I've been told that it's important to have immunizations before leaving for Ecuador, and take medication while I'm there.
"But," they say, "the malaria medicine is a little tricky." "You have to be careful about the malaria medicine, because it might make you bleed internally." "One of the medicines makes you really sick, if you don't take the one that's once a week." "It's best to take it every day, or it'll cause problems." "Honestly, I don't remember which ones I took."
Talk about conflicting agreement.
Then there are the immunizations. "Oh," say they, "you'll want the typhoid vaccine, especially if you're working around children." "Tetanus! Oh, yes. Tetanus is important. You have to have the tetanus vaccine." Don't get them started on hepatitis vaccines. A, B, and C...they're all important.
But it's OK to skip the yellow fever vaccine, because we'll only be around droning, blood-sucking, disease-carrying, ginormous creatures known as jungle insects for a small part of the trip, and it's a really expensive vaccine. I'm a college sophomore getting ready to go out of the country for the
first time in my life, and you're telling me I don't need the yellow fever vaccine ONLY BECAUSE IT'S EXPENSIVE!?
Talk about scary.
But really, they do know best. They've been there before. They know what's important and what's not, based on my prospective (non)future in South America. They really do care about my safety and well-being, and if they honestly thought I'd catch yellow fever from being in the jungle for a couple days, they'd make the vaccine mandatory (I hope). I just have to trust that they know best.
And isn't that the way it's supposed to be with God? He's been everywhere we could possibly be:
"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:8-10, KJV.)
He knows what's important and what's not, based on my future where he sends me:
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11)
He cares about my safety and well-being:
"But if
God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow
is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matt. 6:30)
And I can trust in that.
