"Beyond my Comfort Zone"

By Keith Stevens - At the end of each day on the mission field in Haiti the team goes around and shares "one word" that describes their day.  For me it was tough enough putting my experience into words alone, let alone selecting just one.  Saville was just 37, and the nurse told me all then men in that room were "hard cases."  Saville was no exception - as he lay in his make-shift bed with many other patients in the Home for The Sick and Dying Adults in Haiti.  His leg was hugely swollen, his skin dried out like alligator skin, and his hands were wrinkled.  It was our job as missionaries to rub lotion on these sick and dying adults, touch their skin, message lotion into their legs and arms and backs, and ease their pain.  And so there I was, tending to this dying man - putting lotion on his dry and dying body.  Putting lotion on his largely bloated leg.  Would this be the last time someone ever came to see him?  Was this the last time he would be cared for?  These questions raced through my mind as I found myself being stretched beyond what I was used to.  I couldn't help but think of the power of touch. The power of looking into another human beings eyes and communicating warmth and care.  The power of a smile and kind word even in another language.  The power of the tone of your voice.  And so in the Bible Jesus touched a leper. He held his hand.  He touched his legs and maybe his feet.  Nobody touched the lepers at that time for they were unclean.  That story raced through my mind as I knew that Saville was a "hard case" because he has HIV Aids.  My word for the day was "stretched".  I was "stretched" beyond my comfort zone - to care for someone that I am sure Jesus would care for if He was here today.