The call to heal the sick and love the broken is evident throughout all of Scripture. In today’s world of poverty, disease, and discrimination, the call is as important as ever.

This summer a team of 48 IWC participants sought to do their part in answering this call. Students and staff alike set out together to reach the hurting population in one of the largest cities in Romania through medical missions.

“Love is intentional. We do not love people by thinking about loving them, or by just saying we love them,” said Trey Corple, a participant on the project, “When we love through actions, we show Christ.”

IWC took to the streets of Cluj, home to a large Roma population, administering medical kits, providing medical care and sharing real love with the people in villages throughout the city.

The Roma are a hugely forgotten and discriminated people group in Europe who never receive this kind of care or attention. They are mistreated and cast aside, so much so that they are even refused anesthesia during medical procedures. A little bit of love goes a very long way, and the students on this trip understood the urgency to reach these people and meet both their physical and spiritual needs.

“Showing people real love means being there for them, and going out of your way for them if you need to. Whether that means flying across the world or helping a stranger in a small way, you can share love in the name of Jesus,” said Corple.

 The Roma people were not the only ones impacted by this trip. God was working in the hearts of students to reveal his love and plan to them as well. Matthew Gay is a college student who went to Romania. He has declared his major in pre-med biology and plans to be a pediatric surgeon.

Gay spent time in the gypsy villages providing medical care to needy families there. There were two children in one of the families he encountered with both physical and intellectual disabilities.

“It was when I saw this family and the young mother doing her best to care for them [the children] that I knew why God had brought me here,” said Gay, “I now know that I will be able to help families like this once I complete my medical degree, and I know that God has called me to serve through medical missions.”

The spiritual and physical needs are great. IWC participants saw God do many amazing things through the work he had prepared for them in Cluj. Katelyn Poston was another student on the trip who God used to minister to these people. Read her story of God’s provision and consider how He might use you to reach the hurting.

“God did amazing things in Romania! I saw God move before, during, and even now that our team is back from Romania! It was a privilege and honor to serve God through medical missions this summer in Romania! During our time in Romania, I was able to be apart of the medical team that worked together to meet the health care needs of the Roma Gypsies. They were an unloved people group who were very poor and needy.  The gypsies literally live off of what they grow and harvest.  I was part of a medical team that served in the village of Camarasua. We performed basic medical assessments and provided health care information regarding any of their medical concerns.  We were able to pray for them and we even had some occasional opportunities to share the plan of salvation. We were able to give each household a medical kit, which consisted of some basic health care amenities.

        We also saw God work in a mighty way.  From day one, we were running low on medical kits.  We were going in to many more homes than we had planned for. So, we started praying for God to multiply the boxes and for His will to be done.  We needed to provide kits for the gypsies in order to keep our word that we would be serving them just as the missionary had told them in advance. The numbers of homes and medical kits never seemed to add up correctly, but by God’s mighty hand, we were NEVER short on boxes.  At the end of the week, we had six boxes left. Now that is what you call the Lord working!  Being able to impact the lives of the Roma gypsies for the glory of the Lord has forever changed my life!  I would encourage anyone who loves the Lord to respond to the call to “GO!” and serve where He is calling you!”

-Katelyn Poston