| Location |
Baraoas, La Union |
Lubnac, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur |
City Market, Baguio City |
Dasol, Pangasinan |
Totals |
| Host |
Baraoas Baptist Church / One Hope Ministry |
Lugarba Baptist Christian Fellowship / One Hope Ministry |
Beacons of Christ / Baguio Mission Church |
God’s Santuary of Praise / Baguio School of Missions |
|
| Date |
April 13 |
April 14 |
April 16 |
April 17 |
|
| Medical patients |
245 |
310 |
75 |
249 |
879 |
| Dental patients |
41 |
66 |
16 |
70 |
193 |
| Surgery patients |
44 |
73 |
40 |
42 |
199 |
| Prayed to Receive Christ |
244 |
287 |
32 |
224 |
787 |
| Home Bible Study |
138 |
141 |
10126 |
415 |
|
| # of Patients |
317 |
423 |
131 |
332 |
1203 |
Earlier this year, we were contacted by Dr. Flint Miller. Dr. Miller, and his wife Debra, are missionaries serving as professors at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. A team from their home church, First Baptist Church of Woodway (Texas), were hoping to come to the Philippines to do medical work led by their Missions Pastor, Matt Sprink. After a fair amount of 3-way conversation between us, the Millers, and Pastor Matt, it was determined that we would do several medium size mission points in the Western Ilocos Region. We had considered distant points like Camarines Sur or Apayao, and had consider a very close point, La Trinidad. In the end, we wanted the team to be centered closer to the Millers’ ministry area, but still allowing them to experience a variety of communities.
The sites varied from each other in a number of ways.
1. Medical Mission Building. In Baraoas, the building was governmental… the barangay hall. At Tagudin, it was an elementary school (our favorite structure). In Baguio, it was a large room rented in the public market, and in Dasol, we used a church building.
2. Geography. Each site was in a different province, but the landtype also varied. Baraoas is in the foothills of the Cordilleras. Tagudin is in the coastal plain. Baguio is high in the Cordillera mountains. Dasol is right on the coast.
3. The livelihoods of the three are different. Baraoas is a very poor area. Rice, charcoal, and fruits (such as mango and jackfruit) are major sources of income. Tagudin has the typical lowland Ilocano agricultural products of rice, corn, and tobacco. Baguio is highly urbanized.
The primary targets were the families that sell products in the City market. Dasol is right on the sea and the sea provides much of its livelihood.
COMMENTS:
Baraoas. Our first day was great and set the tone for our whole trip. Being April, there were a lot of circumcisions to do. Boys in the Philippines are circumcised when they are elementary age. This is commonly done during April since it is during their “summer break”. The team from First Baptist, Woodway, moved into their roles that they kept for all of the sites. Dr. Mark (a surgeon) worked in Surgery, Dr. Stephen (a pediatrician) worked in general medical. Matt and Ross talked with and entertained the children. Robin cleaned surgical instruments. Dr. Miller worked with the children and made balloon animals. Several nurses and a midwife from the La Union area were able to join us both for Baraoas and Tagudin. In the afternoon, Rene Gabaldon, Dr. Miller, Bob Munson, Pastor Rey Abellera and members of One Hope Ministry did a community development survey of the area. It appears to be a prime location for agricultural and cooperative training. It may also be a good site for a CHE community.
Tagudin. Friday night we drove from Baraoas to Tagudin and stayed overnight in a nice house there. The next morning we set up and did a medical mission there. This was our biggest mission point, but it went well, in part because the school was of ample size to handle the crowd. We were planning to also do a mini-medical in Cayapa, Suyo. When we discovered that there were only a few dozen people in Cayapa who needed treatment, we encouraged them to come to Tagudin instead. Many did. However, some could not. Later in the day we learned that Cayapa had actually prepared food to welcome us to their little community (Cayapa consists of only 23 families). We felt bad about ignoring them, so, late in the afternoon, we sent Dr. Paul and Nurse Lisa Comising, and Dr. Deo and Nurse Liway Laxamana to Cayapa to treat those who did not come to Tagudin.
Baguio. We took Sunday off as a very needed rest day. Monday we set up for our market children ministry. The Munsons and Comisings of DPDM are involved with the Market Children Ministry. It is a partnership between Baguio Mission Church, Calvary Baptist, and others to reach out to the hundreds of children that earn money by selling plastic bags and carrying packages at the public market. We did a medical mission for the children back in 2005 and wanted to do another one. We held the mission in the space used by Beacons of Christ Ministry in the Maharlika Livelihood Center in the area of the public market. We intentionally did a smaller mission point, because of limited space. Also we had an evening debrief meeting and an early Tuesday drive to our final mission point. We gave tickets to Henzel of the Market Children Ministry and to Pastor Eric Ortega of Aurora Hill Baptist Church. We did limited evangelism at this site. Normally we evangelize everyone, but we did not do that for those regularly being discipled by the Market Children Ministry or Pastor Eric Ortega. Still it was a good group and a good response. Missions TV, a local Christian station, came and interviewed and documented this mission for a later broadcast.
Dasol. This was our most distant medical trip. We got together at 4:15am for the 4 hour trip. This mission was at the request of Baguio School of Missions, led by Ghanian missionary, Pastor Justice. Bob and Celia Munson, and JR Andres, did training at the School of Missions the week before in the theory and practice of Medical Missions, and this day was the chance for them to put their training into action. JR Andres took the lead on this site. School of Missions (and the local church) did a great job. We had two first-time dentists, and one first-time medical doctor join us. We hope it won’t be their last. DPDM member, Nurse Janet, is an instructor from University of Baguio and brought some of her students to the Dasol and Baguio sites. We love to help patients, but we also love to be a training platform for future medical personnel and missionaries.
THANKS
We thank First Baptist Woodway for their financial support and personnel support. It was a great time. We also thank Dr. Mark and Dr. Stephen for their guidance. They gave useful advice and training to make us more effective in doing our mission work. We also thank the Millers for bringing us together and providing great support.
We thank all of our church hosts: Baraoas Baptist Church, Lugarba Baptist Christian Fellowship, Beacons of Christ, Baguio Mission Church, and God’s Sanctuary of Praise. We also thank the parachurch groups that assisted: One Hope Ministry, Kids for Christ Market Children Ministry, and Baguio School of Missions. We are also grateful for the assistance of the nursing group from University of Baguio.
Further, we are thankful to all of the individual members of our team of volunteers. Sorry that we ae unable to list every one of them. Below is a matrix of all of the medical doctors and dentists who worked with us on this trip. God uses people to carry out His work on earth. Equally importantly, God uses people working together as members of a team. It is a beautiful thing when brothers and sisters in Christ can be so united in the work of God.
God bless you.
Bob Munson
President, Dakilang Pag-ibig DIADEM Ministries, Inc. Philippines
