#WeAreFirstPres: WAIT. HOPE. SEEK.
On August 13, 2021, Covenant Partner, Kara Birrer, was called to respond in Mississippi with Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). The mission: respond to the mounting COVID-19 cases. In a blink, plans changed.
On August 14th, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit southern Haiti, leaving nearly 650,000 people in need of humanitarian aid. With one DART team deployed to Mississippi for less than two days, a second team, including Kara, was immediately deployed to Haiti’s Emergency Field Hospital (EFH). “I can only say the Lord opened the door – He wanted me to go.” And that was only the beginning.
Kara served as the sole pharmacist for 36 inpatient beds, the operating room, and the outpatient/emergency department (OPD). Her patients ranged from newborn to ninety-nine, with up to 150 patients a day in the OPD. The days were packed and the need was great! Kara made rounds to administer, replenish and adjust medications, while also serving as the pharmaceutical expert for the medical team in the trenches with her.
One of Kara’s most important roles was assisting in the Operating Room (OR). When a nineteen-year-old’s heart stopped on the operating table, “by God’s grace alone, we were able to restart his heart and stabilize him to be flown to a local hospital,” said Kara. Mere hours before, the young man gave His life to Christ! Kara was deeply encouraged when she witnessed her team living out Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:3: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Time after time, Kara and her DART were awed and strengthened as they saw God’s miracles bring life to the dead and dying. He provided an overwhelming peace in the OR and throughout the mission.
Kara’s encourages Missional Living through Lamentations 3:22-26:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
“There are so many different actions in this passage: wait, hope, seek – all of which are meant to keep our hearts and minds pointed toward our Savior. When our focus is on Jesus Christ, then the outpouring of our hearts into our daily life is His work in us.”
Learn more and consider if Samaritan’s Purse is your next step toward Missional Living.
Our world in need is depending on your God-given gifts to be the change.
