Mission Makers
presented by Henderson Walton Women’s Center
As a part of Birmingham based E3 Partners Ministries (www.e3partners.org), Henderson and Walton Women’s Center’s Lisa Franklin, MD and her family recently joined a team of 24 on a mission to spread Good News in one of the poorest countries in the world. The team was divided into three groups: medical, veterinary, and evangelism and spent a week in the trenches of Malawi to meet both the practical and spiritual needs of the people.
Dr. Franklin, an Ob-Gyn physician with Henderson & Walton, worked 5 clinical days seeing men, women, and children of all ages with a variety of health issues while her husband Robert and their two daughters worked on the evangelism team. This was Franklin’s second trip to serve in Malawi. She says this particular trip required a very deep level of flexibility. The medical team did not know exactly what they would be doing until they arrived and at one point, the plan was for them to work under a tree. “Every set up is different. You have to use what you’ve got,” explains Dr. Franklin. What the missions team may have lacked in equipment, they made up for with skill, determination, and adaptability. For instance, two Malawi doctors provided Dr. Franklin background information on some of the patients so even though she did not have complete medical records for those she served or polished, clean floors to work from, she was still able to help.
Dr. Franklin noted that the children she treated seemed so content with what they had. They came with homemade toys and played with plastic water bottles. The children were adaptable and flexible to the environment in which they were born. Dr. Franklin added that these people who live in such poverty were eager to receive aid. There were no suspicions about religion or skin color. There were only people—to care and be cared for.
-Abby Holcombe
The physicians of Henderson & Walton Women’s Center, P.C. are accepting new patients in their Birmingham, Alabaster, Chelsea, Cullman, Gadsden, Jasper and Tuscaloosa locations. Call 1-800-264-1075 to make your appointment. Visit www.hwwc.net to learn more about the practice, physicians, and services offered and why they have been voted BEST PRACTICE for the 4th consecutive time!
