What is OMPP?

Have you heard of OMPP?

In this case its not the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning or the Ontario Motorist Protection Plan.

It is something new for Mission Doctors, a way for everyone to get involved and make a difference. We will be premiering OMPP next weekend at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, we will be at booth #469 and online at twitter.com/missiondoctors

A Moment of Thanks

It is an especially busy time around the office. We are wrapping up all of the final work from the 2010 Auxiliary Benefit; preparing for the upcoming national Religious Education Congress in Anaheim; gathering materials for the March 26-28 MDA Retreat/Seminar; and making plans for our Annual Mass and Brunch on March 28^th!

Drs. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene along with their four children left for Guatemala this month, Dr. Jim and Mrs. Terry Hake are in the current formation program and will begin three years in Cameroon later in the year. I am also working to try to meet with many of our friends and supporters one on one to share information about where we are – and where we hope to be to make the Mission Possible.

While the work can – at times - feel a bit overwhelming, this is also the most exciting time. The opportunity to spend time with those who make the work of Mission Doctors possible as well as the opportunity to introduce new people to the mission of MDA truly fuels our energy for this work.

I wanted to take a brief moment in this blog and thank all of you who are supporters, volunteers and missionaries who not only make Mission Doctors Association the growing, faith-filled organization it is, but renew my passion for it everyday. Wishing you a prayerful Lent as we all strive to grow closer to God through our prayers, support and service for our sisters and brothers around the world.

Thank you!

If you would like to make a Lenten sacrifice in support of the work of Mission Doctors Association you can do so on our website.

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s day, celebrated this Sunday, often brings images of red roses, large boxes of chocolate and candle light dinners to mind. The St. Valentine, whose feast day is February 14, is among the earliest of Roman martyrs, and on this day we celebrate and treasure love, love of all kinds. The romantic and committed love of husband and wife, the devoted love of parent and child and the affectionate and caring love between friends.

In my job, I get to see a very special kind of love everyday. This kind of sacrificial love motivates people to leave their homes, travel half a world away and share their gift of healing. Not flowers or chocolates, but the love we are all called to have for all of our sisters and brothers, a universal, faith motivated love.

The title of this blog and the prayer of St. Theresa - Christ has no body,
but ours, no hands but ours is always the challenge; how can we be
Christ to others; how can we ensure that they experience the love God
has for each of them?

This week Dr. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene, along with their four small children, began a
three year assignment to Hospitalito in Lake Attitlan. Brent and Jennifer are very close with their
families in California and Oregon - their families too make a sacrifice, sharing their loved ones
with the people who need them in Guatemala.

Please keep this young family, and their family at home in your prayers this week, and you can
let them know you are praying for them by signing a prayer card on our web site.

Inescapable network of mutuality…

As we hear about the devastation in Haiti bloggers around the world are calling for support and prayers for those in Haiti. The images, descriptions and stories of suffering and loss can be overwhelming, but the response has been amazing too.

I wanted to share with you a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., “All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality”.

This mutuality connects us to the entire world; a mother at the bed side of a child in sub-Sahara Africa, an elderly women in Thailand, newlyweds in Central America and all those suffering in Haiti. As Catholics we are reminded of this connection as we receive Christ in the Eucharist, there are many parts but we are all one body.

Please join Mission Doctors Association in offering support for the efforts at Hôpital Sacré Coeur, a hospital in northern Haiti, open and operational and in need of your help.

You can do so with a tax deductible donation on their web site through PayPal - You can help them meet these urgent needs, and of course keep all in your prayers.

Our hearts and prayers go to the people of Haiti and to all who are called to provide relief.

Christmas Gift

A newlywed couple, Dr. Mark and Mrs. Sheila Bisanzo from Massachusetts recently shared how they are experiencing Advent and preparing for Christmas in Uganda. Sheila commented “...we're grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the essence of Christmas and the renewal it brings without the overwhelming American distractions of buying and spending”.

I remember Christmas during our time in Thailand, now almost 30 years ago, with the same joy that Sheila recalls. There is something liberating about being removed from what we take for granted and have come to believe must be part and parcel of the 'traditional' holiday. Shopping, wrapping, planning, mailing, often accompanied by stress that can overtake the meaning of the Holy day. Removing all these made it easier to stay focused on what we are really celebrating - 'that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son...'

In the years since returning to Southern California, I can’t say I’ve always kept this perspective during Advent and Christmas, especially as my kids were growing up, wanting to create perfect memories for them. As I take a step back and look at all of the holiday that have come and gone, I know that Christ has been at the center, even if we were momentarily distracted. Taking the time to slow down and be grateful (even after staying up until 3 a.m. wrapping gifts and making cinnamon rolls...), we have been given the opportunity to express to each other the love that God has for each of us.

There is a special gift that those serving at Christmas receive, even if like Mark and Sheila it means working at the emergency room - a gift that will last a lifetime. Sheila shared 'When we think about the Holy Family and the image of the Nativity, a peaceful time of a family gathering is the gift they shared and which we still embrace today. ‘Where two or three are gathered together,’ that's the Christmas gift.”

May we all experience the presence of Christ, though all of the errands, shopping and wrapping, and may we always recognize the real Christmas gift!

Where Two or More are Gathered...

The Holidays often mean getting together with friends and families to share and celebrate.

We are working on plans, born of this same idea, getting people together to help spread the word about Mission Doctors. Generous veteran mission doctors and dedicated friends are hosting events in their area to share the stories and to celebrate the mission with friends and family, and plans are underway for more of these events after the first of the year.

I am just about to run out the door to pick up the invitations for a gathering in Long Beach next month. Dr. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene will be on hand to talk about their upcoming mission assignment to Guatemala, at the home of Dr. Laura King. As we make these plans and send out the invitations, I am reminded of Jesus’ promise that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Coming together to share in the story of doctors who serve those most in need, Jesus is certainly with us. The promise is that He will be with us as we gather, as we pray, and as we serve together.

The doctors who travel half a world away to provide life saving medical care for God's neediest, and those who gather to pray for them and offer support, are certainly not acting alone. May you too feel the presence of Christ on this Advent journey and as we celebrate His birth this Christmas.

Would you like to attend or host a gathering in your area to share information about Mission Doctors?

Sharing their Story

I wanted to take a moment and share with you a couple of the blogs our Mission Doctors are writing to share their mission stories.

A Step Along the Way This blog, with it’s title is inspired by the prayer of Archbishop Oscar Romero, is written by Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stoughton. The Stoughton’s have recently returned from an eight year mission in rural Zimbabwe, serving the people of St. Theresa's hospital. While their long term mission has ended their commitment to the people of St. Theresa’s hospital continues. In this season of thanks Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stoughton are sharing Eight Days of Gratitude, comparing the life lived in the US, life at St. Theresa’s Hospital and those living in the community around the hospital.

Burket-Thoene Family Mission The Burket-Thoene Family Mission is a new blog, started by Dr. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene. These veteran mission doctors will start a long term mission to Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala with their four children; Christopher, Elizabeth, Julianne and Nicholas. This doctor couple will be caring for the indigenous Mayan population, the Tz'utujil, working along side the people at a hospital called Hospitalito.

Please take a moment and check out their blogs, hear their stories and consider signing up as a “follower” to receive new blog posts.