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God asks for and deserves our best, the first fruits of our labor. This was true in ancient Israel and remains true today.

Jesus modeled and instructed us to in caring for the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. CMDA’s First Fruits initiative asks Christians in healthcare to embrace this calling by dedicating the first part of our medical careers to following His lead. This demonstrates obedience and sets an important tone for the rest of our lives.

Will you prayerfully consider committing to giving Jesus the first fruits of your career, and taking the First Fruits Pledge?

Undergraduate

The college years—an incredible time in life where your future is full of possibilities, and where God indelibly shapes and molds character. Many missionaries sensed God’s call on their lives during college. The decisions you make and paths you start down now will influence your destination.

For students considering a career in healthcare, the road is long and arduous. Thinking ahead to a point where you’re done with school and training might seem so far off that it’s hardly worth imaging. But now is a key time to start asking questions and laying your heart before God. What would HE have you do with these skills He’s entrusting you with? Might He be leading you to serve the poor, the lost, the broken, or the outcast?

Trust Him with your future. Hold nothing back. See where He leads. Ask the questions. Start today.

Graduate Students

Graduate school is an intense time of life. Whether you’re training to be a doctor, nurse, dentist, therapist, administrator, or other health worker, it’s a season of building a skillset that enables a lifetime of service.

It can also be a time of discovery of how God can use these new skills for His purposes. Mission rotations, volunteer opportunities at free clinics, and outreach to people living in hard situations provide glimpses of what could lie ahead, and get you rubbing shoulders with dedicated Christ-followers living out their faith in inspiring ways.

As you progress through you schooling, take steps towards serving those Jesus gravitated towards the most. The widow. The orphan. The lost. The poor. The outcast. Will you make a pledge, and commit to giving the first fruits of your medical career to serving the least of these?

Trainees

Internship. Residency. Fellowship. All too often, the years spent on this pathway drain the compassion and idealism from even dedicated Jesus followers. Long call nights, difficult patients, and administrative burdens can lead to burn out and a sense of entitlement for life’s finer things upon completion of training.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Remember why you wanted to become a doctor, dentist, therapist, etc? If you had a sense of calling towards those who Jesus gravitated towards the most, then please guard your heart and cultivate this calling. Do a mission rotation. Support a healthcare missionary and get to know them. Go to a missions conference. Yes, time and finances are tight. But these choices can help you preserve or recapture the joy in healthcare and chart a path towards faithfully living out your calling.

Will you take the First Fruits pledge, and commit to approaching God with your career in an open hand, and not a closed fist?

Early Career

The dawn has arrived! After so many long nights, stressful encounters, and questions about whether the finish line would ever come, you’ve crossed it!  The beginning of a healthcare career brims with possibilities and opportunities.

It’s also a time of profound temptation. How will you make your decisions? Through what lens will you view opportunities as you weigh which job to take, where to live, and what standard of living you’ll adopt?

This transition is a key inflection point in your career, and in your life. Jesus made caring for those who society did not value a focal point of his life and ministry. As a Christ-follower, will you do the same? Now is a time when you can take action and make a major difference, perhaps an eternal one, in the lives of the poor and the outcast. God has entrusted you with much. Will you give back to Him by following His example? Please prayerfully consider signing the First Fruits pledge today!

Fertilizers

Fruit trees don’t do well in barren soil. Trees that are well watered and fertilized generally are much more productive. Those who have experience in healthcare missions can play this fertilizer role, helping the next generation of missionaries germinate, blossom, and thrive.

This might be through meeting with a local student group and sharing about your experience. Perhaps you could mentor a resident or have their family over for a home cooked meal. A recent Barna study cited a relationship with an active or former missionary as being the most influential factor cited by missionaries in helping them discern their calling and get to the mission field.

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