As I have begun to reflect back on all that I’ve learned through
our experiences with short term medical missions over the past 20 years, I
realize that much of what I have to say is viewed through the lens of
Christianity and to the non-Christian, may sound like a lot of nonsense. Even so, some things are true to both the
Christian and the non-Christian alike, so perhaps you the reader, regardless of
your belief system, will find something
of value. First of all, I must begin by saying that I had no desire to go into
medical mission work and actually fought against the calling that I began to
feel some 20 years ago. Our children were grown, and moving out on their own,
and my wife and I were content in our private practices. We were Christians but mostly feeling no “pull”
toward the mission field. Around that time, I read two very influential books
which impacted my thinking deeply and led to our first foray into short term
medical mission work. These books were: “Radical,” by David Platt, and “The
Hole in our Gospel” by Richard Stearns. Both of these books challenged
believers to consider missions in response to the “Great Commission.” I became
convicted that God had prepared me spiritually, equipped me with medical knowledge,
blessed me with material and financial resources, blessed me with good health,
and was now calling me (and my wife, though she did not know it yet!) to put
those gifts and resources to good use.
After a couple of years of battling this perceived call, I (we) took our
first baby steps into international medical missions with a one-week trip to
Guatemala where we served the people with medical, surgical, and dental
services, as well as water filters, and wood conserving stove installations. Since
that initial venture into medical missions, I have learned many things and will
try to enumerate a few for you now.
#1. As a Christ follower, it is worth noting that Jesus’ ministry
was one of healing and of service to others. Is it any wonder that He calls us
(as physicians) to do the same? Matthew 20:28
"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life as a ransom for many." The challenge for many (including myself),
has been to discern what God is actually calling us to do. I do not think it
was coincidental that I read the above-mentioned books one after the other,
then received an invitation to go to Guatemala shortly thereafter. In my
“heart” I was fairly certain that this was a leading from God, but in my “head”
were all the reasons not to go. My head was telling me that I had never been to
Mexico or central America without getting ill, that narco-terrorism and
kidnapping were a reality to be considered, and that I was having worsening
problems with claustrophobia, fear and panic attacks when confined in an airplane
for long periods of time. Additionally,
I was feeling inadequate to the task of serving in a resource poor environment
– something medical school does not prepare us for. Despite these very real
concerns, I kept hearing a “small inner voice” reminding me: Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God’s
handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do."
#2. A calling form God (if it is real) results in spiritual
warfare. In my case, all the reasons that my head was telling me not to go felt
overwhelming…at the same time my heart was telling me, “if God is calling me to
this, He will surely protect me, equip me, and bring it to pass”. Psalm 91:1-2 "Whoever dwells in
the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will
say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I
trust.’" Eventually, I was able to overcome the inner voice of doubt
and deception, squash down my fears and anxiety, and step out in faith. My
first experience was somewhat mixed – I felt what I can only describe as a
sense of “rightness” and “peace” while serving the Guatemalan people, which to
the Christian is understood to be the fruit of obedience to God’s will. Ephesians
4: 6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus." In
spite of the spiritual sense of purpose and rightness, I became very frustrated
with the fact that medically, I did not feel like I was helping these patients
very much – I did not know if the treatments I was prescribing were going to be
helpful or not. When significant chronic problems were identified, I realized
that I could only treat for a few weeks or a month, and that afterwards, the
patients would be back in the same condition (or possibly even worse if they
experienced any adverse effects of my treatment). There was nothing in place whereby ongoing treatment could be continued
or adverse events could be dealt with. I came home feeling that perhaps the
patients might have been better served by taking the money that I had spent to
travel to Guatemala and donating it to a local program that could help them.
#3. Focus on effectiveness of care can lead to frustration;
focus on eternal care as an endpoint of service is much more rewarding, and
potentially of eternal impact. And…
#4 Serving in person
(rather than simply funding mission work) allows you (as a Christian) the
opportunity to be the vehicle by which Christ’s love can be demonstrated to
another human being; there is great reward and joy in this process. I found
that after focusing my attention on the eternal, and less on the medical, I
experienced much less frustration, and more joy. I became intentional about
offering prayer to patients who were open to it and ended up praying with the
majority of my patients thereafter. It has been truly transformational in my mission
work to see how much hunger there is among patients for spiritual care as well
as medical care. Unfortunately, this is sorely missing in most practices in the
U.S. and other developed countries and is actually discouraged in our
medical training.
#5. Short term medical missions can cause harm as well as
good. As mentioned above, dropping into a country for a week, prescribing a
bunch of medications, or providing several surgeries, then leaving the patients
to fend for themselves afterwards, can produce some real harm. For this reason,
it is important to partner with churches, other health care providers or
hospitals in the country where you are serving, so that complications which
arise after you leave can be dealt with. At Tenwek, we have an entire team of
doctors, nurses, and health professionals who are available year-round. This is
a very comfortable partnership and brings us much peace when it comes time to
return home.
#6. Practicing in a low resource setting allows you to more
clearly see where God is at work rather than where technology is at work. i.e.
– some patients should clearly not survive their illness in a low resource
setting. Over the years, Marilyn and I have seen this occur on many occasions. Some
of these “miraculous” recoveries have been described in detail in earlier posts.
One memorable patient for me was a young
woman who arrived at the hospital in shock with valvular heart disease and a
cardiac rhythm disturbance… all of which should have led to a quick
irreversible decline and death. Despite this, she was able to be “stabilized”
in this condition for about 2 weeks(!), during which time arrangements were
made for her to receive open heart surgery and valve replacement. The surgery
should have failed (she had persistent shock), and the stress should have been
fatal to her, but she survived it all and actually went home a few days later! We
have many such stories where the hand of God has been clearly apparent to us.
#7. Abiding in Christ and seeing Him at work leads to a
deepening and strengthening of one’s own faith. Over the years, as we have
continued to serve regularly despite the variety of spiritual attacks
(claustrophobia, flight anxiety, panic attacks, HIV, TB, meningitis, Ebola,
COVID, and the occasional terrorist attack to name a few)…as we survive these
challenges and are allowed to see God at work as noted above, one’s personal
faith cannot help but grow and strengthen.
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are
steadfast, because they trust in you."
And this…John 15: 4-5 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you,
unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in
me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing."
#8. Serving cross-culturally broadens one’s perspective,
increases tolerance to other ideas and ways of living, and brings new
appreciation to what might otherwise be taken for granted in one’s own
circumstances. I cannot tell you how much I have come to appreciate being able
to drink from the tap, shower without keeping my mouth closed, and flush toilet
tissue down the drain! I never gave these things a second thought until they
were taken away from me. Likewise, I never fully appreciated the ability to pop
into the grocery for food or various other items until I spent a few weeks in
rural Kenya where the closest “supermarket”( as we think of it) is a four-hour
drive away. Needless to say, there is much that we have to be thankful for in
the U.S. Conversely, it was not until I saw the coexistence of great poverty
and great faith and joy that I came to my next realization.
#9 There seems to be a paradoxical relationship between
material well-being and spiritual well-being. From our experience, some of the
most poverty-stricken areas seem to have greater levels of peace, joy, healthy
community, and spiritual richness than countries such as our own where there is
plenty, yet an epidemic of spiritual poverty, sadness, depression, and
loneliness. Perhaps when the material is stripped away, our tendency is to turn
to God…and vice versa…when we are rich and comfortable, we are more likely to
turn away from God.
#10. There is much to be said for living simply, eschewing
material goods, and raising families in Christian community. The Tenwek
community has been a great example of what this looks like when lived out. Before serving on the mission field, I had
often thought that the children of missionary couples were somehow “deprived”
of having a “normal upbringing.” After
direct experience with these families over the last 15 years at Tenwek, it is
clear that nothing could be further from the truth. Children of these couples
are raised in close loving communities, “home schooled” by a rotating team of
loving parents, seemingly very well adjusted, and mostly happy and carefree. Upon
our first visit, I described this as “boy heaven” – tree houses, tire swings,
bikes, scooters, open fields, mud slides, dirt, and barefoot “school in the
yard”! The girls seem to thrive here too…there is not much of the “drama” that
I am used to seeing with my own children and grandchildren. Contrast this with
our own young people raised in a “normal environment” and the differences could
not be more stark. We are clearly doing something wrong, and they are doing
something right.
In summary then, Marilyn and I have been very blessed by our
experiences with short term missions, and time spent at Tenwek in particular. Our
personal faiths have been strengthened, our love for God has grown, and our
hearts for serving others have been forever changed. Thank you for your
encouragement over the years, and for allowing us to share with you, our
experiences.
With love,
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| Miraculous patient surviving cardiogenic shock, critical aortic stenosis, and A. fib. with rapid ventricular response. Following Aortic valve replacement. |
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| Day 2 following surgery...soon to be headed home! |
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| Cora - Another sweet little missionary kid has adopted me as family! |
