Growing Through Our Mission

By Alvin Rosete

The Brazil Spring Break Mission Trip was my first major mission trip. I’ve been on weekend mission trips to Mexico, but there was something special about being a member of a team serving the indigenous people living in the Amazon. We were traveling on the Amazon River in small boats and sleeping on the Rio Negro River on boat hammocks. What an amazing experience! I came into the trip with uncertainty, but came out with a more grateful heart and much different mindset about life.

Our multidisciplinary team was comprised of nurses and physicians, faculty from the Loma Linda University School of Nursing, and students from a variety of LLU Schools (nursing students, pharmacy students, public health students, physical therapy, and medical students). Our team collaborated with a missionary team from Brazil that assisted with health fairs and medical translation. Becoming acquainted with the Brazilian missionaries was a highlight for me, as well as the other students on our team. Many developed special friendships with these missionaries, and at the end of our trip, these new friends exchanged personal gifts. Being able to mentor these students was a very special experience. They were so amazing and talented it was such a pleasure getting to know these students who could be my colleagues someday.

The goal of this mission trip was to expose the students to patients and clinical care, and most importantly, to help teach and provide Christ-centered care to the indigenous populations and communities in need. The level of training was excellent, with students providing triage to patients in one area as other students cared for patients, obtaining medical history, providing a diagnosis and formulating a plan, including ordering medications for interventions with the providers. Physical therapy students provided necessary therapy while pharmacy students provided education and dispensed medications that were ordered. Through the controlled chaos and excellent interpreter services, with the collective efforts of the team and by the grace of

God, we were able to see over 400 patients in just three days. There were difficult cases such as severe wound injuries and complex neurological presentations in babies/adolescents, even heart-breaking cases of STDs in young children. There were individuals that needed more care than we could provide. But as always, I feel God provides a way, a miracle for those that need them. These individuals were able to receive care with the efforts and follow up of the Manaus SDA hospital and Loma Linda University.

Growing up as a Seventh-day Adventist, I remember reading missionary stories in my Guide Magazine handouts given after every Sabbath school. I recall stories of children from different countries and missionaries doing amazing things as they witnessed for the Lord. And as fate would have it, 30 years later I am doing work that my parents and I would always talk about when I was a kid. How amazing and what a great feeling it is.

I went to Brazil as a medical missionary, as mentor to nursing students. I went to Brazil hoping to share our knowledge in prevention and healthcare, but also to share Christ’s message though service, giving to those who are in need. I certainly didn’t know what to expect going to Brazil, but I’m certain I came out a much different person. I went into the trip planning to help people, to help fill their cup in some way. In reality, I came back, from Brazil with my cup and my heart fuller than when I left. I am both humbled and grateful for the things and the people I have in my life. Simply a different perspective in life. Seeing the level of poverty made me question, how many shoes do I need? How many pairs of pants or jackets are enough? It made me more grateful for the coffee that I am drinking, caused me to savor the special foods I get to eat and the medical care we have access to in America. This trip was a blessing in my life and practice as a nurse. This opportunity to serve, helped reset my perspective in life and helped shift the focus on what is most important in life. Praise God! God is Good!