Fred Rogers, TV’s beloved Mr. Rogers, used to say that when there is a crisis, look for the helpers. During our week in Vinto, Bolivia, as part of Solidarity Bridge’s Multi-Specialty Mission Team, we never had to look far to find helpers.

Across five specialties, our U.S. missioners have been working with their Bolivian colleagues to learn from one another and collaborate in making life better for our patients and the wider community.

MSMT changes lives by providing specialized care that is otherwise unavailable to patients at rural Bolivian hospitals.

In order to truly enter into the work that brings us to Bolivia —the care of patients in need— we must be present, we must listen, and we must stand in solidarity with the patients and all who work so hard to give them life-transforming care.

Mission trips constitute only one aspect of our year-round work, but these visits provide unique opportunities to expand our minds and hearts.

Although our mission trips are short term the relationships we create with each other and with our Bolivian counterparts are anything but! To nurture these relationships during this time of social distancing, our recent MSMT missioners gathered on Zoom to connect.

Veteran missioner, Dr. Jay Herrmann shares one of his favorite things about visiting Bolivia—the working relationships he develops with Bolivian doctors.

Our team has spent significant time preparing for this trip, but there is always more to learn. To give us a better understanding of our patients’ lives and communities, our partners arranged visits to the homes of former patients.

We embark on our 100th trip!

First-time mission nurse, Kristina Via-Reque shares her experience at the close of the 2018 multi-specialty mission trip.