On September 10, 2016 my husband and I, along with doctors, nurses, pharmacists and volunteers from the Abidjan Church of Christ in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, walked onto the church property at 7:15 in the morning and were greeted by hundreds of disciples eager to be seen by a doctor. Some had spent the night in the church building, wanting to be sure that they would be able to meet with a physician about their concerns.
This was the beginning of Brigade Medicale, the two-day long HOPE worldwide Medical Brigade that had been eight months in the making. With the help of The Lexington Church in Lexington, Kentucky and HOPE worldwide's New York Metro Chapter providing medicine, supplies and encouragement, the medical professionals in Abidjan were able to realize their dream of helping their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Nearly 1,000 disciples in the church were able to see a doctor and receive treatment medication at no cost. Many more will be seen over the coming months as the doctors continue to make rounds in the various sectors of the church, using the leftover medicines to make sure that every need is met.
Dreams often lead to more dreams, and the Abidjan Church dreams of branching out to the other small churches in the Ivory Coast and meeting their medical needs as well in the coming months and years. As for me, I was able to see God’s kingdom at its best, serving one another in love. And that, my family, is worth every donated dollar and every minute of angst and stress and sacrifice to help make a dream happen!
Brigade Medicale 2017 is in the works. If you are interested in being a part of this mission to meet the medical needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ by donating time, money or skills, please contact Mindi Kirklin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..