Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Rick Kajiura (Host), Alisha Paulson, Carissa Clendenon, Drs. Darryl & Tiffany Priester, Josh Remoket, Judelle Johnson, Julianne Price, Makayla Hemple, Maxine Lehsi, Ryan Johnson, Saul Kepler
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000802B
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00:08 Welcome back to Mexico City.
00:10 Next up, we travel to Malawi 00:12 where a Seventh-day Adventist missionary doctor 00:15 is working in an urban environment 00:17 as the only cardiologist in the entire country. 00:21 Dr. Tiffany Priester and her husband 00:23 recently caught up with Rick Kajuira 00:26 at the Adventist World Headquarters. 00:28 Thank you, Gary. 00:29 Our guests today are Dr. Tiffany Priester and Darryl 00:32 who come to us 00:33 all the way from the country of Malawi 00:35 in Southern Africa. 00:37 Thank you for joining us today. 00:38 It's our pleasure. 00:40 Now, where are you from originally? 00:43 I grow up in the Southern California region 00:45 near Loma Linda. 00:47 Okay, near Loma Linda where you also studied. 00:49 Yes. Okay. 00:50 Now how did you end up 00:52 as a medical missionary in Malawi? 00:55 Was it always your dream to be a medical missionary 00:57 or was it something that just hit 01:00 when you're in medical school like? 01:02 As far as I can remember it was one of my dreams. 01:05 I actually grow up 01:06 listening to a radio station called KSGN 01:08 and they featured mission stories 01:10 and Loma Linda often had missionaries, 01:12 especially medical missionaries returning. 01:15 And those stories inspired me 01:16 and I said, you know, 01:18 I want to be a medical missionary. 01:19 I'm sure somewhere along the line, 01:21 I changed my mind several times, 01:22 and by the time I was in Walla Walla College, 01:25 I knew I was a premed major, 01:27 I was going to be in medicine 01:28 and I was probably going to 01:30 try to be an Africa medical missionary. 01:32 And as my freshman year of medical school, 01:34 I signed up for the Deferred Mission Appointee 01:36 or DMA program 01:37 and this is where I've ended up. 01:39 Okay. 01:40 And, Darryl, when you met Tiffany, 01:43 did you know that she had this dream 01:44 of being a medical missionary someday or? 01:47 I didn't. 01:48 I haven't been going on mission trips 01:52 for many years myself. 01:53 And when I was in youth ministry, 01:56 I took kids on mission trips 01:57 and the idea that we might take a longer term trip, 01:59 sounded great to me. 02:01 Okay. 02:02 Out of curiosity, where did you go on 02:03 with your kids on mission trips? 02:05 Mostly Mexico. 02:06 Okay. Right. 02:08 Now, listen to the mission stories 02:11 well being medical missionary and being in medical missionary 02:15 may or may not be the same thing. 02:16 Were your expectations fulfilled 02:18 when you reached Malawi or what was that like? 02:22 I learned by traveling over the years 02:23 that I shouldn't have very many expectations 02:26 but even so, even with the few expectations 02:28 I had, it's always quite different. 02:30 The hospital I work out is in the city 02:33 and it's much different from the rural stories 02:36 that people used to present as missionaries, 02:38 so I actually work a lot with the middle and upper class 02:42 and some with the poor and people, 02:44 and I have a lot more, I can use. 02:47 We have antibiotics, we have ventilators, 02:48 we have an intensive care unit 02:50 and I have stress testing equipment 02:51 and cardiology equipment that I can use 02:53 and so it is quite a bit different, 02:54 but I would say at least in a good way. 02:57 And the Adventist church 02:59 has rural hospitals and city hospitals 03:01 and you happened to end up in the city one 03:02 but in some ways you have a large population 03:06 that you can make a difference in their lives 03:08 when you're in a city. 03:10 Do, and as the only cardiologist in the country, 03:12 people come from the city, 03:13 from the rural areas 03:15 and from everywhere else as well. 03:16 Okay. 03:18 So you're the only cardiologist in all of Malawi. 03:19 Yes. Okay. 03:20 And what about the surrounding countries? 03:24 Yeah. 03:25 There's also no access to cardiology care 03:27 for several of the surrounding countries 03:30 for quite somewhat, some distance, 03:31 so there is 03:33 Maputo Heart Institute far to the south, 03:34 so the country surrounding is Mozambique 03:36 and we get people that come in and as far away as Harare 03:40 where there also is a cardiologist 03:41 but if someone needs a second opinion, 03:42 they will drive over to see me. 03:44 Okay. 03:46 Now, when you look at 03:47 the challenges of city mission hospitals, 03:52 what are some of the major issues 03:54 that people face there? 03:56 As people move to the cities, 03:58 they developed the diseases of lifestyle 04:00 so some of what I treat 04:02 is actually similar to what we'd see here, 04:04 obesity, high blood pressure, 04:06 high cholesterol, starting to have heart attacks, 04:09 so those things need to be addressed. 04:10 The message about healthful living 04:12 about walking instead of driving a car, 04:14 it's very difficult to get across to people 04:15 who will finally have a car, 04:17 finally don't have to walk 10 miles to get water. 04:20 And to understand the health effects, 04:22 it's sometimes quite awkward to emphasize that to people. 04:26 we also have to balance our care 04:28 in our outreach clinics to the poor 04:30 with our outreach to there to the upper and middle class 04:32 especially the business class, so I do also an outreach clinic 04:36 which is an hour and half drive each way 04:37 once a week down to a rural hospital in Malamulo 04:40 as well as to the government hospital in town. 04:43 So along with the benefits of city living 04:46 come some of the negatives of health issues, 04:49 and cities are becoming one of the big mission areas, 04:52 you know, that's where people are. 04:55 In recent years 04:56 the global population has shifted from 04:58 being rural to urban. 05:01 Excuse me. 05:03 So when you're working in a mission hospital like that 05:07 and if you have somebody who said, you know, 05:09 hey, I'm interested in going out 05:11 in mission service of some kind, 05:14 what advice would you give them? 05:16 I'd say to people who are getting ready to go out 05:18 that they should learn about the area that they're going to. 05:21 You know, if they're going to rural hospital, 05:23 it's going to be very different than a city hospital. 05:25 I'd say that they ought to be 05:27 very aware of the health risks themselves. 05:29 Some places have malaria, 05:31 some places have the other fevers, 05:32 so people who are getting ready to go out 05:34 and then to try to have fewer expectations, 05:36 I think the fewer expectations you have, 05:38 the less you can be disappointed. 05:40 And, you know, every single mission field is different, 05:43 and the things that are needed there are different, 05:45 the health messages might be different 05:47 that are needed there. 05:48 I can remember someone talking about 05:49 not wearing constrictive clothing 05:51 to a group of people 05:52 who had only one set of clothes. 05:54 So the health message actually is going to vary, 05:57 so I'd say my best advice would be 05:59 for people to understand 06:00 where they're headed for what the needs are. 06:04 Darryl, what were some of the major adjustments 06:06 you had to make when you moved into Malawi? 06:09 Well, I have to drive on the right side of the road 06:12 and remember to do that every time, 06:15 and really there the pace of life 06:19 is quite a bit different. 06:21 And Malawi is changing and the population is growing 06:25 and you find more people in the roads, 06:28 in cars, on bicycles, on foot 06:31 and it's just a different way of driving 06:33 level of attention that's required 06:36 is really quite a bit different, 06:37 and as Malawi changes, 06:39 you know, the missionary needs change as well. 06:41 The church is growing. The needs change there. 06:45 And what is true for us today 06:48 won't be true for missionaries 10 years from now. 06:50 Sure. 06:52 Our time is almost up 06:53 but if somebody wants to really do something 06:58 to make a difference in mission, 07:00 what would you tell them is key? 07:03 Well, I think there are probably 07:04 three things that we need. 07:06 We need people to pray for us to support God's work. 07:08 We need professionals that can help us, 07:10 you know, maybe an architect, 07:12 a nurse, a respiratory therapist, 07:14 you know, an administrator, an accountant 07:15 those kind of things 07:17 and then of course financially donations 07:18 are always useful for capital projects. 07:21 But how can they help financially? 07:23 Donations can be made to us through 07:24 adventist healthinternational.org/malawi. 07:28 Wonderful. 07:30 Thank you very much for joining us today 07:32 and back to you, Gary. 07:35 We met some student missionaries 07:37 who have volunteered at least a year of their lives 07:40 in service for others. 07:43 Their work has made a difference 07:45 in the lives of so many kids. 07:47 Let's hear some testimonies from some of the students, 07:50 a former student missionaries. 07:55 From around the globe, 07:57 Seventh-day Adventist University students 07:59 take a year off from school to travel abroad, 08:02 to beautiful parts of the world 08:03 where they teach island kids to read and write, 08:07 but most importantly to love. 08:09 The impact these volunteer student missionaries 08:12 have on the young kids surpasses understanding. 08:15 Here are the testimonies of students, 08:17 our former student missionaries 08:19 who are now attending Walla Walla University. 08:24 They had a lot to do 08:25 with guidance from their counselors need. 08:27 All of the student missionaries 08:29 impacted my life in a really, really, really big way. 08:32 You just make a lot of friends. 08:34 A lot of friends for a life, 08:35 you know, I'm so in touch with my first grade teacher. 08:37 Most people who I've talked to, 08:39 they think, oh, I'm gong to be a student missionary. 08:41 I'm just going to go teach a kid English 08:43 but it's a lot more than that. 08:45 A student missionary was the one 08:46 who taught me to tie my shoe. 08:48 I had two or three teachers in high school, 08:50 my senior year from Wall Walla 08:52 and they all helped me apply for Walla Walla. 08:56 If it wasn't for them, 08:57 I don't think that I would be here. 08:58 It affected me in a really positive way. 09:01 When I was in the high school, 09:03 I wasn't the best kid around the block, 09:04 but I did try hard in school throughout like my church 09:08 I got scholarships 09:10 that gave me the opportunity to be the person 09:12 that I'm today. 09:14 I was counting today 09:15 and 17 out of like my 25 teachers 09:19 were from Walla Walla. 09:21 I've been taught by a total of 31 student missionaries 09:25 and about 50% of them 09:27 were from Walla Walla University. 09:28 The school probably wouldn't function 09:30 if we didn't have their sermons and the ovens. 09:33 If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have a school. 09:35 Back home I was taught by SMs my whole life. 09:39 The teachers 09:40 that came and taught me my science classes 09:42 were also science majors here at Walla Walla. 09:44 And you could tell that their teaching style 09:46 was adapted from professors here. 09:48 I was aiming towards architecture 09:50 but then an SM who is from here. 09:52 He is a civil engineering student 09:54 and he kind of influenced me 09:56 to go the civil engineering direction 09:58 and I'm glad I chose that. 10:00 They taught me my subjects of course, 10:03 but then they also taught me life for instance, 10:05 they inspired me to come here. 10:07 They had a huge impact on our lives 10:09 there, all little kids running around campus. 10:12 I learned a lot about God from them too. 10:14 By taking the year off from school, 10:16 to come and like devote yourself 10:19 to serving like wow 10:21 that just, that just touches me. 10:23 They're not just their teachers 10:24 but they're also like their friends, 10:26 their siblings or they would even be parent 10:27 for some who don't even have parents. 10:30 Some of them, I got really closed to. 10:34 They're just like brothers and sisters to me. 10:36 One day I hope to be a student missionary too. 10:39 The list of opportunities changes every year. 10:41 You can volunteer 10:43 your time and energy around the world. 10:46 There are people who need you. 10:48 To become an Adventist Volunteer Services missionary 10:52 visit adventistvolunteers.org. 10:54 There are many different types of opportunities 10:56 to serve in many areas and places. 10:59 Are you hearing God's call to serve? 11:02 Will you go? 11:08 Well, that's about it for today's program. 11:10 And I hope that 11:12 you've been inspired and challenged 11:14 by what you've seen and heard. 11:15 As you've seen men and women around the world 11:18 sharing the light of God's love, 11:21 from the mighty metropolis of Mexico City to Micronesia, 11:25 to the vast continent of Africa, 11:27 there are still many mission challenges. 11:30 And thank you for your continuing involvement 11:32 in mission and your prayers and your financial support. 11:36 It does make a difference. 11:38 Please continue to pray for frontline mission workers. 11:42 It can be challenging. 11:43 It can be lonely. 11:45 And it's very comforting to know 11:46 that there are people praying for them. 11:49 Before we go, 11:50 I'd like to send you a free small gift 11:52 to thank for your support of mission. 11:54 It's the Mission Spotlight DVD 11:57 that is full of stories like you see on this program. 12:01 The DVD takes you around the world 12:03 to see mission in action. 12:05 For Adventist mission, I'm Gary Krause, 12:08 and I hope that you can join me 12:09 right here next time on Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2015-08-27