There is an ever-present need for doctors. I want to be the one to fill that need. I am continually drawn to the field of medicine for many reasons. Firstly, it provides a means for my continued professional growth within a sphere that is devoted to accurately meeting the physical needs of humanity. Secondly, it is a profession that lends versatility, flexibility, and specialized knowledge as means for greater service—all valuable and essential qualities in my personal mission to be able to restore wholeness and peace in whatever place or capacity I may need to be. In today’s global stage, I want to be able to provide a valuable service that is unrestricted in its ethnic, socioeconomic, or political scope. Furthermore, it meets my desire for a lasting purpose in the continued pursuit of knowledge and understanding, and provides a platform for education and advocacy, all vital elements of treating illnesses on the individual and communal levels.

Since August, I have been pursuing this life of service by living in the surrounding jungle region of Pucallpa, Peru, as a community ambassador for Touch of Love, Ambassadors Medical Outreach and Relief Projects. My main responsibility has been to teach English and music at four neighboring villages to students in grades kindergarten to secondary school. This has provided meaningful first encounters with the field of education as well as a ready vehicle for improving my fluency in Spanish. With language as an essential tool of information gathering, I have been immersing myself in order to better understand Spanish-speakers and how in turn to be understood. Also, this has already begun my own education in learning how to survey and identify real needs as I go about visiting the home situations of my students. 

While I may not yet have the mental resources of a doctor, I am learning to use what I already have to improve the lives of those around me. Whether that be through teaching English as a second language, or teaching kids how to read music, playing an instrument, singing a new song, or enriching their lives with role models from the Bible. I am also learning that serving others often requires hard work and a forward-outlook on life.  In order to continue serving with all my heart, I have to believe that what I am doing matters and is making small positive changes each day.

  Supplementing this work, I have also had the occasion to be involved in providing care at free medical, dental, and eye clinics campaigns in the more congested areas closer to the city of Pucallpa, Peru. One such area, called “Invasion,” is literally just that: an organized invasion of thousands of people moving in from other areas around Peru to stake land. It is about two years old and rapidly growing. Every week there is a new house being built as the news of free land spreads.

My first medical clinic involved scrubbing down to take blood pressure of adults, and measuring the weights and heights of kids. This allowed me to witness the overwhelming amount of people eager to see a doctor. Every morning, people would be lining up as early as three o’clock in the morning to be first in line, and by the end of a long day, after having seen 150 or so patients; we would still have a line of people remaining to be seen. With only one doctor in the morning and two in the afternoon, the wait was long and intensified by the hot, crowded room full of crying kids and people anxiously sitting together like canned sardines. It was one of those times when I would have taken out my violin to alleviate the burdensome atmosphere. But since I did not bring my violin, I decided to gather the kids around for a game. This brought laughter in the place, and relieved the parents of their crying kids. I also noticed that some kids were extremely dirty from the dusty roads and the unavailability of water. Hence, I organized a hand and face-washing health lesson to the delight of all.

During the eye clinic campaign a couple weeks later, I assisted with examining eyes and fitting people with eyeglasses. While we did not have the means to correct the predominating occurrence of cataracts, it allowed me to see what a common occurrence it was for people as young as their thirties in this area. We gave them the best help we could, whether that was corrective eyeglasses or information on their eyes. Nevertheless, helping to provide clearer vision was a memorable opportunity for me. Communicating the whole while in Spanish, I learned to find out what prescription they needed as well as answer any questions they may have about their eyesight. Meanwhile, these one-on-one brief encounters gave me a first-hand account of the literacy rate (about every eighth person did not know how to read well), and general information about their living situation, such as where they worked and how many children they supported. We saw about 120 patients each day for three days from early morning to late afternoon.

Medicine's most appealing quality is its ennobling culture of service. While other professions provide services, medicine provides the mental tools for how to specifically assess and treat problems that hinder human growth and prosperity. What other profession fosters the heightened mental acuity necessary for addressing the needs of your neighbor? What other profession necessarily transcends cross-cultural and socioeconomic barriers? Amidst the field of medicine, I find my niche as one who is passionate about caring for the physical needs of others in the work of restoring peace in the world. For those who love to care will look out for people in need of care, and steadily work towards improving the well-being of the world around them.