GMMA September 2019 Monthly Newsletter
President’s Greeting
Dear GMMA Family!
Since we started ministry under the banner of GMMA in January of 2015, we have gone to numerous medical mission trips to various countries around the world.
We have served faithfully with tireless dedication and we have trained so many students and professionals through the mission trips. How blessed we are!
As I have been leading teams to Honduras every year, I have come to realize that our model of medical mission work can be more effective through tailoring to more site-specific needs.
For instance, we visit Honduras five or more times per year, but the current approach of our short term effort is limited when assessed from our desired long-term impact. In the past, our relief-oriented focus
had been to respond to needs and crisis around the world, but our relationships with missionaries at repeated sites are transitioning to partnerships to work together for long-term impact.
To this end, we have decided to adapt a program called Community Health Evangelism (CHE). It is a public health ministry developed by a missionary in Africa more than 20 years ago.
Medical Ambassador International ministry adapted this program and implemented it throughout the world. As of now, 400 different mission organization and churches are applying CHE for foreign mission efforts.
The core aspect of this program is: Discipleship and Evangelism. Its approach is a holistic one incorporating all the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of community and individuals. One major goal is to empower local leaders and community members to take greater ownership of their communities. Mission teams serve as partners to assist and encourage their community sustaining endeavors. The CHE principle approach to community engagement promotes greater harmony between the relationships composed in a healthy community: God, neighbor, environment, and self.
We have formed a CHE initiative group and five of us were formally trained. We will be training over twenty more members in a few weeks in Lindale, Texas. I am so thankful for the willing student and professional leaders taking time out of their busy schedules to train. We are growing, not just in number of mission trips and participants, but in missional knowledge as we press onward to make long term impact through our short term mission trips.
I have started the journey to visit every chapter to inform this new development of CHE education. Honduras will be our first site of the CHE implementation.
GMMA Family, join me in fervent prayer and join me in the effort of this new ministry initiative which can deepen the relationships at mission sites and open more doors to share the love of Christ for His glory.
In His Service
Peter Chung, M.D.
Missions
“The 2019 summer mission trip to Honduras (August 2-8) was led by Dr. David Choi, a hematologist/oncologist, who also serves as a GMMA Mission director. A diverse range of healthcare professionals and campuses were brought together to make up the team. There were 6 different types of professionals: a hematologist/oncologist, nurse practitioner, family practice physician, acupuncturist, dentist, and anesthesiologist. Moreover, there were 39 students from 15 different campuses (UCSD, UCB, UCSB, UCD, UCLA, Western Washington, Harbor Community College, UOP, Binghamton, Cornell, Baylor, UofT, Western University, CSU Long Beach, UCI).
During the first few days of the trip, our team practiced skits and body worship that we later performed at a shopping mall. From the second to the fifth day, we traveled to a small village on a mountain, a school, and local churches to serve Hondurans through clinic and children’s ministry. The clinic session was a time for students to shadow the professionals as they treated their patients. But most importantly, it was also a time of prayer, where the team prayed for both the patients’ physical health and spiritual growth. The children’s ministry allowed students to actively interact with the children through VBS and other activities to ultimately share the love of God.
From the beginning of the trip to the end of it, God was so faithful with our team. He enabled us to not only show His love to the Hondurans, but to also experience it ourselves. He blessed us with each member of the team and brought us together as brothers and sisters in Christ, so we can continue to hold each other accountable with our walk with Him even after the trip.”
– Hajin Choi, August Honduras Mission Team Student Leader
“The September 2019 Honduras trip and was led by Dr. Sang-Hoon Ahn, a medical oncologist at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. We were blessed to serve with a family medicine physician, registered nurses, a medical assistant, a dental student, and post graduate students. The team also consisted of 13 undergraduate students from UCLA, UCR, UCI and UCSD. In addition, we had members from OMC (Oriental Mission Church) join us, including translators, an oriental medicine doctor, and an ultrasound technician. Overall, we had a total of 32 people on our team.
To prepare, we practiced VBS dances and skits, along with sharing testimonies and praying for the country of Honduras. After 6 training dates, our team met at LAX and left for Honduras on September 1st, 2019 to September 6th, 2019. From there, we worked with Missionary David Lee at his school, International Christian Academy Santa Rita (ICAS), as well as serving at multiple other locations through clinic and children’s ministry.
This mission trip was a huge blessing for the students as we were able to witness how God has been working in Honduras as seen through Missionary Lee and his school. His dedication to the people of Honduras for 16+ years is truly a testament of God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to His people. Furthermore, God allowed us to be united as one body of Christ, working together for His glory.”
– Kristen Yoo, UCR Chapter President
Regional Health Reports
WEST COAST
Praise Report:
Many of our West Coast chapters have kicked off the school year with tabling events, info sessions, first meetings, and local outreach events. Praise God for his providence in guiding each chapter as they start the new year!
Dr. Peter Chung Sr., president of GMMA, and our West Coast coordinators will be visiting some of our student chapters in Southern California from 9/23 – 9/27 in order to share more deeply about GMMA’s overall vision and to fellowship with the officers. This will be a great way for officers at UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, Chapman, and UC Riverside to be equipped for the new year and have a stronger vision of what God’s plan for GMMA is. Praise God for this opportunity!
Needs:
USC, Chapman, and UC Berkeley chapters will be attending a one-day Mexico mission trip on October 26, led by Dr. Iris Lee. Please pray for wisdom, smooth preparation, and God-glorifying training sessions.
Lastly, GMMA regional coordinators will be meeting in Texas from 10/3 – 10/6 to receive training in community health evangelism. Please pray that this will be a blessed time of fellowship and learning.
Regional Coordinator Message:
During my church’s recent mission conference, I was shown a clip of a famous atheist, Penn Jillette, who was given a Bible through cold contact evangelism. Upon reflecting on this encounter, Jillette shared: “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Because of our selfish desire for comfort and complacency, we don’t push past that one awkward moment for the chance sharing the Good News. I am a huge victim of this. I pray that God will give us all courage, boldness, and true humility in order to share hope in Christ.
Claremont’s (our new chapter this year, also known as Pomona) tabling event!
USC’s first general meeting!
UC Berkeley’s info session (they had a testimony night from summer missions).
CENTRAL
Praise Report:
School recently started in the Central Region, and God has been truly on the move. Some of the campuses have over one hundred people interested in joining GMMA! Right now, the Central chapters are focused on finding local mission opportunities! Please pray that God will allow divine opportunities and relationships within our communities. Last but not least, we want to praise God for a new mentor in the Texas Region. Her name is Gyeombi Lee, and she is currently in an occupational therapy residency in Houston. She is very proactive, and a prayer answered for us!!!
Needs:
TWU and Baylor are two new GMMA chapters that are about to start in the Central region. Please pray that God would bring sold-out servants to these chapters and that these new leaders will find their strength in our Lord.
Regional Coordinator Message:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)
God has been teaching me about His grace. We are called to show this same kind of grace that our Lord Jesus has shown to undeserving people like us. And we are called to count ourselves worth nothing, and to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given us, the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
EAST COAST
Praise Report:
September has been very busy with East Coast chapters meeting for their leadership retreats. Both the Northeast chapters and the Georgia chapters were able to spend intentional time learning about GMMA. These chapters had the opportunity to fellowship with other chapters in their region, and most importantly praise God for His faithfulness to GMMA and its members. Unfortunately, our Florida chapters had to reschedule due to Hurricane Dorian. Even with the busyness that comes with the beginning of a new school year, God was faithful in bringing his children safely to these retreats where they devoted their time and focus on learning how they could serve their campus and Him through GMMA.
Needs:
As responsibilities have fully been transferred over to the new east coast representatives, please pray for the east coast regional coordinator and missions coordinator as they take on their new positions. Please pray that they would serve with a joyful heart and not only support the chapters of the east coast practically but also through constant prayer. Please pray for the chapters as they start a new school year. Entering a new semester can be overwhelming and tiring as students adjust to new schedules and new responsibilities. Please pray that God would meet them in any moments of anxiety/fear or fatigue.
Regional Coordinator’s message:
Hello! My name is Eunice and I am taking over as the new east coast regional coordinator. I am currently in my gap year studying for the MCAT and serving through GMMA. Quite frankly, I am a bit nervous as I prepare to serve the east coast chapters in this role, but God has been very clear to me in the past that I’m just the instrument for His will and that He will be taking the reins.
I would like to ask for prayer specifically for the NYU chapter as their chapter will be meeting for the first time this semester. I’ve been encouraged to see how excited and motivated the officers are to bring GMMA to their campus and ask that you would pray for strength to face the challenges of starting a new club and that their work would be firmly grounded in glorifying God.
Chapter Feature
You can explore all of the GMMA chapters, including information about the leadership, meeting times, contact, Instagram handles and more, on our website here.
If you know any healthcare professionals who would gladly serve as mentors for these chapters, please email us at admin@gmma7.org.
2020 Global Medical Mission Conference News
Our registration will start in October 2019. Register early and save and reserve your seat for the workshops. Below is one speaker with amazing testimony.
“I Forgive You”
Gilbert Hovsepian
Professional Development
Another blessed month of events and engagements for professional members; taking students to mission trips and attending many meetings for the continuation of the things allotted to GMMA. Few highlights are white coat ceremonies for those who made into medical school. It’s a blessing to see how other GMMA members at same schools are supporting the newcomers. The monthly prayer meeting resumes. It’s a strengthening time of all generations calling out to the Lord together for His will to be done and that we stay faithful. For the August meeting, we had special guest Dr. Pak sharing on the power of generations serving stronger together.
Dr. Chung, our president, has started to travel across the nation to visit the regions again to encourage the students and the mentors. He also has started the initiation of CHE (Community Health Evangelism) to be implemented into our mission effort. It has already started in Honduras. Some of the professionals will be attending a special focused conference on CHE training October 10/4-6/19 in Texas. The planning team already received the training. We are thankful of all the leaders making time to travel and receive the training. CHE’s holistic approach to empower local leaders and community members of the mission sites we visit can lead to great long-term outcomes. We invite all to get involved more and experience things greater than our selves for His glory.
Our mission partner, YWAM ship informed us that they are an approved mission organization for MEDSEND who pays off medical or dental school loans for individuals selected to be grant recipients. While you travel around the world to serve for four years as a medical missionary, they pay off your loan. Click the link below for the opportunities with the YWAM Ship which travels to unique locations to bring healing and the gospel.
What would you bring to an isolated island?
Prayer Requests
Please click below for the Student and Staff prayer requests.
Upcoming Events & Announcements
2020 Global Medical Missions Alliance Biennial Conference is set for July 17-18, 2020!
SAVE THE DATE!
West Coast Mission Dates 2019-2020 Academic Year.
Mission trips are happening almost every month. Please check the website for dates and connect with mission department. Inquire at missions@gmma7.org.
October 26 – Lead Mentor: Dr. Iris Lee
- Pomona College
- University of Southern California
- UC Berkeley
November 16 – Lead Mentor: Allison Lee, RN
- UC San Diego
- UC Irvine
- Biola University
December 16-19 (quarter schools) – Lead Mentor: Dr. David Choi
- University of Washington
- UC Davis
- University of the Pacific
- Northwestern University
January 13-16 (semester schools) – Lead Mentor: Dr. David Choi
- UC Berkeley
- Chapman University
February 15-16 – Lead Mentor: Dr. Peter Chung Jr.
- UCLA
- Biola University
- University of Washington
- Pomona College
March 21-23 (spring break) – Lead Mentor: Dr. Sanghoon Ahn
- UC Riverside
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Irvine
- UC San Diego
April 18 – TBA
- UC Davis
- University of Southern California
- Chapman University
May 16 – TBA
- UCLA
- UC Santa Barbara
- University of the Pacific
Until next time,
Please share about KAMHC & GMMA and let us all remember to Arise and Shine for His glory.
Global Medical Missions Alliance | 714.444.3032 | admin@gmma7.org | GMMA7.org