TAPACHULA (BP) — A medical team member asked a patient about his diet. The patient responded, “I eat when I can, when somebody can give me some food. I ate today because they gave me breakfast.”

This wasn’t a typical doctor’s appointment. This happened last year on the southern border of Mexico, near Guatemala and the Pacific Ocean. A medical mission team of eight went to offer care to migrants, refugees and displaced peoples.

Another team member treated a young man who injured his knee. The young man said he was running from a gunman who killed his mother in front of him. He fell into a hole which caused his injury. After his treatment, the young man made a profession of faith in Christ.

International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries Charlie and Robin Janney, who focus on human needs in Mexico, coordinated this team, knowing how great the medical needs are in this area.

“God gave them medical abilities and the intelligence to help others,” Robin said of the team made up of doctors, nurses, physician assistants and physical therapists. “There are people in serious need and have no one else. They are desperate.”

Robin explained how grateful people were for this medical team to offer them care, considering how difficult it can be to afford treatment. She said it was a “huge honor” for them to receive medical attention and not be charged.

Over five days, the team met with more than 300 patients. For many of the medical professionals, this was the start of their involvement in mission work.

Robin said one of the team members is heading for training to be a Journeyman — a two-year program with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) that allows young professionals to explore the potential of lifelong service in ministry through hands-on serving and life on the mission field. “Another feels called to Africa,” she said, “so we put her in contact with a missionary there who also uses medical personnel.”

A doctor on the team is close to retiring, and he and his wife may consider taking advantage of IMB’s Master’s program — a missions pathway for singles and couples 55 years of age and older who want to give the first two-to-three years of their retirement to the nations.

So how did Charlie and Robin organize this medical team? They met most of the members at MedAdvance last year.

MedAdvance is a medical missions conference that allows hundreds of medical professionals, students and church leaders to connect with IMB missionaries and leaders. This year’s MedAdvance will meet Sept. 12-14 at Houston’s First Baptist Church.

Attendees discover how God is at work through medical missionaries and how they can pair their health care training with a love for international missions.

“We went in not sure what to expect, and God decided to show us a lot of things at MedAdvance,” Charlie said. “It exceeded our expectations.”

Charlie and Robin participated in MedAdvance’s Affinity Marathon as part of the Americas affinity group. This activity allows attendees to connect with missionaries on the field and hear about different IMB health strategies around the globe.

“We had many seek us out,” Robin said, adding that six of the eight medical professionals on last year’s trip had been at MedAdvance. “The team did not know each other beforehand, but they worked as if they had worked together for years. It was one of the best teams that we have had.”

Not only did the medical team impact patients, but they had great fellowship with the host church.

Robin relayed a conversation she had with a woman from the church.

“She told me, ‘Our ladies of the church want to take them out for coffee.’ [The medical team] connected with the host church. They went out for coffee at least three times.”

Another encouragement came in the form of a retired IMB missionary who served in the Middle East as a medical doctor and now serves in Mexico. The doctor was a great encouragement to the medical team, and she and a team member led another woman to Christ, Robin said.

Team members helped both the church and patients learn about different health topics. One led a session on dehydration.

“A nurse talked to a group of Haitian refugees about dehydration, what were the symptoms and how to prevent it,” Robin said. “We now have a recipe of how to rehydrate someone quicker.”

A physical therapist on the team taught patients different stretching exercises that gave them some relief and helped them sleep better.

Charlie and Robin experienced how God used MedAdvance to strengthen their field ministry. They plan to return to the conference this year.

“There are so many medical needs all over the world,” Charlie said. “MedAdvance helps connect those in the medical field with those on the mission field. They can make an impact in so many ways. It may not be medically. It might be through encouragement. They might inspire a church.”

Those interested in attending MedAdvance, Sept. 12-14 at Houston’s First Baptist Church, can visit imb.org/medadvance.