Jesus' own ministry clearly exemplifies this. Yes, he asked people to commit themselves to him for eternity, but he also healed them and taught them how to live better lives. One of the most striking examples is his forgiveness of the paralyzed man, as recorded in Matthew 9, followed immediately by the man's healing. So it comes as no surprise that the Haspels in Ethiopia and the Prasads in India are inviting people to accept Christ into their lives, bringing them relief from disease and other troubles, while helping them improve their lives materially and socially. Missionaries, many have learned, are as gifted, as skilled, and as accomplished a professional group as you can find.
Mission specialists are often more skilled than their secular counterparts.
Combining this with high moral and ethical commitments often yields unusual excellence. Some of the missionaries we help support specialize in one or two areas, while others are involved in several. The volunteers with St. Luke's Health Care Mission here in Las Cruces specialize in medical service, but medicine is only one aspect of the ministry of John and Gwen Haspels to the Surma, the work of Philip Prasad among the Dalits, and the border ministry of Bill and Susan Soldwisch in Tijuana, Mexico. These three work in several other specialties. Ricardo and Renya Green, one of the new Presbyterian missionary families we have begun supporting in 1999, serve in Brazil.