Fundraising Effort

During our Spring Break in March, the Christian Medical Association is planning a trip to Mexico. 40 medical students, including myself, will travel to Puebla, Mexico to administer a medical clinic to impoverished natives of this city located 60 miles from Mexico City. Licensed medical staff from our school will accompany us and will assist us in making decisions about care for each of our patients. However, for the large part, we, first and second year students, will be the acting physicians. This is both a scary and exciting opportunity that I am greatly looking forward to.

All the supplies, including basic pharmaceuticals, urine and blood analysis materials, gauze, stitches, etc. have been purchased from funds we’ve scrapped together from fundraising. All other expenses, such as transportation, food, and lodging are the responsibility of the individual student. This is a somewhat ludicrous expectation, as we are all living day to day on borrowed money. However, many of us consider this trip to be our launching pad into a career as a physician to God’s Beloved: the poor. So, we recall (and must continually remind ourselves) that ‘’if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10)

Lately, many public figures including Bono of the band U2 and Bill Gates, the multi-billionaire, have lead efforts to address the health needs of poor nations all over the world. Compared to their efforts, ours is a proverbial drop in the bucket. However, every time I reflect on the small amount of good we will be able to do for these folks at a great financial cost to ourselves, I am reminded of a certain widow. Rich people went ahead of her and dropped large sums of money into the ‘Jewish Relief Fund.’ These wealthy folks were probably very vocal in local social affairs and obviously did ‘good things’ with their money. I bet they were 'model citizens.' But, it was the widow with two small copper coins to whom Jesus draws his disciples’ attention. He tells them this: “This widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:4) Bono and Gates do great things with their time, money, and talent, but what does it really cost them? What do you and I do that really costs us something? Costs us our livelihood?

You and I are bombarded everyday with another tragic cause calling for our support. This exhausts me and in the end I usually feel ‘guilted’ instead of compelled into some sort of action. I pray that my blog adds nothing to your personal exhaustion, but rather that it compels you to give yourself recklessly to those that need what you’ve got to offer. This may or may not be “our cause.’ But if you would like to contribute to our effort in Puebla, please do.

Checks should be made out to “UNTHSC-Christian Medical Association.” All Donations are tax deductible and the Tax ID # is 30118211389. If you need my mailing address, send me an email at spamber19@yahoo.com