Compassion for the Isolated

My name is Luis and I am a Peruvian dentist serving with YWAM Ships Kona. 

There is one story I always like to share from my involvement in medical outreaches in Papua New Guinea. One of the small Islands we went to was called Nissan Island, where around two thousand people live in small huts. There is only one nurse to meet the needs of this island and she was working with us during the medical outreach. One day she came to me crying and asked for me to teach her some basic dentistry. I was able to explain how to pull broken teeth before they get infected. She was very happy to learn and worked alongside me for a week. At the beginning she was afraid to practice any dental work, but by the end of the outreach she was working, helping the people.

It is important for us to build up people in these areas so that when we leave, they can continue the work we were doing. They can also continue sharing about God as they offer medical help.

Teaching is one of the most noble things you can do, even helping someone go farther than you have gone. This nurse shared the same compassion as I do for the people, and it is the same love and compassion that God feels towards us. His desire for us is to be healthy. 

It was through God that I was able to get to that country so far away and teach someone that was willing to be taught. Compassion is one of the greatest ways you can show love. Seeing someone who is suffering sparks something in me to want to help in any way I can. 

A few years ago my wife and I tried going on short-term medical mission trips and that’s how we discovered that we want to be missionaries for life, giving our lives to God and to our fellow people. Returning to normal life, we really felt kind of miserable, because we were only doing things for ourselves and not serving anybody else.

We have decided to go wherever God would call us in order to reach the most remote island, sharing as much as we can, while bringing healthcare to the people there. I serve with YWAM Ships Kona because I want to share God’s compassion and love to the most isolated people.

Luis Choy

Click here to watch the full video testimony https://youtu.be/fsZVgQaYP3w