Pace Yourself

Well as it was our last work day we really tried to make it count. We ran a clinic at a near-by army base in the morning, and another of the mission schools this afternoon. Perhaps most importantly we trained two brand new workers. We saw at least double the people we have seen any other day so far. The Nicaraguan part of our crew was so gracious and flexible when the army base more than tripled the number of soldiers we were expecting to see. It really changed the pace of our day. Here, lunch is the primary meal--for many the only meal of the day--so asking our crew to work through lunch so that we didn't have to turn away any soldiers was a big sacrifice. (also, it's hard to turn guys away who are holding AK47's--I'm teasing) We felt the discomfort in our crew of rushing but everyone  truly wanted to get the job done. That put us behind "schedule" when reaching the school. We arrived about 15 minutes before students were dismissed to go home for lunch. While our crew was racing every child sat patiently and quietly waiting for their turn at the eye machine. We kept suggesting kids go home and eat and return later---but not one would leave. We couldn't help but be surprised at the slow pace these kids were willing to accept for the chance at the eye screening. How many kids and teachers want to stay 3 hours after school?
It's funny--we worried about how we were rushing the workers, but they didn't seem to mind. We worried about how we were delaying the students, but they didn't seem to mind. How often does God shake his head at me when I am  worrying about how my time and His are out of step? We accomplished alot today--and there is a lot that needs to be done. Clearly God has workers in this field who will need to pace themselves and do what he puts before them each day. We are very grateful to have been a part of the plan this day. 
--Jonathan and Sheila