What does it take to have fun on a mission trip?

Ken Rose, MD
Medical director
Gimbie Adventist Hospital

One of the more exciting experiences of mission work is seeing how excited other people get when they come out and help in the mission field! We recently had that uplifting experience when Amy Mullen (a nurse and medical student at LLU) and Heidi Hudson (a nurse from LLU) came to spend two months at Gimbie Adventist Hospital in Ethiopia. These two have to be some of the most adventuresome girls that I know.

One of the things that I was told before they arrived was that they wanted some place that was really rural! I knew they would not be disappointed if they came to Gimbie. It wasn’t long before they were asking to go to even more rural sites—our outer village clinics. There is no running water, indoor facilities, let alone respectable living conditions for two single American girls. But they wanted to go. After making some very scanty plans, we sent them off on local transport to a clinic about two hours away. Their lack of fear of the unknown, along with a healthy dose of adaptability, was their formula for success. I was always taught that the three most important things for any missionary were 1) adaptability, 2) adaptability, and 3) adaptability (after living 13 years in the mission field, I still feel this is true).

Somehow, word had gone before them that the clinic was going to have two American nurses visiting it. To the local people, that was great news. For Amy and Heidi, that meant a lot of work, as there were 50 patients waiting for them when they arrived. They returned to the hospital after that week, not worn out and filled to the brim with “rural living” as I expected, but only further energized, looking forward to another chance of a week of the same!

This experience exemplifies what is needed by all who wish to gain a memorable and enjoyable experience on any mission tour. It’s not the end point that is important—it’s the trip and all that goes along with it that makes the experience. Don’t expect any comforts (so that you won’t be disappointed), but see any comforts as an unanticipated blessing. Clear your mind of any previous expectations, because I’ll guarantee that very little actually happens as expected. Be ADAPTABLE. Go with the flow, because there are things in life that you will never change. Make the most of every experience, and look on the bright side of whatever happens. With that in mind, find a place where you can help someone more unfortunate in life then yourself (that won’t be hard to do), and I’ll guarantee you a fun and successful mission trip—much like what Amy and Heidi had.

[Outlook 2001]