Dr. Justin Lohmeier, M.D., had no idea how valuable his skills as a healthcare professional could be, when he was first presented the opportunity to volunteer overseas with the International Mission Board.
Growing up, Lohmeier said he loved reading and hearing stories about IMB missionaries in church, especially during the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® season. While he admired IMB missionaries, he never thought of himself as someone who would serve in that capacity.
“What would they need from somebody like me?” he asked.
In 2009, Lohmeier was approached by a missions pastor who asked if he was interested in traveling to Kargi, Kenya, to serve on a medical team. After much prayer, Lohmeier realized all God required of him was the obedience to go and serve as a doctor. It was on this trip to Kenya that God began to mold and shape his desires to volunteer overseas, said Lohmeier.
As a diagnostic and interventional radiologist, Lohmeier is specifically trained on machinery such as ultrasound machines. In 2011, he attended the IMB’s MedAdvance conference in Dallas. There he learned of specific needs for medical volunteers, one of them being someone trained to use an ultrasound machine.
“That was a very specific need that I could do,” said Lohmeier. “I stepped out in faith and answered the call to go and train doctors in Tanzania on how to use this ultrasound machine.”
Dr. Justin Lohmeier attends to a patient on an IMB medical mission trip.
Lohmeier, a member of Hillcrest Baptist Church in New Albany, Mississippi, has been on over 20 trips. He has traveled to countries in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Central America. Not only does Lohmeier use his professional skills to minister to the medical needs of nationals in the countries he visits, but he also takes care of the medical needs of IMB missionaries on the field.
One of Lohmeier’s favorite stories from his trips takes place in the Middle East. While there in 2015, Lohmeier and the IMB team he served alongside worked with refugees. He was overwhelmed by the great need, but he said he felt honored to partner with the IMB to meet those needs.
The IMB team and Lohmeier attended to patients in schools, soccer fields and underground parking garages. As they were handing out blankets so the refugees would have something to keep them warm in the upcoming winter, Lohmeier said the refugees told the team they knew the Baptists loved them because they always brought the highest quality blankets and coats.
“To this day, there is a thriving Baptist church in that area,” said Lohmeier.
Lohmeier is eager to travel and serve overseas again when COVID-19 travel restrictions lift. He encourages anyone in the medical field to consider how they can use their specific skills to serve on mission.
“Do not wait. It is so rewarding to work with our co-laborers, especially when there is a current demand in specific medical strategies,” he said. “We just need to be obedient and act on faith using biblical principles and our God given talents.”
Discover how you can use your skills as a medical professional overseas. If you’re looking for direction on how to meet specific medical needs, contact IMB’s healthcare volunteer coordinator Bob Thomas at [email protected].
You can register now for IMB’s MedAdvance 2021 conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Discover how you can be a part of providing help and hope to those who have never heard the gospel.
This article was written by Catherine Finch, writer for the IMB. It was originally published at imb.org.