Reflections on the 58th and 59th Medical Missions to Jingxin Town and Yanbian, China
Medical Mission Schedule
Day 1 — Sunday, September 6
7:30 a.m. — Arrive at Incheon International Airport
9:50–11:15 a.m. — Flight from Incheon to Yanbian
12:30–2:30 p.m. — Complete customs procedures
Attend a worship service in Yanbian
2:30–4:30 p.m. — Travel to the hospital in Jingxin Town
4:40–7:00 p.m. — Arrive at the hospital and set up the surgical equipment
7:00 p.m. — Travel to the hotel in Hunchun, have dinner, and rest
Day 2 — Monday, September 7
First Day of Surgery: Jingxin Town
5:30–6:00 a.m. — Worship service
6:00–6:30 a.m. — Breakfast
6:30–7:00 a.m. — Travel to the hospital in Jingxin Town
7:00–8:30 a.m. — Surgical preparation
8:30–11:00 a.m. — Cataract surgeries for 14 patients
12:00–2:00 p.m. — Clean up and pack the equipment
2:00–3:00 p.m. — Lunch
3:00–5:00 p.m. — Travel to Yanbian University Welfare Hospital
5:00–7:00 p.m. — Arrive at the hospital and set up the surgical equipment
7:00 p.m. — Dinner and rest
Day 3 — Tuesday, September 8
Second Day of Surgery: Yanbian
5:30–6:00 a.m. — Worship service
6:00–6:30 a.m. — Breakfast
6:30–7:00 a.m. — Travel to Yanbian University Welfare Hospital
7:00–8:00 a.m. — Surgical preparation
8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. — Cataract surgeries for 25 patients
1:30–2:30 p.m. — Lunch
2:30–5:00 p.m. — Afternoon surgeries for 18 patients
5:00–7:00 p.m. — Clean up and pack the equipment
7:00 p.m. — Dinner and rest
Mission Reflections
This was my second time participating in a medical mission to Jingxin Town and Yanbian, China.
Because our flight was scheduled early in the morning, we agreed to meet at the airport by 7:10 a.m., which made for a very busy start to the day.
Just as I arrived at the airport limousine bus stop, the bus pulled up. I boarded with a smile, feeling that the journey was already beginning smoothly. My heart was filled with anticipation for how God would guide us throughout the five-day mission.
At the airport, I was happy to see the deacons and volunteers from Good People again. We quickly checked in our luggage, and the customs process also went smoothly.
Thanks to the airline’s assistance, all our luggage was accepted without difficulty, allowing us to board the plane feeling much lighter both physically and emotionally.
After a flight of about two hours, we arrived at Yanji International Airport.
I was surprised by how small the airport was. After completing another customs inspection, we met staff members from Yanbian Welfare Hospital who had come to welcome us.
We then traveled to the place where members of the welfare organization gathered for Sunday worship and attended the service together.
While we were singing hymns, the worship leader asked everyone to sing “softly, but with strength.” Those words unexpectedly brought tears to my eyes.
I have always loved singing praise, but in Korea, I had rarely stopped to appreciate the freedom to sing openly and wholeheartedly.
I thought to myself that when I returned home, I should serve more faithfully on the praise team and remain grateful for every opportunity to worship.
Although the people there had to sing quietly, their worship was more passionate and powerful than almost any service I had experienced.
After worship, we prayed together, shared refreshments, and then traveled to the local health center where we would install the surgical equipment.
Most of the team members had also served together during our previous mission to Beijing, so everyone knew their responsibilities and worked efficiently.
Because we worked well together, our hearts were also united, and the preparation process became genuinely enjoyable.
After completing the final equipment inspection, we hung a fabric curtain over the operating room entrance and finished setting up.
The health center staff prepared a generous dinner for us. After the meal, we went to bed early in preparation for the following day’s surgeries.
The First Day of Surgery
Our day began with a 5:00 a.m. wake-up call.
At 5:30 a.m., we gathered for worship and prepared our hearts together. After breakfast, we traveled for about 30 minutes to the health center.
Because we had to prepare surgical supplies for more than 20 patients within an hour, we quickly washed our hands and began arranging the surgical instruments and sterile supplies.
Thankfully, everything was ready on time, and the first surgery began.
The second, third, and following procedures continued smoothly. However, around the tenth surgery, a burning smell began to spread through the operating room. After a short while, the smell seemed to fade.
Then, as the 14th patient’s surgery was nearing completion, a fire suddenly broke out in one corner of the operating room ceiling.
Everyone in the room was initially shocked, but we quickly regained our composure. Thanks to the courageous and decisive action of one of the deacons, the fire was extinguished before it could spread.
Unfortunately, black ash had already fallen onto the surgical table, making it impossible to continue operating safely in that room.
We were heartbroken as we thought about the patients who had been waiting since early that morning, hoping to regain clearer vision.
However, God’s plan went beyond what we could have imagined.
Yanbian Welfare Hospital, where the following day’s surgeries were scheduled, agreed to provide us with an additional operating room.
Because the health center and the welfare hospital were not too far apart, we decided that the remaining patients could travel to the welfare hospital and still receive their surgeries.
With relieved hearts, we packed the equipment and moved to Yanbian Welfare Hospital.
We set everything up again, completed the surgical preparations, and returned to our accommodations.
The Second Day of Surgery
As on the first day, we woke up at 5:00 a.m., attended worship, ate breakfast, and traveled to the welfare hospital.
We quickly completed the surgical preparations, and the first procedure began with prayer.
As each surgery was completed, my body began to feel as heavy as soaked cotton, and my legs started to ache.
Yet whenever I saw patients bowing repeatedly with gratitude and smiling as they stepped down from the operating table, I felt a joy that was difficult to put into words.
Most of all, I thought how wonderful it would be if people who had never heard the Gospel came to know Jesus through this surgery and eventually placed their faith in Him.
That thought gave me renewed strength.
The surgeries continued smoothly until we finally reached the last patient.
However, this patient had glaucoma and several other conditions that made surgery especially difficult.
More than ever, the patient needed our prayers. The senior deaconesses and deacons remained nearby throughout the long procedure, praying together with one heart.
After an extended and challenging surgery, the final procedure was completed safely.
Everyone thanked God, encouraged one another, and shared the joy of successfully completing the mission.
Through this experience, I once again felt that God was personally at work.
No matter how carefully we plan and prepare, we are ultimately created beings who must work according to God’s plan and in His way.
I am deeply grateful that God chose to use me—not someone else, but someone as fearful and weak as I am—as an instrument and allowed me to take part in His work.
Min Hee Lee, Nurse
