Throughout year individuals from all across America join together with Church Mission Networks to travel over 8,000 miles to Eastern Africa. But why?
In a previous blog, we shared why CMN is drawn specifically to Eastern Africa, but today we want to share with you what exactly it is we do over while over there. We take a variety of trips during the year with the majority of those being medical trips. However, other types of trips include construction, micro-business training, and pastor training.
Medical Trips
Our medical trips require a variety of skill sets. From doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to children’s workers and general workers, there is a place for everyone on these teams. So, what exatly happens on a medical trip? Each day, a clinic is set up in a different location. We travel to villages where medical care is not easily available and for many of our patients, this is their first encounter with a doctor. In the clinic, we set up 4 stations. It begins with triage, workers in this area do not require any medical experience. Patients then see a doctor. This is the only station where medical experience is required. American nurses, pediatricians, doctors, PAs, and surgeons (whatever your specialty is in) will all see patients here. As patients wait on their prescriptions to be filled they will hear from the pastors. Our local Kenyan CMN pastors share the Gospel and will follow up with all the new believers after the clinic. The final station is the pharmacy. While we certainly need pharmacist for this one, we also have non-medical volunteers who help pull the medicines for each prescription. During medical clinics, we also have a childrens team who goes to local schools to minister to hundreds of children from 4 – 21. On that team we have volunteers who lead recreation, bible stories, and crafts. We believe that God places unique gifts in each individual and we want to use those gifts to serve Him.
Construction Trips
Many of these trips take place at the same time as the medical tream. On these trips, team members will join a group of local church members in building the structure of a church planted by a previous medical clinic. A team will typically build a church a day on these trips. At the end of each construction day, the team members will be able to join in celebration with the local church as they pray and bless all that God will do in that church in the years to come.
Micro-Business Training
Through the partnership of Project Dare to Dream and Sewing For the Nations, this trip aims to teach widows and pastors’ wives how to start their own sewing businesses. The ladies first learn about how to own and operate their own businesses from Bob de Groot of Project Dare to Dream. The team then comes and spends a week teaching the ladies how to sew. The widows come away with a knowlegde of sewing, extra patterns, and plenty of fabric but more importantly they come alway feeling loved and with the hope of the Lord.
Pastor Training
Over the course of ten years Church Missions Network has planted 303 churches. Every church’s pastor is trained in one of our CMN seminaries to ensure that they have a strong Biblical foundation. Teachings go on throughout the year, however special courses are taught by American pastors during intensive week studies. These trips not only provide a solid foundation of Biblical knowledge for new CMN pastors but also provides a time for American pastors to invest, encourage, and love on their African brothers.
