My medical missions trip to Nicaragua was very profitable on a spiritual and educational level. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with some fantastic doctors and other team members as we served the people of Nicaragua. We travelled to Ometepe Island and set up a community clinic where we saw many patients over the course of 5 days. I am a medical student and so my role was primarily to help out with the physicians during the week. While we were there as a medical team, our mission went far beyond treating the physical needs of the people. Our aim was to touch people with the love of God and share the Gospel boldly while using medicine as a means to serve the people. God showed me many things but there are two things which stand out in particular. These two things are the beauty of the body of Christ in action and sacrificial living.
One of the awesome things about this trip was how individual’s passions for medical care (or dental care, physical therapy etc.) was used for the community of Christ and the glory of God. I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 where it explains that each part of the body of Christ is indispensable. I saw this in action this week. As I walked throughout the clinic I saw the hands and feet of Jesus. Team members were dedicated to treating the physical and spiritual needs of the patients that entered the clinic. I was thrilled to have been a part of that.
Sacrifice is an important and necessary component of our faith. Jesus spoke of needing to deny yourself and follow Him. Paul spoke of dying to self and being “crucified with Christ.” I don’t think I see sacrifice demonstrated enough in the culture that I live in. It was humbling to interact with the local pastors. The amount of sacrifice that each of them demonstrates is something that is very difficult to comprehend in the culture that I am from. I heard stories of pastors that work full time jobs in the fields in order to have enough money to survive because pastoring does not support them financially. These pastors spend their free time interacting with their church members and their community. As we had dinner with them on Thursday, it was a privilege to hear their heart for their people and the prayer requests that they shared with us. It was refreshing to hear hearts that fully desired “Kingdom building” in Nicaragua. It was also a privilege to witness the sacrifice in the doctors that I worked with. As a medical student with a faith in Christ, it was exciting to see physicians sacrifice time that they could be using to make money. To see them choosing to use their skills to serve others was a great example to me. I’m not sure how it will look for me in the future, but I felt God showing me one way in which I can use my skills to serve Him.
Perhaps one of the best experiences I had while in Nicaragua was having the privilege to visit community people in their homes. It was a time where we had the honor to meet people in their homes, treat them physically and have conversations about God. There is just something amazing about sitting in someone's house and meeting them where they are at. Life stories were exchanged. Difficulties were shared. Joys were also shared. It was a beautiful time. Perhaps the most memorable home visit for me was when we got into a discussion with a young woman towards the end of our day. As we were treating her health complaint, it was clear that she was agitated or "on edge." We probed deeper as to what was bothering her. Eventually she shared that recently she had experienced some extreme difficulties in her life including a death in the family. There was no medicine that we had that would treat this better than the Gospel. We shared very simply about what Jesus had done for her. That day, this woman accepted Christ. There was a visible decrease in agitation in her. I saw a glimpse of how God uses people's passions to put them in positions where His story can change their lives.
Overall, my trip to Nicaragua was one of the best things I could have done this summer. I was challenged and encouraged on a spiritual level. I met some fantastic people both on the medical team and in Nicaragua. It is clear that God is working in Nicaragua just as He is everywhere. The lessons learned on this trip will stick with me forever.
One of the awesome things about this trip was how individual’s passions for medical care (or dental care, physical therapy etc.) was used for the community of Christ and the glory of God. I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 where it explains that each part of the body of Christ is indispensable. I saw this in action this week. As I walked throughout the clinic I saw the hands and feet of Jesus. Team members were dedicated to treating the physical and spiritual needs of the patients that entered the clinic. I was thrilled to have been a part of that.
Sacrifice is an important and necessary component of our faith. Jesus spoke of needing to deny yourself and follow Him. Paul spoke of dying to self and being “crucified with Christ.” I don’t think I see sacrifice demonstrated enough in the culture that I live in. It was humbling to interact with the local pastors. The amount of sacrifice that each of them demonstrates is something that is very difficult to comprehend in the culture that I am from. I heard stories of pastors that work full time jobs in the fields in order to have enough money to survive because pastoring does not support them financially. These pastors spend their free time interacting with their church members and their community. As we had dinner with them on Thursday, it was a privilege to hear their heart for their people and the prayer requests that they shared with us. It was refreshing to hear hearts that fully desired “Kingdom building” in Nicaragua. It was also a privilege to witness the sacrifice in the doctors that I worked with. As a medical student with a faith in Christ, it was exciting to see physicians sacrifice time that they could be using to make money. To see them choosing to use their skills to serve others was a great example to me. I’m not sure how it will look for me in the future, but I felt God showing me one way in which I can use my skills to serve Him.
Perhaps one of the best experiences I had while in Nicaragua was having the privilege to visit community people in their homes. It was a time where we had the honor to meet people in their homes, treat them physically and have conversations about God. There is just something amazing about sitting in someone's house and meeting them where they are at. Life stories were exchanged. Difficulties were shared. Joys were also shared. It was a beautiful time. Perhaps the most memorable home visit for me was when we got into a discussion with a young woman towards the end of our day. As we were treating her health complaint, it was clear that she was agitated or "on edge." We probed deeper as to what was bothering her. Eventually she shared that recently she had experienced some extreme difficulties in her life including a death in the family. There was no medicine that we had that would treat this better than the Gospel. We shared very simply about what Jesus had done for her. That day, this woman accepted Christ. There was a visible decrease in agitation in her. I saw a glimpse of how God uses people's passions to put them in positions where His story can change their lives.
Overall, my trip to Nicaragua was one of the best things I could have done this summer. I was challenged and encouraged on a spiritual level. I met some fantastic people both on the medical team and in Nicaragua. It is clear that God is working in Nicaragua just as He is everywhere. The lessons learned on this trip will stick with me forever.
