NEWPORT, Wash. – Fire Chief and Paramedic with South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue, Shane Stocking, recently returned from his 23rd medical mission trip.
Stocking has been traveling the globe on mission trips since 2013, focusing primarily on Peru over the last decade.
Stocking explained that during his last trip, a group of volunteers traveled to Peru to provide care in a remote mountain region for 10 days.
One of the key aspects of these trips, Stocking notes, is the personal connection.
“One of the biggest things we do is just show love to these people, play with the kids, give hugs, and we can see somebody who’s totally healthy, give them some vitamins and a hug and do some lab work on them and you could see the impact just on that,” shares Stocking.
He noted the impact of simply being present. “You could tell somebody you are healthy, but just being there and seeing them and seeing in their face how excited they are that somebody has traveled 6,000 miles to give them a hug and tell them they’re healthy is incredible,” Stocking said.
These medical mission trips are open to anyone, including volunteers with no medical experience. Bella Health, based in Denver, sponsors the trips and partners with local Peruvian medical providers to organize them.
For those interested in joining, Stocking advised that altitude and weather can add additional challenges. For more information about these trips, visit bellamissions.org.
