Life In The Real World

I have never watched "The Real World". I think it is a television series on one of the music stations - MTV or VH1. Even though I have never watched a single episode of this show, I am pretty sure that the name doesn't fit and that "The Real World" isn't anything like the real world.
In the real world, there are over 6 billion of us.
In the real world, more than half of the world population does not have enough to eat and billions don't have clean water to drink.
In the real world billions live a life where they never hear the name - Jesus. There are billions that don't have HOPE.
In the real world, simple diseases kill people because that cannot afford $2 or $3 for some medicine.
Sometimes when you come face to face with the real world, it isn't pretty and you just don't know what to do. This week I met a little girl named Isabel and she is 4 years old. Isabel weighes only 19 pounds because she is starving to near death. Isabel has never known what it is like to stand up because she has a disease that will prevent her from ever being able to sit up - much less walk. It is likely that she may never talk. Emotions tell us that we should try to make room for Isabel here at Casa de Esperanza but reason tells us that we don't have the permission that is required from the government. Even if we did, we are not equiped to do the level of care that would require nursing skills as well as round the clock care. Pray as we look for a home for Isabel.
Sometimes in the real world, people that love Jesus come to places where there is little hope and try to change that. This week, there was a team of Doctors that came here to make a big big difference in the lives of the people that they were able to serve. This team of 9 came to repair cleft lips and cleft pallets. I know it is hard to imagine, but in most of the world, the health care system isn't designed to take care of people that don't have any money. This is the case in Honduras. Here - if you get sick without money, you are not likely to recieve adequate treatment. Here is you are poor and born with a cleft lip or pallet, you are destined to live like that. This team of Dr's came to change lives - and they were able to help a large number of people.
On Wednesday evening, Terri and I ate with the docs and really enjoyed the conversation. The closest Dr at the table was named Jim. Talking with Jim - who is retired from being a physician, surgeon for money - was great. Jim shared with me how he explains to his patients or the parents of his patients why he does what he does. He starts the conversation with the patient by asking a simple question - "Why do you think I am here doing these surgeries?". Jim told me that the answer is usually something like " because you want to help people.". It is then that Jim tells the folks this story -"I am here because Jesus loves me. In fact, he loves me so much, there isn't any way that he could ever love me any more. There isn't anything in the world that I could do to make Jesus love me any more than he already does. I am here because I want to share just a little bit of the love that Jesus has shown to me."
I think that Dr Jim has discovered a part of the "real world" that billions of people would love to know about. I asked Jim if I could borrow his explination and of course he agreed. Why not, Jesus love available everyone that comes to know him and even though loves us so much that we are "completly saved" he still has love for a lost and dying "Real World".
Be a blessing to somebody today!
Marc