Building rural clinics and hospitals to meet the healthcare needs of the members of underserved communities has been the primary vision of Odumehaje Christian Medical Mission for years now. However, the inadequacy of our resources to attain this goal has kept us merely engaged in annual medical outreaches to many of such communities; and though this has impacted thousands of people over the years, we acknowledge the pressing need for a lasting solution to the health needs of these communities.
In light of this vision, we have sought out collaborations and partnerships with other similar organizations, none of which has enabled us to attain this goal. Searching for possible partners and collaborators led to the discovery of the just concluded M3 conference.
The conference organizers were Dr. Paul and Jennifer Osteen who are medical practitioners, providing great medical care to parts of Africa in dire need of healthcare. In the previous year, I attended the conference online. However, in preparation for this year’s edition, a call for posters was sent out and my organization responded with records from five medical outreaches we held between 2021-2022.
I was honored to make the trip on a Diplomatic passport. It accrued so much honor, respect and dignity from top government and immigration officers at airports throughout my journey, and exempted me from check-in protocols and tedious arrival processes. Finally, I was received very warmly into the great continent of North America.
I’ve been a missionary doctor working with remote, hard-to-reach- communities usually abhorred by doctors because of the stress involved, through my organizations (Helping Team International and Odumehaje Christian Medical Mission).
Since my early days of medical practice, God started ordering my steps to rural communities. I did my house job(internship) at Mkar, a rural missionary settlement in Gboko, Benue state, Nigeria. After my NYSC at Toro, Bauch State, I worked as a medical officer (1st level medical practitioner) in many remote villages, with a passion to fill the gaps in community health while also passionately preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These remote jobs were completed with my precious wife whom I met and got married to at Mkar where I served as an intern.
Of course, my decision to serve in this capacity did not go without opposition from my parents and other family members who thought I should have sought out better opportunities for my medical career.
Needless to say, however, serving God and humanity in this capacity has opened many doors of blessings to my family – this conference being one of them.
I was opportune to meet several incredible doctors and health workers of various specialties. I also happened to be the only African attending the conference from Nigeria. As a first-time traveler to the continent of North America, I was quite excited. The organizers were as excited to have me and exempted me from paying the conference fee and made all the conference materials available to me for free.
As the conference progressed, I met Mrs. Jo Sullivan, the ED of Project C.U. R. E. Majorly, her organization supplies medical equipment and consumables to organizations involved in community healthcare. She treated me to lunch and took me to see their warehouse in Houston. There, I was handed a bag containing basic medical supplies for our organization. She also pledged to further support our organization.
Meeting Dr. Paul Osteen
As mentioned earlier, Dr. Paul Osteen and his wife Jennifer are missionaries and pastors at Lakewood Church whom I have admired for their great contributions to healthcare through interior missions to Africa. My wife and I have followed him on social media, and meeting him in person has been a dream. So when this opportunity availed itself, I jumped at it.
We ran into each other while trying to catch up to one of the presentations at the conference. I introduced myself as a doctor attending from Nigeria. You could see the delight on his face at this point, and then he asked if I’d be around for service the following day at Lakewood. It was such a beautiful moment.
Meeting Pastor Joel Osteen
Sunday came and I was also determined to meet Pastor Joel Osteen. In preparation, I left earlier for church and secured a seat in front. As usual, the Service was wonderful and ended quickly. Pastor Joel announced a meet and greet with newcomers at the lobby. Meeting him was so surreal. He shook hands with me with a beautiful smile on his face as I introduced myself. Knowing I came all the way from Nigeria for the conference and to be at the service touched him greatly. He passionately prayed for me and I left fulfilled.
A long time good friend, Prof. Emakoji Ayikoye, flew in from NewYork City to be with me on the last day. We drove around Houston as he showed me around, and treated me to lunch at a Nigerian restaurant. Lastly, before his return to NYC, he took me to the airport to catch my flight back home.
Overall, the M3 conference was a beautiful experience and a great blessing for me, with many promising leads for the attainment of our number one vision as an organization. I was also encouraged and challenged to do more with my team, and also made a lot of meaningful connections.
This piece is therefore an appreciation to everyone that has over the years given generously to support our cause and an encouragement to continue in your partnership and support of this noble cause. Land in various locations has been donated and ready for the commencement of this great project. We look forward to the commencement of this project as soon as possible.
Visit our website>> www.ocmedmission.org to know more.
God bless you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Odumu.