Medical Mission Report
Nueva Ecija – SALTS
September 27, 2014
For Harvest for Christ Foundation
The Harvest in Plentiful… and “SALTSy”
It was supposed to rain hard as a potential storm was making its presence felt the week before. But on that Saturday, the skies cleared, leaving the sun free to spread its radiant light as 13 medical professionals including one legal practitioner came together to serve a total of 204 patients in San Pascual, Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija on September 27, 2014 in a medical mission organized by HFCF.
Bro. Nilo Dela Cruz’s joy could not be contained as this medical mission is the first of its kind in his area after the 6 municipalities in Nueva Ecija were established in 2009. Bro. Nilo coordinates missions work in SALTS, Cluster 3 of COCs in this province 144 miles north of Manila. SALTS stands for San Manuel (with Bro. Rodel Miguel); Aliaga (with Bro. Bartolomeo Bernardo, Jr.); Licab, Talavera, San Pascual and San Alejandro (with Bro. Arlene Aguilar). In the last 5 years, SALTS have been evangelizing to communities in these towns with a population of around 285,000. From less than a hundred members in early 2009, the Lord continues to add to the church those who came and accepted Christ, now roughly 1,000 as of Q3, 2014. Bro. Nilo and his fellow ministers of SALTS prayed to hold a medical mission in the cluster which they believe will bring people to know Christ more in how the church models His examples in serving the less fortunate. They sought the help of HFCF through Bro. Ben Formales who convened the volunteer doctors and nurses for this mission. They were joined by Atty. Kristine Padilla, who came to know Christ in a SALTS evangelism event she attended in Palayan. She has since then offered and served legal consultation services regarding the family code and other legal concerns of the brethren.
The SALTS ministers campaigned for the medical mission within the cluster for three months as soon as they received HFCF’s commitment. The result exceeded the target goal of 150 sign ups.
The medical mission started early as patients came in to assemble at the covered court of the San Pascual Elementary School in Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija. As the seats were filled, the program started with some fellowship, singing and prayers. The guests were also treated to a very nice film showing of “The Bible” which everyone loved. As the medical team arrived, the organizing secretariat announced a few lines to give instructions and then grouped themselves to start the registration of patients accordingly.
The mission team is composed of volunteers from COCs in Manila, the CALABARZON and SALTS:
Medical team: Dr. Eli Cortez, MD and wife Delia, pharmacist
Optical team: Dr. Beth Malubay Lucido, and husband Dooks, assisting
Dental team: Drs. Boni and Vicky Cortez, Elsa and Vera Merindo, and Rhoda Formales
Nurses: Marilyn Alday Santiago, Lally Calixto, Mylene Aguilar and Jackie Dapul
Legal: Atty. Kristine Padilla
Special thanks and appreciation go to Mr. Ronnie Santos, the school principal of the San Pascual Elementary School, as well as to Teacher Daisy Guerrero who assisted the team throughout the day.
Mission opportunities in Nueva Ecija abound. Its total population is 1.9M as of 2010. It is composed of 5 major cities and 27 municipalities. SALTS is a small piece of the whole pie. Nueva Ecija is home to some of the more prestigious colleges and universities in Luzon that may be ripe for campus ministries and youth engagement. Other potential areas for missions are in women development theme, the participation of senior citizens in community development and the very young.