Malaria is disease of the blood that is spread through infected mosquitos
Though Malaria was eliminated from the United States in the early 1950’s, it still can affect half of the world’s population. 3.2 billion people live in areas at risk of transmission in 106 countries and territories. Because it is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, one of the top killers of children, and keeps livelihoods and communities from thriving, we want to tackle it head-on by sharing researched facts about this illness and explain what YOU can do to help!
What is Malaria?
“Malaria is a disease of the blood that is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which can be transmitted from person to person by a particular type of mosquito.” To read a detailed description about transmission, go here.
What are the symptoms:
Chills, fever, and sweating, usually occurring a few weeks after being bitten.
Pain areas:in the abdomen or muscles
Whole body:chills, fatigue, fever, night sweats, shivering, or sweating
Gastrointestinal:diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
Also common:fast heart rate, headache, mental confusion, or pallor
It’s important for someone who has contracted this disease to receive treatment within 24 hours, though that is not always doable.
Here are a few economical reasons we should be fighting against Malaria:
Malaria-free countries have 5x greater economic growth than countries with malaria.
A 10% decrease has been associated with a .3% rise in GDP.3
Every $1 invested in malaria control in Africa returns $40 in economic growth, contributing to Africa’s prosperity and its prospects as a trading partner. (Resource)
“About 3.3 million lives have been saved because of international malaria control interventions, the World Health Organization reports, and malaria mortality rates in African children have dropped by about 54 percent. Hopeful statistics like these help validate USAID’s declaration that the war on malaria is the “greatest success story in global health. But there’s still significant work to be done.”
This graphic does a great job covering all you need to know about this deadly illness:
So what can we do?
This is the reason that Mission Partners for Christ exists; to be the church to the world through medical missions. For us, being the church means that providing access to medical treatment that we often take for granted here in the USA is a big part of that. Our hope is that some day, this deadly disease will be completely wiped out. This is an achievable goal, but we need your help to get there.
There is a lot that we can do to win the war against this disease. Things like providing access to medical treatment and professionals, preventatitives like bed nets, and education about how the illness spreads are all important factors to eradicating malaria. These are the things that we provide on our outreach trips.
Mission Partners For Christ provides education in the communities we serve all about prevention, and we provide treatment during our outreaches. This treatment is costly but necessary. If you want to make a difference and help us beat this preventable illness, please volunteering for oone of our trips or consider a donation to our organization to help support our efforts.
Before a medical mission’s trip, you are typically prepared for the work you will be doing, but it’s also important to know what to expect about the overall cultural experience as well.
Here are six things you should know about medical missions:
1. Use your American “privilege” for good.
You will have many opportunities to help those around you in more ways than one. Locals will be able to spot an American from a mile away — we stand out. You are no better than those around you, but being an American has certain assumed wealth. Since people will be taking notice of you, make sure to use your “privilege” for good. Tip generously, leave belongings behind that you don’t need in the States, and support as many local markets as you can.
There’s always someone you can think of who needs a souvenir!
2. Be mindful when you take pictures.
Some places frown on people taking photos. Always ask permission before you assume it’s okay to photograph your surroundings, or especially the people! Also, don’t take advantage of the community by taking pictures and exploiting them.
You are there to serve, not to make yourself look good and “charitable.”
3. Share with the community about the organization you represent.
It’s easy to show up, build a relationship, and then leave. This can make it difficult for future groups to be trusted. Communities appreciate the help, but they watch people come and go and relationships are difficult to build with people they never see again. Plan to show up and go in explaining the organization you are representing.
It’s easier for the people there to build a relationship with the organization as a whole more than it is individual people. Build trust.
4. Try the foods you are offered!
The food will be very different, but it’s important to try at least what you are offered out of respect for those generously providing. So much time and sacrifice is put into the food in third-world countries.
Be gracious and accepting.
5. Listen.
The people will tell you their stories, and through genuinely listening, you’ll be able to better meet their needs. Sometimes there is a language barrier, so make sure there is a reliable translator always available.
Your goal is to listen and respectfully respond to the stories you hear.
6. You can only do what you can do.
Don’t try to be a savior. You are only there to meet a need and plant seeds. Don’t put the pressure on yourself to save everyone. God only calls us to be willing and say “yes” to His call. He has a plan for what happens next. You are reaching out and touching lives.
Give your all but don’t walk away blaming yourself for not fixing all of the world’s problems.
We hope these tips will help you feel better prepared to go into the mission field! Click here for more information about our upcoming trips!
See you in the mission field!
Sheri Postma, RN Founder & CEO Mission Partners for Christ MissionPartnersforChrist.com Facebook.com/MissionPartnersforChrist Twitter.com/mission_partner
A missionary is a person who is tasked with the work of spreading the gospel. They might live in a foreign nation or they might work in their home country. A missionary can be someone who is serving on a short-term missions or someone whose entire career and ministry is built upon being in the mission field.
You will often find missionaries hard at work in the communities they serve in a variety of ways: teaching, giving aid, and helping with community development programs. But their main objective is to always ensure that the gospel of Jesus is taught so that other might know of God’s love for them.
You may have found yourself wondering, “what does the average day in the life of a missionary really look like?” Well, friends, read on and and let’s discover what an average day might look like!
Morning
Many missionaries believe that the best way to start the day is through prayer. So they get up, early in the morning, and fall to their knees before the throne of God. They often do this before breakfast to ensure that they have quality time with the Lord before the busyness of the day sets in.
Next they will eat a nutritious breakfast, often with other missionaries with whom they are serving. The most important meal of the day done, they will then turn their attention to planning out their day. Will it involve evangelism? Manual labor? Something else?
The next part of the missionary’s day depends on what sort of work they do in their community. Many will be off to teach the community’s children. Many will be off to work in health clinics offering life-saving care to others. Many will be meeting with leaders in their community to strategize new plans and developments.
Afternoon
At the mid-point of the day, the missionary will stop to take a break to eat lunch, drink water, and rest. Taking a break is crucial for the missionary. Due to the nature of the work, it would be so easy to burnout or experience fatigue if rest time were not factored into each day’s plan.
This time of rest doesn’t necessarily mean that the missionary is disengaged, however. No, the missionary will use this break time to reflect on how the day is shaping up and what remains to be done before evening falls. Lunchtime is also a great to take a moment to spend time in the Word of God and to pursue personal reflection.
After lunch and rest, the missionary is back to work! They will return to the tasks they didn’t get to finish that morning. In addition to that, they may also prepare and participate in worship services held by the believers in their community. Fellowship with other Christians is one of the most precious parts of the missionary’s day; it refreshes the soul to be able to pray and worship with other children of God and brings them back to why they became a missionary in the first place: everyone should have a chance to worship the Lord!
Finally, if time permits, the missionary may spend time ministering to those in the community who are in need of food, healthcare, or just a kind ear.
No matter what work the missionary’s hands may find to do, they do it for the glory of God and with the hope of getting to introduce others to Christ!
Evening
Finally, the evening arrives and the missionary is ready for dinner with friends and team members. Dinnertime is an excellent moment to find refreshing fellowship with others doing similar work.
Following the evening meal, it is now time to debrief with team members. They will discuss how the day went, whatever issues or challenges showed up, and how to address them. They will also acknowledge the successes of the day and give thanks to God for allowing them to be part of it. The debriefing period will likely be followed by prayer for the rest of their time in that community and for whatever challenges the next day will bring.
Finally, the day comes to a close. The missionary can now retire to their personal space. This is an excellent time for the missionary to spend some private time in prayer and in the Bible, learning whatever The Spirit may want to teach them in that moment.
Finally, the day comes to a close. The missionary can now retire to their personal space. This is an excellent time for the missionary to spend some private time in prayer and in the Bible, learning whatever The Spirit may want to teach them in that moment.
The work of a missionary is not easy, by any means. It takes dedication and a heart for service to be a missionary. But the work that they do, every day and in every country in the world is desperately needed. Missionaries don’t just bring the good news of Jesus to those who may never have heard it before, they also bring hope in the form of education, healthcare, community development, clean water, and so much more.
Are you considering a ministry as a missionary? Consider joining Mission Partners For Christ on one of our short-term medical mission trips. You will get to experience, first-hand, on what it is like to go out into the field to bring the good news of Jesus AND to be part of making their physical lives healthier and happier.
We have two trips coming up, for which you can still apply!
We will be traveling to Burundi this July 14-23, 2023. Registration will be closing soon, so don’t delay!
Later in the year, we will also be travelling to Togo November 4-13, 2023.
We need everybody! Regardless of whether or not you have experience in the medical field, we have a spot for you.
And don’t forget! If you are a dental medical student, you can apply for a scholarship to have $1000 put towards the cost of your first trip with us.
Note: This interview is taken from a video that MPFC founder, Sheri Postma, took during our medical mission trip to Guinea in February 2023. She is speaking with Dr. Kim, who was one of our wonderful volunteers working with our free health clinic.
Sheri Postma: Well, good morning, we are doing this video from the country of Guinea. And we’re really excited. So we want to thank all of you that have been praying for our Medical Outreach. It’s going exceptionally well. What do you think? Then can you introduce yourself?
Dr. Kim: My name is Kim, and I’m one of the providers here. Yesterday at our first clinic, we were able to see 389 people. During that time, we saw a lot of kids with stomach problems, and were able to give them more medicine. We were blessed with interpreters that could help us speak with the people. I feel that everyone left pretty satisfied that we were able to fulfill what they came to accomplish with being at the clinic.
Dr. Kim: We had a beautiful breeze. We had a beautiful setting. We had kids running around excited to see us, and it was just a God filled day. It was a blessing to be there. I love seeing the faces of those kids. They were so excited to see us! They were laughing, and playing, and walking out to the road to greet us. And then– the young boys that were at the school– they were trying to pick up garbage for us and pick up the chairs and move things around, and get them back to the school as we were leaving. They were all very helpful. Even though we couldn’t talk to each other. We could smile and nod and know that we were big that we were a blessing to them. And they were a blessing to us.
Sheri Postma: Wow! So what do you think spend the most impactful thing for you so far we’ve been here?
Dr. Kim: I think the most impactful thing is that, even though this is a Muslim country, there are pastors that are traveling along with us and praying with us; and being with the people and being able to share God’s word, even though we don’t speak the same language. We’ve been in villages now that have spoken to local languages plus French and our English and we’re all getting along beautifully together.
Sheri Postma: That’s wonderful. Well, thanks so much for sharing this morning!
Watch the full Interview:
To join us on a future medical mission trip, check out our volunteer page!
On October 1, 2022. eight Americans traveled to Ethiopia for a Mission Partners For Christ medical mission. They were joined by 3 Ethiopian doctors, a dentist, and a radiologist. On our team, we also had two leaders from Global Hope Network International and three missionaries with Great Commission Ministry Ethiopia(GCME), a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International.
We traveled by plane to Arba Minch where we stayed for the week. At our lodging, we enjoyed the spectacular hilltop setting overlooking the forest of Netch Sar National Park and two lakes in the Rift Valley basin. It was an incredible backdrop for our devotions, prayer time,
and meals. We even enjoyed a coffee ceremony there and worship around the bonfire one
evening. Have you ever eaten Ethiopian food? It was delicious!
We served four and a half days during our time in Ethiopia, with three of the days being up in the mountains. The views were incredible. Unlike any we’ve ever witnessed on a mission trip!
The land was lush and most of the villagers were involved in farming. We enjoyed fresh
cabbage, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
The villagers were very welcoming to our team. On this trip, we saw more adults than children. Some stated their age was 40 but they looked like 60! We treated some severe wounds that brought us to tears. Those with tooth pain had their first-ever dental visit! Fortunately, our local partners are able to follow up on those that needed surgery and additional treatment. The total amount of patients we treated was 1895!
Speaking of follow-up, the Great Commission Missionaries are also following up on the 35 people that accepted Christ during our medical outreach. This month they also have a training for 50 people on evangelism and church planting in one of the villages we served.
Will you pray for revival to come to the areas we served?
Our missionary partners are also going out to surrounding villages and showing the Jesus Film on their tablets. The results have been incredible! God is stirring hearts.
We usually take the team on a tourism outing at the end of the trip. We visited the 40 springs and took a boat ride to see the crocodiles. A highlight of the trip was sharing the gospel with our 2 boat captains and they prayed the sinner’s prayer and accepted Christ!
MPFC was grateful for the opportunity to once again return and serve in Ethiopia in another region. Our missionary partners have a very robust plan for the months ahead. Will you join us in prayer as they initiate prayer movements, training, and evangelism in the villages we served and surrounding communities?
We are so grateful for your prayers and support for this trip.
The adventure of a lifetime often begins with a vision and a decision from the heart covered in prayer. Whether it’s for your community or another region of the world, we often dream of meaningfully impacting the others’ lives.
Mission Partners for Christ grew out of a desire to see our global neighbors potentially know of Christ’s love for them, and be able to live healthy lives through access to free medical care. The then future founder went on her first medical missions trip and encountered enormous need in different regions of the world. Soon Mission Partners for Christ was born.
Where hope and faith have taken us over the years
Each team member who has ever volunteered has been to many places around the world and in their own communities. We have our eyes on the eternal, the future of those we serve, and on the “right now” of each person too. Through partnership with other like-minded organizations, we help make good health possible for people in remote places, places impacted by violence and war, and other serious issues. Every person we serve is special–precious in God’s sight and in ours.
We have been to Liberia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and more. In 2023, we are going to Guinea and Burundi. The adventure of a lifetime has taken us to many places where we at first hoped and prayed to go.
While there are other ways we assist with meeting those needs, such as paying for shipments of supplies or working closely with organizations in other countries to bring solar-powered wells to remote communities, there are set things we offer each time we go on a medical missions trip too. For example, we offer foods that supplement the nutrition of those we serve in the medical clinics or elsewhere. So much more.
How do we get there from here?
Mission Partners for Christ is a 501-c3 nonprofit organization supported greatly in part through donations and volunteers. We could not do this all by ourselves. There is much work to be done. Planning and coordinating 3-5 medical missions trips per year. Growing in relationship with our partners here and around the world. Even more!
Many people like you support us other ways too. Some reach out to us and find out how to organize prayer groups or individually pray for us. Others ask what are some of our greatest needs. We have volunteers in the medical field who give from the heart their time and skills. Some help fundraise for their family members and friends who are going on trips with us. We appreciate everything–we thank you for helping us to “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.” (Romans 12:9-13)
There are other ways to support Mission Partners for Christ
We at Mission Partners for Christ are thankful we can be a part of a medical missions ministry that serves thousands of people in regions of the world where medical care is at times difficult to obtain due to war, violence, access to resources, or other reasons. Through partnership with other ministries and organizations, volunteers, and generous donors like you, we are able to continue serving each year.
When you go to our website’s Donate page, you’ll find there are different giving levels.
One is The Nutritionist. At the $25 per month Nutritionist giving level, we are able to provide chewable vitamins for every child on one of our mission trips. At the Nurse giving level, which is $50 per month, we are able to provide up to 333 treatments for infection on one of our medical mission trips.
The $75 per month Cobbler giving level provides 60 children with their first pair of shoes. The $100 per month Protector giving level provides malaria medication needed to treat malaria on our medical missions trips. One health care professional’s medical missions trip is funded at the Benefactor level of $200 per month,
As always, there are options to give in any other amount you want to give too! Giving is easy. You can give one time or you can give monthly. We are thankful for however you choose to give. Your gift helps us share about Jesus in places that may be unreached, and offer free medical care to those who may lack access to it.
We are thankful
We are thankful now and every day of the year for the ability to do what we do. Your support–in any form that you are able to–is always appreciated.
Whether you one day join us on a medical missions trip, pray for us, give financially, help us partner with other organizations for future trips, help your friend or family member fundraise for their trips–whichever ways you support us–we are grateful.
Thank you!
Would you like to learn more about Mission Partners for Christ? You are welcome to visit and follow our Facebook page, Mission Partners for Christ, and also to go to our website, Mission Partners for Christ, to learn how you can be part of what we are doing in this season.
See you in the mission field!
