Medical Missions

The Presbyterian Medical Clinic in Patchakan, Belize was established in 1992 by missionaries. We are currently in need of a physician to serve at least one year or more at the clinic. With this physician in place, medical teams will be involved in hands-on medical work with opportunities for evangelistic outreach into the villages through the local Presbyterian churches.

Bolivia is a fairly new field for MTW medical ministry. At the request of one of our regular team members, we sent a team to Bolivia in 2009. Teams serve in areas where missionaries Earl and Rosie Adams are ministering.

MTW is working alongside their missionaries in reaching out to the needy in Quito and Guayaquil. The 2007 Advanced Medical Leadership Training was held in Quito. We anticipate sending 1-3 teams per year to Ecuador. This is a fairly new area for MTW's short-term medical missions so please contact the MTW Medical Department for further details as they become available.

Our focus in Haiti is assisting national pastors Esaie Etienne (in Gonaives) and Jean Paul (in LaPlaine). Medical teams are able to help meet the great need for medical care in this under-developed country. Many teams have traveled to Haiti since the earthquake in January 2010, and multiple opportunities will be available in 2012.

The work in Honduras is growing rapidly with the construction of an established medical facility in progress. A full time missionary nurse is on the ground and presently conducting weekly clinics and health education in the community of Armenia Bonito in La Ceiba. Join her and her family for these clinics.

Medical care within Mexico is obtainable and inexpensive if you are employed. Those that are not employed have difficulty accessing and affording medical care. MTW teams work alongside a national worker (in support of the local church) in the city of Acapulco, Mexico and have partnered with Isaiah 55 Deaf Ministries in reaching out to communities in and around Reynosa. Further locations are being explored. Copies of medical diploma(s) and license should be taken along on any trip but there are no specific licensing requirements.
• Acapulco - Optometry and dentistry services are in high demand and can further help the church in mercy outreach. Medical teams will hold clinics in local churches and at the orphanage, Casa Hogar. Smaller teams (20-25 people) are best for Acapulco and usually each team is sent from a specific church, however, options are available to send a team of individuals from various locations. Our annual goal is to send a medical team in the spring and one in the fall.
• Monterrey - In 2007 we sent our first medical team to Monterrey to minister among the less fortunate in Monterrey city. There are opportunities to serve in Monterrey as well as communities within a short drive of the city. One of the beautiful aspects of serving in Monterrey is the opportunity to serve along with Mexican medical professionals who are also involved in reaching out to their own country.
• Reynosa - Teams stay at the Isaiah 55 building and travel to nearby areas to provide general medical care to communities in need of assistance. Smaller teams (20-25) are preferred however they are open to teams of varying size and specialties throughout the year. Reynosa would love to host a dental team in an area near a prostitute community. Please contact the Medical Department if you have a desire to meet this need or any other medical needs in Reynosa, a city just across the border from McAllen, Texas, but a world away in some respects.

Cuzco - The health clinic, run by Hinterland Health Ministry in conjunction with Mission to the World, is a ministry that seeks to care for both the physical and spiritual needs of the people in this poor Andean city. We are committed to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Andes region and improving the health of the people whom we serve. Health care is provided five mornings a week, with the afternoons devoted to home visits and community health projects. Long-term relationships are being established and the Gospel of Christ is being well-received as these individuals are experiencing a taste of our Lord's abundant love. For more information, please see:
www.hinterlandhealth.org

Huaraz - Teams will work with local missionaries who minister to the Quechua people. The Quechua culture is built upon their need to do manual labor in order to make a living. Because this is a part of their everyday life, there are many health issues that are related to that, as a result. Individuals with language skills are especially desired in this area. The missionaries are also interested in finding an intern. The clinic could also benefit from having a long-term eye surgeon on the premises.

In Trinidad, MTW is serving with Rev. Steve McGee, a missionary of the United Reformed Presbyterian Church. Medical teams have been ministering to the needs of Trinidadians who are not able to afford healthcare. Steve is working with a local pastor (Ricky Gosyne) in Reformed church-planting and theological education through MINTS (Miami International Seminary). There are various opportunities in communities where people are not privileged to the healthcare that is needed and medical teams have been a great blessing to their church planting efforts in Trinidad.

Serving in two different communities alongside local church partners of MTW, the medical ministry in Bulgaria serves to meet special needs of the members of the church as well as local Bulgarians who suffer with cerebral palsy, autism, and various physical therapy needs.

There is also an established relationship with the hospital in Sophia, Bulgaria. The hospital is in need of short-term teams of medical professionals who specialize in therapy, psychology, special education, pediatric neurology.

Future projects will also include mobile clinics, addressing a broader area of medical needs to undergird the MTW church-planting efforts in various communities in Bulgaria.

Our AIDS ministry in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia provides our participants with opportunities to serve alongside missionaries and national workers, to minister to the families affected by this devastating disease. Outreach is done in the form of physical care- caring for the basic needs of the families in their homes. HIV treatment is administered to select individuals who are instructed on the usage of these complex drugs.

The goal of the ministry is to, "improve and extend the lives of people living with HIV, reduce the impact on families and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the community." Even more importantly, however, are the opportunities that are presented to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Counseling is a blessed opportunity we have to present to these hurting individuals our gracious Lord's ability to woo us to Him, not based upon our good merit, but because of his plenteous grace and unconditional love. Two week and internship opportunities are available. www.mtwact.org  

An opportunity has recently opened up for long-term medical professionals and science teachers at the Mbarara University for Science and Technology. Mbarara is the primary medical school in that area of the world and draws students from all over East Africa. This is perfect for individuals who have a desire to teach and/or disciple medical students. They will also take medical students who desire an overseas elective.

Entry into West Africa is very difficult due to the many governmental restrictions on religion, especially Christianity. Hostility towards Christians is rampant; however, the Gospel is continuing to spread, due to individuals who are passionate about sharing the love of Christ. In the past several years medical missions to West Africa have greatly increased. Our teams work in both capital cities and rural areas and mobile clinics operate in conjunction with the local churches. We generally take 3-4 small teams per year.

Under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, all but 30 medical professionals were killed. Opportunities abound both for mobile medical clinics in village areas and in the capital city of Phnom Penh. You will join with MTW missionary doctors and nurses already working in the area. While ministering in the villages, you will also be mentoring Cambodian medical students who often accompany the teams as interpreters.

MTW sends medical teams into three south Asian countries. In all three of these countries, medical teams work alongside national pastors to provide much needed medical care and community health teaching. Mobile clinics are held in both rural and urban areas. We have found that medical teams in these areas draw positive attention to church plants and also provide credibility for the pastor with local government officials.

The medical ministry of MTW has been working in a particular southeast Asian country for the past several years in conjunction with a national pastor. Mobile clinics and community health training courses are held once a year, usually in January or February. Teams work in both the capital city and in remote village areas. Special requirements: A visa is required to enter.

The MTW church-planting team in the Philippines has a three-fold philosophy in their ministry: mentoring, missions and mercy. Because adequate medical care is not readily available to the average Filipino, the highest health concerns among the people are lung and skin diseases. There is a great need for short-term medical teams to aid in providing mercy ministries. Through the clinics, teams are able to make many contacts for outreach for the churches. Teams are also able to encourage and care for the members of the church body.

Currently, teams are ministering to the Cree Indian community through community health teaching and counseling.

Grace Presbyterian Church has a heart for ministering to the surrounding community, especially the Hispanic population. Teams stay in a “team house” on the church property and minister to the medical needs of those who cannot afford medical care. (Medical professionals need to be licensed in Georgia to serve here)