medical
ambassadors
international
Healing the world Christ’s way -Luke 4:18-19
November 3, 2014
Dear Friends,
Can you imagine what it is like to be a woman in a country with a past rich in history and beauty,
yet very dark in many ways for a female?
This month I want you to hear from one of our staff who coordinates a very special part of the
training Medical Ambassadors (MAI) offers around the world. This amazing program for women is called
“WCL” (Women’s Cycle of Life) and is imbedded in the strategy of Community Health Evangelism.
Please listen carefully to Marcia’s heart as she shares about a WCL training in a country that is usually
closed:
Before my teammate and I arrived, I had pored over WCL’s extensive curriculum. “Lord, there is
so much material—so many lessons and yet limited time. This is unlike many of the places you’ve allowed
me to go where basic physical needs are a high priority. These women are well educated, leaders in their
communities. What would you have me share with these sisters?”
There were 21
women from 16 different
regions who gathered for
the weeklong training. All
these had clearly
identified themselves as
followers of Jesus, some
at great personal cost.
Our training team arrived
with a mixture of
excitement and caution.
We wanted to be sensitive
to our hosts and
respectful of their
position. For them to host
us posed risks, and we did
our best to keep the risks
to a minimum.
© Linqong | Dreamstime.com - Mother and daughter
Post Office Box 1302 • Salida, California 95368-1302 • www.MedicalAmbassadors.org
[p] 888.403.0600 [f] 209.543.7550 [e] info@med-amb.org
Each day, the group participated with great enthusiasm. They surprised us on the second day
with a request for homework! Some of them began planning how they would return to their communities
and share what they were learning. Their questions were perceptive, and indicated a level of insight and
preparation that anticipated the process several steps beyond what they were receiving.
The lessons touched their lives:
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We talked about the value of each individual—uniquely created by God, knit together in their
mother’s womb, fearfully and wonderfully made.
We talked about how men and women uniquely reflect characteristics of their Creator, and as we
honor one another, we honor God and fulfill his original design.
We talked about great women of God like Sarah, Esther, Hannah, Ruth, Abigail, and others—
noting that each woman’s story was uniquely written by one Author, and realizing that each of
our stories is being written in the same way.
We talked about our physical bodies, and compared the culture’s beliefs with biblical truths—
affirming the good within the culture, and allowing the truth to replace cultural lies.
On Friday, one of the young women from a rural region began sobbing. We paused. The group
gathered around her to console her. As she composed herself, she explained tearfully how, throughout
the week, she had seen the beauty of life, created by God in the womb. She wept, recounting that she had
advised her friend, who was in a very difficult marriage and was expecting her third child, to have an
abortion. She said she wanted to go home and give different advice and support her friend.
In a private moment at the end of the week, the coordinators of the training discussed something
among themselves, and then turned to me. What they said took my breath away, “You might think this
sounds strange, but after this week, for the first time in our lives, we want to be women.”
As she finished
telling her story, Marcia’s
voice choked up and the tears
came … to my eyes as well.
We know God has
told us in Colossians 1:16 that
all things (including all
people) were created in Jesus.
This means woman are just as
important as men. Sadly,
many of the world’s cultures
have distorted this fact. This
results in half their people
seeing themselves as secondclass citizens.
Stock photos have been used to protect the
identities of those who participated in training
© Wnights | Dreamstime.com - Boy and Mother Photo
Post Office Box 1302 • Salida, California 95368-1302 • www.MedicalAmbassadors.org
[p] 888.403.0600 [f] 209.543.7550 [e] info@med-amb.org
The silver lining of this terrible loss of self-confidence
is the fact that many women the world over are hungry for the
acceptance and value Jesus gives them. Medical Ambassadors
is responding to this hunger with WCL training that addresses
the way God made women, both physically and spiritually.
However, you should not imagine meeting women’s
hunger for value and worth is easy or automatic. Satan prefers
women to see themselves without value. Opposition can come
in unexpected forms. Please pray fervently for protection. Pray
for local women leaders to surface. They make a huge
difference to the receptivity of any group.
In addition, pray that men will recognize the favorable
changes in their home and family, before they make negative
© Picstudio | Dreamstime.com - Little girls
judgments about WCL training. According to some of the
women, “If you teach us these wonderful things without teaching our husbands, it’s like teaching us to
clap with only one hand.”
MAI recently developed new complementary training for men—Men Matter—but the materials
are not yet widely known. Early reports have been very exciting, however. Pray men will also be as open
as their wives have been.
Would you please ask God how he wants you to participate? You could be involved in changing
women and men in locations you may never have the chance to visit yourself, but the impact is real and
lasting. The expense of a five-day seminar, in-country, for 20 women (or men) is between $2000 and
$3000 depending on location. This includes room, board, and transportation. Would you prayerfully
consider what role God wants you to play in these life-changing opportunities?
Perhaps your church or small group may want to be involved in this exciting opportunity, too. If
so, please call or write so that we can talk more.
We recently produced a video of the results of WCL. This
three-minute video would be perfect for sharing—with a friend or a
Sunday School class—how God can powerfully use women to
impact the lives of others around them, once they know they are
valued in his sight. Please request your copy on the response slip.
Rejoicing in our position as God’s image-bearers,
John Payne M.D.
President
P.S. Thank you for your willingness to consider sharing this good news!
Post Office Box 1302 • Salida, California 95368-1302 • www.MedicalAmbassadors.org
[p] 888.403.0600 [f] 209.543.7550 [e] info@med-amb.org