Recognizing the danger of his mother’s Jehovah’s Witness religion, Cesar doubted whether faith in Christ offered him anything different. A medical student in Cusco, Peru, Cesar visited a Bible study mostly to be with his girlfriend, and for the free food. 

But even after the two broke up, Cesar continued to attend, and started studying the book of John with Nathan Wilson, a member of the MTW team composed of health care professionals. During a break from school, Cesar served in the La Fuente clinic alongside Wilson. Wilson remembers the first time Cesar saw how the gospel could make a difference in the life of a patient. A young girl came into the clinic with headaches, but Wilson thought her primary problems were emotional and spiritual. Wilson and Cesar prayed with the girl and talked with her at length. Afterwards Cesar said, ‘That felt so good! I feel like we cared for that girl all the way. We offered that girl something she really needed.’”

Coming to Christ through the back door
As Cesar and other health care students see that Christ has something to offer their patients, the hope is they will be more open to His work in their own lives. That’s the vision of the MTW medical team in Cusco, said David Daniel, the team’s leader. The team arrived in 2011 to work alongside the church-planting team already in Cusco. Daniel and his team are planting seeds now that they believe will affect the future of Peru. “Future health care professionals can be the future leaders of Cusco … we see real potential to change culture,” said Daniel. 

Health care students are eager to join mentoring groups. Once relationships develop, many non-believing students join Bible studies. “This ‘back door’ is helping them become better people and better doctors,” explains Daniel. “But if they stick around, they hear that the fullness of what that means is following Christ.”

Transplanting a unique ministry model
The unique nature of the Cusco team enables the missionaries to stay unified in this difficult context. Five families who already knew each other well and served together with Medical Campus Outreach (MCO) in Augusta, Ga., agreed to take their relationships and ministry into another culture. Partnership with MTW enabled these medical professionals to replicate the MCO model in a foreign context.

“We’re not perfect, but we’ve committed together in gospel movement,” Daniel said. Through these imperfect vessels, God shows Peruvian health care students and professionals His care for people’s physical and spiritual needs. Cesar and his fellow students recognize that the doctors at La Fuente operate differently. The interest of students gives the team great hope: “Many students will come to know Christ and they will plug into the local church. We hope to fill up the church with new converts,” Daniel said.