A Family Affair: Next Generation Medical Mission Trips

Marysville, OHIO – Local OBGYN, Dr. Norman Raymond, his wife Jackie, their son Cliff, and Norman’s brothers, Dr. Clifford W. Raymond and Dr. Russ Raymond, accompanied by a host of other medical professionals, clergy, translators, students and volunteers, recently returned from their annual Honduras mission trip. What began in 1999 with five Raymond family brothers, a Pastor and a nurse offering medical aid to victims of Hurricane Mitch, has evolved into an annual Raymond-family mission trip.

“After our eighth year, focused on saving lives and improving living conditions for Honduran natives, we’ve already begun planning for the 2008 trip” states Dr. Raymond. “The personal and spiritual rewards we experience with the team who supports our mission for the Hondurans are difficult to express in words.”

In conjunction with several other Ohio physicians, the Raymond family works year round to prepare for the annual trip. Coordinating efforts with community schools, churches, pharmaceutical companies, privately owned pharmacies, local doctors, dentists, and chiropractic offices; the Raymond’s gather, organize, package, label and personally deliver thousands of dollars worth of donated clothing, personal care items and medical supplies to needy Honduran families.

Once in Honduras, Dr. Norman Raymond, a respected Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Marysville and Urbana, Ohio, his family members and their team of volunteers, including pediatricians, surgeons, medical specialists and dentists, are passionate about helping others. Treating more than 3,000 people during the week-long trip, the volunteers freely gave of their expertise and talents to help those less fortunate. Each morning the team traveled from their modest accommodations to set up exam and medical treatment centers in a different village. “Not only are general health conditions diagnosed and treated with the natives” explained Dr. Raymond, “patients actually have the privilege of being cared for by some of the best specialist physicians in America.”

The Honduran citizens, who benefit from the healthcare intervention organized by the Raymond family, fully understand the value in this free medical treatment. “Some patients actually journey out on an all night walk to the treatment centers only to wait in a long line with of others who also want to be seen by the physicians. “Unfortunately, we were only able to treat 500 to 600 people per day, but there were many more hoping to be examined,” commented Raymond. “There really is no other choice, the nearest hospital from most villages is a three hour drive and transportation is extremely limited or unavailable to the natives’.”

While most of the volunteers expect the trip to be physically grueling, the psychological effects of traveling to a third-world country to serve communities that lack running water and paved roads can be very overwhelming. “Due to the circumstances that many of the Hondurans live in, their need for medical attention is vast. Each year, our involvement is a heartwarming and awakening experience,” said Norman.

The Raymond family is pleased that the Honduras medical mission has become a generational event now being shared by their sons and daughters. “This year we involved my son and daughter-in-law,” explains Dr. Raymond. “I firmly believe in teaching your children well, and building their compassion for missions such as this one.” The next generation of Raymond doctors, four so far, are learning how to run the medical mission so they are prepared to continue leading the Honduras project in the future.

The Salvation Army and The Rotary Club of Columbus, two of the trip’s sponsors, have made continuous strides to improve the medical conditions in Honduras, as well as general living conditions. Since the mission’s inaugural trip in 1999, The Salvation Army has worked to build churches and schools throughout the country and is currently in the process of opening a small surgical hospital. The Rotary Club has implemented a program called “Pure Water for the World”, and has identified 49 Honduran villages with no fresh water as their targets. Proven to drastically cut down on diseases caused by impure drinking water, The Rotary Club helps water-deficient villages through delivery of a fresh water source into each of the identified communities.

Apart from the generous support of The Salvation Army-Eastern Territory and The Rotary Club of Columbus, the Honduras medical mission is made possible through partnerships with The Cleveland Clinic and The Raymond Foundation. For more information on how you can support this worthy cause, call (937)644-1656.