Kingdom Impact - El Salvador Missions Trip
Our health clinic, under Sammy Bockoven Tamminga’s leadership and with Kristy Polley as co-lead, completed its second medical mission trip to El Salvador last month. True to who He is, God showed up in powerful ways.
Here are some key facts about the trip:
- 19 team members with every campus represented
- 5 clinic locations (in partnership with CEDEINFA)
- 21 suitcases full of medical equipment and vision supplies
- 526 medical patients served
- 596 vision patients served(including 240 full eye exams, 146 prescription glasses, 259 reading glasses, and 48 referrals for cataract surgery)
And the best part:
- 41 people committed to follow Jesus for the first time
- 17 people recommitted their lives to Jesus
Here is a sample of stories of how God met people in real, tangible ways:
- On Wednesday, La Viña Soyapango hosted our team for a church service, and then made pupusas afterward. It wasn’t just hospitality, it was family. It was a beautiful reminder that the global Church is deeply connected.
- We met a high school student who had been kicked out of school for failing all of her classes. As the team spent time with her, they realized the issue wasn’t a lack of effortor ability; she simply couldn’t see. She’ll now be receiving glasses, and with that, a real opportunity to return to school and succeed.
- We were able to give a glucometer to a patient who previously had to walk to a clinic three times a week just to check her blood sugar. Something so small for us completely changed her day-to-day life.
- One woman came in wearing shoes so small they were cutting off circulation and causing significant swelling in her feet. The team gave money to a local pastor, who was able toget her a properly fitting pair of shoes which brought both relief and dignity.
We hold Matthew 25:35–36 dear, part of which reads, “I was sick and you looked after me.” And that’s exactly what they did. They showed up with faithfulness, compassion, and a willingness to serve - even when it meant really long days that started at 4:00am.