In 2022, Center City Church began a partnership with Medical Campus Outreach (MCO) from Augusta, GA and Juvenal Gonzalez, a church planting pastor in Tijuana. This summer marks our third trip partnering together to run medical clinics and do children and sports ministry in Tijuana.
Medical Campus Outreach (MCO) is a Christian ministry on the campus of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA. MCO seeks to engage healthcare students with the gospel through outreach events, weekly Bible studies, and discipleship groups. MCO also seeks to help students learn to incorporate their faith into work by training alongside Christian healthcare providers and partnering with a local church on international medical mission trips. MCO desires to raise up a generation of healthcare workers that provide excellent care and incorporate their faith in the practice of medicine both in the US and abroad.
In Tijuana, we plan to hold 4.5 days of clinic to provide general healthcare of both acute and chronic problems for children, adults, and the elderly. Our care will include basic laboratory and diagnostic testing as well as prescription medications. In suffering, chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, and loss (amongst many others) there are needs that modern medicine cannot solely meet and can only be met fully with the hope of Jesus. Our desire is to partner with the local church in Tijuana so that this is an extension of the ways they already love and serve their local community.
For the team this summer, we don't just need healthcare workers. We need people who are willing to use their hearts and their hands to serve the Lord. This includes Spanish translators, people to engage teens and adults through sports like soccer or basketball, people to do games and art with children, people willing to share their faith and pray, non medical people willing to serve in triage, pharmacy, or lab, and people who come willing to serve the Lord in whatever way He leads.
In Tijuana we will be staying at a Christian mission house, Centro de Shalom, specifically designed for mission teams. Lodging is dormitory style with bunk beds and camp style bathrooms. The mission house is fenced with security measures, the water for cooking and drinking is all purified, and the house is wired with standard US electrical outlets. There is no A/C, but there are fans.
Each morning we will have a time of worship and personal time with the Lord at Centro de Shalom. Then after breakfast we will leave for our clinic site, where we will also eat lunch. After dinner at Centro de Shalom, we will have times of worship, small groups, and fellowship.
We will return to the US in the evening on June 27th. The trip will conclude with two optional days of a retreat for additional training on discipleship, fellowship, and to debrief over what the Lord has done and what the Lord has taught us. The Augusta team will return home after worship at Center City on June 30th.
The Apostle Paul said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” but on trips like these, the more we give, the more we seem to receive. Health care is something we easily take for granted, but our friends and neighbors in TJ cannot say the same thing. In order to provide both quality, free medical care and spiritual care, we need a large team. As we provide necessary care and share the good news of Christ, we get the privilege of experiencing partnership with churches from the Southeast, Southern California, and TJ. As we serve, we build deep friendships as we deepen our dependence upon God. Before and after we serve, we worship, pray, and play together. Simply put, serving ends up being a ton of fun! Please consider joining us this June!
What are the dates? June 22-June 30, 2024
What is the cost? $400. This includes Sunday lunch before the trip, meals in Mexico, and a meal during the post-trip retreat, lodging in Mexico, and international health insurance. Team T shirts can also be purchased for those who are interested.
I heard there was a reduced cost for translators? For those able to translate for medical professionals all 4.5 days of clinic and who commit with their deposit by January 31st, we pass along the savings of not having to hire local translators in Mexico and so there is a reduced cost of $100.
When do I have to apply by? Applications close April 1 with a $100 nonrefundable deposit due.
Are there meetings before the trip? We have one pre-field training on a Saturday morning in May that we strongly encourage you virtually attend. Date TBA.
Is Tijuana safe? All international trips have inherent safety risks; however, we specifically partner with local church leaders who lead the logistics of our trip in Tijuana. They accompany us to each clinic site and our downtime and meals are only spent at Centro de Shalom.