ATLANTA — When Tim Myrick walked to the hospital each morning, he said a short prayer — “Lord let me represent Jesus as clearly as possible.”
The hospital, located in the desert of northern Jordan, serves tuberculosis patients from all over the Middle East. The patients, mostly Arab men, travel from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and Egypt to receive care at the hospital, the only one in the region that treats multi-drug resistant forms of tuberculosis.
Tim and Lori Myrick, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel since 1996, served as medical staff at the hospital for seven years. Later this year, the Myricks, natives of Blue Springs, Mo., will relocate to Kenya, where they will continue their medical ministry for the CBF.
CBF Photo
Tim Myrick used his skills as a medical doctor to minister to patients in Jordan.
“The people who come in are almost all Muslims, and they have little or no opportunity to see Christians doing anything and no real exposure to the gospel in a way that's meaningful to them,” Tim said.
“Their little interaction with me or with Lori when she's in the pharmacy is their opportunity to see Christ at work in their life. That's a big responsibility for us, and I always prayed that the Lord would give me the right attitude and insight necessary to be an accurate representation of Christ to them.”
With its concrete pillars and water tanks atop the roof, the hospital is not elegant but it is functional. The 40 beds are divided into wards for men, women and children — big rooms and long halls with plenty of air circulation.
Most patients stay at the hospital for many months. Five evenings a week, the Myricks, along with other staff, led patients groups, with Bible studies, games, songs and crafts.
“We freely told them that it's the churches that are sending us,” Lori said. “We want them to know that. Even though it's an Islamic country, we want them to know this is why we come and this is who is sending us. I would tell them that we come because churches in America love you, they care about you and they help us, giving us the support that we need so that we can come and help you.”
The Myricks also ministered to the Bedouin population in the area. Many live in poverty, trying to survive off the barren land as they herd sheep and goats. Bedouin children suffering from asthma or malnourishment are often treated at the hospital. Most do not attend school because they live so far away or they are needed to work at home.
The Myricks have helped facilitate a clothes closet ministry and food pantry, consisting of staples such as rice, oil, flour, beans and lentils.
Fellowship churches have partnered with the Myricks to lead Christmas programs at the hospital, work construction projects and repairs, prepare food and pick olives. Church members with medical skills have provided training and education to hospital staff.
“Our work stands on the shoulders of the local churches in terms of financial resources, we can't do anything without the local churches support,” Tim said.