Kingdom Impact - El Salvador Missions Trip
Our health clinic, under Sammy Bockoven Tamminga’s leadershipand with Ximena Holle’s support, 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 ofmedical 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 tofollow Jesus for the first time
· 17 people recommittedtheir lives to Jesus
Here is a sample of stories of how God met people in real,tangible ways:
· On Wednesday, La ViñaSoyapango hosted our team for a church service, and then made pupusasafterward. It wasn’t just hospitality, it was family. It was a beautiful reminder that the global Church is deeply connected.
· We met a high schoolstudent who had been kicked out of school for failing all of her classes. Asthe 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 withthat, a real opportunity to return to school and succeed.
· We were able to give aglucometer to a patient who previously had to walk to a clinic three times aweek 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 sickand 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 meantreally long days that started at 4:00am.