This summer, Dordt University nursing and pre-med students traveled to Greece for the opportunity to care for refugees while experiencing healthcare in a cross-cultural setting.
Earlier this summer, 13 nursing students and one pre-med student from Dordt University traveled to Athens, Greece along with one faculty member to serve at the Medical Brigade Clinic Athens, a non-governmental organization that provides free healthcare services to refugees and asylum seekers. Organized through Dordt’s A Mission Outreach (AMOR) program, the trip offered students an opportunity to serve vulnerable populations while gaining valuable clinical and cross-cultural experience.
“These types of experiences broaden students’ view of the kingdom and allow them to experience it firsthand...and prepares them to go out and serve in whatever area of the kingdom God calls them to."
Working alongside two pediatricians, a gynecologist, an emergency medicine and triage physician, and an ophthalmologist, the group assisted in providing care to refugees from countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Egypt, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Albania, and Russia. The clinic serves individuals who are often ineligible for Greece’s universal healthcare system and face significant barriers to accessing medical care.
“After prayerful consideration, we felt led to offer a different type of cultural experience that would allow students to experience a diverse patient population within a more established universal healthcare system,” says Dr. Melanie Wynja, professor of nursing at Dordt.
Throughout their time in Athens, students not only helped meet tangible healthcare needs but also witnessed God’s work in the midst of challenging circumstances.
According to Wynja, one of the most significant lessons students carried home was the importance of recognizing the dignity of every person they encountered. “One big takeaway we discussed in multiple debriefings was seeing the image of God in all we served,” she says. “We also experienced firsthand God’s sovereignty by seeing Him use believers and non-believers to further His kingdom.”
The experience also provided students with a broader understanding of healthcare, cultural differences, and the realities faced by displaced populations. Additionally, it reinforced the importance of holistic care that addresses both physical and spiritual needs.
Service-learning opportunities such as this are closely connected to Dordt University’s mission of equipping students for lives of service and leadership in God’s kingdom. “These types of experiences broaden students’ view of the kingdom and allow them to experience it firsthand,” says Wynja. “This prepares them to go out and serve in whatever area of the kingdom God calls them to. It assists in equipping them to be healthcare professionals who holistically care for all with the love of Christ.”
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
As part of an Adopt-a-Calf program, fourteen calves are being raised at Dordt University's Agriculture Stewardship Center. Later this summer, local 4-H students will exhibit the calves during the Sioux County Youth Fair.
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