Consider supporting Zack and Mariah today!
Zack
I think God created me to travel the world. I was born the son of a pilot and delivered into this world by a fighter pilot in Spain. Traveling was a part of my life growing up, and I always assumed I’d follow in my dad’s footsteps as a pilot. God had other plans. In high school, a series of surgeries grounded my chances of flying.
Through this experience, God began leading me into medicine — and I followed, one step at a time. I could spend hours sharing story after story of divine moments along this path that could have only been God. Soon after starting my education, I became more cognizant of the need for medical care around the world as well as organizations who combined this with the Gospel in order to reach the hurting. It was clear to me that I wanted to be on a trip one day, too.
Throughout undergrad and residency, I started a beautiful family with my wife, Mariah, and upon graduation, became a family doctor in Waterville, OH. With more time on my hands, thoughts of the mission field began to resurface. It felt like the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “So… are you going to do this or what?” Six months after I became an attending physician I found myself in Mexico, treating patients and sharing the gospel. Shortly after, I was cruising down the Amazon River doing the same. I was hooked. God confirmed that this is how I would spend my life serving Him. Medicine opens doors that other ministries cannot. Treating someone with compassion and tangible care for their pain softens the hardest heart and clears the path for the gospel.
When I discovered MMO, I fell in love with their mission and ministry. They fulfill the Great Commission beautifully, and duplicate what Jesus did on earth: healing the sick and preaching the Gospel. Partnering with local churches provides us with individuals who speak the heart language and will be there to make sure the work goes on when we leave. Jesus called us to become His disciples — connecting communities with their local church is essential for this.
After several missions trips with MMO over the years, I believe this ministry aligns perfectly with the Bible and supports the mission of pointing others to the Great Physician.
As an associate missionary serving as a Clinical Coordinator, I will be overseeing the medical team and pharmacy, ensuring that every patient receives quality, ethical care from our teams of providers.
The Body of Christ needs every member to fulfill the Great Commission. What part are you going to play? Would you consider getting involved more in your own church and community? How about giving missions a try? Would you consider supporting me as I endeavor to follow Christ one step at a time?
You can be involved in a few ways:
-
Praying for me and my family to be useful vessels for God
-
Supporting financially through monthly giving or a one time donation.
-
Coming with me to serve side by side on the field!
I am so excited to be following God as He leads me into this next phase in my life. One step at a time, I will continue to follow.
Mariah
From a very young age, I have felt a pull towards missions. One of my earliest memories was a game of 20 Questions with a missionary to Zambia, Africa by his display table at church. That day, I told my mom that I was going to be a missionary. I did not realize how true that statement would be for me until now. Twenty-five years later, that draw to serve nations and invest in people all around the world has only intensified. We see the brokenness of the world around us. We see the pain, the isolation, the emptiness of it all without Christ. I want to be part of the solution. As believers, we know the cure! We have the answer - Jesus!
This is why I am beyond thrilled to be partnering with Medical Missions Outreach. MMO effectively bridges the gap between believers who know Christ and the lost and broken world. They enable the local church to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus by reaching beyond cultural barriers, through medicine, to the hearts of people who desperately need Him. When I bandage a wound, give medication, educate a new mother, or share the burden of a grieving patient through prayer and a hug, the cultural divides disappear, walls come down, and love is both expressed and received. This display of human love and tangible provision paves a natural path for the love and provision of God - the gospel - to be heard and accepted by our patients.
Looking back on the last 15 years, the Lord’s hand can be seen everywhere preparing and equipping me for this opportunity with MMO. Having an adventurous spirit from childhood has been a helpful tool on my previous missions trips, from commuting down the Amazon river in wooden canoes, to navigating curvy roads and cliffs in the Honduran mountains. I have no doubt it will continue to aid me on trips to come as well. My husband, Zack, is a family physician and shares the same passion for missions. This unified drive and shared goal has enabled us to accomplish far more together than we could have accomplished alone. Volunteering at our local Pregnancy Center has ignited a passion in me for mothers and prenatal education. This experience has provided the tools to administer pre and perinatal care to women on previous trips. I’m eager to see how God continues to allow me to walk alongside pregnant women and moms of littles on future trips.
My planning and organizing skills have proven to be useful in this area as well. I planned multiple trips for different groups during nursing school as well as a mission trip shortly after I had my first child. This leads me into another great area of preparation: mothering my four babies! It is both my greatest privilege in life and most humbling experience. Braving life and ministry with children has pushed me further than I believed I could go. It has revealed to me how God is truly in control. Day by day, I am learning to find the calm that Jesus is in the chaos. In between having each child, God provided a way for me and my husband to travel on a handful of missions trips, most of which were with MMO. Each trip confirmed over and over again that this was the direction God was taking us. When God finally prompted us to step into the role of associate missionaries with MMO, it seemed like a long time coming!
Now we are moving into the next part of our adventure with God through missions - finding our missions partners and building our team of support. The amount of prayer, preparation, and finances involved behind the scenes of each trip is significant. These clinics couldn’t happen without a team of people supporting the ministry. God is reaching the world and we are so humbled and excited to be a small part of that. Would you consider joining in this adventure? Consider partnering with us in any of the following ways:
-
Through prayer, will you commit to praying for our team daily, weekly, or monthly?
-
Financially, through monthly support or a one-time gift.
-
Consider joining us on a trip!
God has called each of us to be part of what He is doing in our own communities as well as around the world. We have found the part that we can play, and we are pursuing it with all that we have. Where do you fit in the story that God is writing through local and international missions? Would you consider standing with us as we take the steps God is leading us to take with Medical Missions Outreach?
If you are able to help financially, you can give online by using the form below, or by mailing in checks to:
Medical Missions Outreach
Account #121
289 Jonesboro Rd, Suite 364
McDonough, GA 30253
Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement.
Zack and Mariah