Medical Mission Trip to Africa

Hi Friends and Family,

Thanks for taking a moment to read my story. I am thankful for each of you that may come across this page, and the impact you have had or may have on my life.

I am excited to share with you that I am going to The Gambia, Africa for five weeks this upcoming summer. I will be going with a friend of mine who is also a nursing student, Faith Bernard. We will be serving at a community clinic in Ndungu Kebbeh through ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism). 

You could say it all started over a bagel at Panera. Faith is a nursing student at Mount Carmel who attends the same church as I do. As we sat discussing our nursing school experiences, I mentioned how amazing it would be to use our experience to serve together overseas. Faith agreed and our journey began. But looking deeper, our journey began long before that morning in early September.

A career in nursing has been on my heart for many years. When I chose it for my eleventh grade career project, I thought perhaps it was a recent interest. But while cleaning my room post graduation, I found a paper from second grade which stated, "I want to be a nurse when I grow up because I want to help people". It hit me then that nursing has been my calling from the beginning, I just needed to trust God and commit to the journey. And now I am only four months away from receiving my Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree from OSU. 

It has been my desire to serve in Africa since my freshman year of college. I want to take nursing to places where basic care is hard to find and simple over the counter medications and vaccinations save lives. In this clinic specifically, Faith and I will provide many different aspects of basic care. In the main clinic we will assist the healthcare providers by taking vital signs, documenting physical assessment findings, starting IV's and administering medication. The first clinic computer will also be arriving with us, so we will assist in educating the staff on basic computer use. We will also spend time in the ante-natal clinic where we will check fetal heart rates, fetal presentation and fundal height. Outside of the clinic, we will be making home visits and assisting in ambulance runs. 

In addition to providing for the physical needs of the people of Ndungu Kebbeh, it is our desire to spend time getting to know and praying for the friends we will make. We will be working alongside a full-time missionary who knows the villagers personally and conducts video and audio bible studies. We want them to know that while physical help is temporary, there is eternal healing in our Savior. In order to better communicate and show our sincere interest, we will spend time learning the local language and culture through language classes and participation in local events. 

Which brings me to the root of this trip - exploring who God is, how He is the same God in different continents and cultures, and how He is the same God to very different individuals. In this confusing and complicated life I want to find truth, and have found few things to be as consistent and calming as a personal relationship with our Lord and the experience of His grace.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story to the end. And thank you for considering to support us in this trip, whether your support is through prayer, words of encouragement or finances, we are truly thankful and couldn't do it without you!! 

Summary of Details:

Who: Molly Goodykoontz and Faith Bernard
When: May 31st - July 11th
Where: Medical clinic in Ndungu Kebbeh
(The Gambia, West Africa)
Why: To provide for the physical and spiritual needs of  the people of The Gambia
Finances: $3000 each to cover the cost of travel ($1500-$2000), housing, vaccinations, food, and an emergency fund.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

God Bless :)