Medical Mission

Preparations:

The idea of stating a medical mission came to Pastor Hernes about seven years ago. In the spring of 2002 the time was right to forge ahead with this idea. Pastor Hernes appointed Dr. Rollie G. Simeon, a general surgeon, living in Lodi, California as the medical director of the IBBC Medical Mission Team (co-sponsored by Fil-Am League for Accountability Morality & Excellence or FLAME). The date was set --- the medical mission would begin on January 4, 2003 in collaboration with the BAILER Foundation of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church (MBBC) led by Pastor Benny Abante, Jr. and Dr. Joy Janobas, Director. For the next 6 months, our preparations began with travel plans, schedules, fundraising, and solicitations. The response to our solicitations was very encouraging. Our own church family, IBBC San Leandro, raised a few thousand dollars towards the purchase of local medicines in the Philippines. Donations of medicines and miscellaneous items such as toothbrush, baseball hats, & ball pens proved very useful. The first shipment of five "balikbayan" boxes went out in November 2002. All in all we obtained about $50K worth of medications, medical supplies & miscellaneous items.

(taken from the Medical Mission Report January 4-12, 2003)