Having recently returned from a short-term medical mission trip to eastern Ukraine, my mind is racing in a hundred directions. I am still feeling the effects of the adrenaline surge that comes from the return to routine after a wonderful experience. I am aware that we live in a society of superlatives. “Top ten” this, “most amazing” that. Everything is one of the best or one of the worst from some arbitrary ranking scale. I don’t want to call this a “life-changing” experience. At least, not yet. Only time will tell of our travel and experience with villagers and Ukrainians changes my life. But I do wonder about who benefits the most.

I know I have been impacted in a magnificent (there is another superlative) way. The chance to take something that I do every day and offer it to people in dire circumstances was a great opportunity. Someone else did the organizational work. Someone else took care of supplies and logistics. Someone else scheduled meals and travel. All I had to do was show up with my skillset and offer advice. And I also received praise from the villagers. Undeserved praise, at that. When they would offer “Thank you” and “Please come back” all I could do would be to convey to them that we would try. My psychological bank of purpose was filled up.

The villagers and townspeople received some benefit. The medications we gave them would allow them to divert the cost of those meds to other basic needs, such as paying for a few meals for the month or two while not having to spend money at the pharmacy. The advice we gave (hopefully) bolstered their opinion of their local doctors and medical teams. We made every attempt to convince them that the care they were receiving was good, they just needed to follow through with the treatment plans and see their local healthcare clinicians. But probably, the most important thing we did was listen. Even if for a few minutes, we were someone new who would listen to their stories.

In a setting where everyone has a horrible story of lost family, bombed homes, lack of money or other resources to procure daily necessities, no-one wants to hear another’s sad story. We were able to listen and let people tell us the details, engaging (if through interpreters) with the patients and, because we did not have to use computer screens to document the encounter, we could look them in the eyes. They seemed to lighten up just while telling their stories, no matter how horrific to us. It was old to them, but new to us. We would hang on every word. And everybody wants to be heard.

The local church members, pastors, and missionaries carried the load on this trip. They organized, set-up, and worked harder than we did. They speak the language and directed patients through our little mazes of clinic set-ups. They also were the ones who had to tell patients when we could not help them, were out of glasses, or simply could not get to them because of the line. They took the brunt of a crowd’s anger. They also are the one’s left with the difficult task of follow-up. We were able to make notes on our forms for people that needed pastoral or social follow-ups. The local pastors took these forms and will check in on these people from time to time, trying to make sure they continue the care and recommendations we gave them.

Hopefully, as we have all communicated with our local churches and friends back home, the awareness of the plight of these people will benefit those of you who have read about our adventure, prayed for us, and listened to our excitement as we tried to convey our experiences. I hope that through our testimonies and stories as well as plans for future trips, we can motivate people we touch to participate with us. I encourage anyone reading this to avoid glossing over that news article on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict because you don’t know much about it. If you know me, ask me. Get motivated to look beyond baseball and football scores, Facebook and Pinterest, and our country’s politics. There’s a whole world out there struggling and we can help. You don’t have to pick up and go there. You can simply be aware, read and research, and most importantly, pray!

The trip we made is nothing if it was not done for God’s glory and not ours. I would ask that you pray for three things. First, pray that in God’s time, the civil war end and the economy of eastern Ukraine be restored so that the people there can have resources for food, shelter, and the basics for survival. Secondly, pray for our in-country church members, their pastors, and missionaries that they may be strengthened and supported in their efforts. Thirdly, pray that good fruit will come from our trip, whether to the villagers, the travelers, or those who read about our adventure. Benefit comes in many forms. It is still too early to tell, but I would project that two to three years from now, I will say that I benefited the most.