Poverty: Recent Episodes
MedicalMissions.com
Mentors are instrumental in the professional and personal growth of healthcare professionals. However, mentoring relationships often fail to realize their full potential. Attendees will be encouraged and equipped to initiate mentoring relationships that provide both mentor and mentee with a rewarding experience.
A panel of those who entered full time missions after age 50 will discuss how God overcame and is overcoming objections, difficulties and fears to place them in service. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_bond_burgess_makingamidcareermove
In this session, It will seek to help guide you on how to respond to God’s Command and Commission, The quest for discovering and following God’s will and purpose for one’s life is often an illusion to many children of the Living God, Many believers resorts to imitating others and or live a hypocritical phantom life as they are tied down to daily engagements and undertakings of everyday life, It is hoped that discovering the reason for living your life with purpose is made easier. You will discover the purpose for which God design you and gain the confidence to fruitfully be where you belong, through the power of the Holy Spirit. You will be guided through a biblical process and principles to seeing exactly God’s intent for your unique being and person, as Gods design, where you will discover that It all began with God before the foundations of the earth. Ever since, before the fall of humanity, God has you in mind, and he designed you for a purpose and through a process, but as a result of the departure of humans from God, through disbelief, you became blind and were kept ignorant of His plans for you. However, you will discover that His Deep love and Great Mercy, God called you to salvation, you became a new creature and adopted as His Child, hence He qualified you, by being a new creature in His image, He desires for you to return and rediscover His plan and purpose for your life As He God Intended. Responding to Gods Command and Commission, is a call to be ready, Dressed for service fully equipped and Lacking in nothing as you Respond through Obedience, based on a biblical Principles, These herculean task by helping you identify your uniqueness within the body of Christ, and to enable you walk confidently and victoriously where you belong in the program of God through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Finally, through the Scriptures and the Power of the Holy Spirit, You will be exposed and guided to God’s Command and Commission, That you begin to instantly manifest the reality of your purpose for living, Emblemed and empowered with full of Zeal, Passion and Fruitfulness, Genuinely ready for all the good works God has designed you to accomplish – Loving God with all your heart, soul and strength and loving others through your service of obedience to his Commission, Praying, Evangelizing, Discipling, Equipping and living a lasting fruit to the Glory of God. Our focus will be what it does take to be dressed, ready for service from your call to salvation to your call to service, Exploring your Meditational life, Family Life and a life of Obedience to His Command and Commission. AS YOU RESPONDING TO GOD’S COMMAND AND COMMISSION
Are you comfortable asking people for money? Do you understand the critical areas you must address if you are going to ask people to invest in you? This session will give you an understanding of the basics in fundraising that is fundamental to anyone in ministry. You will learn 5 critical things you must do in order to raise your own support. There is a solution to the obstacle of educational loans which often prevent many from going due to the amount of money that must be raised – MedSend. Additionally, you will understand how to qualify for a MedSend grant and what the Board is looking for in those who apply. Finally, you will gain and understanding of what you need to be doing right now if you are hoping to go to the field soon, next steps.
This session will consider case studies of biomedical research in mission contexts, derive best practices in biomedical research that enhance the work of mission institutions, and describe how to get involved in biomedical research in faith-based settings. Presentation Slides: https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_marktopazian_biomedicalresearchandfaith
In this session participants will be exposed to the role rehabilitation professionals can play in addressing the needs of persons with disabilities around the world and how addressing these needs can advance the gospel. We'll explore the prevelance of disabilities in the world, and what God has to say about His love for and care for persons with disabilities. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_roy_canclini_mrowiec_howrehabprofessionals
God painted His heart for the Nations throughout the pages of His Word, from Genesis to Revelation... If we live our lives, spend our money, eat/drink, exercise, pray, and practice medicine without catching this vision, we're missing out on the greatest masterpiece ever created! We create a false dichotomy of domestic healthcare and that which is international. God doesn't see it this way and neither should we.
We live in the most amazing days since Jesus walked the earth. The global church is sprinting toward the finish line of the 2000-year Great Commission race, and by God’s grace, our generation may be the one to finish it. In this session, Douglas Cobb of The Finishing Fund will explain the global effort to get the gospel for the first time to the world’s last few unengaged people groups and will present the amazing promise of Matthew 24:14 that the completion of the Great Commission will open the door to the return of Christ.
Breaking the Chains of Dependency: Impacting underserved communities through servant leadership Underserved communities, such as those in Africa, have been the long-time recipients of outside aid, yet there is little sustainable change. Dependency on outside resources and hierarchal, foreign leadership remains. Could following the example of Jesus’ use of servant leadership be a way to break dependency and bring sustainable change to these communities? A small, community-based health clinic in Mauritania, Africa, was a traditional, non-governmental run clinic for 15 years, relying heavily on foreign staff for leadership and decision-making. Desiring to empower local leadership and encourage ownership, a new leadership style was introduced. Using a servant leader, holistic approach along with cultural contextualization, education, guiding a shared vision, and instilling dignity and hope, in less than a year a shift happened. Personal ownership, critical thinking, shared-decision making, and local leadership are replacing previous dependency.
The 5 most common neglected tropical diseases affect over 1.5 billion people, including more than 1 billion children. Medical missionaries working in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia will certainly come in contact with most of these diseases on a daily basis. It is time for us to do more than just treat them. Mass drug adminstration programs were developed to help control and eradicate these diseases. This lecture will discuss how we can be a part of the solution.
At Life in Abundance we believe that investment in the local church is both an effective and transformative tool for sustainable community development, sustainable community health, and sustainable social and spiritual change. There are stories, there is a model and there is movement taking place across the global south and I look forward to sharing this with you.
The missional landscape has changed. The recent global events, the shifting distribution of Christians, and the realities of what God is allowing; are presenting a whole new missional landscape. What then are the new structures, approaches, and strategies that are proving effective for missions in our days? This will be shared with a special emphasis on the emerging role of medical missions and the strategy for partnerships. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022\_florencemuindi\_ourcurrentmission
We are all called to live missionally. It is the Lord's plan for all peoples to know of His glory. As nurses, we may have access to those who have never heard the Gospel. We can get behind closed doors working within communities, establish trust, pray with patients, and provide wholistic care. Nurses care for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of people. We can use the discipline of nursing to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We can show honor, respect, caring, and compassion to everyone the Lord brings into our path, no matter where we are serving Him. As believers, we can make disciples. Healthy, authentic disciples make healthy churches. The church is not a place, or an event, it is the people. We as nurses have extra tools in our toolbox to pray, teach, encourage, advance the Gospel, and give glory to the Lord. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022\_rebeccameyer\_roleofnursesinmissions
The missional landscape has changed. The recent global events, the shifting distribution of Christians, and the realities of what God is allowing; are presenting a whole new missional landscape. What then are the new structures, approaches, and strategies that are proving effective for missions in our days? This will be shared with a special emphasis on the emerging role of medical missions and the strategy for partnerships.
In this session, you'll learn the most important questions to ask when considering a potential mission sending organization. Find your best fit by attending this seminar!
Transformational Development (TD) and Community Health Evangelism (CHE) are well-established and broadly used approaches with potential to bring profound and lasting impacts on health and agency within communities and within missions. However, participatory learning trainings and open-ended applications may leave missionaries wondering how TD and CHE can be impactful or implementable in a particular context. This session begins with a brief background of TD and CHE principles, including emphasis on Assets-Based Community Development and Community-Driven programs. Missionaries will share examples of successful programs from frameworks of understanding the setting, local leadership, community-driven priorities, and existing assets. Session participants will interact with speakers and work through an additional number of cases, applying TD and CHE in a variety of real-life clinical and community contexts. This session concludes with a toolkit of resources and training options ranging from book recommendations to CHE courses and Preventive Medicine Fellowships. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022\_christinamiller\_casestudiesapplying https://bit.ly/gmhc2022\_christinamiller\_casestudiesapplying\_handout
A medical practitioner panel from the CMDA Commission on Human Trafficking will discuss indicators of human trafficking in adults and children, root causes of exploitation, the effects of the pandemic, and tools healthcare providers can use to identify and treat victims.
In today's uncertain world, patients are dealing with more and more stress and anxiety that ultimately impacts their health. Patients sometimes have "hidden unhealed triggers" that can lead to physical impairments. III John 2 states "Above all brethren, I desire you to prosper and be in Health, even as your soul prospers." In this session, the participant will learn how to "tend to their souls" and learn to identify areas of brokenness that patients are dealing with such that they are equipped to help patients tend to their souls, in an effort to propagate physical, emotional and spiritual health.
As a health care professional on the mission field, the task of language learning is both essential and complicated. We say that language learning is a high value and priority for ourselves as missionaries, and yet it often is the first thing to take a back seat in life and ministry. Why is that? How can we do better? With over 15 years of experience in educating, training, and coaching missionaries in language and culture learning, Dr. Mullen will cast a vision for what it takes to truly become “fluent” in your target host language. She will offer biblical, theoretical, and practical advice for missionaries and missions leaders alike on how to prepare, execute, and continually improve communicative competence in a second language and cross-cultural setting.
Background. Diabetes programs are difficult to implement in low-income settings. Mentoring clinics is promising to implement initiatives. We mentored local Community Health Workers (CHWs) to implement a diabetes program for low-income Latino(a)s (N=59) with type 2 diabetes in a twophased approach, each 6-months. Methods. -Phase 1 (training, feasibility assessment): participants randomized to the diabetes program or usual care. CHW-instructors (CHW-Is) led the program, CHWs observed. -Phase 2 (mentoring): CHWs led the program, CHW-Is mentored. -The program included monthly group visits and weekly CHWs/CHWIs-participant telehealth contact. -Outcomes included baseline to 6-month clinical changes i.e., HbA1c, adherence to medications and six American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, CHW pre/posttest scores, and hypoglycemia. Results. Significant outcomes included improved HbA1c levels, medication and ADA adherence, hypoglycemic events, and CHWs test scores.
How To Proclaim and Deliver the Content of The Gospel Message, Which is, The True Saving Knowledge of God in Christ, to The hearts and minds of the Muslims Everywhere, so they could be Saved, and in a way they could understand through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The purpose of this session is to obtain an overview of the key elements of the new Christian Global Health in Perspective course designed to prepare both those trained in the medical professions and others about the biblical, historical, cultural and strategic aspects of evidence-based global health service. Wholeness from the perspective of shalom will form a sustainable framework upon which one can build effective transformational service among the nations, because health concerns everyone.
Our residency and training programs prepare us for professional service. Might it make sense to give heightened attention to preparation for full time kingdom service following professional training? Join Rick, Lance, Kelsey, and Chad as together we explore the need and potential for a new equipping model for long term kingdom service. For senders and those seeking to be sent: all medical, dental, and administrators, join the conversation as we explore foundational spiritual formation, life on life discipleship as we seek to be the missionaries here and now that we want to be then and there.
Globally, over 240 million children under five years of age suffer from malnutrition. Approximately 85% of these children are undernourished, manifesting as underweight, wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies. Under-nutrition contributes to about 45% of deaths in children under five years of age. Children in low-income and resource poor communities and nations are at the greatest risk. Healthcare providers in these communities play a central role in limiting the effects of under-nutrition in this vulnerable population, through early identification, prompt and appropriate care and referral. In this session we will review evidence-based approaches to developing sustainable preventive and early intervention strategies to combat the leading underlying cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in resource limited communities.
My family and I are Kenyan cross-cultural workers based in Kenya. We served for three and half years in Ghana. During that time, we established Hope Alive Initiatives that equips churches in poor and vulnerable communities in wholistic ministry. I have seen the impact left by short term mission teams that come to train local believers to continue ministry after the team leave. Hope Alive Initiatives is now involved in training churches in five countries: Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia.
We see the world through constructed patterns acquired through ordinary experiences in our culture. These experiences embed values, beliefs, and expectations into our worldview. The becomes the framework through which we engage with the world. What happens when this framework is used in a second culture? How does it impact how a person leads, ministers, or gives care to those with a different worldview? This seminar will unpack research examining transformative worldview experiences of missionaries. This seminar will help you understand the worldview tensions and shifts in people working cross-culturally in order to better prepare second culture workers as they consider the impact of worldview on how they lead, minister, and serve.
The purpose of this session is to explore ways to integrate the Lord’s call to love and humbly serve others within the discipline of nursing. God created people to glorify Him, so believers are to present their bodies as a living sacrifice and life of worship (Rom. 12:1). Jesus came to serve others as He touched the untouchable and marginalized. Nurses, and other members of the healthcare team, can use their gifts and talents they have been given, as well as their training, to come alongside the vulnerable, hurting, suffering, and broken in the same way Jesus did.
In view of a changing world context, what is the future of medical missions? Does the traditional mission hospital have a place in today's world? Where does medical missions fit into globalization and urbanization and increasing populations where there is high restriction on religion? What are healthcare strategies that will work in the 21st century? This session will review the history of medical missions, where we are today, and what are the new additional approaches that will meet needs and open doors for the Gospel.
When we show Christ’s love in honor-shame cultures, often people first see merit making, proselytization and apostasy however pure our motivation may be. We will look at a worldview that is based on honor-shame, come to understand how they may interpret what we do and from there understand the risks and look at what practices may help us to show and share God’s love appropriately. The workshop will use observations from tsunami relief and urban poor work in SE Asia to illustrate these principles.
Health Environmental and Learning Program (H.E.L.P.) (www.missonforhelp.org) is a Christian development mission and non-profit organization registered in 1999 and founded by Tim and Lani Ackerman, an ecologist and medical doctor. The Ackermans served in the Himalayas for 8 years, and while there trained Nepali Christians to lead the organization, founding an NGO. Using the model of Jesus' ministry to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, HELP's focus is to equip the national church and assist them in developing their own community. In multiple areas, Christian Community Development works through literacy, animal husbandry, health, agriculture, income generation, environment preservation, an orphanage and sponsorship program we serve the poor of the Himalayas and see Christ transform. In a grass-roots approach, trainer of trainers methods, multi-tier discipleship, and close follow up, HELP partners with hundreds of Nepali believers and leaders, bringing non-formal education, health training, pesticide-free farming, gardening, income generation, veterinary work, and ministry to the poorest of the poor, addressing social determinants of health and championing social justice through the gospel. This session will help participants understand how social determinants of health, social justice, and health equity can be addressed through the church and with discipleship
We are all "Servants in Training", "Missionaries in Training" or both. What's the difference and how might God be preparing us? Dr. Dowell will be discussing the importance of each of those seasons in our development as yielded vessels "living sacrifices". We will learn the answers to those questions, find encouragement in times of difficulty, and be inspired to answer the call along the way as we glean wisdom, and learn a few guiding principles from the lives of biblical and historical servants who have been called and used of God in times past.
Dr. and Mrs. McDonald have served in international ministry with over 30 years of experience. Offered an international career with the UN and World Bank, they took the path less traveled, and it has made all the difference…for eternity! With work experience in over 50 countries, together they have helped set up or empower scores of development projects that continue today. These include hospitals, clinics, medical training, orphanages, community centers, schools from preschool to graduate level, businesses, farms, plantations, factories, safe houses, all providing products and services for the local community and export. Trial and error have revealed ten important principles foundational to success in social enterprise. One of them of particular interest in ministry is the issue of multiple “bottom lines.” Profit, the usual bottom line, cannot stand alone. Their core value is that any effort must produce spiritual results, at least in opening doors. Results are God ordained, not man driven. For what profits a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Other principles flow from this core foundational premise. How do you determine the most strategic set of needs when there are so many? And how do you prioritize? How do you find a competitive advantage? How do you diversify to minimize risk? How do you write a business plan to know viability? How do you find the “Champion” if you are not on the ground yourself? How do you avoid colonialism while creating accountability? How do you measure results? How do you avoid corruption? Be encouraged that there is nothing greater than empowering a people group sold out to Christ to become independent to leverage the gospel in their own community! The story of McDonald’s journey is there’s no greater joy than seeing men, women and children come to know the True and Living God while standing free and reaching their own through economic, social and spiritual empowerment! Phil holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State in international development and is the CEO of L.E.A.D. Inc. Rebecca is the Founder and CEO of Women At Risk, Int’l, addressing multiple risk issues in 56 countries and licensed in all 50 states to train medical professionals in anti-trafficking. As a family, they raised four children in the developing world and know the unique challenges of marriage, family, career, ministry, business, and social entrepreneurship in a cross-cultural environment. They never expected to be serial entrepreneurs. Last year Phil authored an Amazon bestselling book entitled, “unreal: Adventures of a Family’s Global Life.” Written in memoir form, the book recounts 90 stories that highlight 60 principles learned from more than 30 years of experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken it’s toll on every family, from frustration with being stuck at home, to job loss, to loneliness and social deprivation. But for many families, those three factors have been the perfect combination to provide an environment ripe for trauma. For children, we see that trauma has an impact on the development of the brain that effects learning, relationships, and emotional regulation. This seminar will give you a greater understanding of the developmental impact of trauma and tools to help children and adults grow in resilience rather than destruction through hard circumstances.
Some mission experts estimate that up to 90% of young people who consider missions cease to pursue it because of various fears and obstacles, including the fear of fundraising. This session will help participants: 1. Identify various obstacles and fears relating to fundraising 2. Consider ways that God can help us overcome these barriers 3. Become aware of best resources and training materials used to help missionaries build and maintain a full and engaged prayer and financial support team 4. Know what questions to ask about support raising with possible mission agencies when evaluating where and how God will have you serve
This session focuses on women in mission and will highlight the role of women in missions, challenges faced, and some practical ways to overcome those challenges.
When we think of God's global mission, we cannot overlook the U.S. as a mission field. It is a nation in spiritual decline, and widening gaps between the church and groups that are becoming increasingly unreached. What works in international missions, works here. This session will focus on the medical missions movement here in the United States, how it relates to overseas medical work, and how the two go hand in hand. We will look at several case studies, and address challenges and bottlenecks in this growing movement.
This session will explore the value of healthcare education as a form of mission experience, both in the short and long term, as well as to inspire and equip participants to explore healthcare education opportunities as an answer to God’s call to missions.
This is not our grandparents' world, with clear First, Second, and Third World nations. Accelerating worldwide social, cultural, and political changes call for reflection and alteration of our missionary strategies.
In a world characterized by pandemic, poverty, war, and terrorism how do we assess risk and serve with confidence? Expand on the theology of God’s gracious and guiding divine intervention for those called to faithful service in a fallen world.
Dental disease is the most prevalent disease world wide. When the call to make disciples is combined with the dental vocation, opportunities to care for people in new ways emerge. Join this strategic session to learn how organizations, teams and individuals can have kingdom impact through dental care.
For those in training and just finished (i.e., recent grads, residents, med students, pre-med, PA/NP, RN, PT/OT/ST, dental), we will learn how to maximize your current season. We’ll tackle topics like falling in love with Jesus, original motivation, how to suffer well, pearls and pitfalls of living in community, debt, vision for one’s next step to the nations, and helping the vulnerable now tensioned with investing in education to help others later. With leaders live from the different fields and stages, we’ll answer the individualized questions you have, brainstorming how God might sustain you now and lead you in the upcoming season.
Theology is thinking and talking about God and his work in his world. This is God's world and it is filled with poverty. How Christians think about, engage, and talk about poverty is fundamental to who we should be as followers of Christ. We, of all people, need a theology of poverty.
- Mixing healthcare with politics: medical service opportunities in China All official services in this and many other countries are part of a broader plan, designed to support the goals of the government. Come join this discussion of how Christian medical professionals can contribute significantly and bring blessing without compromising on our core values. 2. Mixing healthcare with politics: public health opportunities in China All official services in this and many other countries are part of a broader plan, designed to support the goals of the government. Come join this discussion of how Christian public health professionals can contribute significantly and bring blessing without compromising on our core values.
Have you longed to integrate your Christian faith into your patient care – on the mission field abroad, in your work at home, and during your training? Not sure how to do this in a caring, ethical, sensitive, and relevant manner? This “working” session will explore the ethical basis for spiritual care plus provide you with profession, timely, and practical methods to care for the whole person in the clinical setting.
Jericho Road is a Christian federally qualified community health center in Buffalo , NY that provides care to marginalized and vulnerable populations , including many refugees from over 80 nations. Since 2009 Jericho Road has followed some of their refugee friends back home to their countries of origin and have helped them start and operate health centers that also serve the most vulnerable. Today Jericho Road operates health centers in Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nepal. Each of these health centers is led and operated by local folks from those countries. By empowering local leaders Jericho Road in Buffalo has been richly blessed and our ability to demonstrate the love of Jesus has been enhanced. This workshop will focus on the lessons we have learned along the way.
While recognizing the medical limitations in the developing world, one must also capitalize on the "assets" present there. "Specialists" are rare, unavailable, and/or too expensive for most of the poor, disabled people. "State-of-the-art", while the aspiration of the west, is usually unavailable in the developing world. How do we capitalize on the assets and provide a reasonable alternative for the numerous disabled of the developing world? Some African countries have modified their medical approach and have found their solutions in alternative medical practitioners with less training and credentials but sufficient skills and judgment to reasonably meet the needs of many of the disabled. Some of these objectives were achieved in a mission hospital in Africa not because it was the first choice, but it was seemingly the only choice. Now, at that facility, a higher level of care has been achieved. However, can such a model be replicated in other settings in Africa?
Can short-term health care teams play a key role in indigenous Gospel movements? Come hear the incredible story of God’s indigenous-led movement in a corner of Asia and the important role that short-term teams played in its advancement. Join in a discussion of the dynamics of an effective short-term partnership that bolsters indigenous work. Understand the key aspects of an “opening doors” access strategy using mobile health and dental clinics. Identify advantages and pitfalls of short-term indigenous partnerships, key contributions of short-term health care workers, and the central role of prayer and encouragement in God’s kingdom work. Christ-centered health care teams can play a strategic role in promoting sustainable indigenous ministry and Gospel advancement.
The COVID 19 pandemic has many similarities to the early days of HIV/AIDS in Uganda when I worked with the National Control Program for AIDS while advising the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau. Communication resource, scientific advances, technology, and knowledge have all advanced. This session will compare the two pandemics and present some observations and lessons learned, both professionally and spiritually, that might be applicable to this generation of healthcare professionals as they navigate a worldwide pandemic.
Exploring how the story line of the Bible is the theology of missions and how we take our part in that story. We all have a story--like a testimony, for instance--but how often do we think of how our personal stories are connected to the story of God's work in the world? In this session we will take a look at how the story of missions unfolds throughout the Bible and learn how each of can learn to internalize, communicate, and actively participate in that story. In other words, how to build and live out a Biblical Theology of Missions.
Faith Based Mental Health Care in Post Crisis Populations. Even when this abstract is being prepared during the active early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, signs of significant mental health problems are emerging not only in patients who have suffered with the disease, but in their families, colleagues, work associates, friends, and the health care workers that are active in prevention, sub acute care, acute care, rehabilitation care, and post pandemic phase of life changes. Strategies are already being developed for population surveillance and early intervention after the worst of the crisis has resolved. This session will address the strategies being developed during the pandemic for post pandemic care and what has been learned over the months following the peak of the pandemic
Learn about GMH (Global Mental Health) and resources for integrating this into your general medical and global health practices - through clinical vignettes from our practice in LMICs.
How do I know if it's Sensory? Screenings and clinical observations to identify sensory processing delays.
God's timeline is different for each of us. This session will look at the particular challenges and blessings of entering medical missions in "Round Two."
This session will describe the challenges and issues involved in the initiation of a new residency program in a country open to this type of development. We will draw on the experience gained in starting a new family medicine residency program in both Ecuador and Rwanda, as well as the observed experience in other countries.
Explore a strategy used to transform lives physically and spiritually. Participants in this session will engage in participatory learning activities that investigate the Community Health Evangelism model and its application to wholistic individual and communal health.
This session will cover both the technical and social engineering side of protecting one's personal information & organizational data in the missions field. In this we will cover the dos and don'ts of using technology services as well as train user in identifying social engineering scams hackers use to bypass security technologies.
This session will look at the reality of suffering in this world and how to reorient our hearts and minds to face it well.
In this roundtable discussion, several staff of Lawndale Christian Health Center and a local ministry leader, all residents of North and South Lawndale neighborhood, will share their experiences and discuss the principle of Relocation in the context of Christian Community Development.
Clear communication is essential in any effective healthcare environment. Working in another language adds a whole new layer of complexity to the communication process. Learning another language can seem like a daunting task, especially if you had a negative past experience with a foreign language, or it can be viewed as an exciting adventure. This session will focus on practical tips that engage your internal motivations leading to appropriate language proficiency for kingdom impact.
“Service is the sign of true love. Those who love know how to serve others. We learn this especially in the family, where we become servants out of love for one another. In the heart of the family, no one is rejected; all have the same value.” – Pope Francis
The money spent for missionary work to cover their costs of a mission trip to fly to Central America to repaint an orphanage would have been enough money to hire two local painters and two full time teachers and purchase new uniforms for every student in the school. When White Saviorism becomes more important than the people, what are we left with?
On the flip side, there is a need, and we can all help. What can we do to make sure we are working responsibly and sustainably?
Step 1: Knowing the context and identifying the key needs.
- Ensure the identified needs and assets of the community, as determined by a wide range of community members, are upheld and prioritized within the program aims and objectives.
- A host partner that defines the program, including the needs to be addressed and the teaching of volunteers
- Ongoing leadership of programs by nationals
- Driven by demand and built with synergistic partnerships
Step 2: Defining your values and principles
- Respect for governance and legal and ethical standards
- Make local community members partners in the relationship and rely on local knowledge in all stages of developing, implementing, and evaluating the program/experience
- Reciprocity: promoting an environment in which the human rights, dignity, values, customs, and spiritual beliefs of the individual, family, and community are respected.
Step 3: Enabling Sustainability
- Provide fair compensation for all direct and indirect costs associated with the program and its projects, such as transportation, housing, food, clean water, translators, and other staff, supplies, electricity, and fuel
- Symmetry of priorities and resources between visiting volunteers and host community members assisting them
Step 4: Selecting the most suitable candidates
- References must be obtained and candidates must be evaluated in stressful, complex, and culturally diverse settings
- Candidates must value diversity of opinion, beliefs, culture, and perspectives
- Appropriate screening for qualifications, experience, and background checks
- Scenario based interview questions
Step 5: Preparing them to serve
- Ensure that faculty, staff, or chaperones working with the programs are properly trained in working with host communities
- Ensure that the chaperones understand the social, economic, and cultural contexts of the project at hand and are prepared to help students navigate and reflect on the cultural, economic, social, and physical differences they encounter
- Orientation at every stage of the process
- Extensive orientation pre-deployment and in country
Step 6: Evaluating and learning
- Develop an appropriate mechanism for evaluating outcomes and local impact
- Regularly evaluate and assess all partners to ensure that goals and responsibilities are being met
- Regular program evaluation for impact
- Monthly report for facility/medical volunteers
- End of service report with recommendations for program development
- Emphasis on extensive storytelling from those in the field/volunteers
- Training attendance sheet
- Volunteer satisfaction survey
Let’s continue to work together to leave a legacy to God’s global family.
About Marcia Grand Ortega:
Marcia Grand Ortega has over 10 years of international experience working in project management, communications, and evaluation in the private, academic and not-for-profit sectors. Before joining CMMB HQ, she volunteered with their Peru programs. During that time in 2015, she had the opportunity to meet with beneficiary families both in Trujillo and Huancayo and work with the incredible community health workers, volunteers, and staff involved in providing healthcare services that truly changed lives. It was this experience that brought Marcia to New York in 2016, where she took on the role of manager for the international volunteer program. In the last 2 years, Marcia has relaunched the medical mission program for health professionals available to serve only for a short-term, and has coordinated medical teams visiting Haiti and Zambia, while recruiting and deploying another 30 clinical volunteers to the field for long term service.
Living "incarnationally" (among a culture different from your own), especially among marginalized people (the poor, immigrants, etc.) is a proven way to face your own cultural biases, muster courage, learn greater dependence on the Holy Spirit, and develop meaningful relationships with people very different from yourself. Besides being good for your soul, it's ideal preparation for international healthcare missions.
This session will look at the reality of suffering in this world and how to reorient our hearts and minds to face it well.
About 25 years ago, while sharing an early morning cup of coffee with my dear friend and practice partner, family physician John Hartman, MD, he asked, “Walt, how come we don’t bring our faith to work with us more often?” It was a question the Lord used to convict me of the fact that although my personal relationship with God was the primary and most important relationship in my life, more often than not I tended to leave Him at the door when entering the hospital or medical office. The question was the catalyst for this talk: Spiritual Interventions in Patient Care.
Research findings, a desire to provide high-quality care, and simple common sense, all underscore the need to integrate spirituality into patient care. It is highly ethical for healthcare professionals and healthcare systems to assess their patients’ spiritual health and needs and to provide indicated and desired spiritual interventions. Clinicians and health care systems should not deprive their patients of the spiritual support and comfort on which their hope, health, wellbeing, and longevity may hinge.
Before you get started, I must share this caution from Stephen Post, PhD: “Professional problems can occur when well-meaning healthcare professionals ‘faith-push’ a patient opposed to discussing religion.” However, on the other side of the coin, “rather than ignoring faith completely with all patients, most of whom want to discuss it, we can explore which of our patients are interested and who are not.” Simply put, a spiritual assessment can help us do this with each patient we see. We can potentially gain the following from a spiritual assessment:
- The patient’s religious background,
- The role that religious or spiritual beliefs or practices play in coping with illness (or causing distress),
- Beliefs that may influence or conflict with decisions about medical care,
- The patient’s level of participation in a spiritual community and whether the community is supportive, and ‹
- Any spiritual needs that might be present.
Several fairly-easy-to-use mnemonics have been designed to help health professionals, such as the “GOD” spiritual assessment I developed for CMDA’s Saline Solution:
G = God: − May I ask your faith background? Do you have a spiritual or faith preference? Is God, spirituality, religion or spiritual faith important to you now, or has it been in the past?
O = Others: − Do you now meet with others in religious or spiritual community, or have you in the past? If so, how often? How do you integrate with your faith community?
D = Do: − What can I do to assist you in incorporating your spiritual or religious faith into your medical care? Or, is there anything I can do to encourage your faith? May I pray with or for you?
However, this and other spiritual assessment tools fail to inquire about a critical item involving spiritual health: any religious struggles the patient may be having. A robust literature shows religious struggles can predict mortality, as there is an inverse association between faith and morbidity and mortality of various types.
Sir William Osler, one of the founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital and frequently described as the “Father of Modern Medicine,” wrote, “Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith…the one great moving force which we can neither weigh in the balance nor test in the crucibIe - mysterious, indefinable, known only by its effects, faith pours out an unfailing stream of energy while abating neither jot nor tittle of its potence.” You can experience that driving force of faith when you apply these principles of spiritual assessment in your practice of healthcare, thereby allowing you to minister to your patients in ways you never imagined possible, while also increasing personal and professional satisfaction. One doctor recently shared with me, “Ministering in my practice has allowed God to bear fruit in and through me in new and wonderful ways. I can’t wait to see what He’s going to do in and through me each day. My practice and I have been transformed.”
Brain drain of healthcare workers is a huge challenge in low income countries, particularly in rural areas, and yet these locations represent arguably the greatest healthcare needs in the world. This session will discuss rural medical education as a potential solution to brain drain in raising up compassionate, competent healthcare workers in the local setting.
This session will address five common misconceptions about missions that are based on assumptions and conspire to prevent people from exploring their own fit in mission.
The origination of the idea behind 'A Practical Guide to the Complex Issue of Addiction' was to approach battling addiction from a non-medical practitioners experience and view of addiction and those suffering from addiction.
The session painted a broad picture of addiction locally, around the country and around the world to set up the question, 'What do I do about it?'
From there, we discussed practical signs and symptoms of someone battling addiction and action steps for those wishing to help.
In the midst of this, we discovered that truly helping someone battling addiction oftentimes requires some of the most difficult decisions of your life. Through real-life examples, attendee participation and practical application, hopefully attendees and listeners can find a nugget of hope in the midst of the devastating effects of addiction.
Short term missions can leave an impact on receiving communities if done well in partnership with hosting churches and ministries.
Through sharing personal experience and case studies, current demographics, trends, treatment and challenges of HIV care will be discussed
Family physicians, nurses and primary care providers regularly encounter “extracurricular” situations when practicing in developing countries especially in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and clinical needs, a “golden platter of opportunities” sort-of-speak. New estimates for 2014 show staggering gaps in SRH and basic clinical services fall far short in developing nations with gaps between countries regions. Yet SRH is significantly underrepresented in medical and nursing education, and in continuing medical education (CME) programs in some developed and most developing countries. Grab your gear for this session will describe clinical, cultural, systems and contextual realities of SRH and clinical unmet needs in developing countries, zooming on the Middle East. You will find out that “you can do it” regardless of your clinical background. This session will introduce you to tools to equip yourself culturally, clinically and from a public health perspective. You will present opportunities for short and long term interventions.
Objective of the session is to inform other Medical Missionaries, other doctors and other Missionaries about Evangelism through caring for people living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.
Many times in the missions world, we follow culture by implementing solutions borrowed from others in our same field. But what if we created in such a way that changed our industry? With more than 3.5 billion people living without access to the good news of Jesus, we need to start changing the way we look at solving our challenges. At this session, you will learn a process and tools to bring your God-given creativity to the way that you approach the challenges you face at home, work, or on the missions field.
Bonded labor is still a massive issue in the Subcontinent and despite all the technological advancements in the field of brick making, in Pakistan and India, still the centuries-old skill of manual brick making is used. The laborers are paid very less and are totally deprived of not only the health facilities and clean water but also the gospel. They don't know the Lord and they are bound to work regardless of the work conditions. We are working with the unreached groups like these in Pakistan and we exclusively share the good news of Christ's love with them through medicine and health care education. God has given me the burden to take my family medicine practice and skill of public health out in the remote areas of Pakistan to reach out to these unreached and untouched people who are neglected not only by the society but also the so-called top most Christian leadership of the country. We have seen excellent results as not only improved health status but also people being won for Christ.
This session will address systems solutions to short-term mission (STM) drug-related quality of care problems. The quality of care various STM systems are capable of providing varies tremendously: -Well designed STM systems enable physicians, pharmacists and other providers to deliver high quality care and have the greatest possible impact for patient health and for the Kingdom. -Inadequately designed STM systems provide poor quality care and often cause more harm than benefit regardless of the training and expertise of team leaders and providers. We will assess mistakes made and lessons learned on over 45 global STMs, as well as 15 years long-term missions clinic practice in an area frequented by STMs. STM systems based on the work of missionary mentors, Jesus’ teaching and evidence based guidelines will also be reviewed.
The need for surgical subspecialist exists in the third world. So, why is it that many surgeons think that mission work is only done by primary care teams? Why are students afraid to enter a surgical subspecialty if they also have a passion for missions? This session is geared towards students who have a passion for both a surgery subspecialty and mission work. It will also target practicing surgeons searching for opportunities to serve. Many models of service will be presented to show how practicing surgeons are using their skills and also teaching their skills to others abroad. The session will wrap up with a question and answer session with a panel of surgeons sharing their experiences.
This session will have many practical tips on how you can bring your spiritual faith into your everyday clinical care. These Bible-based principles have been taught around the world in the author's "Saline Solution," "International Saline Solution," "Grace Prescriptions," "Workplace Grace," and "Going Public with Your Faith" books, conferences, and small-group courses. After this session, you'll be able to share Christ and His Grace with each patient you serve and each colleague you meet.
This is a Student Focused session for medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing and all other health related future practitioners. This session is open to all beyond students, please feel welcomed and come. As you contemplate life after “medical training” short term missions might be in your plan. Many students choose their area of medicine with that life goal. Intentions can be good but often obstacles get in the way and many years could pass before that first trip is realized. Don’t wait for that one day to start. Serving the Lord through short term medical missions has many blessings. The rewards the Lord bestows for those that are obedient to this calling are life changing. Come and hear from a seasoned short term medical missionary things he has seen and learned.
One of the most-cited (or unspoken) barriers to missions service, especially for young couples, is concerns of raising children on the mission field. Hear from a doctor and nurse on how they are raising a thriving family among unreached Muslims in the impoverished Sahel in Africa.
Whether or not they should, tens of thousands of Muslims from diverse corners of the Muslim world are transferring allegiance from Mohammed and the Qur’an to Messiah Jesus and His Kingdom ... while still identifying themselves as Muslims. You'll meet many of them. Taking your medical skills to the Muslim World? What's your objective? Healthy Orthodoxic Christian Converts who ascribe to our Creeds? Healthy Orthodoxic and Orthopraxic Believers (some still remain in the fold of Islam) who transfer their allegiance to the Son of God and live/obey all He commands? It's easy to focus on the former and pay too little attention to the latter. You'll learn of Insider Movements of "Muslim Believers" who focus on both.
Awareness and Education on human trafficking: This session will describe the importance of raising awareness among healthcare professionals regarding the issue of human trafficking, and educating them to recognize potential victims of human trafficking within the healthcare setting. The session will provide educational resources on human trafficking as well as resources that will enable the participant to raise awareness of human trafficking among his/her colleagues. Engaging local survivors: This session will discuss the importance of utilizing local survivors of human trafficking in efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking as well as educating healthcare professionals regarding the types of human trafficking that occurs within their location. The session will also emphasize the importance of incorporating survivor input as hospitals and clinics begin to develop response protocols for human trafficking. Developing an institutional response: This session will emphasize the importance of developing a full and multidisciplinary response to victims of human trafficking encountered by a healthcare institution such as a hospital. The session will provide various resources for developing an institutional response including a toolkit for developing a response as well as sample protocols that have been developed. Responding as a community: This session will focus on the various aspects of how a local community should respond to both international and domestic victims of human trafficking in terms of prevention, identification, and aftercare. Special attention will be given to the development of a dedicated clinic that specializes in the healthcare of victims of human trafficking. Responding globally to human trafficking: This session will describe current short term overseas medical mission opportunities available through CMDA that specialize in the care of human trafficking victims. The session will also explore the unique issues surrounding the development of an adequate response to victims of human trafficking within a mission healthcare setting.
As healthcare professionals learn to utilize spiritual interventions in patient care, they quickly learn they do not have enough time or resources to meet all of their patient's religious or spiritual needs. This session will have many practical tips on how you can be a change agent to establish a spiritual care team wherever you are called to serve as a healthcare professional. This Bible-based care system has been taught around the world in the author's "Saline Solution," "International Saline Solution," and "Grace Prescriptions," books, conferences, and small-group courses. After this session, you'll be prepared to build a team of Jesus followers to share Christ and His Grace with each patient you serve and each colleague you meet.
"Rural America" conjures up warm, innocent images from Norman Rockwell paintings. Today, however, small town America could not be further from this picture. Broken homes, epidemic drug abuse, staggering unemployment, and paralyzing depression have ravaged these once nostalgic streets. We’re not in Mayberry anymore! God has called all of us to serve, yet medical missions in rural America have been neglected due to the needs of other parts of the world. When we survey the desperate needs in less populated areas and the lack of access to quality healthcare, it is obvious there is a deficiency. Rural hospitals are closing. Funding is low. Providers are led to other more “obvious” mission fields. In reality, 46.2 million people live in nonmetropolitan counties — that’s nearly 15 percent of U.S. residents spread across 72 percent of the Nation's land area. Who will care for the rural poor? Dr. Thomas will share about his journey from India to Appalachia. He serves as the Medical Director at Dayspring Family Health Center and co-pastors a local church, answering a call to serve vulnerable and marginalized communities. Despite the many challenges of such a ministry, he is learning to experience the rich rewards of caring for the least of these in rural Tennessee. Listen as he shares his stories of serving God in a way he never asked or imagined. Participants will be able to describe the medical, social, spiritual disparities of rural communities.
Recent years have seen Tuberculosis re-emerge as a worsening global health burden. Management of Tuberculosis involves treating individual patients as well as protecting community and international public health. Tuberculosis treatment using the DOTs strategy is highly cost-effective, but poorly managed Tuberculosis programs can lead to the development of resistant epidemics. The clinician working in the developing world needs to understand and apply the latest guidelines in Tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment and management strategies.
If you’ve spent any time with children or adolescents overseas, you know that behavioral problems, learning difficulties, and developmental delays are not restricted to the United States. Yet across all environments, we find that the traditional approaches often leave us feeling frustrated and unsuccessful. What if delays in social interactions, academics, emotional regulation, and daily living skills are actually symptoms of a more rudimentary concern? Children living in environments of poverty, turmoil, and/or disease are not in ideal circumstances for optimal development. By using the brain hierarchy of neuro development, participants will leave this session understanding how a child’s history may impact their overall potential and how to unlock success in a culturally sensitive manner.
Nearly all Christians acknowledge the Bible as God's word, but many disciples, including aspiring health care missionaries, struggle to consistently apply its power to their lives and ministries. Come be encouraged to systematically read, love, and be transformed by the Holy Spirit's most powerful tool. Your future fruitfulness depends on it.
God's Kingdom is one of paradox. He is famous for His heart for the poor and for His heart for the nations. However, most don't realize how intimately these two passions of His are intertwined. This has massive and unexpected implications for any disciple of Jesus. Paradoxically, global poverty will never end until every nation is reached with the Gospel.
Being a medical missionary is not easy. Now try leading a team of them! These folks tend to be intelligent, passionate individuals with big dreams (just like you). These are often important qualities for the work at hand, but they can easily lead to dysfunctional teams, explosive conflicts and national partners who feel steamrolled. In this session we want to discuss how leaders can keep team vision focused, community life vibrant and partnerships flourishing in the midst of the crucible that is the mission hospital. This session is for everyone regardless if they are the "team leader" because every medical missionary is a leader whether they want to be or not. Here’s a bit of catnip to help you along your way.
This session will review the most common medical considerations you should be aware of before traveling on a short-term medical mission trip. I will review common malaria prophylaxis medications, immunizations, treatment of traveler’s diarrhea as well as other tips and tricks to know. This session is ideal for those with minimal international travel experience.
Opening and operating an emergency field hospital in a disaster setting has many interesting challenges. Operational areas such as base operations, procurement, communications, staffing and others must function differently when in disaster response mode. This session will talk through some of those challenges and lessons learned from several of our past responses.
Short Term Missions in the "Spiritually Darkest" areas of the world are becoming a challenge as access is being denied to western missionaries. The Lord has provided a model to equip indigenous believers with medical skills that will provide opportunities to share the Gospel. These believers know their language and culture that allow access to evangelize and transform communities in the name of Christ. Dr. Tom McKechnie founder of Teach To Transform and Kingspride Hammond founder of Alabaster Project in Ghana will discuss the impact of this model as an evangelical tool.
This session will address systems solutions to short-term mission (STM) drug-related quality of care problems. The quality of care various STM systems are capable of providing varies tremendously: Well designed STM systems enable physicians, pharmacists and other providers to deliver high quality care and have the greatest possible impact for patient health and for the Kingdom; Inadequately designed STM systems provide poor quality care and often cause more harm than benefit regardless of the training and expertise of team leaders and providers. We will assess mistakes made and lessons learned on over 45 global STMs, as well as 15 years long-term missions clinic practice in an area frequented by STMs. STM systems based on the work of missionary mentors, Jesus’ teaching and evidence based guidelines will also be reviewed.
Values and assumptions vary widely from culture to culture. This gives rise to potential conflicts and barriers in the communication process. This session looks at Not the American values and assumptions which can create misunderstandings, damage relationships, and even pose significant danger in the delivery medical treatment in a cross cultural context.
Public health measures such as vaccines and clean water are certainly critical and foundational to transforming health in a limited resource setting. However there are times as a long term medical missionary when the huge health disparities between specialty medical care in the developing and the developed world motivate one to initiate specialized treatment programs where none exist. We will discuss the factors to consider in beginning and sustaining these programs in extremely limited resource settings with examples from neonatology, hematology, and oncology at Kibuye Hope Hospital, a 170 bed teaching hospital in rural Burundi.
How can urban health care missions be done in urban settings, especially in government owned facilities? This breakout session seeks to address this questions. Ministry can be done in and through government hospitals and institutions by connecting with healthcare personnel, sharing the gospel and discipling them and bringing them into healthy churches. This breakout session will give some insights and specifics into how to do this.
Why do Christians suffer? What made the Apostle's such effective missionaries? There are almost as many answers and opinions about suffering as there are Christians. To some suffering is just part of living in a fallen world. It is to be avoided if at all possible and, if necessary, to be endured with Jesus’ help until we escape this life and get to heaven. Others may think it is all from the Devil. Others believe the primary source is personal sin or the sin of others. Some believe it is from a lack of faith and if we just had more faith suffering would not come. There is some truth in each of these perspectives of course but they are not the whole story.
Anyone following Jesus will experience suffering at some point in their lives including those who abandon themselves to follow him in mission anywhere in the world. This seminar will look at what the Bible teaches about suffering and discover what it teaches about the role of suffering in our lives, how God uses it to fulfill his purposes for us and how it prepares us to be more effective missionaries and servants in his name.
Be missional!
How do you keep up with the demands of ministry while balancing the needs of family, not to mention your own needs?
How do you keep doing more with less?
How do you protect yourself from burnout while advocating for the least of these?
How do you establish boundaries without neglecting the needs of your community?
These are some of the questions Dr. Thomas hopes to explore as he shares lessons from the field. He serves as the Medical Director at Dayspring Family Health Center and co-pastors a local church, answering a call to serve vulnerable and marginalized communities. He is married and has three teenage children. Serving his family and discipling his children are some of his top priorities. Despite the busyness and numerous challenges of ministry and family life, he continues to learn the importance of balance, boundaries, and rest.
If you are experiencing burnout or having a difficult time keeping “afloat”, this session may give you some insights on how to maneuver through the ups and downs of missional living.
In recent years there has been a tsunami of healthcare volunteers going into the developing world; both faith-based and humanitarian. Recent estimates tell us that 29% of students enrolled in medical schools participate in some type of short-term global health project prior to graduation. Dental, nursing, and allied health schools are also beginning to follow suit. This workshop will review some of the guidelines for improving global health missions and what constitutes best evidence based practice in this area. The format of this workshop will be two talks by two mission leaders – one a sender and one a receiver. Both speakers will give positive and negative examples of short-term mission teams with long-term impact. The sender talk will be from Greg Seager RN the director of Christian Health Service Corps. The receiver talk will be by Dr. Jefferson McKenney missionary surgeon and founder of Loma De Luz Hospital in Honduras.
This is the second part of a two part workshop. In Part II of this workshop case studies will be reviewed and discussed. Together we will discuss these important questions and define pathways for healthcare mission teams to have a positive long-term impact on the communities they serve. Handouts of the case studies will be used to facilitate small group discussion and strategy development. Case studies will be assessed in the context of four primary areas: 1) Patient Safety, 2) Healthcare System Integration and Collaboration, 3) Facilitation of Health Development and 4) Community Empowerment.
The ability to prevent and respond to human disasters and the acute needs of displaced persons has now become an essential competency for healthcare personnel. This session addresses the common conflicts surrounding care for complex human emergencies and the principals of both acute relief and of longer-term resettlement. This presentation makes use of interactive role-play and small group exercises will enhance the learning experience.
Serving is sacred work, with power, grace, and humility from the Spirit – small tasks done with love. This is what medical missions for nursing students is all about. According to Mother Teresa, we are touching the body of Christ, even though they may be covered with dirt, maggots, and wounds (Poplin, 2008).
This presentation will reflect on Selling Out for God, Growing Spiritually, Growing Relationally, and Giving God our Best – thoughts on my 30 years as a missionary nurse in Uganda, Mississippi and as NCF/USA Missions Director.
Long-term impact in health-related missions from a short-term team must consider both long-term and short-term goals and objectives. Perhaps surprisingly, some or many of the long-term impact might not be directly related to healthcare! Understanding the potential long-term goals and objectives requires the short-term team to explore coordinated interaction between communities, local leaders, government, and technical experts. This workshop will identify several models for interacting where short-term healthcare workers can explore how to have a lasting long-term impact, as well as highlighting pitfalls to be avoided.
Provides an overview of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) with a case-based approach. Addresses the importance of NTDs in global health, clinical features and treatment of select NTDs, tool-ready programs addressing NTDs, and an overview of Mass Drug Administration (MDA).
"Holistic Health" is a frequently used term in medical missions, but what does it mean? And how do we accomplish it? Drawing on the speaker's experience, case studies will illustrate lessons learned to make holistic health practical and to emulate Jesus, the Great Physician.
The US is a much overlooked mission field. 96M people in America still live in areas designated as "medically underserved". All of those areas are communities where poverty is rampant and resources are low. Not only are those areas of great need, they are areas of tremendous opportunity where the harvest is ripe for the gospel. The director of CCHF will share an overview of the issues impacting this cross-cultural domestic mission field and will discuss how Christian health professionals are intentionally living out the Gospel through healthcare among the poor in the United States.
The command "fear not" or "be not afraid" occurs more than a hundred times in the Bible, including many times from the mouth of Jesus. The fear of the LORD is healthy, but our Enemy uses fear as a principal weapons to hinder Christian obedience and fruitfulness. Courage is not the absence of fear, but boldness to proceed in obedience despite fear--because of faith in the Person and promises of God.
Values and assumptions vary widely from culture to culture. This gives rise to potential conflicts and barriers in the communication process. This session looks at those North American Values and Assumptions which can create misunderstandings, damage relationships, and even pose significant danger in the delivery of medical treatment in a cross cultural context.
Community Health Evangelism (CHE) is a breakthrough mission strategy that seamlessly integrates evangelism and discipleship with disease prevention and community-based development. Through these ministries people become followers of Jesus, churches are planted, and entire communities are lifted out of cycles of poverty and disease.
There are over 50 million disabled people in Africa. 18-20% would likely improve with some surgical care. Africa has insufficient surgical expertise to provide for this need, and will likely not have sufficient sub specialists for 50-100 years. An alternate form of limited training is needed both for the surgical and the support needs of the disabled.
Care for the disabled opens spiritual doors for both the child and the parents. It may also open doors into traditionally "closed" countries.
The harvest in plentiful in middle east missions. More than 90 million adolescents and youth live in the Middle East today. Adolescents are a key population group representing a triple return of investment, yet they are uniquely neglected in the regional challenges they face. Today, adolescents in the Middle East confront significant health, development, education, employment and socio-economic challenges especially related to the protracted crisis. Region-specific factors greatly influence their health, development, choices, and provision of public health and clinical services.
Over the past two decades, adolescent health issues increasingly made their way to national agendas in many regions of the world, yet it’s only a drop in a bucket. Adolescents are the population that benefited least from the epidemiologic transition. Why does the Middle East lag behind? What are United Nations Health Organizations doing to improve the health of a billion adolescents who live in the world and in particular in the Middle East? Why are we failing adolescents? Why do countries in the region have to care for adolescents, their potential backbone for a vibrant future? How can governments and leading medical institutions ensure gender sensitive comprehensive health and development agenda for adolescents living in the Middle East?
What can a GMHC participant do to help?
Responding to human need in a way that supports human dignity, and avoids paternalism is the foundation of learning to help without hurting. Founded on this understanding, the International Code of Conduct, Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response, are the most internationally recognized sets of common principles and universal minimum standards in humanitarian response. This workshop overviews these important standards in the context of short-term missions as well as UN coordinated refugee and disaster response.
This session will briefly touch on a more wholistic definition of poverty.
We will explore when relief versus development is an appropriate response.
We will understand the difference between relief/project oriented missions and developmental/transformational missions and the possible outcomes of each.
We will discuss how one particular developmental strategy, CHE (Community Health Evangelism) has resulted in lasting, significant transformation of communities throughout the world.
We will explore the challenges of transitioning from short-term missions that focus on relief/projects to developmental/transformational missions and offer suggestions for how such a transition has been managed by some churches that historically conducted short-term missions but which have experienced success in shifting from relief-based missions to development-based missions.
This session will allow one to understand some of the obstacles of starting new ministries, understand principles of cultural sensitivity, and understand contextualization principles.
Knowledge of good health practices often does not change health behaviors. This session will share proven ways to motivate people to change their health behaviors using non-financial incentives as demonstrated in a community health program that has changed the health of 1.2 million people. These techniques are applicable in both the USA or abroad.
Christians are called to love yet often times, our communities are rife with conflict and unresolved hurt. Interpersonal conflict is cited as one of the major reasons why missionaries leave the mission field.
Using concepts from Ken Sande’s Peacemakers and his personal experience working as a the Medical Director in an FQHC in Appalachia, Dr. Thomas will review …
- The cost of conflict for the individuals, the organization, and for our witness
- The difference between Peacemaking vs PeaceFaking
- Strategies to develop a culture of peace in your organization
- Healthy ways of addressing conflict and working towards reconciliation
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons(IDP’s) face significant challenges to their health and well-being that are unique, due to lack of necessary resources including food, water, sanitation, shelter, security and healthcare. Caring for people in these situations requires an understanding of their unique needs as well as having realistic goals regarding what can and cannot be done for them.
Recent experiences in providing healthcare missions in disasters in Nepal, Kurdistan and Turkey – both natural and manmade – highlight the need to be well prepared when serving in these difficult situations. Focus areas for the presentation and discussion will include team selection and preparation; travel and logistics issues; identifying and addressing the needs of the people being served, including physical, psychological and spiritual needs; partnering with other relief organizations and local authorities; and returning home successfully.
We are called to serve the “least of these”, and the victims of disasters and crises certainly qualify. Often these events, though causing much hardship and suffering, create the possibility for doors and hearts to be open to the message of Jesus that otherwise would be closed. We must be both willing and well prepared if we are to serve well when we are called to respond to those in need.
Whether you see yourself as a leader or not, you play a critical role in determining the success of your experiences and those around you. How you plan, recruit, and execute your Short Term Trip strategy will impact your entire church/organization and any trip participants... the ripples of which you may never fully know. Don't have a Short Term Trip strategy yet? We can help you think through that as well.
Whether you are wanting to lead a trip for the first time or have done it so long that you can't remember everything you know, this session will help reduce your stress and, more importantly, increase your impact.
Faith-based organizations provide up to 70% or more of healthcare in some countries. They often work in remote locations among neglected people without any access to healthcare. Should faith-based hospitals and health programs partner with local governments and other actors in the public sector? Will collaboration compromise witness and mission? Or can collaboration expand resources, opportunity and deepen impact of Kingdom work? This session will help us examine relationships and discover from a Kingdom perspective about the common ground/common good of working with local governments, Ministry of Health and other national organizations.
Jesus cured individuals and transformed society. As doctors on the edges of the Kingdom, we are called to care for the suffering patient as well as the crumbling community. A medical mission's approach that integrates curative and public health will be stronger than focusing on either alone; these are complementary not mutually exclusive options.
This session will enable participants to understand the necessity for demonstration and proclamation of the Gospel in their daily lives and in missions.
This workshop will provide an overview of Community Health Evangelism (CHE), a breakthrough mission strategy that seamlessly integrates evangelism and discipleship with disease prevention and community-based development. Through these ministries people become followers of Jesus, churches are planted, and entire communities are lifted out of cycles of poverty and disease. Participants will learn the basics of the strategy, and get practical information about how to start a CHE ministry in a target community.
Every person has a worldview, a deep sense of what is real and how the world works. What we believe and value and what we do and say are shaped by our worldviews.
All cross-cultural ministry brings us into different worldviews in missions.
Our approaches to healthcare ministries whether in our home country or another are liberated and limited by (1) our own worldviews (2) our awareness of our worldviews and how they are formed and transformed and (3) our capacity to recognize and work with the worldviews of the people to whom God sends us.
By the end of this session, we will have grown in all 3 of those areas. We will leave with resources for continuing growth.
This participatory session will include learning from person reflection, discussion of Biblical stories, and the wisdom of other participants.
Spiritual formation is a way of describing the life-long journey of becoming who God created us to be. That’s the essence of being a “disciple” or learner. Our experience in healthcare ministry continues to "form" in us the ability to love God with all our heart, mind and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.
In this break out, we will collaboratively identify characteristics of a person who is “prepared” for healthcare ministry, and practices that help us cooperate with God’s efforts to form us for that work.
The Ten Questions Everyone Asks About Career Missions: How do I pick a mission agency? How do I know I'm "called?" What about raising children overseas? How can I avoid burnout? These and other questions are answered in this popular talk illustrated with real and sometimes humorous real life stories.
Should you do a domestic or international rotation while in training? When? Where? How do you make it happen? All are questions mission-minded healthcare professionals ask as they explore opportunities to serve during training. Join us as we discuss domestic and international locations, best practices and steps you can take in selecting an opportunity that fits your goals, timeframe, skills, and budget.
Session Description:
Widely acceptable in Middle Eastern countries, gender based violence (GBV) in the region is far from being well documented. Inherent socio-cultural norms in most settings, contribute to eclectic tolerance of GBV, a fatalistic attitude and helplessness among victims. Women, adolescents and other vulnerable population groups, especially internally displaced people (IDP) and refugees are at high risk suffering preventable clinical complications and fatal consequences.
This session will survey GBV in the Middle East highlighting its inherent root causes presenting the epidemiological picture in the region. You will learn of the clinical consequences of female genital cutting. The importance of region-specific data, and challenges in data-driven documentation will be discussed. UN prevention and care programing, and culturally acceptable initiatives will be introduced. Anecdotal experiences from the field will be shared on ministering to refugees and IDP victims of GBV.
Eighty percent of the cases of cervical cancer are found in poorly developed countries. There is not adequate screening available to diagnose precancerous lesions and treat them. Many lives can be saved using methods that do not rely highly on technology advanced training. This session will describe the scope of the problem, the tools available for diagnosis and treatment and the ones that would be applicable in a low resourced setting. Additionally, some training will occur to use visual inspection with acetic acid so that its applicability and ease of use is demonstrated.
Malaria has been a health threat for hundreds of years, yet continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Using case presentations, and drawing from the speaker’s international experience, this workshop will explore what’s new in malaria diagnosis and treatment and consider the emotional, mental, social and cultural as well as medical implications of the disease.
This is a primer of how to get started in palliative care and can be used to teach others as well. There is also a companion Palliative Care Toolkit Trainers Manual available for use with medical missions physician assistants, doctors, and nurses.. Both documents are available in a number of languages.
Why is HIV/AIDS still a concern on the mission field? HIV prevalence and AIDS death rates have declined in many countries, yet HIV/AIDS continues to have tremendous medical, emotional, economic and social challenges. Using case presentations, this workshop will explore HIV/AIDS treatment and care drawing from the speaker’s experience in Africa.
Effective short-term healthcare missions requires actions that facilitate long-term change in the local setting - in healthcare services, in combating poverty, and in addressing spiritual needs. Unprepared short-term teams often do more damage than good. This presentation will provide strategies and tactics to properly prepare a short-term healthcare team and to build a relationship with a national partner that improves national conditions over the long-term with short-term teams.
Discipling that yields 3rd & 4th generation followers of Jesus more rapidly is not a program, but is fueled by the life-giving pattern from the scriptures. Discover the essentials of the simple & reproducible Kingdom pattern that will lead to effectiveness in making disciples that make disciples that make disciples. You’ll learn from case studies of those doing it how to get started in multiplying multipliers & pleasing our King.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak has already killed more than 4000 people, and the end is not clearly in sight. During this session, we will put Ebola into context of other health problems in Africa and then review the presentations, diagnosis, management, and prevention of this devastating illness. We will also explore ways that we can get involved in battling Ebola, whether near to or far from West Africa.
Suppose you were born in Central Thailand 60 years ago. As a teenager you found a numb spot on your arm, later on your arm became painful and finally your hand was deformed and you couldn’t feel or grip anything. You and your family were frightened. The monks at the Buddhist temple tried to help, but their expensive poultices did not help. Your family loved you, but they felt they had no alternative than to put you out of the house. You were a social outcast and would have to live a life of begging.
What is worldview? What is your worldview? What is the worldview of the community described in the scenario above?
The great majority of medical missions in East Asia takes place in Buddhist and Chinese (Confucius) contexts. Are they the same, similar or different? What obstacles must be overcome to make an impact physically and spiritually in East Asia? What must a medical missionary understand and put into practice in order to work effectively with peoples in Buddhist and Chinese worldviews? Finally, what is the unique role that medical missions can have in these contexts?
This session will feature Dr. David Leung, a family medicine doctor who has worked at Evergreen ministries in Taiyuan, China for over 15 years. He will present the Chinese worldview. I will present the Buddhist challenge.
This session will discuss the role of women in health care missions today. It will include examples and personal stories that will encourage expanded vision and new perspectives on opportunities and needs.
4 years ago my wife and I felt the Lord was calling us to relocate our family of five into a historic African American community in Memphis, TN. While the neighborhood had a proud heritage it had fallen victim to seeing most of the successful professionals move out of the neighborhood and as a result drugs, gangs and poverty had now replaced the proud heritage with a reputation for being one of the most violent and toughest neighborhoods in Memphis. While the calling was clear our emotions and fears fluctuated as we prepared and ultimately made this move. I will share the journey to adapt to a new culture and how medicine has been a great tool to graft ourselves into a neighborhood so that the name of Jesus can be proclaimed.
"Rural America" conjures up warm, innocent images from Norman Rockwell paintings. Today, however, small town America could not be further from this picture. Broken homes, epidemic drug abuse, staggering unemployment, and paralyzing depression have ravaged these once nostalgic streets. We’re not in Mayberry anymore!
God has called all of us to serve, yet medical missions in rural America have been neglected due to the needs of other parts of the world. When we survey the desperate needs in less populated areas and the lack of access to quality healthcare, it is obvious there is a deficiency. Rural hospitals are closing. Funding is low. Providers are led to other more “obvious” mission fields. In reality, 46.2 million people live in nonmetropolitan counties — that’s nearly 15 percent of U.S. residents spread across 72 percent of the Nation's land area. Who will care for the rural poor?
Dr. Thomas will share about his journey from India to Appalachia. He serves as the Medical Director at Dayspring Family Health Center and co-pastors a local church, answering a call to serve vulnerable and marginalized communities. Despite the many challenges of such a ministry, he is learning to experience the rich rewards of caring for the least of these in rural Tennessee. Listen as he shares his stories of serving God in a way he never asked or imagined.
The United States is a much overlooked field in global missions. 96 million people live in areas designated as medically underserved. All of those are communities where poverty is rampant and resources are low. Not only are those areas of great need, they are areas of tremendous opportunity where the harvest is ripe for the gospel. The Director of Christian Community Health Fellowship will share an overview of the issues impacting this cross-cultural domestic mission field, and will discuss how Christian health professionals are intentionally living out the gospel through healthcare among the poor in the United States.
Moved by our compassion and the example of Christ to care for vulnerable and marginalized people suffering the ravages of disease, our response is often to build a clinic and send doctors and nurses to provide care. However, that assumes that if we build the clinic, people will come and if they come, they and their families will get healthy and stay healthy. Together we will explore the meaning of “health”, what is Community-Based Primary Health Care, and learn about three methodologies for prevention and cure at the community level..
Despite declining HIV prevalence and AIDS death rate in many countries, HIV/AIDS remains a tremendous challenge with medical, emotional, economic and social problems. Using case presentations and an interactive format, this workshop will explore HIV/AIDS care and treatment issues particularly from the speaker’s experience in Africa
This session will give a general overview of the topic of human trafficking specifically designed for healthcare professionals. It will cover both domestic and international trafficking as well as sex and labor trafficking. The session will also discuss general identifiers of human trafficking, as well as how to prepare to respond to victims of human trafficking in the healthcare setting.
Mental Health challenges are among those that bear the greatest burden of disease and disability in every country evaluated. Special challenges of diagnosing and caring for people suffering from mental health challenges in Africa will be addressed.
It is the general idea that the short-term missions is one sided. Often creating dependency- teams from USA go to the underdeveloped country to help and bring short term relief and address felt needs in the comminutes of the countries they visit. While that may be true, ‘passing on of skills’ showcases how the trend can be reversed and these very missions can impact providing long term and sustainable projects and help move from ‘relief’ to ‘development’ and self sustaining mode. Caleb Rayapati, will show case how the “Pass on the skills” is making an impact on the ground, a firsthand account of the partnering mission using the Dental Outreach skills in self sustaining method, involved in community development in India impacting through practice of Biblical wholisim- a first hand account of how Indian Church has impacted using health care skills.
Can a church in a poor and vulnerable community run a sustainable healthcare ministry in her community?
Yes, if the church and short term medical team are well prepared for ministry. Here are the steps we have taken in Ghana to enable local churches run sustainable healthcare ministries as result of short term medical teams equipping them.
"A disciple is not above his teacher...if they persecuted me, they will persecute you...if they have called the head of the house Beelzebub, what will they call the members of his house?" Since Genesis 3, all human beings have suffered, but disciples of Jesus, especially those who seek to glorify Him as missionaries, inevitably enter into His peculiar sufferings: loneliness, alienation, rejection, humiliation, and physical pain. Some disciples will pay the ultimate price of martyrdom.
We don't pursue suffering for its own sake, but obedient disciples can't avoid hardships. We need a biblical theology of suffering that protects us from despair--and allows us to benefit from suffering's redemptive and maturing power.
Dr. Ralph Winter said that for every 100 people who made a mission commitment at some point in their lives, only one made it to the mission field. Why? For lack of mobilizers! The same can be said for lack of mentors. What is a mentor? What do mentors offer prospective long-term medical missionaries? Come to this session if you desire a mentor or if you desire to become a mentor. Before the session you may want to familiarize yourself with GMHC’s mentoring service at https://www.medicalmissions.com/community/mentoring . This session strives to honor God by helping you translate your dreams of serving as a long-term medical missionary into reality.
Health professionals in all settings should take a history from their patient(s). National guidelines in the U.S. recommend a spiritual assessment be included with most or all patients. Yet, surveys show that over 95% of patients say that no health professional has ever inquired of their spiritual or religious beliefs. Furthermore, most health professionals indicate that they never been taught how or why to incorporate a spiritual or religious assessment into their patient history.
In this session you'll learn why a spiritual assessment is now considered a part of quality, evidence-based patient care. In addition, you'll be exposed to a number of spiritual history instruments to consider using in your patient care and you'll be exposed to options of how to utilize the information obtained from a spiritual assessment.
Finally, you'll be introduced to a small group training tool that you can use at home to facilitate the introduction of these principles to other health professionals.
We would all like to believe that as we reach out to share our medical expertise and the love and the compassion of Christ we will all be safe, but is there any place in which we can be safe today? One question we all have to answer is: Is security the absence of danger or the presence of the Lord. But, being good stewards of the great blessing of volunteers serving the least and the last is our obligation. We need to be prepared and have trained and seasoned team leaders to know what to do when the unthinkable happens. We will discuss how to approach these situations from the standpoint of evaluation of risks, minimizing exposure, preparation and training for an encounter with the unthinkable.
The increasing globalization of society has paradoxically led to a fragmentation of cultural homogeneity. In the past, cultural competence meant that you knew enough about a country or society to avoid offending the people with whom you interacted. You can no longer assume that the social context of any geographic region, even your own home, is culturally unified. This is an even greater problem when working with short-term teams that include members without cross-cultural experience. In this session we will discuss the challenges of team building with culturally diverse team members. Our discussion of Trans-Cultural Intelligence (T-CQ), an innovative approach to building effective multi-cultural teams, will benefit both short-term and long-term missionaries. The session focuses on simple effective ways to develop shared motivation, information and trust and the importance of these characteristics when strategizing in the context of culture diversity.
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven shaped every aspect of Jesus’ ministry - - his healing, prayers, teaching and even his identity . As we follow him in health care missions, the Kingdom should also define our goals, methodologies, and ways of relating with those we serve and with our co-workers. It should fuel our hope and our perseverance.
Worldview is the lens through which we see and understand the world around us. As such it colors everything we do and say. Without an adequate understanding of the target audience's worldview, our response, medical or theological, will likely be less effective than it could be. In missiological terms, our response to medical and spiritual needs will not be contextual. Understanding their worldview and how it differs from my worldview is a fundamental first step in cross-cultural ministry.
Everyone who has been on a medical mission has some embarrassing and/or hilarious stories of cultural or language blunders. Sometimes the events are just funny. Sometimes they can seriously compromise relationships and the intended impact of the whole mission, including our Christian witness. This session offers perspective, spiritual grounding and practical tools for building healthy relationships, avoiding, or at least recovering from many of the common mistakes in cross-cultural missions.
Long-term improvement in health-related indicators for a population depends on coordinated interaction between communities, local leaders, government, and technical experts. Long-term input from outsiders can be valuable, as can coordinated input from outsiders who engage in appropriate partnering relationships with nationals. This workshop will identify several successful models for partnering where short-term healthcare workers can have a tremendous impact, as well as highlighting pitfalls to be avoided.
Microfinance has become a very popular strategy for helping to stabilize and grow the incomes of poor families in the Global South. Given the close association between economic prosperity and physical health, there is a tremendous opportunity to integrate microfinance progams with various health initiatives. This workshop introduces the basic concepts of microfinance and gives examples of attempts to integrate health education and health insurance into microfinance programs.
Healthy individuals and families require healthy communities. Historically, many attempts to create such communities have used a "needs-based approach" which focuses on the deficits and short-comings in those communities, the assumption being that outside resources would be the catalyst for change. In contrast, an "asset-based approach" identifies, connects and mobilizes the resources within a community, believing that such resources are the key to sustainable change. This workshop introduces the key ideas of asset-based community development and suggests helpful tools to pursue this process.
Nursing practice varies from country to country based on the healthcare needs of that country and the educational systems in place for educating nurses. This panel is made up of nurses who have been educated outside of the US and now practice here as well as US nurses who have become familiar with the nursing practice in their mission host countries. Come learn how nursing is both the same and different in other countries.
This session will give an overview of the current picture of trafficking in persons within the United States including international and domestic trafficking with an emphasis on child sex trafficking, the major form of trafficking in persons within the U.S. In addition, the session will address specific indicators of human trafficking for the healthcare professional and how to help identify victims of human trafficking that may present in the healthcare setting.
Urban health care and the gospel must embrace our communities. Living, working and serving within the context of the community we serve draws us toward God’s love for people and helps us identify with our neighbors. Should one try to move into communities of poverty in order to serve there? How can we encourage those indigenous to our communities to stay to serve God within the context of their lives? This workshop will explore Christ’s healing ministry among those he came to serve. Susan Post, the director of Esperanza Health Center and Tony Gonzalez, an Esperanza leader will share their experiences, challenges and vision for health care ministry as one who relocated into North Philadelphia and one who grew up in North Philadelphia. We need one another to be able to gain a more complete vision for effective Christ-centered health care ministry.
Over 96M Americans live in medically underserved areas (MUAs) right here in the United States. Most MUAs are located in strategic areas of need where service is desperately needed and where people are ripe for the gospel. Medical mission pioneers are responding to needs in our own nation by applying in domestic settings proven strategies that have worked in challenging international fields. These courageous disciples recognize that our mission really is "global" and not just "international"; that "mission" is not something you do 2 weeks in the summer, but is a lifestyle; and that serving in cross-cultural, impoverished communities here not only fulfills our Christian mandate, but is the best preparation they can get for work in other countries.
This session will examine what gospel-driven healthcare looks like in the U.S., and discuss the principles and strategies that are helping Christians extend Christ's love through healthcare to the neediest of our neighbors.
Given the societal situation of people with disabilities worldwide, true life transformation can only come from a wholistic approach. The needs of people with disabilities worldwide are complex and multifaceted, but the additional challenges faced by those in the majority world require a multidimensional approach. This approach needs to take place on 2 fronts – among those living with disability and among those around them. It must also take place from a multi-disciplinary framework, addressing the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, intellectual and economic aspects of the woman - each as a part of the whole being. Come and hear what God has done and is doing in the lives of women with disabilities in one of the toughest places on earth to live. Find out how you can be part of what He's up to among this unique population of unreached people!
Human trafficking refers to the sale of adults and children in to commercial sexual activity or as bonded laborers. It is often referred to as modern day slavery and viewed as a criminalized industry. However the roots of human trafficking lie in the poverty and marginalization of communities, broken families and the low values placed on children especially girls. Most agencies have approached the problem of human trafficking by advocating for stricter regulation, policing towards rescue among policy makers, law enforcement bodies and civil society. Some focus only on the rehabilitation of those rescued. However if human trafficking has to stop it is equally important to prevent the trafficking by using a preventive community based approach and to work on tackling some of the fundamental problems that undergirds and results in trafficking. In this session we will outline some of the community based initiatives that we have worked on to prevent human trafficking.
Medicine is one means of meeting the needs of people throughout the world. Working with the disabled opens closed doors and is an outreach to those I consider "unreached". Three to ten percent of the world is considered to have some type of disability. Only a very few in the developing world can find care to improve their plight in life. Surgical rehabilitation, and its associated care, has opened doors throughout East Africa and has opened doors into closed countries. Kenya was the beginning. In 2006 a team entered a country where we were told, "There are no Christians, national or expats!" The third day there a medical student commented, "I have never met a Christian." A recent publication suggested that only 1 in 15 in that country had every met a Christian. Now, seven years later we have touched the physical lives of probably thousands, and we have planted a lot of seeds. Children with hydrocephalus, spina bifida, burn contractures, club feet, cleft lips/palates, and other disabilities are receiving care that was not previously available, AND children from 4 surrounding regions are also coming for care. The work of BethanyKids in Kenya, and of the Lord, saw about 7,000 people come to the Lord in 2011. Most of Africa has nearly no significant medical care for the disabled. With added workers and further training, doors could be open to much of the developing world.
In management, there is a saying, "you get what you inspect, not what you expect". However, how do we know exactly what to inspect in the transformational development process? for example, if we looked only at the instruments showing the vial signs of a patient in a coma but kept alive on life support systems, the instruments would show that vital signs are within the ideal range. However , the doctor treating this patient would be most concerned about when the patient's CNS would take over responsibility for all the vital organs to function normally. We understand this well in Medical science, but somehow forget all about it when it comes to community development. Empowerment takes a back seat, and other indicators take on prominence, despite the fact that we know that things like vaccination levels, disease incidence etcetera can be made to "look impressive" by directing inputs in a particular way. We are often content to become service providers for health care and management, and take on the responsibility for 'ensuring that the community is healthy'. We are even happy with the community being a passive recipient of our services, because the outcome is good - immunization levels are up, people are healthy. But what happens when the program is over? Do things just revert back to where they were before we started? does anyone go back to check? A good friend of mine , Dr. Stanley Foster (who spent over 50 years in Public Health in CDC and Emory University) is a strong advocate for evaluation of intensive massive health care projects two years after the projects are over!!!
One can say without a doubt that if the community was not engaged from the beginning in the planning and empowered as a part of the project design to take responsibility for their health ; the outcome would be pretty embarrassing. This session focusses on identifying what matters in the development process (Empowerment, progress towards the MDGs, etcetera) & finding ways to measure them.
"Justice" has multiple meanings in the Bible. When the psalmist declared that "righteousness and justice are the foundation" of the Messiah's throne (Psalm 89:14), he was speaking of an equity and fairness that goes beyond punishment for bad people. God's zeal for justice is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. This breakout session will define biblical justice, describe present day healthcare injustices, and demonstrate that working for healthcare justice is a powerful means of glorifying God and expanding the Kingdom of Jesus.
Are you and your family planning to be missionaries in the US or overseas and wondering the impact on your family life? This session will provide advice from a couple who served 8 years in Asia, where 3 of their 4 daughters were born. They'll give suggestions, some of it learned the hard way, for how you and your family can thrive on the mission field. Included will be strategies and insights for successful family preparation beforehand and healthy family life after your begin serving. Time will also be available during the session for asking your questions.
Mission Medical: Assessing and Addressing Spiritual Needs of Patients
We'll discuss (1) why healthcare professionals have been reluctant to take a spiritual history, (2) the positive association of spirituality/religiosity and physical/mental health, and (3) several spiritual history tools to consider for use in clinical care.
Transforming Individuals, Groups and Neighborhoods for Better Health.
We will discuss how healthcare workers can reach out to geographical areas where their patients live with a view to helping their patients discover that they must take more control of their own lives if there is to be an improvement in their overall health. Peer groups and family are the main providers of health not medical professionals therefore it is critical to involve a patients trusted peers and family in the individual’s health.
Then as a group how can people begin to transform their neighborhood. The clinic/health ministry serves as a catalyst, organizer and trainer to help this happen. The cost to the clinic is minimal. But the overall impact for individuals and their communities is tremendous.
Community Health Evangelism (CHE) is a breakthrough mission strategy that seamlessly integrates evangelism and discipleship with disease prevention and community-based development. Through these ministries people become followers of Jesus, churches are planted, and entire communities are lifted out of cycles of poverty and disease.
By participation and completion of this workshop, the participant should be able to:
- State the purpose for integrated ministries such as Community Health Evangelism.
- Identify transformational indicators used to measure the success of an integrated Community Health program.
- List the steps in implementing a Community Health Evangelism program.
- Find resources and collaborative partners to help build and expand their programs.
- Recognize three keys to building successful integrated community health ministries.
- Tell the story of successful CHE programs in different contexts around the world.
In this session we will gain a vision for church initiated community health ministries that shape culture, influence policy, and impact millions. We will examine a few case studies, explore current opportunities, and learn a a simple and trasferable ministry strategy that is achieving nationwide impact in several countries.
Every aspect of Jesus’ ministry - - his prayers, teaching, healing and even his identity - - seems to have been shaped by his vision of the Kingdom of God. As we follow him in health care missions, the Kingdom should also define our goals, methodologies, and ways of relating with those we serve and with our co-workers. It should fuel our hope and our perseverance.
In this session, we will:
• Learn about the Kingdom of God and healing from several gospel stories
• Identify conflicting or paradoxical perspectives on the Kingdom that may fog or hinder our healthcare ministries
• Outline a vision of the Kingdom that can give focus and power to our healthcare missions
• Explore the relationship between evangelism and healthcare missions
• Collectively identify resources and networks that give ongoing help as we clarify our vision and strengthen our faithful practice.
At the completion of this presentation the participant should be able to:
1.value the importance of health care in trafficked populations
2. identify physical health problems that are common to trafficked individuals
3. identify the mental health consequences of trafficking that may need to be addressed.
Although the principles of medical and dental care are the same worldwide, the need for translation, existing local health beliefs, customs, teaching methods, and other social and political factors may present barriers which have a significant impact on the effectiveness of efforts to teach healthcare professionals cross-culturally. This session will examine several of these.
No single factor enhances the likelihood of sustained improvement in the health of a person, family or community more than empowerment: affirming and engaging the dignity, strengths, experience, vision, and resources of those we are called to serve. This session will review the practical as well as biblical and theological reasons that empowerment is an essential ingredient in every Christian health ministry. It will offer practical guidelines for making our health ministries more empowering.
We will approach the session by:
• What does empowerment mean and why is it important from a Christian perspective?
• Together trace the relationship of empowerment to improving health
• Drawing from research on empowerment in which the presenter participated along with faculty from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and other ministry colleagues, provide an overview of ways that NGOs and faith-based organizations define, operationalize and measure empowerment
• Involve participants in identifying and overcoming obstacles to empowerment in health missions
• Propose and then collectively refine a set of guidelines for planning medical missions that contribute optimally to empowerment; and a parallel set of guidelines for evaluating empowerment outcomes
• Collectively identify resources and best practices in the area of empowerment in health ministries
Have you longed to integrate your Christian faith into your patient care – both on the mission field abroad and in your work at home? Not sure how to do this in a caring, sensitive, and relevant manner? This “working” session will explore the ethical basis for spiritual care plus provide you with profession, timely, and practical methods to care for the whole person in the clinical setting.
It is the general idea that the short-term missions is one sided. Often creating dependency- teams from USA go to the underdeveloped country to help and bring short term relief and address felt needs in the comminutes of the countries they visit. While that may be true, ‘passing on of skills’ showcases how the trend can be reversed and these very missions can impact providing long term and sustainable projects and help move from ‘relief’ to ‘development’ and self sustaining mode. Caleb Rayapati, will show case how the “Pass on the skills” is making an impact on the ground, a firsthand account of the partnering mission using the Dental Outreach skills in self sustaining method, involved in community development in India impacting through practice of Biblical wholisim.
Health Care ministry in inner city neighborhoods must be incarnational – embracing our communities. Living, working and serving within the context of the community we serve draws us toward God’s love for people and helps us identify with our neighbors. Should one try to move into communities of poverty in order to serve there? How can we encourage those who grew up in our communities to stay to serve God within the context of their lives? This workshop will explore Christ’s healing ministry among those he came to serve. Two of Esperanza Health Center’s leaders will share their experiences and vision for health care ministry as one who relocated into North Philadelphia and one who grew up in North Philadelphia. We need one another to be able to gain a more complete vision for effective Christ-centered health care ministry.
With nearly 2.2 billion people comprising the Global Church, there are more followers of Jesus in the world today than at any point in history. And yet, 21,000 children die silently every day from preventable and treatable diseases. Across the world, 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.50 daily. More than 260 million Africans cannot read or write. And, perhaps most troubling of all, the vulnerable and marginalized have no voice and no ability to respond to the systems and power structures that keep these realities exactly the way they are.
It is time to wake the giant. It is time for the local Church and her 2.2 billion members to break out of her walls and intentionally push against the tide of disease, famine, illiteracy, extreme poverty and injustice. Across the world and in our own backyards, the local Church is perfectly positioned to bring about lasting change in its local community.
But, community betterment activities can only be transformational when they are rooted in the Mission of Jesus. Lasting change must be gospel-centered and focused on the integrated nature of spiritual, social and material realities. Life in its fullness is rooted in Christ, pursuing His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Transformational development must come from the ground up, with an integrated approach that cultivates local leadership and requires the participation and ownership from the community itself. It means walking with the community, and not doing for them what they can do for themselves once equipped.
We must employ multi-faceted solutions that address the specific root causes of poverty within each community. Our solutions should aim to:
Promote Health and Prevent Disease
Educate the Marginalized
Empower The Poor with Economic Opportunities
Equip The Vulnerable to Break the Cycle
Only then, will transformational development take place, and we will begin to see the Kingdom on earth, as God intended.
This session will review the many causes of cognitive impairment and provide detailed information about several of these causes, including early malnutrition, iron deficiency, diarrheal diseases, and prenatal alcohol exposure. The session will discuss the demographics of cognitive impairment and the negative effects on individuals, families, communities, economics and governments. The session will provide a proposal for establishing "Cognitive Watches" in countries to identify most common causes of cognitive impairment and to prevent these causes.
This session will review the missionary influence on WHO evidence-based international guidelines to achieve global development goals. Lack of implementation of these Biblically-based guidelines has resulted in a world-wide “Slow-Motion Disaster". The global epidemic of non-communicable diseases primarily due to obesity and smoking recently resulted in the second ever UN General Assembly on Health in its 67 year history; and, as reported by the UN "... constitutes one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century, which undermines social and economic development throughout the world and threatens the achievement of internationally agreed development goals.” As emphasized by the UN and WHO, the root cause of this impending worldwide health, economic, and development disaster is not medical and it cannot be resolved by doctors and nurses. For this is a Lifestyle problem, a problem of beliefs & values. It is a spiritual problem, and it will not be resolved until the Church reassumes its responsibilities for the holistic (mind, body, spirit ) health of its members, its community and its country.
We will conclude by demonstrating how the local Church, regardless of size or resources, can begin to provide the evidence-based holistic health and healing necessary for true transformational development.
This session will give an overview of the current picture of trafficking in persons within the United States focusing mainly on child sex trafficking, the major form of trafficking in persons within the U.S. In addition, the session will address specific ways that health professionals can become abolitionists.
In the wake of the AIDS pandemic and other disasters remain those least capable of caring for themselves. How do we best respond to their needs? Drawing from the speaker's international experience and using case studies and an interactive format, the session will explore the health issues of OVCs and the physical, mental and social components to their care.
How can a ministry continue after we leave? Drawing from the speaker's mission expereince and using case studies and an interactive format, participants will explore successful principles and strategies for sustainability in medical missions.
The worlds population slipped over 50% in 2010 now living in the city with it becoming 70% by 2020. Working with people living in the city is different then the rural world. I will use a 10 minute TED Talk with the balance of the session discussing in how how urban settings are different then rural setting where Community Development has been historically done and the implications for doing so in urban settings.
Urban neighborhoods are very different then rural villages which impacts significantly how Community Development is done. I invite you to come and learn more.
Disability: Displaying the Works of God in Wholisitic Development
People with disability were a priority in Jesus' ministry while on earth. He even defined himself in terms of his disability ministry when questioned by John's disciples on whether or not he was the promised Messiah. By examining Jesus' ministry among the disabled, we will discover how His Body should prioritize ministry among this often-forgotten population and how their restoration requires an entirely wholistic approach to ministry.
How can an “outside” Church, NGO, Short term team or missionary help a community in need without creating dependencies, stripping dignity, and under minding long-term development?
Using Stories for Wholistic Health Education
Stories are proving to be an extremely effective way to communicate "truth that sticks." They naturally break down resistance, and create interest. They are more easily understood, remembered, and repeated. Stories change lives.
Stories are best if they are short, clear, and relate to the listener's life experience. The impact of stories is augmented if they are followed by questions.
This session will be interactive.
This session will give examples of stories that can be used for both physical and spiritual teaching. It will give you sources for stories and questions that others have written, and give you pointers on who you can create your own stories with follow up questions.
This session will also present ideas on how you can make your stories more interesting - more memorable - more fun. This session will not make you a story telling pro, but it will encourage to start gaining the experience that gradually will make you more confident and effective as a communicator.
Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH), a global health membership organization has prioritized advocacy efforts to strengthen U.S. and global commitment to improving the health and well-being of people in developing countries. This presentation will begin with an overview of why Christians should be involved in advocacy, including a Biblical case for advocacy and speaking for the voiceless. The session will then highlight some important current federal global health efforts and other current policy issues that influence global health. The session will then equip the participants with tools to take specific action steps when leaving this session to be a positive influence on global health policy.
Professional education programs are geared toward preparing students to do curative care in healthcare settings. In order to reach into the community with preventive healthcare requires an additional set of knowledge and skills. We will look at the principles that were operative in the 1978 Alma Ata and examine what needs to be included in the education of healthcare professionals to achieve Health for All.
Best Practices in Short-term Medical Missions
In recent years there has been a tsunami of short-term healthcare volunteers going into the developing world; both faith-based and humanitarian. Recent estimates tell us that 29% of students enrolled in medical schools participate in some type of short-term global health project prior to graduation. Dental, nursing, and allied health schools are also beginning to follow suit. Yet, few churches or educational institutions have any knowledge of what constitutes best practices in global health. This workshop will review the six guidelines for best practices in global health as they appear in the book “When Healthcare Hurts: An Evidence Based Guide to Best Practices in Global Health Initiatives”. It will also review the four primary areas of global health best practices which include the following.
- Patient Safety
- Healthcare System Integration and Collaboration
- Facilitation of Health Development
- Community Empowerment
This is a NEW EMERGING model of empowering the local church to care for the most vulnerable. Globally there has been a growing realization that the church (called civil society in government and UN circles) in its manifold expressions has been under-utilized in developing countries in community development in general and specifically in the fight against HIV and AIDS, especially with the drastic reduction of bilateral aid for HIV and AIDS related projects in developing countries. In addition, the less than successful results of the majority of educational programs promoting prevention has led to the understanding that a corrective pedagogy may be necessary since the content of the material that presented in the various events are sound. In this presentation, the mobilization of the church/civil society in a community in South Africa as well as one in Rwanda which resulted in highly clinical effectiveness will be presented. The Rwanda project has grown from regional to national in scope and focuses on the mobilization of the church/civil society for prevention and care for those infected and affected by the AIDS pandemic with special emphasis on appropriate pedagogical principles. The model, also known as the “Clinical Church” will be presented.
Meaningful segments of data that will be discussed includes: Biomedical - Knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS of the stakeholders; Cultural assumptions - Knowledge of and belief in HIV/AIDS related myths among the stakeholders; Responses (affective) - Affective responses of the stakeholders to the AIDS pandemic; analyses of the pedagogical methodology of the trainers in this community as perceived by the major stakeholders. A detailed descriptive analysis of the pedagogical strategy and context of a pilot project in Rwanda, which includes private and public sector cooperation as well as government participation, will be used to demonstrate the role of the pastor and the church in community based healthcare.
Global health does not stand still. The needs remain high, the priorities change, the field gets ever more complex. Deciding what's the most important way to contribute is a big challenge, whether we are students or experienced professionals or somewhere in between.
And discerning our own gifts and how we can be of most use to God is most important of all
We will explore global health trends and the opportunites for people of faith aginst this background. I hope we will have an interactive session
Medical mission or what I prefer to call Health Care Mission remains a crucial issue for 21st century Christians.
Yes, we need to be fully involved in medical missions but just as important, be effective as people of faith in secular environments where we can be agents of change and transformation.
In this breakout session we will try to discern together how medical missions can help to become more grounded in the needs, realities and paradigms of today and not fight todays battles with yesterdays tools
We will be concerating on primary health and community health perspectives
Health networks are becoming increasingly essential in global health. By working together through intentional groupings of those with similar interests and objectives, we can have a greater impact, and work more effectively with government and donors
Most important of all we can mazimize our value to God's Kingdom by demonstrating harmony, unity and joint purpose
This session considers health networks in general with particular reference to an emerging and expanding network- Community Health Global Network
Short-term missions offer a unique opportunity for sustained spiritual formation away from the distractions of a busy life in the U.S., in a setting where the traveler is often far removed from their comfort zone and power zone. This workshop presents ideas and guidelines for the trip leader in recruiting, selecting, and preparing trip participants to act as the Body of Christ in their service, and to reduce opportunities for the deceiver to cause division and strife and to cast dispersion on the name of the Lord. It will also offer suggestions for proactive steps to take that may minimize potential disruptions within the team and between team members and nationals.
Everyone who has been on a medical mission has some embarrassing and/or hilarious stories of cultural insensitivity or language blunders. Sometimes the events are just funny. Sometimes they can seriously compromise the intended impact of the whole mission, including our Christian witness. This session offers perspective, spiritual grounding and practical tools for building healthy relationships, avoiding, or at least recovering from many of the common mistakes in cross-cultural missions.
Our discussion will include:
• Framing the problem: Why doesn’t everyone see the world my way?
• A spiritual foundation: Humility – be a Learner
• Communication: Language is more than just words. A simple, practical language/culture learning process – even for short-term missions.
• Relationships: Essential Bridges - - build them to last
• Good news is not always Good News: Why context is always important. Looking for systemic roots to disease, poverty and hunger - - and how to work for lasting change.
Dental Surgery can be particularly challenging on the mission field. Often dealing with cross cultural and language communication problems, the proper positioning of the patient, proper light, possibly no x-rays, limited or no suction, sometimes limited trained assistance, and possibly not all the equipment that you might need. Many dentists do only limited oral surgery in their practices. The challenges are great in the often uncomfortable environment of the mission field. How can we be prepared and what are some of the techniques that we can use that might be of help for us as we care for those who often have never seen a dentist before and are in pain or have been. Relieving pain and infection and doing no harm is one of our most pressing issues in areas where there is no dental care available. It is a matter of getting our of your comfort zone and working in a small dark area, in which you could injure your self as well and where the incidence of HIV may be quite high. Lets look at some way to work in and through these difficulties for the glory of the Lord and the benefit of those who need to know Jesus and seek relief from their suffering. May His great love and compassion show in all we do and say. To God be the glory.
Only a small minority of healthcare students who aspire to be missionaries actually serve long-term. One in five medical missionaries don’t stick with it for more than four years. There are daunting obstacles to going and to staying. Using both research data and the presenter’s experiences, this session will identify the best strategies for preparation that lead to long-term success.
In 2000 the global community through the United Nations adopted ambitious goals to improve the lives of especially the least advantaged in the world by 2015 – Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Since 1970 the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), Jamkhed, India, has pioneered the philosophy, principles and practice of comprehensive, community-based primary health care. Through this approach, based on Christian values, communities have been empowered and transformed, especially the poor and marginalized, women and children. Community members have learned to work together across social divisions and solve problems together for the well-being of the whole village – and have reached all the MDGs. This sustainable approach addresses social determinants and other root causes, including the caste system, harmful traditional practices, status of women and poverty. Caring and sharing communities are formed living in harmony, health and peace – shalom.
Poverty and health are intimately associated. The nations of poverty are also home to the lowest life expectancy, greatest child mortality, and highest number of preventable deaths. Three interventions are especially effective. First, we must promote economic development, for history demonstrates that as overall income increase so does health status. Second, we must stand against military conflict, for in nations so embattled over 90 percent of deaths are from hunger and infectious diseases. Third, we must advocate those specific interventions that have proven most effective against the leading diseases of poverty, such as provision of safe drinking water and mosquito nets to prevent malaria, though these interventions may be inconsistent with the standard medical paradigm.
The course will deal with poverty in the urban slum. Attention will be given to a Biblical framework for development and a strategy for doing "Kingdom Development". Illustrations will come from lessons being learned in Nairobi, Kenya, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, and Bangkok Thailand.
There are countless barriers that prevent aspiring healthcare missionaries from achieving their goals. Come learn strategies for recognizing and overcoming both obvious and hidden obstacles.
There are inherent dangers that come with following Jesus into a ministry of medicine. God's ways are not the ways of men and all too often health care professionals are slowly led astray from their original intent and calling to follow Jesus into a life of healing. God's heart is to bring restoration to a fallen world. But God's purpose of restoration can easily get lost as we enter into the health care system. Now more than ever, we need to maintain biblical fidelity in our medical practices. In this seminar, we will focus on Jesus' mission to bind up the broken hearted by surveying the biblical foundations for healing ministry in Isaiah, Luke, and Acts. We will also discuss what it will take to recover the holy call of healing.
This is one of the principle precepts taught in every med school, and is the basis for all emergency medicine. But while we are careful to “do no harm” with our patients, we overlook the harm we do in perpetuating a fallen health delivery system by the way we run our practices. This workshop examines several best practice models of how Christian health professionals have chosen to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, and will challenge us to look at our responsibility as ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom to transform our practice of medicine in ways that reflect His character and will.