Volunteer Finds Healing in Peru

Rachel Milbey served as a volunteer nurse during our 2014 outreach in Peru. 

When my husband passed away, I was in shock…it was so final. Initially, I kept myself busy to stay distracted. But later, I started feeling depressed. Not long after, I looked on Joyce’s website and saw a medical missions volunteer ad. I felt inadequate, but something compelled me to apply, and they accepted me within two days! 

I was scared. But I took that step…and it changed my life. At this medical outreach, I was a part of something so much bigger than myself. It was hard, but it didn’t matter. I realized that giving to others is just such an awesome experience—there’s an energy that lifted me up and propelled me. 

This is my purpose, and I love it. And I’m going to do it until I can’t do it anymore. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

A Boy & His Sneakers

Ashley Wilkins, R.N., Medical Outreach Director 

I hadn’t noticed ten-year-old Rothtim and his mother until after he had been treated by the doctors and was leaving our Hand of Hope clinic. Then again, once you saw him walk, it was hard not to notice him. 

Rothtim was obviously very small for his age, but also crippled. With each stride, the tops of his bare, calloused feet would scrape against the concrete. He had walked this way his entire life. I can still hear that sound in my ears. Moved with compassion, I ran and picked Rothtim up in my arms. 

Desperately Searching for Shoes

Sitting him down on a nearby bench, I asked his mother if they would be willing to wait while I got him a pair of shoes. She excitedly replied that they would. 

I made a tracing of his feet to get the correct size. I wanted to be absolutely sure that these shoes ¬fit him. With the outline of Rothtim’s calloused little feet in my hand, I headed to the market. 

Finding a new pair of shoes in a developing nation is not an easy task. I located a shop on a street corner and began looking through the limited choices of new shoes. The majority of the shoes were either for girls or grown men, and most were covered in dust from the dirty street. But after some searching, I found two good, clean pairs of shoes in his size. I immediately gave thanks to the Lord because I had found Rothtim’s shoes. I picked out a few pairs of socks and quickly paid the clerk. 

Taking That First Step

When I got back to the clinic, little Rothtim and his mom were sitting on the bench, waiting patiently, exactly where I left them. We washed his dirty feet, put the socks on and slid them into Rothtim’s new pair of shoes. He sprang up and began walking about. Amazingly, the shoes actually acted as a corrective device, which allowed him to walk almost normally! 

Most Cambodians, like Rothtim and his mother, live on just one U.S. dollar per day, making the simple luxury of owning a pair of shoes impossible. For just $10 USD, we were able to purchase Rothtim clean socks and two new pairs of shoes. 

In an instant, with something as seemingly insignificant as a pair of shoes, Rothtim experienced the love of Christ. The smile that stretched across his face was indescribable. And I could not help but smile in return as he and his mother repeatedly bowed to me in thanks. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip.  

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

Fifteen Days Ago She Began to Go Blind...

Chad Trafton, Staff Writer 

The village of Mazan sits deep in the heart of Peru. It’s one of hundreds of small communities lining the Amazon River.  

By 8 am, our medical/dental team has transformed a local grade school into a fully functional clinic—complete with several examining rooms and a pharmacy—and is ready to see their first patients…and there will be no shortage. 

Just outside the main gates, more than a hundred people from Mazan and other villages wait in line, most sitting on wood bleachers. Some have traveled more than four hours by boat. Many have even spent the night in one of the classrooms, determined not to miss their opportunity for free medical/dental care. 

Celmira sits in the middle of the crowd, patiently waiting like all the others. Her grandson, Maximo, waits with her. She looks concerned, and we soon find out why. Fifteen days ago, she began going blind in one eye. For her, this clinic is a godsend. She waits…and hopes someone up ahead has an answer. 

She gets checked in and sits down with Dr. Budi Bahureksa, one of our volunteer physicians. It doesn’t take long for him to pinpoint the problem—her blood sugar registers 511, at least 300 points above normal. 

“You’re too sweet,” Dr. Bahureksa says, his bedside manner eliciting a smile. “Your blindness is from the diabetes, so we’re going to give you some good medicine. You need to be on this medication all of the time.”  

He gives Celmira a prescription, which she fills at our pharmacy, two doors down. Thankfully, her blindness can be reversed…they caught it just in time. 

The pharmacy is filled with others just like her…a steady stream of people eager to trade their prescriptions for medicines. Volunteer Nurse Kelly Johnston helps keep the operation running smoothly. It’s her fifth medical trip with Hand of Hope, and she thrills at another chance to see the faces of relieved mothers and children. 

“We give them a little bit of hope,” she says. ““It’s a little thing for us, but it’s not little to them. Here they have no options.” 

Texas-native Nurse Mickey Brown agrees: “We’re amazed at how God touches their lives. It’s so fun to be able to do all this…it’s like Christmas.” 

And it looks like Christmas. Heaping piles of antibiotics are all neatly stacked and organized on long tables, ready to be dispensed. The team has come prepared, knowing for the most part what illnesses to expect. 

Here in Mazan, more times than not, they simply learn to live with the pain. But today they don’t have to. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

My Brother & An Abandoned Baby in Kenya

Laura Matheny, R.N., Medical Outreach Coordinator 

Nairobi, Kenya. I had this trip circled on my calendar. 

Every year, Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions conducts free medical/dental clinics around the world. And as one of their medical outreach coordinators, I’ve gotten a chance to travel far and wide…and watch God work miracles in the lives of people who desperately need help. 

But for me, this outreach was going to be special. 

You see, Nairobi is my hometown. Well, actually, my family is from Louisiana. But from the time I was young, my parents—Don and Amy Matheny—have been independent missionaries in Kenya. In fact, about twenty-five years ago, they founded Nairobi Lighthouse Church. 

The oldest of six children, I returned to the United States when I was 18 to attend Bible school…then eventually nursing school. My heart’s desire was to someday come back to Nairobi with a skill and serve the people there like my parents have for so many years. 

Through a series of events, I stayed in the U.S. and began volunteering for Joyce Meyer Ministries’ medical outreaches. That is where I found my calling. One thing led to another, and today I am privileged to work on these medical outreaches full time. And in the summer of 2013, my work led me back to a place very close to my heart… 

The Day We Met Moses

My dream of being a nurse in Kenya was fulfilled in a way I could have never imagined. Here I was leading a Hand of Hope medical team, working in partnership with my family and Nairobi Lighthouse Church to help so many people in need. 

For five days, we treated more than 5,000 patients in Nairobi’s Huruma Slums. On the fourth day of this outreach, something happened that I will never forget…  

One of our first patients was a two-week-old Kenyan baby. A woman found him abandoned in a nearby field. She appropriately named him Moses…then brought him to us because she had run out of diapers and baby formula. 

Other than a slight eye infection, Moses was healthy and strong. The woman wanted to continue caring for him, so we connected her with a clinic in the area that will follow up on them. We also introduced her to an orphanage affiliated with Nairobi Lighthouse Church—just in case her situation becomes unmanageable. 

But Moses really struck a chord with me… 

Eighteen years ago, a German family attended my parents’ church. They held in their arms a baby who was abandoned in these Nairobi slums. They loved and cared for him, but they were returning to Germany and, without the appropriate papers, they couldn’t take the child with them. 

That day, my parents made a decision that would affect all of our lives forever. They accepted responsibility for the 7-week-old baby—the child who would eventually become my adopted brother, David. 

The day Moses came to the clinic, I ran out to find David and said, “You have got to see this!” David was so touched, and he immediately went out to buy Moses some diapers and formula…then sat and held him in his arms while he fed him. 

As his sister, it was such a precious moment. It was like stepping back in time and seeing David rescued all over again. That day we prayed for Moses and spoke blessings over his life. It is something I will always treasure. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter