Medical Mission in the Middle East
Photos by Josh Larson
A room in Amman, Jordan, was filled with adults, children, and families—Muslim Syrian or Christian Iraqi refugees—waiting for medical care. Their ailments included respiratory and other infections, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, body pain, and lifting injuries. Soon, they would go through triage before seeing a medical provider. In the background, Jesus Film played in Arabic. At some point in their visit, they would be offered prayer in Jesus’ name and a Gospel of John in Arabic.
Nurse practitioner and mission team member Cora (right) examines a patient’s ear at Pastor Haytham Mazerah’s medical clinic in Marka, a suburb of Amman, Jordan. Calvary Chapel Old Bridge, NJ, sponsored a medical mission trip to Jordan in February.
In late February, Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (CCOB), NJ, sent a medical mission team of eight to Amman supporting Marka Church, an evangelical Christian church known for its refugee outreach. CCOB’s collaboration with the church in Marka, a suburb of Amman, began in 2012, leading to annual trips.
Women walk along the rugged terrain of the refugee camp, representing their difficult life. Jordan has the second-highest share of refugees per capita. CCOB teams often work at this camp near the border of southern Syria and northern Jordan during their mission trips. The refugees in this camp are mainly farmers who fled the country’s civil war, caught between Syrian government officials and rebels.
A Great Need
Jordan has become home to Muslim refugees fleeing civil war in Syria and cultural Christians from Iraq running from Islamic extremists. Although the Iraqi refugee flow has slowed over the years, many Iraqis have been awaiting travel visas for a long time. Opportunities are especially limited for the non-Muslim Iraqis in Jordan, where it’s illegal for them to work and schools are closed to their children.
Team member Mark Cunningham is a physical therapist who attends Calvary Chapel Gloucester County, NJ. He noted, “They take whatever work they can find under the table, even if they’re injured doing it. They keep working because if they don’t do it, someone else will, and [then] they’re not getting their jobs back.”
Physical therapist Mark Cunningham of Calvary Chapel Gloucester County, NJ, examines a patient while his Jordanian translator (right) assists with communication. Mark noted, “They take whatever work they can find ‘under the table’, even if they’re injured doing it. … Because if they don’t do it, someone else will, and they’re not getting their jobs back.”
Beyond Medical Care
The team offered five days of medical treatment and pharmacy assistance. Mark treated approximately 100 patients; internist Dr. Laurel Downs from Calvary Chapel FourteenSix in Surprise, AZ, treated around 250 patients. Yet both agreed that while meeting medical needs is important, there is a greater need.
Laurel explained, “Our primary goal is getting the Gospel out there, whether directly or by offering Christian kindness. Medical treatment is finite; we want to point folks to Jesus for eternity. The clinics are bringing in people who might not ever come to the church, but they would come to see a doctor or physical therapist.”
Dr. Laurel Downs of Calvary Chapel FourteenSix in Surprise, AZ, checks a patient’s blood pressure. “Medical treatment is finite; we want to point folks to Jesus for eternity,” she emphasized.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Laurel added, “It’s really a tough situation here. It’s very hard when you don’t know that there’s a future to look forward to. It’s very important to bring the message of Christ to more people—that’s really the hope that everybody needs.”
Laurel and a translator pray with patients in the clinic.
Prayer, “guided by the Holy Spirit,” opens a door to sharing the Gospel, Laurel observed. She asks patients if they have specific prayer needs and sometimes reminds them that Jesus healed many ailments. “There’s a trust and intimacy that happens quickly because people are sharing a lot of personal things with you. Then you’re hearing a little bit more of their story, and they’ll confide in you, giving you more opportunities because you can see what their need is. They may come in for knee pain, but as they’re asking for prayer, [you may learn] that they’re from Syria, and all the males in their family, whom they haven’t seen in five years, are back in Syria fighting a war.”
Mark prays with a patient. After treatment, the doctors and nurses on the medical team often prayed with the Syrian and Iraqi refugees. "We always tell them we pray in Jesus' name—we want to clarify that," Mark explained.
Mark’s approach to sharing the Lord with patients varies, he acknowledged. “If they say they’re Christian, it opens a door to talk about what I believe, what salvation is.” Longer treatments give him more time to talk to refugees. “At that point, I’ve already gone over all the basic questions, and that gives me opportunities to talk about their lives, maybe try to encourage them in the Lord,” he said.
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. Acts 3:6-7
Mark described some of his patients as sad, tired, and anxious; many had no hope at all. “A lot of their pain seems to be related to anxiety or fear,” he explained. “I’ve talked to them about Jesus being able to take away the fear and anxiety. I feel like I can talk a little to them about the Lord and pray for them. We always tell them we pray in Jesus’ name—we want to clarify that.”
Iraqi refugees make and sell handmade items at Marka Church to earn some income. Because Iraqis are not allowed to work in Jordan, they have few resources and struggle to support themselves and their children.
A Fruitful Partnership
“Everything we do is in the name of Jesus, and it’s all about Him,” emphasized team member Denny Barger. Denny assists the missionaries with cultural issues and introduced CCOB to Pastor Haytham Mazerah of the Marka Church. Previously a Calvary Chapel pastor, Denny now heads the Northeast Biblical Institute, a CCOB ministry that has branched off to Marlton, NJ; he also runs Dreams Alive, a ministry that helps the church in the Middle East to make disciples.
[gallery] Iraqi children play and learn at the Good Shepherd Center, an outreach ministry of Sense of Community, a movement that joins Iraqis and Syrian refugees in Jordan together in the community through work and educational opportunities. Currently, Iraqi children are not allowed to attend Jordanian schools. Principal Dawlat Hijazeen teaches and interacts with Iraqi children who attend from the refugee camp as well as nearby underserved neighborhoods in Amman.
In addition to the medical clinic, Haytham operates Sense of Community, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) outreach that includes a pre-K through 12th-grade school for Iraqi refugees and a job-training program. “For Haytham, everything is about getting out in the community: Let’s be the light on the hill,” Denny confirmed.
Good Shepherd Center principal Dawlat Hijazeen (left) confers with Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (CCOB), NJ, mission team member Denny Barger at the refugee camp. CCOB supports Dreams Alive and the refugee work done by Marka Church.
Laurel added, “Haytham has great relationships with the local police and authorities. When new refugees come into town with needs, the authorities will tell them about him. He and people from his church help with food and housing needs. And he’s got a heart to share the Gospel with everybody and build relationships with Jordanians.”
Pastor Haytham Mazerah (left) of Marka Church in Amman, Jordan, teaches with Denny Barger in February.
Through this ministry, nominal Christians hear the Gospel and many attend the church and are saved, related Dave Margaretta, CCOB’s missions pastor. “But Muslims also come into the church and hear the Gospel in Arabic.”
The medical missions have built a strong bridge between the churches, Dave reflected. “We see some of the people at the clinic that we’ve seen previously. They recognize that we actually care and are partners and servants with Marka Church. I think it helps them to see Christianity as a brotherhood. It opens the door for the Gospel.”
Mission team members work in the Marka medical clinic pharmacy. Inviting medical professionals to join them, Laurel urged, “There is a huge need for medical people who know Christ. This is such a great way to use what the Lord has given.”
CCOB Senior Pastor Lloyd Pulley noted, “Demonstrating the love of God to the least and the last in desperate need of medical attention makes a way for the Gospel in the hardest of hearts! And those who sacrifice their time to do so, are doing it unto Jesus and is a reward unto itself beyond words.”
“[Then the King will say,] ‘for I was hungry and gave Me food; I was thirsty and gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in. … I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:35, 40b
An Invitation to Serve
Then He [Jesus] said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Luke 10:2
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah 6:8a
Pastor Dave invites medical professionals—and any others—to join them. The next mission was to be this summer to the Dominican Republic. Laurel urged, “There’s a huge need for medical people who know Christ. A lot of times we get really comfortable … but this is such a great way to use what the Lord has given.”
Registered Nurse Mandy (right) from Calvary Chapel Marlton, NJ, prepares to dispense medications in the pharmacy with the aid of her translator.
Mark concluded, “These mission trips are not just something to do. I love the opportunity to serve the Lord. He’s done so much for me; how can I not give back—to be able to help these people who are in a terrible situation, to show some of Jesus’ love?”
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