Long-term commitment for the spiritual and physical

One of the foundational pillars for Scalpel At The Cross is patient outcomes. This is the less visible portion of our mission that is nonetheless critical to the continuation of our work. In developed nations, healing and recovery within the normal limits can feel like the natural course. However, we forget that in developing nations infection rates are incredibly high. This is true not just in the physical sense but also in the spiritual sense. Short term mission teams go into a developing nation with pure intentions but do not realize that spiritual growth requires long term commitment. Let’s take a moment to look at the great commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” Matthew 28:19-20. It takes more than a week to disciple, it’s often a lifetime affair. It takes more than a week to teach all that Jesus commanded.

When our founders set to create a mission, they felt convicted that they would have to stay in the same geographic location to maximize the impact of the work they felt called to do. For starters, it is unethical to operate on and not track the outcome of your surgical patient. However, beneath the surgical layer there is a spiritual one. Every follow up appointment is an opportunity to reintroduce the gospel or even guide spiritually. Not just on the campaigns themselves but our year-round partnership with the local church allows us to point patients in the direction of a loving community that is on fire for Jesus. The mindset to think beyond campaigns is the reason we have been able to shape our vision to an even greater long-term commitment. I would encourage you to read Scalpel’s Edge 28 to see how our new vision is paving a path for an even greater commitment to the city of Pucallpa.