Jehovah Jireh: God Provides

Over the past several years, Drs Bri and Ginger have participated in and helped lead several short-term mission trips. These trips have been to previously established locations where there are already strong relationships within the community. There has also been a stable donor base and cache of supplies and equipment that helps the team provide medical care. Through these trips, God was preparing our hearts to take a leap of faith. He began to nudge us and lead us in the direction of starting a new trip. To step away from the comforts of something familiar, and trust that God would not only place us where He wanted us but provide for all our needs. 

We considered trying established locations that were looking for new leadership, but God didn’t seem to be leading that direction. Next, we explored mission options within the US, but those doors either closed or didn’t open fully. Finally, we started to consider options outside the US.  We wanted a location that gave us an opportunity to use all our God given skills to provide medical care to horses and livestock, as well as dogs and cats, with the purpose of reaching the community for Christ.

We are serving through an organization called Christian Veterinary Mission who specifically facilitates veterinarians to use their profession to spread the Gospel. As they presented us with opportunities, one was mentioned that seemed to be just the right fit: Nicaragua. Through this process God has opened so many doors, and provided in so many ways, that we want to take the time to share it with you. It has been so fun to watch God work and provide in ways that we didn’t even know we needed!

First Need: A location that allows us to serve by caring for small animals and horses, but livestock would be a plus. Many of the other locations we considered were only seeking help with small animals. At first, Nicaragua also seemed to fall into that category, but we quickly learned there is also a need in the community for help with both horses and possibly livestock! The people of communities we will be stationed in rely on horses and donkeys for work and farming. Another avenue for us to reach and help more people. God provides!

Second Need:  We don’t speak Spanish and need a translator who also desires to share the Gospel. In our first conversation with our in-country host, he shared that we will be working with a woman and her group of nurses who have been aiding in the community for 20+ years. This sweet lady is from the US and will be housing us. She and her group of women will also be translating for us. She is a strong Christian!  What a blessing that those helping us to communicate also share a passion for the Gospel! God provides!

Third Need: We are starting a trip from the ground up and need to figure out the logistics of supplies. Our host with Amigos Animal Rescue has been asking CVM for years to send a team and even supplied some funds to help with purchasing supplies. We can send things like surgical instruments from the US, but medications need to be purchased in the country. Initially it seemed that the list of available medications for sedation and anesthesia was very limited. We were prepared to figure out a plan to make it work, but then God stepped in. During a zoom meeting several weeks later, we learned that not only was there more (and better) medications available, but several are even safe to be used across species. This means we can use these medications for both large and small animals! What a huge answer to our prayers. 

With the funds provided by the rescue, we have been able to purchase dental tools for working with horses, surgical packs and supplies, syringes and needles. CVM is also working on purchasing some requested injectable antibiotics and anti-nausea meds for surgical patients in the country. God provides!

There is still a need here, and an area where we can use your help!  We still need to raise around $6000 to cover the cost of food, paying our translators, covering the cost of medical supplies bought in the country, getting a taxi from Managua to Leon (a 3-hour drive), among other in-country needs. As we write this blog, we have raised about 30% of that total. We have 7 weeks to go before our trip and are continuing to pray for God’s provision through the support of people like you!

Fourth Need: Surgical and sterilization logistics. We can only send so many surgical packs down ahead of time, and it is best if these supplies stay down there for future trips. Shipping into the country is spotty, and there is a chance the supplies never make it where they are supposed to. We are prepared to use liquid/cold sterilization as needed, but heat sterilization with an autoclave makes us more comfortable that we aren’t risking infection in the patients we are performing surgery on. We learned this week that there will be an autoclave available for us to use, owned by the lady we are staying with. What a huge blessing! God provides!

Fifth Need: A team!  Due to this being a pilot/vision trip, we are purposefully bringing down a very small team. We want to make sure that we take this week to prioritize relationships. Our hope is that this becomes a long-term opportunity and a beautiful partnership with this community. A small team gives the community a better opportunity to step up and participate, to be intimately involved with the logistics of the week. Our host was also working on having some local veterinarians participate, which gives us an opportunity to teach surgical skills and techniques. There are currently 3 people on the team: Dr. Bri, Dr. Ginger, and Katelyn who is a veterinary assistant. God has provided the team, and we are so excited to see people in the local community join along and become an integral part of this trip!

Thank you for taking the time to read what God has been doing, and we hope that you will follow along on our journey!  We will be posting here regularly as we prepare for the trip and get ready to go.  We can’t wait to continue sharing how God is working and providing!

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 

Philippians 4:19-20