Mercy Medical Teams

Often, the physical healing that we provide opens a door for sharing the Gospel. We don't always see it happen--mostly it happens long after the team is gone, through the local church partner who diligently follows up with those who were treat at our clinic.

Be watching for upcoming projects and opportunities for Health Ministry in Latin and South America, and please pray for the growing Lutheran churches in Chile, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and the rest of Latin and South America.

All LCMS students at any university, private or public, who are studying a health-related field, are eligible to apply.

Our doctors and nurses couldn’t command the man to rise and walk. They certainly couldn’t forgive his sins. We were, however, able to provide physical relief, and the pastors from the Malagasy Lutheran Church were there to pray with him and minister to him long after our team left. The presence of our team provided the means by which these three men, and their families, could be introduced to God.

We thank God for the work that was accomplished during our trip in Madagascar. I think I speak for the entire team when I say that it was our Malagasy brothers and sisters who served us, rather than the other way around.

No matter what kind of team we send, whether it is primary care, community health education, disaster response, or a combination of the three, there is another kind of care that we include on all of our trips—spiritual care.

We don’t know how God will use our presence in the community, but we do know that He uses it abundantly. And thanks be to Him for that!

I’m still not sure how we treat so many patients during our clinics. All I know is that God makes it happen. His hurting people show up, and He uses our team members’ hands, heads, and hearts to heal them, body and soul.

I didn’t always like the food. I wasn’t always clean or comfortable. One of my team members snored. But you know what? It was okay. It was better than okay—it was fantastic.