From Dr. Mackenzie Slater, Hospital Loma De Luz
My journey with Loma De Luz parallels my call to medical missions. After college, I took a year off to decide if medicine was really the path I wanted to travel, and volunteering abroad in a medical setting seemed a good chance to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone: improve my Spanish skills and get some hands-on experience in my chosen career. I found a site in Honduras that was willing to host a premed student for a couple of months and packed my bags for my first solo international trip. While volunteering at this site, I met a woman who was on her way to lead a missions team to a ‘hospital on the north coast.’ I’d never heard of the hospital but really wanted to see a little more of the country so asked if I could join the team. I came along as a translator and met the group in La Ceiba as they prepared to spend a week at Hospital Loma De Luz. Over and over again in that week, God confirmed the call on my life for both medicine and missions. The most distinct memory I have is of Dr. Jeff McKenney speaking to the team describing why Loma De Luz exists. He said, "We practice medicine here to give the Gospel the best hearing it can have.” Those words have stuck with me through 10 years of education and training.
During my third year of family medicine residency I was looking at options for jobs. I applied to the Post-Residency Program through Samaritan’s Purse with the hope that God would confirm if that was the path He had for me. When Loma De Luz was one of two sites suggested based on my skills and the needs of the hospitals, it felt like everything had come full circle. From initial confirmation of my profession to first site to use my skills that God graciously allowed me to gain, Loma De Luz has been used by God in my life in significant ways already. I’m sure there is more to come!
My journey with Loma De Luz parallels my call to medical missions. After college, I took a year off to decide if medicine was really the path I wanted to travel, and volunteering abroad in a medical setting seemed a good chance to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone: improve my Spanish skills and get some hands-on experience in my chosen career. I found a site in Honduras that was willing to host a premed student for a couple of months and packed my bags for my first solo international trip. While volunteering at this site, I met a woman who was on her way to lead a missions team to a ‘hospital on the north coast.’ I’d never heard of the hospital but really wanted to see a little more of the country so asked if I could join the team. I came along as a translator and met the group in La Ceiba as they prepared to spend a week at Hospital Loma De Luz. Over and over again in that week, God confirmed the call on my life for both medicine and missions. The most distinct memory I have is of Dr. Jeff McKenney speaking to the team describing why Loma De Luz exists. He said, "We practice medicine here to give the Gospel the best hearing it can have.” Those words have stuck with me through 10 years of education and training.
During my third year of family medicine residency I was looking at options for jobs. I applied to the Post-Residency Program through Samaritan’s Purse with the hope that God would confirm if that was the path He had for me. When Loma De Luz was one of two sites suggested based on my skills and the needs of the hospitals, it felt like everything had come full circle. From initial confirmation of my profession to first site to use my skills that God graciously allowed me to gain, Loma De Luz has been used by God in my life in significant ways already. I’m sure there is more to come!
