Can God use writing, photography or journalism in missions?
I am in engineering. How could I use this in missions?
» more related questionsQ: I’m a medical student. What specialty do you recommend for healthcare missions?
A: Go with your own interests.
Years ago many recommended surgery. Not bad advice but it really does not make any difference. If you are a brain surgeon, you will likely work at a training center in a large city to train other doctors. If you are an internist like me, you will also be able to use your skills in a wider area. I do wish I knew a little more about surgery. But, truth is, even though I greatly enjoyed my surgery rotations, I really do NOT like to even sew up cuts, so I teach others how to do it, and supervise. They like it, I don't.
God made you who you are with your particular interests. Even before the beginning of time, He had made that decision.
The most difficult thing you will encounter is the AMERICAN culture. I LOVE the classroom, read 20,000 pages a year NOW from Tomo Clancy to Aristotle, but the "truth is," we are greatly OVER-trained, probably even in the U.S.
Keeping the vision for missions will be the hardest part.
God made you who you are with your particular interests. Even before the beginning of time, He had made that decision.
The most difficult thing you will encounter is the AMERICAN culture. I LOVE the classroom, read 20,000 pages a year NOW from Tomo Clancy to Aristotle, but the "truth is," we are greatly OVER-trained, probably even in the U.S.
Keeping the vision for missions will be the hardest part.
A: I recommend general surgery.
The best specialist for the mission hospital and the one still most needed is the general surgeon. Orthopedics, plastic surgery and obstetrics are still very needed. Every specialty can be used by God for the furthering of his kingdom. I'm glad that God prepared me with an extensive general surgical residency.
A: It depends.
You should probably enter that field which you enjoy the most and in which you will be a good doctor. This includes specialties like Pathology, Radiology, etc.
If you know what part of the world in which you wish to serve, then find out what specialty is most likely to gain you a visa.
If you have no special personal preferences and you don't know where you might serve, then Family Medicine is the most likely to be useful.
If you know what part of the world in which you wish to serve, then find out what specialty is most likely to gain you a visa.
If you have no special personal preferences and you don't know where you might serve, then Family Medicine is the most likely to be useful.
A: Prepare to train nationals.
The future of medical missions is in teaching and training rather than fixed base mission hospitals for many reasons. I think the latter will still be very useful as an outreach in the area of evangelism as well reaching the poor, but I think the most long term good and sustainability lies in training nationals to do medicine with a Christian perspective.
The surgical program under the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons is a good example as well as the many Christian Family Practice Training Programs overseas such as In His Image International.
The surgical program under the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons is a good example as well as the many Christian Family Practice Training Programs overseas such as In His Image International.
A: It depends.
It depends on your own interests and on the type of work in which you will be involved. If you are contemplating EVER being in a hospital that has an operating room and if you contemplate EVEN FOR AN AFTERNOON being alone, get surgical training...and get it as widely as possible. You may be called on to do bowel resections, repair a lung, care for a machete wound of the brain, put a rod in a femur, take out a bladder stone or do an emergency C Section on a moment's notice. If you are part of a large team or in a hospital with no operating room then you can forego surgery and get training in peds, infectious diseases, community health, etc.
A: Keep an open mind and pray.
I would encourage students to keep an open mind and a prayerful approach. When I went to medical school with plans of being a missionary I had not traveled out of the country and had little idea of the direction of current missions. I pictured a mission hospital in a developing country where I would need to be able to do everything, so naturally I chose family medicine. As I began to talk to people more and more I realized that there are getting to be fewer hospitals like that (many hospitals have been nationalized or were too expensive to run). Some countries train mostly general practice doctors and want specialists to come in and help or to train national physicians in specialties.
On the other hand, some countries are starting to see the benefit of better trained generalist and are wanting to develop an FP type system. There is no way to really know what is going to be needed in any one location by the time you are ready to go.
By God's grace, I love Family Medicine. I can't see myself in a better specialty because it matches my personality. I never even knew how much I would love it until almost mid-residency. I had always just seen medicine as a tool to get to missions. As I matured I realized that God has given us each talents and desires and personalities that are each suited to different tasks and that performing those tasks is not the drudgery of the means to an end.
Each one becomes of gift of God to you. God does not fragment our life into spiritual tasks and earthly tasks. He redeemed us wholly - to be all that he created us to be. It is the fellowship of a simple walk in the garden. Medicine is part of my spiritual act of worship - to be the best doctor I can be in the place He put me.
It turns out He did direct me to a place where I get to do "complete" family medicine in a developing country. I sought His kingdom and righteousness - He gave me the desires of my heart (even though I didn't know what they were at the time).
Keep open - let God lead you naturally. Unless he gives you very clear direction otherwise, choose the specialty most suited to your interests, talents, personality, family needs, etc. Then find a way to use it in service to him - there are all kinds of needs all over the world. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms. (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
On the other hand, some countries are starting to see the benefit of better trained generalist and are wanting to develop an FP type system. There is no way to really know what is going to be needed in any one location by the time you are ready to go.
By God's grace, I love Family Medicine. I can't see myself in a better specialty because it matches my personality. I never even knew how much I would love it until almost mid-residency. I had always just seen medicine as a tool to get to missions. As I matured I realized that God has given us each talents and desires and personalities that are each suited to different tasks and that performing those tasks is not the drudgery of the means to an end.
Each one becomes of gift of God to you. God does not fragment our life into spiritual tasks and earthly tasks. He redeemed us wholly - to be all that he created us to be. It is the fellowship of a simple walk in the garden. Medicine is part of my spiritual act of worship - to be the best doctor I can be in the place He put me.
It turns out He did direct me to a place where I get to do "complete" family medicine in a developing country. I sought His kingdom and righteousness - He gave me the desires of my heart (even though I didn't know what they were at the time).
Keep open - let God lead you naturally. Unless he gives you very clear direction otherwise, choose the specialty most suited to your interests, talents, personality, family needs, etc. Then find a way to use it in service to him - there are all kinds of needs all over the world. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms. (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
