Mixing of Career and Missions Brings Joy to College Student

I’ve gone on a few mission trips with Stones Crossing Church through the years.

I traveled to Haiti and Las Vegas while in high school and most recently to El Salvador. In 2018, when I went to Haiti, I fell in love with the medical field. I saw the way that a returning doctor on that trip was able to connect with locals in the village. That’s when I realized that nursing was exactly what I wanted to do, both as a ministry and a career, simply because I can spend my days caring for patients in need.

I’ve always looked at missions as a future dream I wanted to chase. The giants of my faith at Stones Crossing consistently serve in cultures and places that I wanted to know and love too.

I wanted that, not just for myself, but for the joy of serving with them in El Salvador.

Pursuing the opportunity to serve

As I started to pursue nursing school, going on the Stones Crossing El Salvador trip was a milestone goal. I am getting my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and minors in Spanish and Bible from Cedarville University. I knew that one day I wanted to utilize the degrees I am pursuing to serve with the people of Stones who feel like my family and whom I’ve looked up to throughout my life. I wanted to learn from them and the way they are leveraging their vocations.

With graduation ahead of me this May, this seemed like the right year to consider the trip. Praying through the decision with my parents only brought more confirmation, and I started talking with my professors about what it would look like to miss a week of spring semester of my senior year. They were supportive of me going on the trip, but I had a lot of work to do to prepare. I only made it through the preparations by the grace of God and with the prayers of others.

Partnership with El Slavador
 
Stones’ annual trip to El Salvador is a medical outreach and so much more. Members of Stones Crossing have been connected to Iglesia La Familia de la Fe in Santa Ana, El Salvador since before I was born. The church leverages its relationship with Stones’ medical team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and non-medical volunteers to serve pastors of rural El Salvadoran churches. Every member of the teams from Stones Crossing and Familia de la Fe portrays Jesus so well in their use of their vocation, knowledge, and skills.

Most of El Salvador is Catholic, but with variations of traditionalism and ancient Mayan influences. Many El Salvadorians believe that only other Catholics can pray with or for them. But because we bring medications and medical advice, the people allow us to pray with them and to form connections for them with their local (evangelical) church. I cannot express the level of confirmation this was for me in choosing nursing and looking towards this career.

Serving at the clinics

As a nursing student with some background in Spanish, I had many opportunities to learn and to serve throughout the week. I got to observe patients interact with other nurses, provide consultations, translate, help in the pharmacy, and pray with patients and families, all while building friendships with members of Iglesia La Familia de la Fe.

Our clinics provided medical and dental care, children’s programming, and a pharmacy. We saw between 200 and 250 patients every day, providing what care we could, but also getting to have conversations with patients. At Cedarville, we learn about health and faith and the ways nurses can show Jesus in such a unique way, but in El Salvador, I saw it in action. The nurses on our team make a point of health education that glorifies Christ—health and stress are universal, but so is our Maker. The hardest part of communicating with the families we met stemmed from the language barrier. There was so much on my heart that I wanted to say to patients, but everything was in English. The church in Santa Ana wrapped around our team and this outreach so well; every time I ran out of ways to tell a patient just how much Jesus loved him or her, they made themselves available to meet the people of El Salvador where they were at and tell them the gospel and pray with them with compassion and joy.

Encouragement and support are important

I was so encouraged by the people around me who supported me. My friends, family, chuch, and professors prayed and celebrated with me and gave financial support. I think every Christian has the ability to have a similar influence on the people in their sphere. More than that, I think we all can have that influence on people outside of our sphere.

I believe that any vocation or setting can be leveraged to show others who Jesus is, but I understand that serving overseas isn’t attainable or realistic for everyone. I would strongly encourage everyone at Stones to seek to serve people outside your daily routines. And if you can’t go, support others who can in prayer, encouragement, and with finances.

There is something shocking and comforting about seeing the gospel transcend culture and location. The church in El Salvador prays to the same God as I do, and even when I run out of vocabulary or grammar (in English or Spanish), God hears and understands my prayers, my heart, and the people around me. Pain and hurt are universal, but so is our God!

What a wonderful opportunity it was to travel on this mission trip, to grow in my faith in telling others about Jesus, and connect with others in their most evident and vulnerable needs. As I prepare to begin my nursing career, I count it a privilege to have been a part of this El Salvador experience.

Addie Weinberg grew up attending Stones Crossing Church and worked on staff for two years as a student ministry intern. She is a senior nursing student at Cedarville University.
 
To learn more about missions at Stones Crossing Church, visit stonescrossing.com/missions.