In July 2007, I participated in a caravan mission trip for tribal Filipinos in a remote area of the Philippines. The aim of the mission was to help develop both the economic and spiritual aspects of the community as well as to strengthen the bonds among members of the caravan team.

All our steps are ordered by the Lord; how then can we understand our own ways?
Proverbs 20:24 (NRSV)

The last phase of the trip was a medical and dental mission. As a medical technologist, I was a part of the medical team. As I cared for many tribal members who needed medical attention, I began to feel good about becoming a medical professional instead of a computer technician, which is what I originally had hoped to do. Occasionally, I still have regrets about following my parents’ advice to take courses in medical technology; but the people I served on that mission trip opened my eyes. Seeing their situation gave me a reason to love my profession and to see it as a vocation rather than a job. I now have an important mission in my own community—to provide medical are to the best of my ability.

THINK ABOUT THIS:

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” —Frederick Buechner

Photo of dental team courtesy of Euler Pasion