MISSION TRIPS
The Paraguay Baptist Medical Center Foundation (PBMCF) sponsors a medical mission trip to Paraguay every other year. To date PBMCF has sponsored seventh, and the eighth will be during the summer of 2014. The purpose of these trips is four-fold. First, it is a witness for our Lord. Volunteers share their witness by handing out their written testimony (in Spanish) to everyone they encounter on the trip. They witness verbally, speaking in Spanish or through a translator, and they also witness by their actions – how they act toward the patients and their families. The second purpose is to render medical care to the patients who come to the rural clinics. The patients are triaged – seen by a medical professional – and a course of treatment is prescribed with medication and instruction on how to use the medication. Some patients are referred to Centro Médico Bautista for follow- up or more intense care. Other patients come to the eye clinics. Each patient is checked by an ophthalmologist – looking for diseased eyes. Patients’ eyes are checked and glasses are selected by a core of volunteers. Calibrated glasses come to PBMCF from various sources -- Mrs. Bobbie Dunn collects glasses year- round and Mr. Jerry Kutch (a member of Lions) obtains glasses from Lions International. Following a mission trip, any leftover glasses are given to the Centro Médico Bautista Community Clinic and/or the Paraguayan Lions International. The third purpose of the mission trip is to serve in an area selected by CMB as a test sight. PBMCF mission group goes wherever the Medical Center selects. These areas are potential rural community medical sites. By having a medical mission group serve in a village, a determination is made as to whether this would be a good site for future medical outreach, does it have the support of the church and/or mission, and is there a need for continued work. The fourth purpose is to expose a volunteer to the needs of Centro Médico Bautista and its ministries – the volunteer then can make up his or her mind as to whether this is the ministry he or she is being called to help financially. The mission trips take about nine months to plan and implement. PBMCF only goes if invited to do so by CMB. Once an invitation has been extended then the planning process begins. The date (once established) is posted on the web site. By request a potential volunteer may obtain an application from the PBMCF office. Information is shared as to the cost, date and a general understanding as to what we are expected to accomplish. An application and deposit is sent to the PBMCF office. Following that a series of memos – usually 10 to 12 are sent to the volunteers. A lot of communication takes place between the foundation and the volunteer prior to the trip. Most trips are 10 days from departure date to return date. Departures are from Dallas or Miami to Sao Paulo, Brazil and from Sao Paulo to Asunción, the capitol of Paraguay. Our desire is to have a good mixture of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and lay helpers – there is a job for everyone. If a volunteer has a desire to be part of a fantastic medical mission trip – pray about it, and if led to do so take a step and say “Lord, here I am…” – and do it. To request an application for a future mission trip, please contact PBMCF by email at [email protected]. |