The amazing people that join us on our mission trips are regularly conversing on Facebook. Please click on Facebook Logo to join in the conversation there!

Peru, October 2008
I have to thank you all for contributing to what was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of my life. You are all remarkable, and I appreciate every minute that we had together. Thank you for the camaraderie, support and fun! It was great!
Again, thanks to you all. Hugs, kisses, and lots of love,

Elizabeth Patrenos, MD

Mission Amazon 2008
I had the opportunity to go on a mission, on the Amazon River ,with the Flying Doctors of America. We traveled over 48 hours in a riverboat to reach several villages where medical care was obsolete. Daily we set up medical and dentals clinics and saw as many patients as we could. Having a local malaria lab technician along with us proved to be very beneficial as we diagnosed multiple cases of malaria in several villages. Truly, the villagers were so grateful for the medical attention.

The second day of clinics we had planned to attend two small communities on the river, one in the morning and a second in the afternoon. After seeing patients for several hours in the morning, we packed up our river boats and headed upstream to reach the other village by the time we would be done with lunch. As we sat relaxing in the boat, a small dugout canoe with an outboard engine pulled up beside our large boat flagging us down. The man quickly explained that there was a young pregnant lady with heavy vaginal bleeding in his village. She had been bleeding for two days and needed help. We loaded up our small spare small motorboat with medical supplies and I with two other physicians went along to see the patient.

Upon arriving to the village we were ushered into a small wood house where there was a 19 year old girl lying on the floor with only a small rag covering her body. After a quick exam we realized she needed IV fluids and further monitoring. Unfortunately, she was losing her baby. We decided we should take her back to our boat where we could monitor her condition as she received IV fluids. We loaded her up in a hammock and carried her out to the small dinghy to make the trip back to our boat. I spoke with the family for a moment as we were leaving. We all realized that God's divine timing had been accomplished, sending medical care in the exact time it was needed. We were able to have a prayer with the patient and encourage her in her sorrows. Since her bleeding continued, we transported her on to a hospital a couple of hours up stream where she was improving with further medical care.

Brad Mills , PA (now living in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) working as a 7th Day Adventist Medical/Missionary)

Thanks again everyone for making this mission a success and for showing me a different side to medicine I've never seen before. Thanks to Michael, a great team leader who was able to accommodate us and coordinate our day to day schedule. I will always remember everyone's compassion and hard work and I hope to have the opportunity to work side by side with you again someday soon!

Rose Reyes

For years I had been interested in getting involved in missionary work. Finally, the time and opportunity presented itself, coinciding with a chance meeting I had with Allan Gathercoal, the dynamic founder and president of Flying Doctors of America.

My first mission trip - to Jamaica with Flying Doctors - was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. In addition to the profound experience of giving aid to those in need, I discovered a very worthy organization; a fabulous group that is a breath of fresh air in today's world. The icing on the cake was the adventure of the trip and the lasting friendships I made.

Not only do I plan to go on future missions with Flying Doctors of America (my goal is at least one a year), I am doing on-going volunteer work for FDoA to assist in introducing new people to FDoA's efforts, which include the medical mission trips as well as an orphanage in Peru. Although a writer by trade, I find it hard to express in words how worthy I believe FDoA is of people's time. In a nutshell, the eight days I spent on my mission in April were the best days of this year - one that, by the grace of God, has been a great year.

Roxane Rose - Business owner, publishing/marketing
Non-medical support volunteer for FDoA

i have been on five missions with FDoA - China, Guatamala, Jamaica, Ecuador and Peru. all were incredible experiences and I plan to be with the Brazilian mission in March and Bolivia mission in August.

If you like getting off the beaten track and interacting with native people in their environment, then these missions should be of interest to you. You will definitely not be exposed to these experiences from a guided tour. You might end up showering with sun heated water and sampling the local cuisine but you will never be disappointed.

I cannot recommend a better new year's resolution than to be a member of at least one mission in 2008. I'm sure your skills and services will be welcome by both the humble people you will meet and treat and the mission group.

Bernell Bennion
Non-medical support volunteer for FDoA