Manos Abiertas Medical Mission 2005
(This is a letter from the Manos board thanking the participants of Mission 2005. It was orginally posted on http://www.manos-abiertas.org/ and reprinted here)
The Board of Directors of Manos Abiertas would like to thank the wonderful team of people who were Medical Mission ’05. This was a particularly exciting year for our medical mission work, and through our time in Guaymas it was clear that God is busy at work in Guaymas. We are thankful that each of our team members was able to work and have a “front row seat” watching God at work.
Additionally, we would like to thank the many congregations of Christians who supported our team in one way or another. At least eight congregations from five different states sent team participants. Several of those congregations supported our work by either contributing to their member’s expenses or by direct contributions. And an uncountable number of people stood behind this work in prayer before and during our time in Guaymas.
We would like to provide a report to the various supporters and elderships who are interested in the work in Guaymas, and also provide a peek forward at some of our upcoming plans. Additional information may be obtained throughout the year from our website at http://www.manos-abiertas.org/, or via e-mail updates by requesting addition to our mailing list from csbk60@aol.com (our secretary, Carla Kirkland).
Several important things were planned for this year’s trip which differed from our previous trips. Most notably, the purchase of our property and building in Mexico was to happen during this year. Since last November, we have been negotiating and making preparations to close on the building and compound which will house our clinic as well as la Iglesia de Cristo Centro. Those preparations have been complicated and included the organization of Manos Abiertas as a 501c3 corporation in the U.S., the organization of our Mexican equivalent organization (Manos Abiertas al Servicio), securing funding for the purchase of the property, opening an international bank account, and navigating the numerous fees, laws, and processes that were required for the purchase of property in Mexico. God blessed us throughout all of these complications and the close of the sale of the property was accomplished on Thursday, July 7.
In providing for our needs as listed above, three months before our trip, God put us in contact with a lawyer in Mexico City who was not only instrumental in helping us clear all of the legal and logistic hurdles involved with the purchase, but who also has important connections with the Mexican pharmaceutical industry. She was able to provide us with significant insight about the possibility of future donations or discount purchases from medication manufacturers and wholesalers in Mexico. This was an unexpected surprise that God had in store for us which made us appreciate his plan even more than we had expected.
Another aspect of this trip that was a bit different from the past was the transportation of a van, trailer, and many supplies for the clinic and the church which were donated by the former Quince Road Church of Christ. When the van and trailer reached Nogales our crew was fully prepared to pay the required tariffs to import the various supplies, but an unexpected resistance was found there at the border. As the driving crew was stuck waiting, and negotiating, the rest of the team joined in prayer on the bus as they traveled. Leave it to God to amaze us with his provision. Just after the prayer on the bus was complete, the officials in Nogales suddenly and without explanation changed their minds letting the whole trailer and van full of supplies pass! Now, the church in Guaymas has 100 stacking chairs, a PA system, and a “new” van.
Our outreach effort was led by the youth group from the Norway Avenue Church of Christ in Huntington, WV this year. These teens accomplished an incredible amount during their week. They constructed eight exam tables, and two children’s tables for use on this and future trips. They created large signs advertising the clinic and the gospel meeting, and handed out 9000 fliers during the first three days of their work. They provided school supplies to over a hundred children, and spent time letting those kids know that they are loved and that God cares for them. And finally, they did a wonderful job preparing, repairing, and painting the exterior of the new building.
The clinic team consisted of two physicians, one nurse practitioner, one nurse anesthetist, a pharmacist, three nurses, a lab technician, and several wonderful other volunteers. They saw about nine hundred patients in the clinic with problems ranging from high blood pressure to leg pain, to sore throats, to non-healing ulcers, and to pregnancy. The clinic operated under a specific authority granted from the department of Health in Hermosillo (the state capital) and enjoyed the approval and cooperation of the general medical community in Guaymas. But perhaps the best testimonial about the clinic this year came from an elderly patient who just prior to leaving the clinic said, “I’ve never been to a doctor’s visit when I was given so much attention!” We were able to do very little for the chronic pain that he experiences in his legs, but that gentleman was able to feel as if someone cared enough to listen, and hopefully he knows it was God who made that possible.
Our team could never function without translators at various levels and this year we were blessed with a wonderful group of people to serve in this capacity. We took several people for this role who were joined by a couple from Chihuahua, Mexico, a missionary from Hermosillo, and two young ladies from Guaymas. Some of these were people we had never met, but whom God sent and through whom we were richly blessed. In particular, we were pleased to get to know Nathan, the missionary from Hermosillo (which is only an hour from Guaymas). We look forward to working with him on other projects in the future.
Several other of our team members served other important roles dealing with the headaches of arranging meals and transportation for such a large group. There were people who ran the children’s area during the clinic, and others who were simply available to take care of what sometimes seemed like a long list of things that had to be done every day. All of these areas ran incredibly smoothly because of the blessing of having such talented people in these roles.
The other group of people that should be mentioned is the church that meets in el Centro in Guaymas. The brothers and sisters from la Iglesia there worked tirelessly through the week preparing lunches, helping with registration, and serving as religious and spiritual counselors in the clinic. We all enjoyed our service and worship with the Christians in Guaymas, and the tears that were shed Friday night as we all said, “goodbye” were tears of thanks as much as tears of sadness that our time together was over.
Now that Medical Mission ’05 is over, we turn our eyes toward the future. God has blessed us richly, but there remains much work to do. The immediate next step is a construction project that is needed to enclose the patio areas of the building and double its interior space. These areas will provide rooms that can be used both as clinic rooms and class rooms, as well as permanent dental and optometric exam areas. To this end, plans are being formed for a late-December construction trip.
We will to continue to pursue ways of helping our clinic reach its goal of eventually becoming a year-round medical presence in Guaymas, providing a place where the poor can seek medical care and be shown the love of Jesus. We seek prayers that God will continue to open doors in the medical and pharmaceutical communities in Mexico so that our long term needs of staff and medications will be supplied.
But opportunities such as this year’s trip will continue to be an important part of our work in Mexico. For not only do the people who are served receive a blessing, but also the people who go to serve are truly blessed as we see God using us for his glory. We hope to be able to host two different weeks of medical mission clinic next year, and we seek prayers toward that end as well.
Again, we would all like to thank the many people who supported our work this year, and who continue to partner with us as we seek to join God in what he is accomplishing in the city of Guaymas.
The Manos Abiertas Board of Directors
Chris Hanson
Brandon Cooper
Carla Kirkland
Steve Hill
The Board of Directors of Manos Abiertas would like to thank the wonderful team of people who were Medical Mission ’05. This was a particularly exciting year for our medical mission work, and through our time in Guaymas it was clear that God is busy at work in Guaymas. We are thankful that each of our team members was able to work and have a “front row seat” watching God at work.
Additionally, we would like to thank the many congregations of Christians who supported our team in one way or another. At least eight congregations from five different states sent team participants. Several of those congregations supported our work by either contributing to their member’s expenses or by direct contributions. And an uncountable number of people stood behind this work in prayer before and during our time in Guaymas.
We would like to provide a report to the various supporters and elderships who are interested in the work in Guaymas, and also provide a peek forward at some of our upcoming plans. Additional information may be obtained throughout the year from our website at http://www.manos-abiertas.org/, or via e-mail updates by requesting addition to our mailing list from csbk60@aol.com (our secretary, Carla Kirkland).
Several important things were planned for this year’s trip which differed from our previous trips. Most notably, the purchase of our property and building in Mexico was to happen during this year. Since last November, we have been negotiating and making preparations to close on the building and compound which will house our clinic as well as la Iglesia de Cristo Centro. Those preparations have been complicated and included the organization of Manos Abiertas as a 501c3 corporation in the U.S., the organization of our Mexican equivalent organization (Manos Abiertas al Servicio), securing funding for the purchase of the property, opening an international bank account, and navigating the numerous fees, laws, and processes that were required for the purchase of property in Mexico. God blessed us throughout all of these complications and the close of the sale of the property was accomplished on Thursday, July 7.
In providing for our needs as listed above, three months before our trip, God put us in contact with a lawyer in Mexico City who was not only instrumental in helping us clear all of the legal and logistic hurdles involved with the purchase, but who also has important connections with the Mexican pharmaceutical industry. She was able to provide us with significant insight about the possibility of future donations or discount purchases from medication manufacturers and wholesalers in Mexico. This was an unexpected surprise that God had in store for us which made us appreciate his plan even more than we had expected.
Another aspect of this trip that was a bit different from the past was the transportation of a van, trailer, and many supplies for the clinic and the church which were donated by the former Quince Road Church of Christ. When the van and trailer reached Nogales our crew was fully prepared to pay the required tariffs to import the various supplies, but an unexpected resistance was found there at the border. As the driving crew was stuck waiting, and negotiating, the rest of the team joined in prayer on the bus as they traveled. Leave it to God to amaze us with his provision. Just after the prayer on the bus was complete, the officials in Nogales suddenly and without explanation changed their minds letting the whole trailer and van full of supplies pass! Now, the church in Guaymas has 100 stacking chairs, a PA system, and a “new” van.
Our outreach effort was led by the youth group from the Norway Avenue Church of Christ in Huntington, WV this year. These teens accomplished an incredible amount during their week. They constructed eight exam tables, and two children’s tables for use on this and future trips. They created large signs advertising the clinic and the gospel meeting, and handed out 9000 fliers during the first three days of their work. They provided school supplies to over a hundred children, and spent time letting those kids know that they are loved and that God cares for them. And finally, they did a wonderful job preparing, repairing, and painting the exterior of the new building.
The clinic team consisted of two physicians, one nurse practitioner, one nurse anesthetist, a pharmacist, three nurses, a lab technician, and several wonderful other volunteers. They saw about nine hundred patients in the clinic with problems ranging from high blood pressure to leg pain, to sore throats, to non-healing ulcers, and to pregnancy. The clinic operated under a specific authority granted from the department of Health in Hermosillo (the state capital) and enjoyed the approval and cooperation of the general medical community in Guaymas. But perhaps the best testimonial about the clinic this year came from an elderly patient who just prior to leaving the clinic said, “I’ve never been to a doctor’s visit when I was given so much attention!” We were able to do very little for the chronic pain that he experiences in his legs, but that gentleman was able to feel as if someone cared enough to listen, and hopefully he knows it was God who made that possible.
Our team could never function without translators at various levels and this year we were blessed with a wonderful group of people to serve in this capacity. We took several people for this role who were joined by a couple from Chihuahua, Mexico, a missionary from Hermosillo, and two young ladies from Guaymas. Some of these were people we had never met, but whom God sent and through whom we were richly blessed. In particular, we were pleased to get to know Nathan, the missionary from Hermosillo (which is only an hour from Guaymas). We look forward to working with him on other projects in the future.
Several other of our team members served other important roles dealing with the headaches of arranging meals and transportation for such a large group. There were people who ran the children’s area during the clinic, and others who were simply available to take care of what sometimes seemed like a long list of things that had to be done every day. All of these areas ran incredibly smoothly because of the blessing of having such talented people in these roles.
The other group of people that should be mentioned is the church that meets in el Centro in Guaymas. The brothers and sisters from la Iglesia there worked tirelessly through the week preparing lunches, helping with registration, and serving as religious and spiritual counselors in the clinic. We all enjoyed our service and worship with the Christians in Guaymas, and the tears that were shed Friday night as we all said, “goodbye” were tears of thanks as much as tears of sadness that our time together was over.
Now that Medical Mission ’05 is over, we turn our eyes toward the future. God has blessed us richly, but there remains much work to do. The immediate next step is a construction project that is needed to enclose the patio areas of the building and double its interior space. These areas will provide rooms that can be used both as clinic rooms and class rooms, as well as permanent dental and optometric exam areas. To this end, plans are being formed for a late-December construction trip.
We will to continue to pursue ways of helping our clinic reach its goal of eventually becoming a year-round medical presence in Guaymas, providing a place where the poor can seek medical care and be shown the love of Jesus. We seek prayers that God will continue to open doors in the medical and pharmaceutical communities in Mexico so that our long term needs of staff and medications will be supplied.
But opportunities such as this year’s trip will continue to be an important part of our work in Mexico. For not only do the people who are served receive a blessing, but also the people who go to serve are truly blessed as we see God using us for his glory. We hope to be able to host two different weeks of medical mission clinic next year, and we seek prayers toward that end as well.
Again, we would all like to thank the many people who supported our work this year, and who continue to partner with us as we seek to join God in what he is accomplishing in the city of Guaymas.
The Manos Abiertas Board of Directors
Chris Hanson
Brandon Cooper
Carla Kirkland
Steve Hill
posted by George Welty at 10:48 AM
1 Comments:
It gives me chills to think of all the good things you are doing. I love seeing Christianity in action.
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