A person may ask what is a urologist, a surgical specialist, doing running a primary care clinic on the mission field? For several decades I have treated prostate disease, kidney cancers, kidney stones, and other urinary problems. Now I find myself taking care of patients’ hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, malaria, gut parasites, ear infections, constipation, burns, occupational medicine, and yes, even occasional urinary problems. How did this happen?

Looking back on my medical career, I see how God arranged certain steps in my pathway that have brought me to this point. After graduating from Bob Jones University, I spent the next two years in Memphis at the University of Tennessee studying anatomy. While I thought I was proving I was intelligent enough to go to medical school, God was giving me knowledge to improve my skills as a surgeon and teaching me a lesson that His timing is best. I reapplied to medical school and was accepted at Quillen College of Medicine. This medical school specializes in training medical students to go into primary care. My medical school education was heavily weighted in family practice, internal medicine, and physical examination skills. I was taught to listen carefully to the patient, ask the right questions, and do a thorough physical examination so that a correct diagnosis would result 80 to 90% of the time, even before the blood work and scans. I continued to use these skills even though I was a urologist; patients often commented that I listened to their heart and lungs and did a more extensive physical exam than their primary care doctor! God had given me skills I did not know I would need.

However, I didn’t just jump back into primary care without intentional preparation and some refreshing of my knowledge. I reviewed key references—the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics, the Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine, and the Merck Manual for Internal Medicine phone app—and I keep them close at hand in the clinic for quick, reliable guidance. In Zambia there was even a several‑page handout with local guidelines for common conditions such as malaria and the many different types of diarrheas. Just as important, I learned early that good preparation on the mission field includes listening to the local medical professionals. Local doctors and nurses often have practical insight into diagnosing and treating illnesses that are uncommon in the United States but very common in their country. They help us understand cultural differences in diet, customs, economics, and access to medicines when the medical team is gone. I also keep in mind our clinic is temporary, and many chronic conditions require care beyond our capability. Those patients need referral to the local medical professionals or hospital. We must practice the best medicine we can with limited resources and time, and preparation helps us use resources wisely.

Without a doubt our main goal is to present the Gospel. The clinics draw people from miles around who have physical needs. They all have spiritual needs that are vastly more important. At every location there is a strong Bible-believing church that sponsors us. Members of the congregation and the missionaries help in the clinic. Every clinic begins with a gospel message. Throughout the day as patients are waiting to see the doctor or to get their prescriptions filled, there are one-on-one opportunities to share the love of Christ. While we as healthcare professionals are helping patients with their physical problems, taking time to have careful conversations with the patients, listening to their needs, explaining their illnesses, and educating them concerning the recommended treatment plan, we demonstrate the love of Christ. Often these plans include more than medicine. Modifications in diet, habit changes, exercises, stretches, braces, and weight belts are often an integral part of their treatment. We also take time to tell them about the medication, how to take it, and what to expect as far as primary effects and side effects. This information is also reinforced by our pharmacist and the staff who take time to carefully explain the medications when a patient is given a prescription. During these counseling times, we share the Gospel.

It is easy to understand how communications tend to get lost in translation. Using Google Translate is not enough. Fortunately, God has provided many godly saints to translate for us. A key part of their ministry is to inform us about cultural differences. Sometimes what we would think would be a logical, well thought out, simple, and efficacious plan is totally illogical, confusing, and nearly impossible for our patients to follow. The local team members help us to communicate effectively so the patients understand how to take their medication and what to expect as far as how and when they will get better. The local staff also help us to negotiate with the realities of the patients’ circumstances to develop a workable treatment plan. I believe the time we spend in careful communication with the patients is as important as the medicine we give them. Both show the care and concern given to us by Jesus Christ to bestow on others.

That kind of ministry also requires preparation as a team, not just as individuals. Before the first patient is seen, we talk through the day’s plan—how we will triage, how information will be communicated, and how patients will move from intake to the provider to the pharmacy and back for follow‑up questions. We clarify roles, lean on our translators, and pray together that God would help us serve with excellence and compassion. When everyone understands the workflow, we spend less time being confused and more time caring for people and pointing them to Christ.

By now you are probably getting the idea that this is a team approach. The medical professionals are only one part of the team, and the clinic works well only when we work together. The translators, local pastors, and church members who help in the clinics are just as important—not only for language, but for clear communication, cultural understanding, and wise, workable plans for follow‑up. Even nonmedical team members learn to take blood pressures, do fingerstick blood draws, run urinalysis, and fit glasses, all of which keeps the clinic moving and allows each person to serve where needed. It is wonderful to see God unite us in this labor together to reach souls for Christ. Through the practice of good medicine, we demonstrate Christ’s love to people who would otherwise often not have any medical care at all. What is most exciting is we get to tell them about the Great Physician who can take away the sickness of sin and heal their souls. That is the treatment that always works. To see someone with whom you shared the Gospel trust Christ as their Lord and Savior is the greatest joy. That is why we go.