“Medical missionary work is the right hand of the Gospel. It is necessary to the advancement of the cause of God. As through it men and women are led to see the importance of right habits of living, the saving power of the truth will be made known” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p. 59).

The above statement helped me decide to try a health ministry to adults in our village of Kewa. Several village events occurred recently that brought people together and gave me an opportunity to interact with them. On three afternoons following the village events, I set up blood-pressure clinics at the meeting house, and people lined up. When word got out that a white woman was there, men and women of all ages poured out of their huts wanting to find out what their “number” was. I listened through the stethoscope and called out numbers while Johanna recorded the information and whether it was good or not on small slips of paper, which she handed to people after their checks. Steve and Karin enjoyed talking with the people in the shade of the thatched-roof meeting house.

The Gogodala have a few things to learn about hypertension, we discovered. Many think that high blood pressure is caused by having too much blood and can be treated by donating blood. As I taught them the importance of staying hydrated and eating healthfully, I was reminded of how important health education is.

Whenever I have done medical work here, I have felt a bonding that results in greater trust. Please pray with us that the Gogodala will hunger for the truths of the Bible as much as they did to find out their blood pressure.

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