Dr. Paul Osteen reports from Zambia 2018
“It’s like putting our 5 loaves and 2 fish in the hand of Jesus; it’s just amazing to see what happens,” says Paul Osteen, MD.
In this video, Dr. Osteen shares what a day is like serving at a mission hospital in Zambia, and he ends with this thought, “If you want to have a challenging life and if you want to have a rewarding and satisfying life, consider some part of being involved in medical missions around the globe. The needs are great, the opportunities are great, and the reward and satisfaction are quite unbelievable.” To find your mission, make plans to attend the annual Mobilizing Medical Missions (M3) Conference where you can visit with over 70 organizations that offer short-term and long-term opportunities to serve both locally and abroad.
Dr. Paul Osteen Shares Update on Haiti and Afghanistan Efforts
M3’s heart and prayers go out to the precious people of Afghanistan and Haiti! Along with our prayers, we are actively working alongside our friends and partners, both locally and abroad, to bring the hope, love and light of Jesus to those suffering during this time. In this video, Dr. Paul Osteen shares about M3’s current efforts to help those in need.
Click here to connect with M3’s partner organizations to see how you can help during this time. We know that together we can make a difference in our hurting world.
Medical Student Sarah Weber: How God Uses Medicine to Open Doors
In this video, Sarah Weber, a medical student at McGovern Medical School, shares how M3 reignited that spark in her to serve in medical missions. While on a mission trip in the Amazon, she saw how God uses medicine to open doors. Sarah says that “during medical school, it’s easy to get distracted with your studies and there’s a lot of emphasis on furthering ‘yourself,’ but M3 has brought me back to those roots of wanting to serve God and serve others through medicine.”
Sarah encourages others to attend M3 to hear from God in a new and fresh way to encourage you in your journey.
The 2022 M3 Conference is set for February 18-19. Click here to register today and save $10 off of the early bird rate with code: 2022M3TAKETEN.
Past M3 Speaker Joy Vonk’s Journey from Local to Global Missions in the Midst of a Pandemic
Written by Joy Vonk, MS, PA-C
God’s hand over our life timelines is undeniable and this past year for me has been another clear reminder of His constant leading and preparation. The last time I spoke at M3, I was working for the free faith-based Houston clinic, Casa el Buen Samaritano. At each M3 Conference, I’d asked God where He wanted me to be. Praying, “the answer is ‘yes’, God. Just tell me Your ask for my life in this moment.” True to His perfect planning, He was preparing my heart for a movement from full-time domestic mission work to international missions.
However, as often the case, my long-term missions (LTM) story begins with short-term missions (STM). M3 consistently offers an incredible selection of organizations and vendors to peruse. Last year after talking to Samaritan’s Purse’s World Medical Mission (WMM) booth representatives, I felt a connection with their ministry and began to pray over the list of countries and mission hospitals provided. Kenya kept coming to mind, but I thought maybe I was just acting out of comfort since I’d been there previously doing medical mission work. Then speaking to a WMM representative by phone, it became clear that God was indeed leading me back to Kenya. In fact my skill set perfectly matched an urgent need for a provider at Kapsowar Mission Hospital in Kenya. What a relief to know that the desires of my heart were ones planted by God to be affirmed in that sweet moment!
God encouraged and gave me freedom (scary freedom) to resign from my full-time paying job here in Houston. In a flurry of ‘ending well’ at a clinic I loved and packing, I was on my way with the support of many friends to work in Kapsowar for several months. From October 2019 to January of 2020, I worked alongside some of the hardest working, compassionate, and grit-filled colleagues I’ve ever had. As a volunteer fill-in hospitalist, God graciously loved me through many insecurities, fears, and feelings of incompetency in such a different environment. He further opened my eyes to the tremendous needs in this under-resourced setting. He opened my heart to the beautiful, cheerful, and chai-loving nationals. He opened my spirit with a desire to relieve the burdens of long-term missionaries.
When I left for Africa, I had no idea what was on the other side of that trip. It was my private sacrifice, my tithe, to God. I was trusting Him with the next-step answer. Yet truthfully, reentry to the US was harder that I thought, especially without a clear path ahead. I felt I didn’t ‘fit’ the same anymore, both in spirit and in geography. As I continued to wrestle with the discomfort and in-between, there was a soft but continued impression to return to Kenya long-term.
Now eight months after landing back on US tarmac, I’m about to depart that same tarmac to return to Kapsowar Mission Hospital. This time, I’ll be there for two years. Yes; all the same short-term fears, insecurities, and uncertainties remain. However, the long-term knowledge of my Father’s faithfulness, provision, and goodness make it possible to cover those thoughts with peace and surrender. The same work He began in me, and in this tiny rural piece of Kenya, He will carry out until completion.
M3 is honored to be a part of Joy’s journey. CLICK HERE to learn more about what Joy is doing and support her next step into long-term missions.
Like Joy, many of you may be asking God what He is calling you to do. We invite you to join us at the 2021 M3 Conference on February 19-20 where you can connect with others, be inspired, and find your mission. REGISTER TODAY and use code M3MISSIONS2021 for an additional $5 off the early bird rate.