Turning heads of Filipinos as they entered villages, the medical missions team from Fort Payne brought help for physical and spiritual needs. For most of the Filipinos it was their first time seeing an American, and the team left quite an impression.
The team consisted of a pediatrician, a pharmacist, a dentist, a nurse, a civil engineer, a housewife and five teens. From June 23 to June 30 they treated 1,196 people, pulled hundreds of teeth and shared the Bible through stories and dramas.
The team came to assist the work of the Nehemiah Team, a group of 17 students from several states staying in the rural areas of northern Mindanao in order to provide health care. The Nehemiah Team is split into four teams in different villages where the medical missions team visited and administered medical care.
The group’s daily routine included traveling to rural villages, setting up medical areas and administering medical care to locals, returning to the city after the last patient was cared for or they ran out of supplies for the day.
The days were long, but the team remained in good spirits as they laughed with the locals. Dentist Anthony Vizzinia and his daughter, Kellie, kept smiles on their faces as they saw 168 people and pulled hundreds of teeth.
Mike Story, who was on his seventh medical missions trip to the Philippines and practices as a pediatrician at Isbell Medical Group in Fort Payne, and Rhea Mackey, a nurse and who is on her third trip to the Philippines, conducted quick checkups for families, some having more than 10 members, and provided medication for cold, fever and pain and antibiotics for more serious illnesses.
The teenagers on the team performed dramas that explained salvation through Jesus Christ in an artistic and modern fashion and captured the attention of all who watched.
Once the mission was complete, the team left remaining supplies and equipment for Filipinos to use. The remaining supplies will help the Nehemiah Team complete their mission for the summer and sustain their efforts in each village.
Team members represented the following churches: First Baptist Church, Fort Payne; Sand Rock Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church, Fort Payne.
(Nehemiah Teams Media)
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