Sitting within the luxury of their beautiful home on a secluded road just south of Gilbertown, Doug and LaShane Calvin speak passionately about a place thousands of miles away. They tell of a people and a way of life radically different from their own. With strong emotions, they talk about a week in Central America that changed their lives forever.
After graduating from Auburn University’s pharmacy school, the Calvins, both 33, moved to Gilbertown in 1996 and established D & L Pharmacy. The couple sought out Toxey Baptist Church in Choctaw Association as their church home.
The Calvins share a mutual love for Christ that is evident in their lives. The couple readily shares the gospel with customers in their pharmacy.
“Hardly a week goes by,” said LaShane, “when Doug doesn’t take someone into the back of the store and talk to them about Christ. Many times, people come into a pharmacy when they are at their lowest. They need more than just medication to help them.”
In addition to their service to Christ through their pharmacy, the Calvins also share a heart for international missions.
In February 1999, their interest in missions was fueled when they encountered evangelist Benny Jackson. They learned that the Benny Jackson Evangelistic Association was providing vital ministries to the needy people of El Salvador.
Although the Calvins had talked many times about the possibility of missions work in their future, they were unprepared when the invitation came from Benny Jackson’s organization.
“They told us they needed two pharmacists to go to El Salvador in January,” Doug recalled. “But we told them it was impossible.”
Because January is peak season for the pharmacy business, they felt it would be impossible to close the store at that time.
In addition, the couple, already the parents of a five-year-old son, were expecting the birth of twins in March. The babies would be only nine months old when the trip took place.
“We were concerned about leaving the babies,” LaShane stated. “I was still pregnant and wouldn’t even consider planning the trip.”
“But we were still praying about it,” Doug said. “And one day I called them and they were still looking for two pharmacists.”
In October of that year, the couple attended a World Medical Missions Conference led by Franklin Graham’s ministry, Samaritan’s Purse. The stories the doctors told about their missions experiences led the Calvins closer to committing to the trip. But there were still problems to overcome.
One by one, they began to fall away. Doug arranged for other pharmacists to fill in while they were away. Their dilemma about leaving the children was solved by helpful grandparents.
The Calvins, along with 26 others, made the trip to El Salvador Jan. 22 of this year. Team members included nurses, doctors and other support personnel in addition to the two pharmacists. Each team member helped to supply equipment and medicines with the Calvins providing some of the nonprescription medicines such as pain-relievers, antacids and vitamins.
Upon arriving in El Salvador, the Calvins were immediately struck by the poverty of the people.
“If you tried to tell the average American what it is like down there,” Doug explained, “they would not be able to comprehend it.”
The Calvins described the primitive huts, unpaved streets, lack of running water, absence of adequate sewer systems, poverty and the day-to-day survival of a country ravaged by civil war.
“We noticed that parents often went without food so their children could eat,” LaShane said.
“First we met their physical needs,” Doug explained, “because that opens their hearts to the gospel. “We would see anything from athlete’s foot to headaches,” he continued, “conditions that seem trivial to us, because we just go to the store and pick up something for it. But they do not have the resources to buy even a pain reliever.”
Not only were the people treated medically, but spiritually as well. Bible schools were held for the children at each clinic. Volunteers taught more than 400 children during the week. Personal evangelism teams handed out more than 5,000 gospel tracts and more than 500 Bibles. A construction team provided much-needed assistance, using their own resources and equipment to help in the construction of local church buildings. Evangelistic crusades were held nightly at six different locations. Team members also conducted assemblies in two of the local schools. At the week’s end, more than 750 El Salvadoran people had made professions of faith. Forty others had made public recommitment to their faith.
The missionary team worked hand-in-hand with local ministers to support their efforts to evangelize their area. But, the Calvins admit, discipling the new converts provides a greater challenge.
“The people there are so open to the gospel,” said Doug, “because they have nothing — no money and seemingly no future, no hope. They were open to our message because we offered them that hope.”
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