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HCM clinic focuses on education and counseling in southeastern Europe |
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Kathleen Smith, physician's assistant and HCM missionary, teaches at an evening session as part of HCM's clinic in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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HCM brought the hope that heals on a different level to Bosnia-Herzegovina
by holding a health education clinic in partnership with the Evangelical Church
of Mostar. Our team of eight healthcare
professionals served the people of the war-torn community with medical and
optical aid in addition to counseling.
Kathleen Smith, a physician's assistant and one of HCM's
missionary associates, explained that the religious atmosphere of the community
was mainly Muslim and some Orthodox and Catholic.
"Protestant Christians were ridiculed," Smith said. "They're not hostile toward Christians, but
think they're crazy."
But because of the clinic, 250 people who would never have
entered an evangelical church came to receive the care offered.
"The church is now viewed with favor by those who came,"
Smith said.
The counseling aspect of the clinic made the outreach unique
as patients were able to share of the suffering they had been harboring from
the civil wars in the past decade.
Loretta Speicher, RN and assistant team leader, felt as
though the counseling area served the longest-lasting impact to the people
because they were able to deal with mental health issues that arose from the
civil wars. Because the society as a
whole suffered the same catastrophe, individuals never talked about their
suffering because it became the norm.
"Our continual hearts desire was to foster the love of
Christ...through active listening, sensitive advisement, a soft touch, and wiping
of tears from their cheeks," Speicher said.
Another unique aspect of the clinic was that the patients
were pre-registered, thus allowing the medical and counseling staff to have
more time with each patient. Health
education became a focus as a result.
Evenings were allotted for health teaching sessions at the
church, and HCM team members discussed topics ranging from hypertension to
mental health issues.
These unique components of this health education trip gave
Speicher the realization that "relationship" is an important facet of healing.
"We can be healthy in mind, body, and spirit," Speicher
said. "Yet without relationships,
evangelism cannot prosper.
Multiplication of believers and growth of the gospel cannot take place
without the building and fostering of relationship."
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 Mike O'Brien, HCM's optical coordinator, examines a patient's eyes before fitting her with a pair of eyeglasses. |
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