My younger brother wrote this. I am very proud of him. I am honored to learn from his example. Read it.

The following is authored by: Justin Coby Pharm D

Recently I had the honor of spending a week on a medical mission team in Colombia.  As my second trip out of the country on a mission’s assignment, I wondered how this experience would differ from the last.   A new country, a new challenge, and a new team all played a factor in the experience; however, what I found in Colombia was not what I expected at all.  In true form of mission work, I returned home with a new set of values that I did not pack away in my carry-on.

The people and needs of Colombia left an unending impact on my daily life that will continue to drive my thoughts and prayer, however, it was the three other members of our team that provided more education upon a heart for missions that will leave me forever changed.  Who would have ever thought that these folks were training and fellow-shipping with me daily, and it only took a week in Colombia for me to realize this.

The Doctor

He would correct this heading and say, “Uh…med student actually”, but that’s what makes Josh Klepinger the kind of medical professional that this uncaring nation needs.  A humble heart of service is the only tool this man seems to value in his already extensive training as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.   As I spent the week trying to soak up his uncanny ability to truly touch the lives of those he could just barely communicate with, I realized that just spending the time loving on a patient could provide more healing than any synthetically engineered drug.  I watched as he took time to tell the mother of two mentally handicapped children how hard her job was and she was doing well.  I marveled at his continual self-sacrifice in the name of the people.  I learned more about “medicine” from a student in a country where we barely understood the bugs that we were diagnosing.  Hopefully there will be an army of physicians coming like Josh, those who wish only to help in the name of His healing.

The Photographer

If you were to ask me which is the most important position of a missions team I will always reply with “the storyteller”.  Jess Klepinger is just that.  You wouldn’t get any tall tales out of this girl; however her pictures speak volumes.  In the midst of highly emotional and even dangerous situations, Jess kept her focus on documenting the needs of the people.  The truth about short-term mission trips is that the work done during the week spent in country is incomparable to the work it will inspire for the next 51.  That work would not be possible without the images and stories for the world to see and hear.  Though I have spent countless hours talking to friends and family since returning from Columbia, the stories I have shared are meaningless without the images to bring them to life.  As the old saying goes…a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Teacher

It’s a gift to have had the experience we had in Columbia; however the opportunity to share that time with my wife was a blessing from God.  Mindy is a teacher by trade, so when folks ask me what my wife does I say “she’s a teacher” and think very little about the statement.  She taught me many things while we were in Columbia though.  She taught me about bravery, you would have to have it to handle 60 kids every day that didn’t speak your language.  She taught me about trusting the will of God, even if He is telling you to follow your husband into the third world.  She taught me about perseverance as she faced each day eager to put herself to any work that was needed.  Mindy will tell you that while she was in Columbia she learned that no matter what the language, kids all act like kids.  I will tell you that no matter the kid they all respond the same way to a great teacher.     

What did I learn during my week in Columbia?  That I never want to stop meeting new people, getting to know what inspires them to put that first foot on the floor in the morning, and continually learning new things about old relationships. I learned that a missionary does not need to be a doctor, photographer, teacher, or a pharmacist, rather a humble servant of God who is willing to impact a strangers’ life.  A missionary is a lot like a pebble; typically not the embodiment of their work.  A pebble seems small and worthless, but drop a pebble in a still pond and eventually the ripples that it causes will reach the shore.  Take a moment to selflessly move to help another human and the shock-waves may be felt across the world.