Many stories that filter back to MOST Ministries’ offices tell of seeing God at work. “We found just the right eyeglasses for that Honduran man who couldn’t see leaves on trees.”  “The man who was treated for a sore hip was so grateful to feel better, that he showed up at our hotel later to bring us a gift of coffee!”

Usually, it’s later that we hear about the culture shock – that is, the feeling of disorientation, confusion, or anxiety that can occur when a person is suddenly immersed in a new and unfamiliar culture. There is shock at seeing the poverty; discomfort from unfamiliar foods, beds, and lizards on the walls; and just general fatigue from long hours in an airplane, in a van, or possible travel disruptions; and then sitting through team meetings each night.

For the past seven years, senior-year student nurses from Concordia University Ann Arbor have teamed with MOST to provide them with 42 hours of clinical experience. Almost 90 students have either taken part in clinical experiences held in Central America or delivered social services in Alaska.

Preparation for their 2024 trip to western Belize involved learning about traveling with MOST and being prepared to serve professionally in a different culture and language.

In Belize, the students’ professor, Dr. Mihaela Zegrean, DNP, also had a list of desired outcomes for her students to satisfy as part of their Community Wellness Clinical. Briefly noted, the students would be evaluated for their work in the clinic; identifying the health teaching needs; collaborating with their peers and community professionals; and offering recommendations for health planning.

What wasn’t identified in the course description, but was gained by the students in the field, was resilience and flexibility. This team gained these qualities quickly, drinking from a firehose of difficulties and changing situations.

The six days of clinic themselves were an exercise in “What new situation will we see today?” as we set up temporary clinics in new places each day. With help from translators, each patient was registered. Our students performed triage on each, checking the patient’s reported symptoms and working to elicit other causes of pain or infection. Private patient exam areas had to be fashioned from hanging a sheet in a corner of the clinic. Most days, students had to be ordered to take a break for a packed lunch from our ice chest.

A calm Belizean E.R. nurse provided local context, training and assistance. Hired to work with us all week, she was invaluable at teaching us about the Mayan population and their local infections (we saw tropical viruses); giving us a tour of a public hospital; and confirming the meds usually available for HIV patients (we had one young patient in final stages of AIDS). One student has become committed to doing cross-cultural nursing and will be looking for mission work in her career. 

Evening decompression time was spent listening to each other relate what they saw that day and appreciating their efforts. Dr. Mihaela is proud of this cohort of students. She states that “in a North American culture where large numbers of young people can’t bend their ego to reality and avoid self-sacrifice, our nursing students stepped up to many challenges. They learned to have each other’s back – a closeness that is increasingly rare in developed countries.”

Another student gave us a devotion from Romans 12:2 on our final morning in Belize – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” A perfect ending to a week of testing.