“You know, there are no snakes here.”

As we stood on top of the hill overlooking the Grit clinic in Kyenjojo, this is what Joseph said to me; “there are no snakes here.” He repeated the phrase multiple times - “they aren’t on the property. Not near the clinic, at least. They’re behind the fence line. In the trees and in the bushes, but the more people they hear down here, the farther away they go. They don’t like this area. They hide.”

When he noticed that I was nodding my head, thinking he was boasting about the clinics robust pest control, he looked at me and said “if you’re familiar with the Bible, snakes represent evil. Jordan, there are no snakes here.”

And then it clicked.
Evil doesn’t have any place at the Grit clinic. The work that is being done there is the most effective snake repellent, and more importantly, the love and integrity that drives the work heightens the effectiveness. When you walk through those doors, there is hope.

The hurt and pain that’s brings people in is met with warmth and light. Whatever darkness, sickness, or trouble is brought in cannot be sustained because of the compassion that is so much stronger.

The ownership that the community has over this clinic is palpable - you can immediately tell that the patients trust the doctors, the doctors love the patients, and you are not simply a name or a number when you walk in - you are a human that is loved, seen, and intentionally protected.

When healing is done through love, evil has no place. The more healing that takes place, the farther away the darkness goes, until you can confidently look around, like we did today, and say, “there are no snakes here.”

+ Jo King, Insight Global
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