several times while elderly patients sat in the waiting area, I saw a few nearly collapse and had to run for help. It was in these moments, when medical students quickly administered care, held them and wept with them, that I saw what real love in action looks like. It was in these moments when I had the privilege of witnessing these young pharmacists console those that were sick and hurting, that I saw what love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self-control really look like.
As the political war in Washington rages on and the blind selfish ambition of our “leaders” pours into our living rooms and across our dining room tables, and the temptation to check those that abuse their power wells up within us, let us not be so distracted by their war that we lose sight of the opportunities to do good and bring healing to those that are hurting, whether in some far off land or right here in our own neighborhoods. Those opportunities to volunteer at our local school, hospital, nursing home, community center, church or countless other organizations around town abound, and while we may bring little in way of skills, just like I did, it is not a daunting thing to bring a warm smile, encourage those that are struggling, lend a helping hand and cultivate healing. Letting go of our pain, our personal striving to achieve, and even the battle against those that abuse others can be tough. However, recalling my trip to Armenia, the wise counsel and admonition of John Wesley, recounted by one of the young professionals in our group, 40 years my junior, provides clarity and compels us forward: “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, for as long you can.”