The other day, I was talking with a very nice lady at Starbucks who had been sent from the Sunday school, and youth group to bring back all the tea frappachinos, lattes and passion tea drinks to make a "Starbucks Run". While we were waiting, we were talking about her Sunday School, and the youth group and how they raise money for their efforts. I stated that car wash fundraisers work very well, and that I had an e-book written on the subject, and would be glad to e-mail to her.
She said; "that would be really great because our Church is planning another mission to Costa Rica or Honduras, it will be a medical mission, to the indigenous poor people to help."
When they called me a story that her church in Honduras was told when an overthrow of the Government, they actually President in a military coup. She did not know what to do, and the group could not return home for two weeks, and a State Department official helped them get out of the country. They decided to do their medical mission in Costa Rica working with some of the other churches, and another group who asked to leave and their mission either couldn't finish.
It is a good thing she had a backup plan, but more importantly she had strong adaptability, and they improvised as they went. With a route description and a mission with a list of things to do may not always work out as planned. In fact, explain most of the people I've talked to medical missions going abroad some of the hardships that they encounter. Roads washed out, civil unrest, criminal gangs, parasites in the water, disease, and all sorts of other disasters.
Many of these things you might not consider great deals, but when you are in the middle of it, you adapt or die. It is therefore a strong leader in charge of the medical mission very pertinent. If you are thinking about to go on a medical mission, and you don't have a lot of experience traveling to third world countries, I suggest that you leaders who have done it before, have stories to tell, and crisis have transformed into creation on the fly. Your experience and comments about these trips will give you memories for a lifetime, and a lot of great stories to tell your children and grandchildren.
Indeed I hope you will consider this and if you are thinking about to go on a medical mission to Africa, or perhaps Central America, why not send me an email and share your concerns, comments and questions. I am also very interested in case studies. Thinking about it.
Lance Winslow is a retired founder of a nationwide chain of the Franchise, and now the Online Think Tankis running. Lance Winslow believes 23,900 writing articles by 4 July 2011 is going to be difficult, because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now ...
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