Doctors and their families who are serving, and those who have served long and short-term, have written some truly inspirational letters.
We share these with you here and invite you to pass them along to others. Keep those serving in your prayers, and join them if you are able!
The words Terese and I prayed over as we headed to Africa on mission was from Isaiah 55:1-12 which begins,
“All you who are thirsty, come to the water…What is necessary is that we respond to Jesus imperative to Give Drink to the Thirsty…
The hardest adjustment medically has been to appreciate the scope of the burden of malaria here. It is hard to imagine the impact that malaria has on the lives of people in tropical countries, especially with it’s severity in children and the frequency with which it is contracted by some…
Dr. and Mrs. Stoughton share some of their recent experiences at St. Theresa’s Hospital
You had asked us to write and reflect on the first year here. I won’t say it has been easy, it is probably the hardest thing we have ever done.
The culture is very different than we thought it would be, the people do not have much, sometimes nothing at all, but they still praise God for everything. We now have a different way to look at life. What we would take as ordinary can be very special.
Dr. Joseph Langlois shares his experience serving in Cameroon. “I was inspired by the dedicated Nuns and Staff at the Hospital who worked so hard and made the best of the resources available to them. They created a warm welcoming environment for newcomers like me…Looking back on the experience at times it seems almost like a dream but it was real.”
What transpired over my five-week stint at the hospital altered my outlook on medicine and changed the entire direction of my career.
After a six hour road trip from Entebbe Airport, the gates of Nyakibale Hospital opened and welcomed me. I was immediately led to the ED (Emergency Department) where I was greeted by Dr Mark and his clinical officers.
Dr. and Mrs. Timothy Cavanagh believe that “the world will look back on this time and place in a hundred years as a part of the turning of the tide in the struggle to control HIV.”
Peter Meade, an LA surgeon, reports on his first short-term missions with MDA
Dr. Kate Bolton writes about the power of faith and lessons learned while serving in Ghana.
Lou and Marty Coda served long-term in Papua New Guinea with their family from 1990 – 1993. They have also done an extended short-term service in Cameroon, and are currently working at Mutolere Hospital in the Diocese of Kabale, Uganda. Lou reflects on the burden of illness and the reality that this suffering brings to the people he has come to serve.
Dr. Stephen & Mrs. Kathryn Schmid, along with their daughter Emily, spent one month in Uganda last fall — here he recounts the last case he saw, not something he might have seen in Idaho.
This summer, my daughter Joanna, and I traveled to Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, to work in Hospitalito. We road from Guatemala City to the beautiful city of Antigua. Then on to Panajachel on the spectacular Lake Atitlan.
Anna Kummers first reflections upon the family’s arrival in Guatemala
Life goes on here at St. Theresa’s Hospital in Zimbabwe. It is turning into a long winter with many of the patients who suffer from HIV needing hospitalization with respiratory infections.
Mission Doctor, Dr. Greg Jaso, DDS recently returned from one month at Karoli Luwanga Hospital in Uganda. He reflects on this month, and is already looking forward to the next time he can serve with MDA.
Dr. Marcia Smith-Bourain and family spent a month in Uganda. This year, they are traveling to Guatemala to once again share their skills, but before heading off, she recounts their time in Uganda.
Mark Bisanzo, an Emergency Physician who first worked with MDA in 2005, and his wife Sheila, spent 9 months at Nyakibale leading the training program in Emergency Care. Read about their experience and learn about the wonderful training program designed for local medical professionals working in the Emergency Department.
Drs. Paul and Terese Bauer share the blessings and challenges of serving short term at Karoli Lwanga Hospital in Nyakibale, Uganda. “Our experience has been richly blessed by the Lord through work, in faith, and as family…”
“What an amazing experience it was to leave the comforts of home and settle into the daily routines of a third world country a few days later. Terry spent her days assisting at the orphanage and working at Project Hope, a local HIV/AIDS awareness program.”
Dr. Perea and his wife Fina bring medicine and provide treatment to some of the poorest and most remote Guatemalan villages.
Dr. Jaime Perea, an OB/GYN and veteran mission doctor, writes about his time at St. Padre Pio Hospital in Douala, Cameroon. Reflecting on his service, his letter letter begins “I just want to tell you how thankful I am for my short-serving in Cameroon. The people of this African country are very humble, poor and grateful; and especially people of faith…”
Dr. Ellen Iannoli an anesthesiologist from New York, shares her call to Cameroon and her service at St. Martin De Porres Catholic Hospital in Njinikom.
Lou and Marty Coda served in Papua New Guinea for three years in the 1990s. They have just completed a six-month assignment in Cameroon and Lou reflected on the experience in their final days there. His words are both revealing and inspirational as he shares both his frustrations and his faith:
Medicine and Rehabilitation physician from Visalia, California reflects on his service with his wife Heather in Njinikom, Cameroon
Dr. Margareta Nunez traveled to Belize to offer her professional skills. Along with her two children, she found great needs and opportunities to expand their view of how we can serve our brothers and sisters.
Dr. Lou Coda shares the story of a young patient, aptly named Miracle.
Dr. Hur reflects on her time at St. Elizabeth Hospital where although she is surrounded by illness and lacks hi-tech medical equipment, she finds her “heart is warmed by the people of Shisong.”
Dr. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene write about a young patient appropriately named “Courage”
Dr. Lawrence Klee spent one month at St. Martin de Porres Hospital in the highlands of Cameroon. He recounts this trip and is already looking forward to the next.
