My heart is full

What is the capacity of the human heart to love…..to care….to hurt….to rejoice? These are the thoughts that come to me at the end of a long day at clinic on this my second medical mission to Nicaragua. I have once again been awed by the breathtaking beauty and quiet dignity of the people of this country.

In my role this time around as one of the assistants to the team pharmacist, I have experienced so many emotions that pass before me like a sensory kaleidoscope of images. I see the smile of a child clutching her new beanie baby giraffe and proudly wearing her new pink flip flops. I hear translators patiently helping the helplessly Spanish-challenged (me) learn just a few phrases in the language.

I watch anxiously as assistance is provided to a baby with a bronchial infection. I watch as a man who just got new boots along with his medical care shakes the hand of one of my team members and tells him (as is later translated to me) “Welcome to

my country. Please come back any time.” I experience the tears of one of my team members as she realizes we can’t treat everyone who lined up to see us. I feel the joy and excitement as an entire busload of our team members cheers a teammate after he drives our bus (under strict supervision of our trusted driver, Oscar) about 3 miles on one of the dirt roads we traveled from clinic.

So my heart is full. I am filled by the camaraderie of team work, gratitude for the opportunity to serve, sadness for those in need and the satisfaction of work well done. And what is the capacity of the human heart to feel the world around us? It is, I believe, infinite, just like the One who gave us the capacity to care.