Reflections on the 38th Medical Mission to Jiaozhou, China

From May 28 through June 1, I participated in a medical mission to Jiaozhou, China. It was my first time joining an overseas mission centered on ophthalmic surgery, so I felt both excited and apprehensive.

At Incheon International Airport, I met the church elders, senior deaconesses, and deacons for the first time. Although their faces were unfamiliar, I soon felt at ease knowing that we had all gathered in the name of the Lord and seeing the kindness in their expressions.

After arriving in China, we were delayed at Qingdao Airport for approximately three and a half hours because of the strict customs inspection. According to the more experienced team members, they had never encountered a situation like this before.

As the delay continued, we became frustrated and disappointed that things were not proceeding as we had planned. Yet God once again showed us how wonderful He is.

Through the delay, we were reminded to depend entirely on the Lord and confess once again that God the Father was the One directing the mission. We acknowledged that there was nothing we could accomplish through our own strength and turned to Him in prayer.

Once we had been reminded of this important truth, the situation gradually began to improve.

Perhaps, amid our busy mission schedule, the Lord wanted us to spend more time in fellowship with Him and entrust everything fully into His hands.

We arrived at the People’s Hospital late that evening, unloaded the equipment, and set up the surgical instruments.

The First Day of Surgery

We arrived at the hospital at 8:00 a.m., completed the preparations, and began surgery at 10:00 a.m.

Through this experience, I realized that performing surgery in a mission field—with its limited conditions and spiritual challenges—is impossible without God’s grace.

On the first day, 28 patients underwent sight-restoring cataract surgery.

From trimming the patients’ eyelashes before surgery to placing eye patches after the procedures, every operation required many helping hands, great effort, and countless hours of dedicated work.

Communication was difficult, and many patients had extremely dense and hardened cataracts, making the procedures especially challenging.

The ultimate purpose of our work was not simply to help the patients regain their sight. We also hoped that our service would help open their hearts to receive the Gospel. For this reason, the mission could not have been accomplished without God’s grace.

My responsibilities included administering anesthesia and loading the intraocular lenses.

Because I did not yet have extensive experience in ophthalmology, moving back and forth between the anesthesia area and the operating room was more than I could manage through my own strength. Nevertheless, with God’s help and grace, I was able to fulfill my duties.

Over the course of two days, a total of 63 patients underwent surgery.

I believe that one day they will hear and receive the Gospel. Through this mission, I came to understand more deeply how God can use even our smallest acts of service to lead a soul toward salvation.

Trimming a patient’s eyelashes, distributing medication, or placing an eye patch may appear insignificant. Yet God brings all these small acts together to accomplish His good purpose.

CTS accompanied us throughout the mission, so cameras were present wherever we went. We were told that the footage would be edited into a documentary.

I pray that many people will watch it, be inspired to serve, and help spread the fragrance of the Lord throughout every part of the world.