Ministry Reflection Experience

Dear brother and sister, I would like to share with you about experience at the Sheikinah clinic. I
had a chance to go to the Sheikina clinic on Wednesday for a mission of service to the poor and
the needy, especially the mentally challenged people. I had good preparation and a safe journey
to the clinic. In the clinic, I join some of the women in the kitchen to pack the food for the
destitute so that we can go and distribute them to our clients around and outside the clinic,
especially those in the street.
As we were sharing what had happened in the clinic, one of the women was narrating to us how
people have hope and trust in the clinic for treatment but some end up losing their lives and the
lives of their loved ones. She said, “One of the clients came to seek medication, unfortunately,
she died before being attended to”. This story disturbs me and I feel pity for the family for losing
someone important in their life, because of a lack of good medication and even money to go to a
good hospital. I was just asking myself why many people like free things that sometimes they are
not helpful to our lives, Can the clinic improve the medication sectors? Are people aware that
this is a hospital? As we were still talking, one man from the family of the deceased came into
the kitchen and approached me asking if could assist them with the coffin so that they could use
it to carry their loved one to go and bury her. So I directed them to one of the staff members but
she refused when I asked her why she said they were coming from far so they could not give
them. at this time I empathized with the family because of being denied the coffin, I did not see
the compassionate God from the staff members but I only the suffering God from the family.
But my brethren what disturbs and surprises me is why he did not ask the women he only asked
me (Why me), Is it because I was the only man there, or is the culture or they thought I was the
one in charge? But I learned that it is their culture where women don’t have power that’s why he
approached me. That shows how the social teaching of the church teaches about equality, they
did not value women, and the safeguarding policy about abuse of venerable and misuse of power
in the society. One of the social issues I discovered is the issue of poverty has contributed to the
death of women because getting basic needs according to the situation was difficult even good
medication.
The experience challenged me to have a compassionate heart, to treat people the same way I
would like to be treated, and to be aware of how to use power and the policy, I would like just to
pray for the family that God may give them strength at this difficult moment because God gave
and he has taken away. The eternal life grand to her O Lord and let the perpetual light shine upon
her and may her soul rest in eternal peace Amen

Silas shiundu