Side by Side in Missions and Medical School

“Nasrin” slouched in her chair, tired from the heat and disengaged from interpreting. We needed her to be fully present—she was the link between us consultants asking questions and the Muslim Tat translation team answering them—but her mind was on her son who was in the hospital with a long-term illness. Understandably, Nasrin was deeply worried.

That night, Bibles International consultant Jim Wright and my husband Josue took an hour-long taxi ride with her down dusty roads to visit her son. After a long day of consulting, the hospital visit was tiring for them, and the conditions were not ideal. But the next morning, and throughout the remainder of the workshop, we saw the impact of that visit. Nasrin’s spirits had been lifted by the care and love the men had shown by spending time with her son. She returned to the workshop fully engaged, interpreting each question about the Gospel of John carefully and accurately, and we made much better progress from then on.

This is just one of many surprise blessings I’ve experienced in my work as a Global Fit translation consultant with Bibles International (BI). Global Fit is a new avenue of missions opportunities with Baptist Mid-Missions (BMM) for those who don’t quite fit the traditional missions model.

When I was ready to join BMM in 2023, I had finished all my training for Bible translation consulting and was engaged to Josue, who was about to begin the eight-year path to becoming a medical doctor. We were excited about the potential for future ministry through healthcare but didn’t want to wait eight more years to join BMM together. I wanted to start working in Bible translation right away, and Global Fit gave me the opportunity to begin ministry with BI while Josue was still in medical school.

Now I work full-time with BI from our home in South Carolina, often sitting across the room from Josue as he is studying pathology or anatomy. I currently consult on two of our Bible translation projects—the Muslim Tat and the Warao. I regularly join Zoom meetings and take several missions trips each year to meet with our teams and hold workshops. Global Fit has been an incredible blessing, allowing our family to be involved in both full-time missions and full-time medical school!

When Josue joined Jim and me for our Muslim Tat workshop, we weren’t sure what it would look like for a medical professional to travel on a Bible translation trip. All I knew was that I wanted him to meet the Muslim Tat team, a group I dearly love and had already been working with for a few years. Josue’s medical knowledge and thoughtful care, however, proved to be an asset to our work, something our team wouldn’t have had without Global Fit. Through Global Fit, I’ve been able to work with BI while married to a medical student who hasn’t yet joined BMM.

This trip was a wonderful reminder that regardless of a person’s skill set, there is a place for everyone in missions. If you’re interested in missions but feel you don’t fit the traditional missions model—due to marriage, finances, vocation, or another reason—consider joining the work of BMM and BI through Global Fit. You can learn more at https://www.bmm.org/global-fit.