I want to
thank the congregation for allowing me to go on the Jamaican Christian Medical
Mission (JCMM) this April, especially
the Diaconate, which paid half my airfare. This trip the mission had three
clinics: medial, eye, and dental. All three provide quality medical care at no
charge to the people who live near Carron Hall, St. Mary, Jamaica. All three
clinics worked at full capacity—over one hundred patients—each of the 4 days of
the clinic. This was my third trip and my third time working the clinic
pharmacy (a storage room in the church). Four days of nonstop pill counting!
Although our usual pharmacy crew was unable to make the trip, we had an
excellent team, including the 10-year-old daughter of one of doctors. Joci took
on any job we gave her, including counting vitamins and making labels, and
lifted our spirits with her youthful energy. Although I was “stuck” in the
pharmacy during the clinic, I did receive reports that our dental and eye
clinics were especially successful this trip.
Even though
the JCMM is a relatively small mission trip, it is still a complex and
expensive operation. We were blessed repeatedly with on-time flights, a quick
trip through customs, and relatively little holiday traffic on the bus ride up
the mountain. As always, the host church, Carron Hall United Church, did a
magnificent job of providing us with housing and food. Especially the food,
with all the wonderful Jamaican variations on chicken—jerked, barbecued,
curried! Inevitably, there were also some problems. The Jamaican government did
not approve the qualifications of our audiology team, and we were unable to
have a hearing clinic this trip. The medical clinic was understaffed and there
were personality conflicts that soured the trip for some mission members.
Finally, on our rest and recreation day in Montego Bay, some of team members
acquired truly remarkable sunburns!
For
whatever reasons, for many of us on mission, this trip was a time for
reflection on changes we have seen in Jamaica, on changes in the medical needs
of the population we serve, and on the purpose and future of the JCMM. Jamaica
seems more prosperous in some ways, but poorer in others. I am not an expert on
Jamaica, but some changes are obvious, most notably the increased number of
cars driving the pot holed roads around Carron Hall and common use of cell
phones. Crime and fear of crime seems to be greater. All windows on the church
and houses have steel bars, everything is carefully padlocked, and the Carron
Hall High School is under 24-hour guard. Carron Hall used to be a center for
growing bananas for export, but the industry has collapsed due to low prices
and hurricane damage, apparently permanently. Jamaica just proudly celebrated
the 50th anniversary of independence from Great Britain, but a
crushing national debt to the International Monetary Fund and pervasive government
corruption and incompetence clouds the future.
Turning to
health issues, social change has had good and bad consequences. Jamaica has
been experimenting with a national health system and many folks from Carron
Hall get basic medical care from a government clinic in nearby Highgate town. High
blood pressure and high blood sugar are the most common chronic serious health
problems for Jamaicans. Most of the people we see at the clinic are already
receiving prescription medications for these conditions. However, locals report
that the number of people seeking services overwhelms the government clinic and
the clinic frequently runs out of free medications. Patients do receive a
pharmacy discount card, but often have difficulty affording co-payments.
Jamaica also has public hospitals that provide free care, but the doctors in
the government health system were on strike during our visit.
Our medical
staff reported that compared to earlier clinics, the Jamaicans seem more aware
of the need to get regular health care. However, the increased availability of
cars for transit has had a major negative consequence. When we started the
clinic more than ten years ago, the Jamaicans at Carron Hall walked everywhere.
Now they hitch a ride everywhere, especially the young people. The consequence
of this lack of exercise has been more high blood pressure and high blood sugar
at younger and younger ages. At the same time, the Jamaican diet remains very
high in salt. On the dental side, the habit of chewing sugar cane and the
failure to brush teeth regularly still leads to widespread bad dental health.
On the vision side, Jamaicans have a high level of cataracts and glaucoma, but
little macular degeneration. Cataract surgery is still not available to the
population we serve at the clinic.
Before the
trip, I was talking about the mission with someone who went on one of the
earlier trips and who continues to support the mission. He stated that the
problem with JCMM is that it is “too much medical and not enough Christian.” I
think there is some truth to that comment. On the plus side, Pastor Loren
Boettcher and I said grace before each meal and presented a Bible reading and devotional
each morning after breakfast. In the pharmacy, we had a new helper, William, on
the staff of Teen Challenge International of Mid America. William took the
prescriptions out to the patients and after he gave them the medication
instructions, he offered to pray with them. On Sunday, we attended church at
Carron Hall United Church. The new pastor, Carlene Walford, seems to be making
a difference in the church. The church has been spruced up and the atmosphere
at the church is very positive. The three-hour long service included a tree
planting for environmental awareness, Holy Communion, traditional hymns, and a
praise team. Jeremy, another Teen Challenge staff member, gave the children's
sermon. I delivered the sermon. That morning, as I was going over sermon one
last time in my head (no notes!), William came over and asked if he could pray
with me for a Holy Spirit filled message. What a blessing!
On the
negative, I do feel that the Christian spirit of the mission has progressively weakened
over the three times I have participated. Fewer pastors are going on the
mission than in prior years. Some passionately Christian non-medical volunteers
who were on the prior two missions I attended were unable to go on mission this
time. They were sorely missed. Without them, the trip seemed even more “medical”
and even less “Christian.” Although things went well in the dental and eye
clinic, in the medical clinic, the “salt” Jesus spoke of seemed in short supply
this trip:
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Mark 9:50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how
can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with
each other.”
JCMM needs
to continue its good work. Carron Hall continues to be medically underserved.
We provide a needed addition to local sources of health care, especially in
dental and vision, which the Jamaican national health program does not provide.
The relationships we have established with the folks at Carron Hall are life
changing, for both the Jamaicans and the team. Personally, my preaching at
Carron Hall is one of the high points of my year. And the food is so good and
Jamaica is so beautiful!
However,
the mission is at a turning point. It does need to become more Christian, if
not less medical. The work of fund raising and planning the mission has been
borne by a core of volunteers that is shrinking rather than growing. Some of
those who have led the mission in the past are approaching burnout. JCMM needs more
volunteers willing to be active in planning and fundraising, and needs an
infusion of fresh ideas on how to make the mission more effective and harmonious.
I have always felt that JCMM is an ideal mission opportunity for members of
smaller churches that cannot sponsor their own overseas missions. We need to
broaden church support of the mission beyond Evangelical and Emmanuel. We need
to creatively expand our relationship with the United Church in Jamaica and
look for ways to collaborate with Jamaican medical personnel to provide follow-up
care after our visits. These kinds of partnerships might even enable us to
bring a cataract surgeon on the mission!
I appeal to
everyone reading this to take a more active role in the JCMM. You do not have
to go to Jamaica to get involved in recruitment, fund raising, and planning.
Please spread the word that JCMM needs more medical and non-medical volunteers.
Please pray that the members of the mission team might receive a fresh
anointing of the Holy Spirit that they may approach the challenges facing the
mission with creativity, power, and love. The JCMM is one of the many ways we
can thank God for all he has given us through serving our neighbors. We need to
share the time, talents, and love that God has given us. After talking about
salt, in the quote given above, Jesus said something even more famous about
light:
Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on
a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may
see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Don't hide your light under a bushel! AMEN!
Pastor Dan
