Inquiring minds would like to know the answer to this question. Some of our ministry partners have been asking. By partners, I mean those who come along side and support our work in the Gospel through prayer and finances. The biggest question is what am I, or we, up to when not on the field (a mission trip).
Joe Leier & Rick Wood
Rick Wood & Jim Moore
What do I mean by “we”? Some of you are aware that I frequently do not travel alone but have a biomed partner, Joe Leier, that is a part of our “team”. The Worldwide Biomedical Charitable Services (WBCS) biomed “team” actually includes myself, Joe Leier, and Jim Moore. Joe and Jim serve on the WBCS Board of Directors and provide technical support through consulting and occasional travel with me. Between the three of us, we have over 100 years of biomed experience and have provided technical support in over 30 countries. Eccl. 4:9 says “two are better than one” and three are even better. Productivity and technical assistance are greatly improved with our team approach. Some of you know that we were scheduled to leave on a medical mission trip to Ecuador on July 10th. The recent events in that country have resulted in us having to cancel, or at least postpone that trip. We were looking forward to assisting with the technical support needs at a mission hospital in Shell, Ecuador. Although this would have been helpful and encouraging to those serving at the hospital, after evaluating the benefits of the trip and the travel risks, we could not justify going. Therefore, the tickets for Joe Leier and myself were cancelled.
What’s next? Our next trip is scheduled for August 7th to Honduras. We will be providing technical support at a relatively new surgery center in El Progreso, Honduras. These tickets are purchased and we pray that our plans and objectives will be met.
What else is in the works? In addition to Ecuador and Honduras trips, we are working on plans for two trips to West Africa in the fall. One is to an existing mission hospital in Mali that is also building a new addition. The other is to a new surgery center in Guinea that hopes to open in the fall. We are evaluating the logistics to determine whether or not we will combine the two trips or if it will require two separate trips. The time frame for this or these trips is September and October.
What about when I am not on the field? The technical support needs around the world are numerous and requests for assistance come in on almost a daily basis. The questions vary on many subjects and needs from mission hospital administrators asking about appropriate technology and procurement decisions to national technical support staff asking for assistance with troubleshooting or locating needed repair parts. The work never ends and much goes on behind the scene as we seek to assist with a great number of requests for technical help around the world.
How can you help? We are always seeking those who would like to partner with us for the sake of the gospel. This partnership can be in the form of prayer and encouragement and/or funding to help pay for the trips to the field. We often receive requests from mission hospitals and surgery teams that can’t always afford to pay for our services. Therefore, we assist with travel expenses when needed and the funds are available.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Yet it was kind of you to share…. you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.
Philippians 4:10, 14-17 ESV