This summer 2016 I was able to be part of a medical mission trip to Ometepe, Nicaragua with a fantastic group of people that brought a lot of different skills and abilities to the table. We had medical doctors, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, nurses and support personal on this trip. I just graduated from physical therapy school in May 2016, so this was my first time practicing as a licensed physical therapist. I was so excited to start my career in a service capacity when this trip presented itself. I was ready to put everything I had learned in the last three years to good use. Going into this trip, I believe I was overly focused on what I could do with my own skill set and wanted to prove that I was a smart and capable physical therapist. God quickly humbled me the first few days in the clinic. Practicing in a third world county is very different from practicing in a clinic in the United States. There were many challenges including working with a translator and having limited supplies and equipment in the clinic. I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to be giving every patient the “world’s best PT” and there were even some patients that I couldn’t help at all. This was discouraging the first couple days for me. Then on the third day in the clinic I was scheduled to spend an hour in the prayer room. An hour is a LONG time for me to pray. I spend the first 20 minutes or so wrestling with God and trying to figure out what my purpose was on the trip if I didn’t have to resources or ability as a new therapist to help these people the way I wanted to. And there was the problem. The way I wanted to. Through that hour God helped me to understand that HIS plan can be far from ours. He had a specific role for me that week that I couldn’t see going in. The role certainly wasn’t “world’s best PT fresh out of school”. By the end of the week I realized that just talking to patients about their ailments and praying over them carried more weight than any treatment I could have provided. This trip has inspired me as a start my career as a physical therapist. There are areas in the world in desperate need of medical services. My education and career has created a platform from which I can serve and minister to others. Whether in Nicaragua, another third world country, or right here in the United States I hope to use my talents the God has blessed me with to further His kingdom.
Heath Crist's Story
