A brief glance at our Medical Mission trip partnering with First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio to serve in Leona Vicario, Mexico with Yucatan Peninsula Miission.
Medical Mission Trip
The Medical Mission Trip to YPM Mexico has been for many years a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, Texas. In recent years the San Antonio team has been joined by a team from FPC Birmingham, MI, which greatly increased the number of patients who could be seen. However, the need is very great and YPM would be delighted to welcome medical mission teams from other churches as well.
The medical mission team goes with the goal of making Jesus visible to the people of the small villages in the vicinity of Leona Vicario, in the Zona Maya of the Yucatan. We seek to show the love of Jesus Christ by providing free medical care and medicines, as well as listening ears, warm smiles, love and hugs to the people we go to serve.
These teams are made up of physicians of various specialties**, as well as nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, dentists, psychologists, translators, Christian educators who bring VBS-type activities for the children, and others who feel called to this ministry and help in many other ways. In past years the team has worked in a number of different places, such as schools, churches, and homes, as well as a few medical clinics. In 2013, the team worked in the government Health Center and Clinic of Leona Vicario.
Translators are almost always available, but it is a definite asset to be able to speak and understand Spanish. Another very important requirement for this trip is flexibility, patience and a sense of humor!
The teams are met at the Cancun airport by the YPM Mexico leaders, Pastor Wilian Cen and his wife Erly, and transported to the YPM Base in Leona Vicario, about 45 kilometers away.
The teams stay at the YPM Base, and the accommodations there are clean and comfortable. Three meals a day are prepared by Tere and her daughter Mari, who are very good cooks, and very careful to make sure the food is clean and safe. The maximum number that can be comfortably accommodated is about 20-25. Accommodations are dorm-style, with 4-6 people to a room in either beds or hammocks. Hammocks are included in the cost of the trip, so if you’ve ever thought you’d like to try sleeping in a hammock, now’s your chance! Showers and toilets are down the hall (2 of each for men and women).
**For example, internists, pediatricians, OB/GYNs, cardiologists, radiologists. General medicine, pediatrics, and gynecology are the most frequently requested specialties, but any specialist who is comfortable with general medicine is welcome.