CURE AFRICA Mission Trip Recap

In March, a group of 19 people went from Woodmen to serve at CURE hospitals in Africa. In Ethiopia, our team separated with 10 traveling to Zambia and the other 9 went to Malawi. At the CURE hospitals, we were able to use our skills to work alongside the medical, maintenance, kitchen and children’s program staff. 

We received a warm welcome by staff, and all the children and their families. Our days started in devos with the hospital staff. What an encouragement it was to see the staff of a hospital beginning their days by spending time together in God’s word! After devos, team members split into the various areas to serve alongside hospital staff. The nurses and other medical workers went to the Theatre, what we know as the Operating Room, to the clinic, or to the ward. Physical Therapists helped in their Physiotherapy area, helping with treatments and even assisting a patient in walking for the first time in 9 month. The maintenance workers assisted with some equipment repairs and several painting projects. The remaining team members hosted a children’s program in the morning or afternoon and engaged with children and their families as they were waiting to be seen in the clinic, for x-rays, surgical prep and in the ward, or helped in the kitchen. Small things like signing casts and playing with stickers (many stickers) brought smiles to their faces.

The children’s program acted out and taught stories like David and Goliath which included fun crafts like braided headbands and pom-pom shooters. Time was spent on the play grounds blowing bubbles, tossing balls and just hanging out and loving on kids. Balloons were a big hit, from hats, to dogs, to giraffes or just balloon balls to toss in the air, it was a delight to see their eyes light up when a balloon showed up!

Our teams had the privilege of going to the homes of former patients living in rural villages. When a group of westerners enter a rural village in Africa, it is necessary to greet the chief and gain permission to enter. Thankfully, we were welcomed and even valued by the community. Villagers expressed their deep appreciation for the work of CURE International, providing life-changing surgeries to children in need, and encouraged us to be a part of arranging for more surgeries.

Affirming, inspiring, refreshing, enlightening, amazing, fulfilling, gracious, hopeful, and life-changing are some of the words team members used to describe what they experienced or what God did in and through them on this trip. We loved well, gave of our hearts and received just as much love in return.

- Deb Brown, Woodmen's Global Impact Director