By the grace of God, the Saint Luke Society's Healing Hands medical mission was successfully carried out in Mongolia on the 27th. The mission took place at Bethel Church, located near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The opening ceremony, held at 9 a.m., featured greetings from Professor Amar, the representative of the Mongolian Christian Medical Association (MCMA), Pastor Otgonbayar from the Mongolian Evangelical Alliance (MEA), Pastor Gambaat of Bethel Church, and Dr. Shin Myung Seop, the representative of the Saint Luke Society.
During the mission, approximately 90 patients were treated in internal medicine, another 90 received care in Korean medicine, and 15 patients were seen in dentistry, providing much-needed medical assistance to the impoverished residents in the surrounding areas. The mission was conducted in a ger district, a settlement area on the outskirts of Mongolia where the underprivileged reside.
This mission was especially significant due to the immense challenges it faced. Mongolia has been undergoing restrictions of medical missions for the past two weeks. As a result, the only Christian hospital in the country was shut down, the medical license of a Korean missionary was revoked, and the associated church was also closed. Consequently, medical missions planned by about ten organizations were either postponed or canceled. Despite these obstacles, the Saint Luke Society was able to carry out its mission, even if only for a single day.
Professor Amar of the MCMA expressed deep gratitude to the Saint Luke Society, acknowledging that being able to proceed with the mission under such difficult circumstances was a profound testament to God's grace. Initially, the Society had planned a three-day mission, but due to escalating restrictions, the schedule was shortened, and the team had to depart swiftly to avoid further restrictions.
Dr. Shin Myung Seop reflected on the experience, saying: "We learned many valuable lessons through this mission. Although we had prepared extensively, we could only serve for one day. However, we acknowledge that this was all by God's grace. While other teams before and after us were unable to carry out even a single day of medical missions, the Saint Luke Society was granted the opportunity to do so. This experience reaffirmed for us how precious SLS is in God's plan. The MCMA representative shared that the current restriction of medical missions is the work of the adversary, but it could not thwart the efforts of the Saint Luke Society. Through prayer, we realized God's intention to remind us of the hardships faced by the pioneers of mission work. Many Christians have endured persecution to continue the work of spreading the gospel. Now, we are entrusted with the responsibility to be a light in this dark world. Through this mission, we gained a deeper understanding of the opposition faced by Christians. Medical missions play a vital role in softening hearts and opening doors to the gospel. We are now more determined than ever for SLS to become a leading force in medical missions, paving the way for the establishment of God's Kingdom."
