The Luke Commission
After much discussion with the doctors and executive director at the Baylor clinic, and several trips to outreach clinics, I have found a home for the “Lab-in-a-Backpack”. We all agreed that the backpack would not be of maximal use at the Baylor Clinic, as they have full lab capabilities and enough money to purchase equipment of their own. We wanted to find a home that really needed the backpack. After several suggestions by the outreach doctors, I decided to leave the backpack with a “group” that has, literally, no lab capabilities, does almost exclusively primary care, and has a wonderful relationship with the Baylor clinic. It is my pleasure to introduce you to “The Luke Commission”:
According to Colossians 4:14, Luke was the “beloved physician” of the first century. Luke wrote one of the four gospels, and the book of Acts. This ancient physician was the first inspiration for the foundation of The Luke Commission. The second inspiration came from The Great Commission, the final command given by Jesus in the last chapter of the book of Matthew:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
With a leap of faith, Harry and Echo VasderWal gathered up their triplets and two-month-old baby, and headed to Swaziland to combine their two greatest passions—medicine and God. A few years later, The Luke Commission, a non-profit 501(c)3, was born in an effort to practice “compassionate medicine”.
The couple has treated more than 50,000 patients, have distributed at least 350,000 packets of free medication, and have fitted 17,000 people for reading glasses. Thousands of school children have received school supplies and vegetable seeds to grow in their school gardens, 20,000 orphans and new mothers have been clothed with new outfits and shoes, and 13,000 Swazi Bibles have been distributed.
The Luke Commission team travels thousands of kilometers each month to deliver medical, HIV, vision, and spiritual care to the sickest and most forgotten. Clinics are set up in orphan care points, chief kraals, rural schools, community centers, and churches. Hundreds of Swazis are greeted and told “everything today is free, thanks to donors in North America,” Patients are triaged. Blood pressures and sugar levels are taken. Prayer is offered. Each patient is treated and given free medications labeled in SiSwati. Voluntary HIV testing and counseling is offered. Follow-up care is coordinated with the Baylor clinic for HIV positive patients. Patients with vision problems are tested with an autorefractor and fitted with eyeglasses from an inventory of 3,600 pairs. AIDS orphans receive new clothes. Extended care is spearheaded for patients who need surgeries, wheelchairs, crutches, cataract operations, and long term medication for HIV. The VanderWals have learned the power of Job’s words, “Have not I wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?”
The stories of the treatment that The Luke Commission has provided are the most incredible testament to their compassion:
“A 9-year-old boy had endured fungal infection on both feet for a year. His 20-year-old mother brought him to a The Luke Commission clinic. An orphan herself, the young mom cared for her bed-ridden grandmother and did not have the money for medicines. She wept when her son received treatment and free medication.”
“Breast infections are common among women. Echo saw the worst infection when a 54-year-old lady sat down in front of her and unbuttoned her blouse. The lady’s chest was oozing, soiled rags stuck to her skin. Echo soaked off the rags and cleaned the wound. She lathered the breast with antibiotic cream and gave the patient ointment and antibiotics for two months. ‘Meet me at the hospital in two months, and we’ll give you more medicine’ Echo advised.”
Many rural Swazis are unable to afford transport to the city to see an optometrist and purchase corrective lenses. The Luke Commission uses autorefractors to test the eyes of patients and determine what prescription is needed. Each patient is then matched with a pair of glasses. It makes no difference that an old man has rhinestones on the corners of his glasses of that a 16-year-old boy has prescription glasses that look like cat eyes. The Luke Commision’s inventory of eyeglasses has made two more matches that enable these Swazis to see. “I can see that blade of grass,” an elderly man exclaimed. “No more living in the shadows.”
“Leaning heavily on stick canes, two elderly women walked 40 kilometers to have their eyes tested. Neither had seen well for years. The two-day journey meant they slept along the way when night fell. The eyeglass line was long when the women arrived at the clinic, but they were determined. Finally, their turns care. The autorefractor indicated one lady needed glasses with a plus-power of 11; the other needed a 9 plus-power. Those are difficult prescription requirements. However, minutes later bother pairs were located in The Luke Commission inventory. ‘I do not know where to look first. All the colors are so beautiful,’ declared one of the women.”
Dr. Bitchong, the Chief Medical Officer at RFM Hospital in Manzini, says about The Luke Commission, “[They are] playing an important role in Swaziland, not only on health service delivery but also on making Christ known to many Swazis.”
Perhaps Paul describes their mission best, “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but father healed… Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” -Hebrews
With a team of trained Swazi translators, the VanderWal couple sees almost 600 patients every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Their eyes lit up when they saw the pulse oximeter, the glucometer, and the urinalysis strips. They very willingly agreed to provide tons of feedback about the backpack, and were delighted to show me around their house / headquarters. The backpack has found a perfect home – or rather, a perfect home has found the backpack.