stories from baja (med) spring break 2023
march 29, 2023
baja (med) team members care for a patient
we had a very successful trip with the lipscomb bajamed team from march 9 - 18, 2023. our team of 30 included medical providers, a pharmacist, support staff, pre-professional undergraduate students, nursing students, and graduate students in pharmacy. throughout the week, we were able to provide medical, dental and vision care for 542 patients. we spent the weekend serving in diaz ordaz and also set up mobile clinics at the maneadero and colonia 89 churches during the week. baja missions currently has 3 permanent medical clinics in guadalupe valley, el zorillo and papalote.
there are too many stories to share, but here a few below from some of our students, interpreters and providers:
on tuesday afternoon, my rotation was in the kids’ area, and i got to play basketball with a couple of the little boys in maneadero where we were holding clinic for the day. these boys didn’t speak english, and i knew very little spanish when it came to basketball – aside from maybe “team,” “game,” “here,” and “ball.” yet, despite the language barrier, we were able to play as teams and just have a good time. it was a high for me because, while i do love playing basketball, it was more than just a game. it was an example to me of how we don’t need to speak the same language to work together, serve one another, and have a great time. it wasn’t medical, but it was just as important because it was another way to pour into those we came to serve and i know that i for one got to enjoy doing that :) -samantha
it’s hard to put into words the emotions and experiences from this trip, but it was truly the best week of my life. the lord’s presence was so evident during our time in baja. the unity our team had and the love we were able to pour out to others was miraculous. my favorite part of the trip was seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces every day. we played soccer and basketball, colored, and talked about jesus. although there was a language barrier, it did not stop the love and friendships that i was able to create. the way we were able to connect and worship the same god even though we spoke different languages was so powerful. -abbey
what i appreciated the most about the trip was to be able to use the knowledge i gained over the last 8 years of education to teach patients about their disease states and their acute infections. i remember particularly a patient that was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. this was a new diagnosis for him and he and his caregiver were unable to understand completely what the provider had translated to them. they were to start a new heart medication and follow-up. i was able to explain the instructions for the new medicines and the disease state. this gave me hope that the patient would be able to get treated appropriately and i felt like i was able to make a positive impact in his healthcare. -edgar
we had a patient that i prayed for (in spanish), and afterwards he said he’s tried everything for his pain: dr, chiro, pt, and meds … and that that prayer helped more than anything else did.
i prayed for an older man and as i was praying he would interrupt me with his requests – “oraciones para mi trabajo” (prayers for my job) …”encontrar una mujer” (that he would find/meet a woman) haha
a man came in carrying heavy emotional burdens in addition to his sickness and red burning eyes… he said someone invited him today to the church (where the clinic was held) and i reinforced to him that he has a support system and family in christ here. (i barely made it through that prayer at the end, i got choked up) -lindsay
i love to share specific stories from our trips to give a taste of what it’s like to be there. on our first day of clinic in diaz ordaz, i took care of a gentleman named victorino. he had a stroke about 6 months ago and decreased function of his right arm leading to stiffening from under use. he still has some strength in it that i was confident we could recover more. previously, we’ve had physical therapists on the trip, but didn’t have any this year. with the lord’s prompting, i remembered that one of our team members had spent significant time rehabbing his shoulder recently. as i went to get him to help, our translator told him i had gone to get the physical therapy student with us. when i came back with my 12 year old son, andrew, the patient was caught off guard. andrew proceeded to teach victorino several exercises to help regain function and range of motion. with my father’s recent stroke and andrew’s recent broken arm, my heart was clearly soft for my new friend. victorinio left excited to have a plan for improvement, and i was left with a god moment i’ll never forget.
on monday in zorrillo, a portion of our team accompanied the local preacher, franco, visiting homes within the community providing medical care and food for the families. one of the families had recently moved into an abandoned house near the church after the recent death of their husband/father/grandfather. upon arrival, they were studying scripture and were in the process of making their decision to become christians. during the visit, our group sang and prayed for them. as is often the case, our team left more blessed as they read romans 5:8 over our team: “but god demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, christ died for us.”
in january, i got an email from edgar valverde penaloza that he had joined our team. edgar is from mexico and came to the us when he was 6 years old via daca or the dreamer’s act. edgar eventually graduated from lipscomb’s pharmacy school and now works in florida as a clinical pharmacist. this was edgar’s first trip back to mexico since leaving with his mother at the age of 6. his excitement to be back in mexico and serve the people in baja was palpable. edgar was a great asset to our team with his fluent spanish and knowledge of each medication being distributed. while god uses those we are serving in baja to teach us, sometimes he teaches us through relationships and stories within our own team. each year we are truly blessed by the teams that the lord brings together. – james
what a humbling experience to be a part of the global church family and the hands & feet of jesus!
not a trip
category: student life
tags: missions, lipscomb missions, baja missions, spring break, medical mission