Patients, patience and prayer

The University encourages and motivates each person to seek more and expect more of themselves and the world. From the classroom to the furthest field, students and faculty alike put the whole of their hearts and passion into opportunities to be examples of love and service. With medical mission opportunities in Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Thailand and Zambia, Center for Health Sciences prepares students to use their knowledge and training in health-related fields to take the light of the gospel into all the world.

Alyssa Rose, B.S.N., 2018 alumna I have been on a mission trip to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, with the Carr College of Nursing three times. Throughout our week we visit several different villages setting up clinics in churches and even making house calls to those who were not able to come to us at the clinic. During our clinic times we provided basic first aid and medications, performed head to toe assessments, educated about lifestyle and diet modifications, and referred patients to clinics and hospitals if needed.

Harding’s nursing program not only prepared me for the nursing aspect of this trip but the spiritual aspect, as well. One of my favorite parts of clinic days was being able to pray with a patient, which also is something I ask each of my patients when I am at clinical here in the states. It gave us an opportunity to show God’s love and to praise God together even though we did not speak the same language or come from the same culture.

The times in the clinics allowed us to build relationships with those preachers, church members and village people. They taught us about their culture and their way of life, so when we came into their culture we were very respectful and considerate.

Haiti is a place where I have grown spiritually and in nursing. It has impacted my life and changed me more than I could have ever imagined. I would highly encourage everyone to go on a mission trip at some point in their life.

Paul Anzalone, D.P.T., 2017 alumnus I had the opportunity of traveling to Zambia with my physical therapy class in December 2016. Like most things in life, not every moment was glamorous or glorious, but it was an experience that I would never trade.

While there, I had the opportunity to see people from all over the region in a clinic near the mission. The wide range of needs was almost overwhelming. We saw so many patients, many of which traveled long distances. The patient issues included neurological disorders, musculoskeletal disorders and birth defects. Many of the dysfunctions we came across were things we had never seen before and may never see again in our professional careers. This made the trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The trip also placed me out of my comfort zone, which in my opinion is something that’s good for all of us. When we came across a difficult case with a patient, responding with, “I’m sorry we can’t help you,” (after they walked many kilometers and waited many hours in line) just did not seem like a good option. We had to really use our critical thinking skills. Thankfully, we all got to work in teams of three which included another classmate and a local translator.

We saw patients for three days in clinic and not every moment was perfect or comfortable, but there were so many moments that were priceless. People who were hurting for years were able to experience relief of physical pain and were so grateful. Even if they only experienced a little relief I remember the local people being extremely thankful and appreciative. Due to time, we could only see each patient for about 20 minutes after many of them would wait five or six hours. The local people would still be so kind and happy for anything we could give them.

Despite the brief time spent in Zambia, I know I will forever be changed. Gaining perspective is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the impact Zambia had on me. It would be selfish of me to think the lone mission was for us to go help the people of Zambia. The people of Zambia have many qualities I would like to emulate in my own life. I feel like many patients in Zambia were helped by our care, knowledge and manual therapy skills; however, I believe they helped themselves and us more by embracing a culture of gratitude, joy and faith.

If you are in need of perspective, culture change or simply a heart change, I would strongly recommend you consider spending time on a medical mission.