Oct 14, 2020 Creating a community of care

Doing a mission project is one thing, touching people’s lives is another! When team leaders Pastor Cory and Pastor Darryl lead a mission team, they’re not just holding meetings, hosting clinics and helping with constructionÑthey’re connecting with people.

Sometimes, it can be easy to focus so intensely on what we’re trying to do to help people, that we can neglect the people themselves! But every QHM mission team’s goal is to reach people, build relationships and show the love of Christ in a meaningful way.

When we’re focused on connecting with people, the rest of the things begin to work out. A great example is what Pastor Cory and Pastor Darryl experienced in Ecuador.

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While running errands around town gathering supplies for the clinic and construction project, the pastors were making friends with people they met along the way. One day, they heard from the clinic team that there was a patient who needed an over-the-counter but specific medicine. ExceptÑit was too expensive for the woman to buy on her own!

Pastor Cory and Pastor Darryl stopped at the local pharmacy to order the medicine so the clinic team could provide it for their patient. While they were at the pharmacy, they made friends with the pharmacist and told her about what the team was doing in Huaquillas.

The next day, when they went to pick up the order, there was bad newsÑthe medicine that arrived was expired! I can’t sell this to you, the pharmacist told them. Even if I wanted to, it would be illegal.

The pastors told her they understood, but that they had a lot of other errands around town and couldn’t wait for a replacement. Unknown to the pastors, the co-owner of the pharmacy heard about what was happening. Without even being asked, she took the time to drive all over town until she found the medicine they were looking for!

Not only did she go out of her way to help and provide this service to the mission team, she even stopped at the hotel where they were staying and delivered the medicine herself!

The people that Pastor Cory and Pastor Darryl met in Huaquillas were so touched by the selfless love they received from the team that they were inspired to join in that love. The pharmacist, the pharmacy owner and the clinic patient all felt cared for by the team, and that care built a tiny communityÑin just one week!