Members

Kathryn Holmes Team Leader

Nicola Grant Team Leader

Anita Lavery

Jenni Woodley

Thea Stoel

Emma Ditchfield

Rachel Milligan

Mediquest gives an opportunity to experience medical mission in action. The Mediquest goal is to explore the significant issues, challenges and rewards of cross-cultural health care ministries as a missionary health care provider.

In 2007 the team traveled around Kenya, visiting a variety of health care settings, to get a picture of medical mission both in large missionary hospitals and in rural clinics.

The team worked alongside experienced missionary and national health care providers and local communities, having the opportunity to spend time with someone in their specialist field wherever possible. They were together for some of the time and for other times divided into two smaller groups

This was written by Thea Stoel while out in Africa on a mediquest team:

We are back from the dry north to the cool grounds of Nairobi. Part of our team stayed for 8 days with a German missionary doctor for more than a week in Log-Logo. It was challenging to see her at work, to experience some of the conditions under which she is working and to meet the people she works with.

The people belong to the Samburu and Rendille tribes and are mainly herdsmen. Their way of life is still quite traditional. Once every 15 years they circumcise their boys which just happened three weeks before we came. The boys have to go through various stages. We saw them while they were in the stage of going around with bows and arrows shooting birds while dressed in a leather cloth. They are not allowed to drink water for a whole month, but take blood of the animals mixed with milk and tea instead. It was fascinating to see a bit of their culture and spend time with them!

We also met a lady from the local church who has a great vision to educate the women and girls on the area on circumcision, which is still very common. Beside this she goes out with a group of women of her church to villages in the area to reach out to the women there and have fellowship with them. I found it very encouraging to see her faith and passion; it inspired me in many ways. I enjoy it so much to experience the fellowship that I can have with women of very different backgrounds, but with whom I can be one in Jesus. He brings us all together into His family :)!

It was good to experience the health care that is done in those rural areas, to see something of the challenges in relationships between missionaries and the church, missionaries among themselves and in relation to the people they live with. I can see that it is all by God’s grace that people come to faith, we often mess around quite a lot and wouldn’t get anywhere if it was not God’s Spirit who touches hearts through our lives.

I have been challenged as well in my thoughts about the future. I have seen a variety of different projects and spoke with missionaries and local people which did answer some of my questions but gave me a lot of new questions as well. If it was just me I would feel very inadequate to do something meaningful in His Kingdom. But I know that He who calls us also enables us to do great things in His name. I trust that He will lead each of us in areas where we can be witnesses of God to the people around us. I am very eager to see where He will lead me in the future, but pray to be prepared to be His witness today as well.

May He bless you and lead you all!

Love,

Thea Stoel

Below are some photos from the 2007 mediquest team

Thea listening to foetal heartbeat.

 Emma with worms taken from 2 1/2 year old.

Mediquest team with plane at Lokori