I have been honoured to serve in cross-cultural mission as a health advisor and medical educator to local healthcare professionals.
I have been presented with incredible opportunities to use my skills, talents and experience in a rural region of South East Asia.
Working with other expatriates and local staff, we identified areas of need, which in turn assisted local health professionals in organising and leading training programs to improve clinical competency. The training courses included basic life support, newborn baby checks and newborn life support.
During my placement, I became aware of a prevailing spiritual need. The country is a place of great beauty, yet it faces hard social issues such as poverty, corruption, political oppression and unemployment. Against global measures, the nation has been left behind in prospects of economic development and societal advancement.
The political system restricts any religious tenets or practices. It is heartbreaking to hear of believers being persecuted and discriminated against for following Christ. They are often ostracised, cast out from their village, or even arrested and abused by authorities. (1)
Christ’s followers remain a very small minority. There are many more people yet to see the glorious light of the good news or to understand the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). So please pray for the local church as it bears witness to Jesus and all he has done.
On a personal level, I had to keep my religious beliefs to myself in order to protect my fellow believers in the area. But through prayer and participation in private worship gatherings with other cross-cultural workers, I have grown in my commitment to my faith and have learned not to waver in my convictions.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
The Father constantly reminds me that the darkness of separation from God as a result of sin has been overcome through the light of Christ: ‘In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (John 1:4-5).
Living in a country with tight restrictions on religion has taught me to spread the gospel by demonstrating its principles through serving others, rather than by openly preaching the message as I would in a more open society. By following Jesus’ example, we can embody God’s love and life. By building relationships and working together across cultures, we can be better informed to meet local needs. (2) By providing practical help and showing compassion, we can touch people’s lives with God’s mercy and grace.
Trust was essential to building effective partnerships in our cross-cultural setting as I carried out the medical training and tutorials. Trust helped us to create an atmosphere of safety. It allowed us to be vulnerable and to explore different perspectives without fear of judgment or rejection. It required trust to bear one another’s burdens and to ‘spur one another on toward love and good deeds’ (Hebrews 10:24). To build this trust, it was essential to be honest and devoted to our mission.
It was a satisfying experience to collaborate with local healthcare professionals and to observe their progress and transformation, especially when witnessing their newfound understanding of the responsibility of their acquired knowledge. At the end of my placement, it was a testament to God’s goodness to see them taking up the leadership roles themselves to train others.
“By following Jesus’ example, we can embody God’s love and life.”
Since the training programs were set up, 150 staff have been trained in basic life support and 40 in new-born life support. Using a team-based approach to training changes the way healthcare members interact with each other in patient care, and yields an increase in professional knowledge and skill.
Despite the spiritual darkness, this placement provided a profound sense of God’s presence throughout as I held on to the vision of the Great Commandment to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). God’s divine protection and blessed provision were evident as he guided and supported me every step of the way.
God has been my help and shield (Psalm 33:20). Despite the country’s prevalent tropical diseases and political oppression of Christianity, he has been faithful in protecting me from physical harm, major sickness and spiritual danger. He is my source of hope and comfort. He gives me the courage and strength I need to keep pressing forward, and enables me to trust him in the face of the unknown.
Adenine served as an On Tracker in South East Asia.
(1) Steffen and McKinney Douglas, Encountering Missionary Life and Work: Preparing for Intercultural Ministry, 310-311.
(2) Ken Baker, ‘The incarnation Model: Perception or Deception’, EMQ Evangelical missions quarterly, vol.1(US: Missio Nexus, 2002): 21-24.
