Mission: Christian Medical Students participating in the March 12-17 Albanian Medical Student Conference

Mission: Christian Medical Students participating in the March 12-17 Albanian Medical Student Conference

1. Overarching goal: to develop relationships that lead toward Christ using your specific skills as medical students.
2. Itinerary: Leave from the East Coast (probably D.C.) on Thursday evening March 12, flying overnight to Tirana, Albania with one stop in Europe); Travel by van to Durres, Albania on Friday , PM and remain there until travel back to USA on Sunday with an overnight in Europe (probably Vienna), arriving in USA on Tuesday the 17th.
3. About 65-85 medical students from Albania will be in attendance, with the conference led by Albanian Christian doctors. 2/3 of the students are usually non-believers.
4. 6 major lectures on World view topics related to medical students will be given by Drs. Al Weir and Mark Johnston, followed by small groups discussions led by Albanian Christian doctors and students. We hope to be able to assign a USA medical student to each group.
5. Other clinical workshops may be given during the weekend led by American and Albanian doctors. If students are advanced in any areas, they may lead workshops on physical diagnosis or other clinical skills they are comfortable with.
6. Praise worship services will be held
7. There will be much time for fun built in for the students
8. We hope to hold a time of join sharing describing the experiences of medical school in the USA versus Albania
9. All of this is geared toward evangelism
10. Specific mission strategy of the medical students from the USA (understanding that you can build a relationship with your peers far better than the older Christian doctors can)
    1. Contribute your Christian thought and experience within the small group setting, possibly facilitating a small group is you have the skills.
    2. Take part in all the worship and funs activities with relationship building in mind. If you play a musical instrument, that would be grand.
    3. Pray for one significant relationship with a non Christian upon whom you focus your prayers and  time and God given words of the Gospel during the weekend, carry that relationship with you back to the USA in prayer and e-mail correspondence
    4. Do the same with one Christian Albanian medical student, praying for their growth in Christian leadership
    5. Work to develop a long term relationship between your CMDA student chapter and the Christian student chapter in Albania.
    6. Consider returning in the next year to strengthen the ties of those relationships.
11. Cost of trip is total of $1800, which is basically the cost of the air fare and the overnight upon return in Vienna. The rest of the in country expenses will be subsidized by the Albanian Health Fund. Students will be responsible for raising their own funds for the trip.

This is a new direction in international medical evangelism, one that focuses on the strategy and leadership of the national Christians, one that focuses on building relationships, one that focuses on education rather than direct healthcare, one that allows international missions to continue throughout one’s life whatever field of medical specialty God leads you into. It is also a tremendous opportunity for you to hear worldview discussions and see how that works out in a different culture. We are praying with you as you decide whether this is the direction God would have you move as you work with Him and His international Church so that the lost may be brought home to Him, the broken may be made whole in Him and He may be glorified.

Please reply to the email  if you are interested

All for Christ,
Al Weir MD
CMDA