How far would you drive for a dental and vision examination? When operating in a different culture, many of the norms we may have come to accept are subject to reevaluation.
Maybe you’ve asked the same questions we would ask when considering where to take your kids for appointments. How far is the dental or vision office from our home? Does the dental or vision office accept our health insurance? Do we know anyone that had a good experience with this particular dental or vision office? Maybe you’ve asked these or different questions in your own context.
To be completely honest, we have asked a version of these questions living in the Dominican Republic as missionaries. However, the answers were very different than when we lived in the United States.
What I’m attempting to do is take you into the circumstances of far too many here and around the world. Often churches, organizations and missionaries offer dental and vision clinics in communities all around the world. The beautiful thing is that many times these clinics arrive in your community to serve and share the love of Jesus.
For others, these services are not readily available. Recently, we were able to help an organization with 20 young ladies who have been rescued out of a life of extremely difficult circumstances. They drove 5+ hours for the opportunity to receive services that we will often take for granted.
I don’t say this to invoke guilt, but an emotion of gratitude and a vision of opportunity. Our privilege provides us an opportunity to share the gospel and the love of Jesus in places and ways that are not readily available.
It is an incredible privilege to lean into the unique and undeniably special opportunity placed in front of us to live a life full of meaning and gospel impact.
Vogsberger Family on Mission 