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HCM shares hope in the Philippines |
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HCM team member, Dr. Bill Pierce, prays with a patient at our medical evangelism clinic in the Philippines.
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HealthCare Ministries traveled to the Bicol Region of the Philippines to partner with Assemblies of God
missionaries Dave and Debbie Johnson to bring free medical aid to Tabaco City
and Talisay in a church-planting effort.
Our team of volunteer health care professionals treated patients with
general medical needs as well as dental problems and optical needs. Between the two cities visited, we saw a
total of 1,453 patients, and 671 made decisions to follow Jesus Christ.
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One such decision was made by a woman who kept coming back
to the medical evangelism clinic to hear about Jesus. Bettie Hibbard, our nurse who was working in
the pharmacy area, was able to witness to this woman who came back a total of
four times because she wanted to know more about why the team was there.
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"I just can't forget this story about Jesus, and I want to
hear it again," she'd say.
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Bettie led her through the sinner's prayer on her last visit
and the woman exclaimed how different she felt.
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| Another decision to follow Christ was made by a woman who
chose to reject the cult she was following after being treated in the optical
clinic. Mike O'Brien, an HCM missionary,
explained to this woman that salvation only comes through Jesus Christ. She had been wearing a necklace that
symbolized her cult, but realized it was doing her no good.
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"I want the real Jesus as a part of my life,” she said, and
then ground the necklace into the floor with her foot. She accepted Christ as her savior and later
brought others to the clinic to reject the cult and accept salvation through
Jesus Christ.
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HCM teams always have it in mind to offer this spiritual
healing while addressing the physical need.
Terri Griswold, an HCM
missionary, was able to see past the wounds of a girl who had come into the
clinic and intercede for an underlying need.
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This girl had raw wounds on her legs from laundry detergent
being scrubbed into her skin by her family.
As she was being treated, Terri began to pray for this girl, and she
felt impressed to say that she was beautiful.
These words brought tears to the girl’s eyes.
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Later our host missionary explained to Terri that children
in that culture aren't told things like that.
So hearing that she was beautiful had touched the girl in a deeper way.
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