Our Friday morning session in Spain dealt with brokenness. God not only loves all of us broken people; He uses our brokenness for His glory. Once again, the Samaritan woman is a good example. She was an outcast, she was ashamed of her past, and she was resigned to her life as it was. Then Jesus revealed Himself as the Source of Life and promised to give His Spirit (Living Water) to anyone who would come to Him. Skeptical at first, the woman ended up proclaiming the Good News throughout her village!
Spain is a beautiful country full of beautiful people, but statistically it measures to be one of the most broken nations in Europe… drug abuse, abortion, mental illness… Our own U.S.A., though a world power, is quickly becoming famous for its brokenness. But God does not write off nations or people as being beyond hope… He seeks them out.
On each of our three visits, I have marveled at the atmosphere in L’Arcada Sports Camp. Intentional about being ‘real’ and ‘honest,’ the counselors, who went to the camp while young, and the American coaches, many of whom have served several years, are not hesitant to be vulnerable. ‘But God rescued me…’ seemed to always be the conclusion. Friday’s session was full of tears and confession, but God received much glory… as broken men and women praised Him and loved one another. ‘How we all need Jesus,’ I thought, ‘and how we all need one another.’
At the close, our friend Dave shared with everyone that I was going to the hospital and there was a good possibility Susan and I would be leaving Spain soon. The whole group gathered around us and prayed. One person appealed, “Lord, we ask that Dana and Susan be able to finish their time with us.” Much love was poured out and I remembered again that the most beautiful thing on planet Earth is the Body of Christ.
I had asked if any of the Spanish volunteers had witnessed parts of the Olympics held in Barcelona in 1992. The closest town, Banyoles, hosted the rowing events and the citizens are still quite proud.
All the counselors were too young to have witnessed the ’92 Olympics, but Dan, a local leader at the camp, claimed to have been there. His parents watched several games and his mom was pregnant with him!
Shortly after our morning gathering, Viky and Pedro Sanchez, Dan’s parents, took Susan and me to the hospital in Girona, which reminded me of Emory in Atlanta. They laughed about Dan’s claim to have been at the Olympics and confirmed its truth. We told of our experiences during the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta, but we could not outdo their story of watching the Dream Team play the Spain team in the championship basketball game.
Without this Christian couple, we would never have gotten into the Girona Emergency Room; no one in Admissions spoke English. Viky was the perfect advocate! The young medical professionals in the first room I visited aimed to stop my bleeding. They finally inserted silver nitrate into my nostrils. Success! I have only had it in Spain, but I am a big fan of silver nitrate…
In another room, they took some blood and measured my cells. The hemoglobin count was good; the platelet count was not. An expert hematologist visited from another part of the hospital. I could tell she knew her stuff as she drew close and said in perfect English, “Mr. Davis, your platelets are 2000.” I knew she was thinking: ‘So what are you doing out of your country and in mine?’ Meekly, I told her 2000 is kind of normal for me… would she mind giving me enough platelets to get home? Also, would she mind signing an insurance form saying I am fit to fly?
She ordered one unit of platelets, took the form and left. A while later, she returned. “Mr. Davis, I filled out this form but had to stop at the last page. Honestly, I cannot say with confidence that you are fit to fly. If something bad happens on your flight home, our hospital could be held liable.” “I understand,” I replied, “and we don’t want that to happen. So what should we do?”
The doctor inquired about the return time on our original ticket and gave her advice. “This bag of platelets we are giving you today will hold you till Monday. Come back then and we will give you enough platelets to fly home Tuesday morning.” Susan and I looked at each other and knew this was God’s plan. He did not want us to leave Spain early. “We’ll be here Monday morning. Thank you, Doctor.”
We were so thankful the bleeding had stopped and that I had enough platelets for a few days. By the time we got back to camp, I was feeling much, much better. By God’s grace, it looked like we would complete the trip…
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9