Are you planning to go on a Global Health Outreach trip but do not know what to expect? These tips will give you a glimpse of what a week with a GHO team is like.

When flying to the appointed airport, we ask that you wear your GHO shirt and nametag in order to be easily recognized by other team members. As you travel from the gate city to the destination, you will have time to get to know your fellow team members. Upon arriving at the destination, you will have an orientation meeting with the team leader and country host.

The clinics can be held in hospitals, clinics, churches or schools. Often the patients will wait in line for hours to see a healthcare professional. Some even arrive at 3 or 4 a.m. in order to wait in line. Non-medical volunteers (servants) can spend time speaking with and ministering to the patients as they wait. Servants may also be trained to do basic eye care, including fitting patients with reading glasses. The local church will often have a crusade in the evenings to give the team members an opportunity to experience worship with the local believers as well as proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although we cannot meet every physical need, we offer the love of Jesus with each patient, knowing that is the most important thing—sometimes prayer and time spent listening to them is the balm they need for their weary souls.

Many teams have a surgical component, offering minor and sometimes even major surgeries. The dental clinic is often the most visited area in a GHO clinic. Imagine having a toothache for a year and finally getting relief through a GHO volunteer dentist. Pharmacists and assistants are needed to distribute medications to the hundreds or thousands of patients seen. GHO teams eat together in restaurants and at their hotel or guest house. You will be well fed!

It doesn't take long to become a team made up of friends that will last a lifetime!

Before you go on any type of trip, you have lots of preparations to make. We prepare in many ways—making a list of items to pack, taking care of travel arrangements and a whole host of other details to arrange before leaving home. But the most important thing you can do for a short-term mission trip with GHO is to prepare yourself spiritually.

GHO offers a variety of resources to help you as you prepare for your trip.

• GHO Team Participant Manual
• "What can I do?" – Are you able to serve on a healthcare team?
• EvangeCube Training Video
• Mission Scholarships – several short-term mission scholarships available through CMDA
• Additional Resources