2018 Trips

Our team assisted missionary Calvin Houser to offer free vision testing and eyeglasses to those in need. Calvin and his wife Mindy began Bahay Sibol, a home for orphaned and abandoned children. We were hosted by their church plant, City Baptist. Because of a recent change in the laws of the Philippines regarding foreign teams coming to do medical missions in country, and because the missionary requested a smaller team, it was decided to do only a vision clinic. This was a newer church plant, just over 2 years old, and the clinic was held at the church building. The size of the building would have made it very difficult to also host a medical team, so it seemed to work very well to have only a vision clinic. Members of another local independent Baptist church assisted with the clinic. The community’s response to the vision clinic was incredible; the missionary reports constantly seeing people around town wearing their new glasses and thanking him for hosting the clinic. We would love to return here in the future!

Our team assisted missionaries Jesús and Tracy Altuna to offer free medical care and vision testing. The Altunas planted a church in a new area last year as a result of an MMO brigade, and we were excited to return to minister to this new community again. Last year there was much damage done in this area due to sustained rains and flooding. In the interim of last year’s clinic to this year, the government put up 6 school buildings to replace those that had been damaged last year. It was here that we held this week’s clinics to minister to the community. We were also able to follow up on a two year-old patient from last year’s brigade; MMO coordinated his care and arranged for his treatment in a partnership with Shriner’s in Mexico. He flew to Mexico with his mother in March, where he received gastrointestinal surgery to reverse a colostomy and repair two fistulas; he is currently preparing for the second surgery he will need on his club feet.

It was the rainy season during this mission, but it didn’t seem to hamper the turn out of patients from Changuinola and the surrounding areas. The Vision Team stayed later one evening in order to see every patient in line, and for the first time, they treated more patients than the medical side of the clinic that day. We had the support of the national police in helping with crowd control, and several customs officers traveled 3-4 hours to come to the Vision clinic. There is a private, international school in Changuinola, and their students assisted with interpreting for the clinic. They did an excellent job, and at least one of them put their faith in Christ. We are grateful to Pastor Robles and his church for their dedication to reach their area for Christ. Our team members gave toward the church’s building project to install a new roof for their growing church.

Our team visited long-time MMO hosts and missionaries Jerry and Rachel Wyatt of Faith Baptist Church to offer free medical care, as well as vision testing in a community that is eager for help. Our team was welcomed by a dinner where the Surgeon General of Tanzania thanked the team for assistance and outlined the health care system for us. There were interpreters and other volunteers assisting from the local church who had been reached through previous MMO clinics. The missionary reported that church attendance had increased by 90-100 people since two major outreaches in 2018: an MMO clinic and a stadium crusade. We were thrilled to witness God’s hand at work in lives touched by past teams. One lady brought her four month-old baby to the clinic this year. She had been informed during the 2017 mission that she was expecting, and the child she brought to the clinic was seen for the first time via ultrasound last year. The baby is named Faith, in honor of the church who provided care for her by hosting MMO.