I spent last week in Florida attending a Health, Agriculture, Culture, and Community Workshop hosted by
ECHO and
MedSend. This workshop was a requirement as part of my grant from MedSend (more on that soon on my other blog). I will be honest I had no idea what to expect of this workshop but I have to say I learned a lot and met a lot of great people.
The workshop brought together nurses, physician-assistants, physicians, nurse-practitioners, a midwife, and a veterinarian who have all dedicated to serve in an area of need around the world and in the United States. We came from a variety of backgrounds and are serving with several different organizations, so it was great to compare notes and learn from each other. It was amazing to hear their stories and about the ministries God has planned for them.
The workshop was led for the most part by Dr. Dan Fountain. He served as a doctor in the Congo for several decades. We covered a lot of topics in the five days we were together. Much of it was practical information and ideas that we can adapt and apply to our own work. We heard lots and lots of stories from Dr. Fountain about his years of service. One of the important things I have been learning is the importance of not just importing my culture and worldview but instead using a Biblical worldview. We also spent several hours each day hearing from the experts at ECHO. They taught us about plants, animals, and appropriate technologies we can use in our respective areas of service to improve the health and nutrition of the people we are serving. I really consider myself pretty much lacking a green thumb, but they provided numerous simple resources and ideas for us. Here are a few pictures from the week...
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| Learning in the Classroom |
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| Learning on the Farm |
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| Learning about appropriate technologies we can use to improve community health |
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| Hands-on learning about practical techniques to use in community health |
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| Our Group (minus one) |
