A backpack and a mission: the journey of a missionary nurse.

A medical mission to a small village in Fiji brought improved health care to a community and an indelible change in a nurse's heart. Bula!" ("Hello" in F. ian.) We stepped out of the small fishing boat, waded through crystal-clear warm water, and approached the island that would be our home for the next few months. The women of the village greeted us with big smiles, singing, and handmade flower necklaces. There is something about the F. ian people and lifestyle that automatically puts you at ease. The breathtaking beauty of this poster-worthy island was enchanting, but I knew this was no island resort.the people here had serious needs, and it was our intention to offer a helping hand. Litt le did I know how life-changing those 4 months would be, and how much I myself would be changed through it all. We worked for a volunteer organization called Youth With a Mission (YWAM). In its 50-year history, YWAM groups have reached out to people in every country of the world through various avenues including education, media, health care, and music. When I graduated from nursing school in 2006 I felt challenged to use my nursing education and passion to help people who did not have as much as we have here in America. I wanted a global perspective on health care among the nations. I had seen pictures of people living in poverty, but I wanted to know their names, hear their stories, bandage their wounds, and touch their hearts. I wanted them to know that someone cared, and I felt that if even one person felt healing from my hands, it would be worth the trip. I found the YWAM New Zealand base (called Marine Reach) to be a perfect fit; it was a medical mission ship focused on sending health care to developing nations but also included the faith aspect of nursing that I desired. Throughout my 2 years with Marine Reach I served as ship's nurse, supervising the care of all crew, students, and volunteers on board, and twice a year I led teams in nations such as Japan, F. i, and the Philippines. Although all the people I met are near to my heart, it was in F. i that I experienced the greatest reward of volunteer nursing. Many weeks of planning went into the F. i trip. Our team of 14 young adults from Australia, England, New Zealand, the United States, and France organized a 2-month medical outreach. Each team member learned a different aspect of community health education. Some prepared dental hygiene information; a second group prepared to teach proper nutrition and health care habits to prevent communicable disease; a third group of brave souls learned about preventing and treating scabies and lice. We endured a 7-day sail on the open ocean. (As ship's nurse I became very familiar with various antiemetics.) But it was worth the wait when we finally arrived in beautiful F. i! I wanted to take my team to a very remote F. ian village called Kavewa. The island was very small, and only about 100 people inhabited its picturesque white sand beaches. It was a 45-minute boat ride and then 2 hours by bus to the nearest nurse's station. When we arrive in the village I assessed the village's health care emergency supplies and found . . . nothing. No bandages, no medicines, nothing. As the word of my nursing skills spread I soon became overwhelmed with the many needs of the villagers: babies with rashes, infected boils, a boy "possessed by demons" (epilepsy), young expectant mothers in need of prenatal nutrition and education, rugby injuries, burns, a blind boy with a very progressed congenital eye abnormality.the list seemed endless! It was a daunting task considering I had only one large backpack of basic medical supplies: gauze, bandages, ointment, medications, gloves, tape, needles, and syringes. …