Jesus had deep compassion for the sick and suffering. He not only came as our Savior, but as our Healer—ministering to every part of us. The river villages in which we work generally have no doctor, no dentist, no health clinic, no drug store, little or no electricity, and no reliable source of clean water. Many people in these communities suffer from poor hygiene and poor nutrition, and few have the money to travel to a city hospital should they become seriously ill. Thus, even simple health problems—like an infected cut or abscessed tooth—often go untreated, leading to blood poisoning and sometimes even death.
Impetigo is easily treated with antibiotics, which are not typically available in a simple Amazon river village
Missionary and registered nurse Becky Hrubik (sister of founder Luke Huber) grew up in Brazil and recognized the need for not only the Gospel, but medical care. From an early age, the desire of her heart was to be a medical missionary. In the early 1980s, when she and her husband Jeff moved to Brazil, she began the Health Ministries of PAZ.
Since then, PAZ has built a number of medical boats equipped to treat patients and stocked with medicines. They are floating clinics that reach some of the neediest river communities in the Amazon and treat thousands of patients each year. The Lord has used PAZ’s health care ministry to take the Gospel into many unreached villages and to bring thousands of Brazilians to faith. Many doors for church planting have opened as a result of PAZ's health ministries.
Often, most of the village comes out for a medical appointment
Today, a number of professional nurses and dentists are serving as full-time missionaries with PAZ’s health ministries. Thanks to them and other medical professionals who volunteer their time and services on short-term missions trips, the medical needs of these precious people are being provided and the love of Christ shown in a very tangible way.
