"She hasn't eaten in over a week because she doesn't have any food."
I completely lost myself as I gave my simple granola bar to the eighty-five-year-old woman who was so weak she could not even walk. Wounds covered her body and her eyes showed years of neglect and pain. This single woman is the very definition of the “least of these” whom Christ commanded His followers to take care of. The enormous smile that formed on her face helped to dry the tears that were falling down mine... this was all part of the ministry. God had placed our team there at that moment to be his hands and feet and give both physical and spiritual bread to this woman in need.
Imagine practicing medicine in a place where there is no electricity, no sufficient source of running water nearby, and no diagnostic equipment. When Tylenol costs more than some Ghanaians would make in a week, it is no wonder our patients walked miles upon miles over rough terrain to reach our tiny clinic. Although the state of the clinic would most likely cause it to be condemned in the United States, its conditions were better than many in rural Africa could even imagine. I am so incredibly thankful for the roof we had over our heads, the three meals a day, and the chance to help change the lives of thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ.
Helping set up and run clinics in villages in rural Ghana was perhaps the most challenging and yet the most rewarding experience I have ever had. In six days of clinics we saw over 2,000 patients, treated 387 known cases of malaria, cleaned and nursed 34 severe wounds, treated every child for worms, and gave out 428 pairs of eyeglasses. I had the chance to witness everything from malaria, to typhoid fever, to leprosy, to river blindness, and all of the maladies in between. I am so grateful to have had this eye-opening encounter as a student doctor and learned much from this experience. My time in Ghana has helped confirm why I am on this journey and who I want to be as a physician.
More important than the physical healing, however, was the spiritual restoration that manifested among the people in this beautiful nation. When people ask about Ghana, I simply tell them “85 and counting,” which then of course requires an explanation. I then communicate how the gospel was shared and that I now have eighty-five new brothers and sisters in Christ! Because follow-up is perhaps one of the most important parts of any short term mission, it gives me great joy to report that the local pastors are continuing to meet and pray with the people in the surrounding villages who came to the clinic. Although the people of Ghana do not have MRIs, neurosurgeons, or chemotherapy centers, they do have prayer, which is the most powerful medical tool available. I believe in the power of the Great Physician, and I witnessed His power firsthand during my trip into the villages of Agbadzakope and Torve, Ghana.
Thank you to all who partnered with me both financially and through prayer... this experience has changed me for life, and I am so incredibly excited to continue to use my medical gifts to further God’s kingdom!
Blessings,
Jennifer Spicer
I completely lost myself as I gave my simple granola bar to the eighty-five-year-old woman who was so weak she could not even walk. Wounds covered her body and her eyes showed years of neglect and pain. This single woman is the very definition of the “least of these” whom Christ commanded His followers to take care of. The enormous smile that formed on her face helped to dry the tears that were falling down mine... this was all part of the ministry. God had placed our team there at that moment to be his hands and feet and give both physical and spiritual bread to this woman in need.
Imagine practicing medicine in a place where there is no electricity, no sufficient source of running water nearby, and no diagnostic equipment. When Tylenol costs more than some Ghanaians would make in a week, it is no wonder our patients walked miles upon miles over rough terrain to reach our tiny clinic. Although the state of the clinic would most likely cause it to be condemned in the United States, its conditions were better than many in rural Africa could even imagine. I am so incredibly thankful for the roof we had over our heads, the three meals a day, and the chance to help change the lives of thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ.
Helping set up and run clinics in villages in rural Ghana was perhaps the most challenging and yet the most rewarding experience I have ever had. In six days of clinics we saw over 2,000 patients, treated 387 known cases of malaria, cleaned and nursed 34 severe wounds, treated every child for worms, and gave out 428 pairs of eyeglasses. I had the chance to witness everything from malaria, to typhoid fever, to leprosy, to river blindness, and all of the maladies in between. I am so grateful to have had this eye-opening encounter as a student doctor and learned much from this experience. My time in Ghana has helped confirm why I am on this journey and who I want to be as a physician.
More important than the physical healing, however, was the spiritual restoration that manifested among the people in this beautiful nation. When people ask about Ghana, I simply tell them “85 and counting,” which then of course requires an explanation. I then communicate how the gospel was shared and that I now have eighty-five new brothers and sisters in Christ! Because follow-up is perhaps one of the most important parts of any short term mission, it gives me great joy to report that the local pastors are continuing to meet and pray with the people in the surrounding villages who came to the clinic. Although the people of Ghana do not have MRIs, neurosurgeons, or chemotherapy centers, they do have prayer, which is the most powerful medical tool available. I believe in the power of the Great Physician, and I witnessed His power firsthand during my trip into the villages of Agbadzakope and Torve, Ghana.
Thank you to all who partnered with me both financially and through prayer... this experience has changed me for life, and I am so incredibly excited to continue to use my medical gifts to further God’s kingdom!
Blessings,
Jennifer Spicer
