MAZATLÁN, MEXICO – Here I am on another mission trip. This is my first time in Mazatlán, in fact, my first time anywhere in Mexico other than the border town of Nogales, south of Arizona, where I have visited three times.

Like many of the mission trips I’ve been on over the past 15 years, this one had an emphasis on providing medical clinics in poor villages, in the middle of nowhere, with no running water and dirt roads. We were blessed, however, on three days to be able to conduct clinics indoors with air conditioning. The other clinics took place in open-air churches, with little cover and sweltering heat.

I travel with a Tulsa mission group called One to the Other Ministries (OTTOM), led by Victor and Laurie Cruz. We partnered with a local ministry called Shoulder to Shoulder (STS), which is run by an American couple from Texas, but based here in Mazatlán. This was the first time for these two ministries to work together in providing medical clinics to these communities, and we feel it was a great success.

We have a good system in place when we do these medical clinics. The patient is ushered from station to station, where they register, see a nurse who takes their vital signs and blood glucose level, then they visit with a doctor who decides if a prescription medication is needed or not. After visiting with the doctor, they bring their card with the prescription written on the back to the make-shift “pharmacy” on sight.

That’s where I volunteer. While we prepare the person’s prescription, they go to a small group of people who pray with them. After prayer, they receive their medications and are free to leave.

Here, we were able to conduct five full-day clinics, each in a single location. Some were very busy and well attended, and others were not. As I mentioned, some of these villages are very small, and the clinics didn’t attract many people. However, in total, we were able to help over 130 people. Not bad for the first time providing this sort of service to these areas.

I traveled with eight other adults and one child on this trip. We had a doctor and two nurses from Tulsa with us. The local ministry provided assistance by allowing their seven interns to join us and assist with the clinics. Four of the interns are local, and three are from Eastern Ohio. They were all very excited to be involved with what we were doing and we had a great time together.

It is so awesome to see these high school and college aged young people really give of themselves to help other people. Most of them don’t even have any interest in the medical field, and only a couple of them are interested in going into full time ministry.

One of the cool things that happens on these trips is the relationships that are created. First, the relationship between OTTOM and STS. The leaders of both are already scheduling a time next summer to go back, and this time do an evangelistic drama in several areas around Mazatlán. Then we’ll look at dates on the calendar to possibly do another medical mission trip to the area.

Also, relationships are forged between the team of people who traveled from Tulsa, and those we met there. John and his wife Rachel, who run STS have become friends of mine, and that friendship will last our lifetime. We also, created a bond with many of the student interns. I really hit it off with one in particular, Dan, from Ohio. He’s a big baseball fan and has a baseball hat collection, much like myself. I have a feeling I will see him again sometime.

Paul Bassone, is the intern coordinator for STS. He lives in Ohio, that’s why so many interns are from his area, however, he has made a friendship with the Cruz’s and with me, so who knows, maybe we’ll be able to recruit some interns from the Tulsa area to spend their summers working with that ministry in Mexico.

We know we will see Paul again, in a few months, as he will be coming to Oklahoma to visit his parents who live in Tahlequah.

This was my ninth foreign mission trip since 2008, and everyone of them has been great. They are all different, in some way or another, but I always come home feeling I got more out of it than I could possibly give. Sometimes, the people there bless me more just by how grateful they are and thankful that we would travel so far to help them.

It’s certainly not a vacation, and sometimes the logistics and travel are difficult. Sometimes the sleeping conditions and bathroom facilities may not be anything like what we’re used to at home, but we’ve learned to be flexible, and just go where we are led.

Now, I’m looking forward to mission trip number ten.