|
|
A Different Kind of “Vacation” . . . By Dr. Linda Adams
I was first exposed to missions at the age of six months when my parents went on vacation to Mexico. They started out to visit friends just across the border in northeastern Mexico and somehow ended up 1,000 miles south in the state of Chiapas, at a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school that was just being established high up in the mountains. I ended up spending most of my growing-up years at this school, now known as Linda Vista University.
I helped with Branch Sabbath Schools, but mostly I just did the normal things kids do as they grow up—exploring, getting into trouble, playing and fighting with my brother & sister, going to school with my friends and graduating. Whenever we visited the villages we would be surrounded by kids who had lice, sores on their bodies, constant coughs and runny noses; and I always wanted to be able to help them. So I came up to the States and went to Medical school. After I completed my Residency I started working in the ER at Orthopaedic Hospital in downtown Los Angeles, which is where I still work. I kept busy, bought a car, bought a house, and, well, just didn’t have time or money to go on mission trips. Seemed like taxes and bills were always due, therefore extra shifts needed to be worked, and . . . there was always next year. Then, 8 years ago my sister
Lanita and her family went on a mission trip to the Yucatán Peninsula near
Cancún. Yep, right on the beach. My sister kept telling me that was
something I should do, so I decided to check it out. I will do most
anything to spend time with my nieces and nephews. I thought I was on
VACATION and had fun with the kids. When the rest of the group Three years ago when the book Prayer of Jabez became popular, I started praying “expand my territory.” That year I was asked to direct the medical aspect of the mission trip, which involved an extra “pre-trip” to Mexico to scout out locations for clinics, find an operating room available for the surgical team, and secure permission from state and local authorities. As I usually prefer to remain low key and in the background, that really expanded my borders! Over the last couple of years several physicians and nurses approached me regarding a Mission to Chiapas—they would go if I organized a trip. I’d been toying with the idea for a while, then in Sept. 2002 a surgeon from Portland, Maine called and asked if I was serious about planning a trip. His team needed to know right away so they could purchase airline tickets. I said yes, they bought their tickets . . . and I was committed! I dedicated the trip to God and started praying for Chiapas. A group of friends also prayed for me and the trip.
I thought 20, MAYBE 30 people would volunteer for the 10-day mission. Instead, almost 70 people of different faiths signed up! They ranged in age from 9 to 82 years, and came from 12 different states. Plus 20 nursing students from the Adventist University in Chiapas asked to participate! The purpose of the trip, which
happened just this past March, was to build 6 classrooms and to provide
medical and dental care to villages where none is available. When the
people in these mountain villages need medical care, they have to travel
many hours out to the nearest medical facility on foot or mule or, if they
have enough money to pay for a ride, in a pickup.
In spite of the time, hard work, and usual problems which will be encountered any time you have 70+ people in primitive conditions eating different food, sleeping on hard floors, working in the hot sun in high humidity, and getting sick from being in the blazing sun all day, overall it was the most positive, awesome mission trip I’ve experienced so far.
We
treated 320 patients; one dentist pulled 290 teeth from 201 mouths; the
surgery team operated on 25 patients; eyeglasses were distributed to 140
persons; nursing students gave health talks, distributed toothbrushes,
washed and cut children’s hair to rid them of lice, cleaned and bathed
patients confined to their huts, etc. Visitation teams distributed
But there was so much more than the numbers and the people we went to serve; the changes and experiences within the group were the most powerful. As Rick Warren says in his book The Purpose Driven Life, “Although it is a big responsibility, it is also an incredible honor to be used by God.” I feel happiest when I’m fulfilling God’s purpose for my life. Dr. Linda Adams writes from southern California. She works long shifts at the hospital
|
"Scared to Death" about
the Mission Trip
After “Big Bob” Napoletano signed up for our “Friends with a Mission,” he
told his pastor and other friends, “I’m scared to death about going on this
trip.” A new Christian, in his mid sixties, Bob had never gone on a mission
trip. When we reached the village of San Lorenzo, normally talkative and “tough guy” Bob was speechless at the living conditions he saw. In fact, he almost couldn’t handle it. Later he said, “If I’d had a car my first day there, I would have gone home right then.” Even though
he didn’t speak the language, Bob soon began to make friends with the
children, using a supply of candy he’d brought to communicate. Before long
he had friends wherever he went, and worked right along with the others on
the new school rooms. Always looking for ways to help, Bob shared
popsicles
with workers on hot days, helped in Now Bob says, “If you ever get a chance to go on a mission trip––don’t miss it!” As I write, Bob is preparing to leave on another mission trip in a couple of weeks, this time to the Dominican Republic.
Betty Adams works with “Big Bob” at Community Services in Placerville, California. |
We were enjoying a lovely
Sabbath at beautiful Linda Vista
Barbara Julier is a retired physician from Placerville, CA. She enjoys
volunteering her services in Alaska and many other places,
bringing
compassion and relief to people who are suffering. |