Outreach To Tijuana

Since the COVID pandemic, I had not served in short-term medical missions. When I got word that a dentist was needed, I said yes. I have always believed that when the Lord wants me to go on a mission trip, He makes everything come together.

A few hours after, I said yes to the trip, I experienced a very difficult personal challenge. It was enough to discourage me. At some point, I could not see how I could make it to Mexico. Just then I received an email from the team coordinator. It read:

“As we get closer to the outreach, some of you may be having personal challenges. I just want to encourage you that God hasn’t taken you this far to not complete the work. The devil would like nothing more than to steal your joy and create anxiety so you lose sight of the goals- both cooperatively and personally. This trip is not about ourselves, our plans, our wants or our goals, it is about the Lord’s.  Please don’t let the devil or your flesh make it about anything else.

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 – “I am strong and courageous; I am not afraid or discouraged because the Lord my God is with me to help me fight my battles.”

It was not about me I reckoned. I gave the plans for the trip to God. He proved Himself faithful in getting me there.

I had been told that we would be serving refugees on the other side of the US border with Mexico. Nothing prepared me for the heartbreaking conditions I witnessed. I had prepared for mostly extractions as other trips. When I started seeing the families that needed dental care, I realized that pediatric dental intervention was an urgent need. I knew immediately that I needed to pray for a dental team that would visit the center and perform preventative and restorative dental services.

I was burdened when left Mexico.

I have started reaching out to my friends to gather resources to help the families when he calls them by his Spirit, furnishes them with grace and gifts for the work, and makes a way for them to be employed

But the labourers are few: Gospel ministers; whose calling is a laborious one; whose business is to labour in the word and doctrine; to be constant in prayer; to give up themselves to meditation and reading; to study to show themselves workmen; to preach the word in season, and out of season; and diligently discharge the several duties of their office, to the glory of Christ, and the good of souls: but such painful and laborious ministers, who are willing to spend, and be spent for Christ and immortal souls, have been but few in all ages; generally speaking, there are more loiterers than labourers.

His heart being drawn out, and filled with pity to these poor people, upon observing the miserable and sad condition they were in; he turns himself to his disciples, whom he was about to call, and send forth in a more public manner to preach the Gospel, of which we read in the following chapter; and in order to quicken them to this service, and engage their hearts in it, says unto them,

I am hoping to raise funds and return to TJ with another team of dentists that can serve in that facility once a month.

I have decided to dedicate proceeds from sale of our book – Emptied Cup ( 1000 copies) to support monthly outreaches to the camp.