Mexican Medical Ministries has brought healing and hope to the people of Mexico through helping to meet their physical and spiritual needs.
Founder, Loran Long left San Diego in 1962 headed for the San Quintin Valley in Baja California, Mexico to plant some churches. He had changed his college major from pre-med to theology. Soon he discovered there was a great need to attend to the medical needs of the community. Loran and his wife, Jean received donated supplies and they began sharing medicine and health care from their kitchen table.
Shortly thereafter Loran was using his airplane to take patients to the United States for urgent surgeries. Doctors encouraged him to create an emergency room in his aircraft hanger (a quancet hut) and volunteers began to fly their aircraft down to Baja to assist him in his work. From humble beginnings a hospital was built, and Mexican Medical Ministries incorporated in 1967 as an evangelical mission. The original vision to find the lost for Christ never abated and Mexican Medical Ministries’ mission became “Bring Healing and Hope to the people of Mexico.”
For 50 years Mexican Medical Ministries has operated as a non-profit charity directing volunteer health care teams from Canada, the United States, and Mexico in performing health fairs. Throughout Baja, Mexico and Palenque, Mexico, medical consultations, health screenings, dental work, chiropractic care, and eye glasses are given to people at these events that last from one day to one week.
Mexican Medical Ministries has built several hospitals and clinics in Mexico during its history. It still supports those hospitals with supplies, volunteer surgical teams, dentists, and funds designated for individual patients. The hospitals are administered by Mexican National doctors and in each locale the doctors are strong believers of Christ.
In the last eight years Mexican Medical Ministries has added a key tool in caring for people and their individual needs. It has created two mobile offices including x-ray machines, on wheels.
The strength of this organization has always been the volunteers, both medical and non-medical. Every summer Mexican Medical Ministries has enjoyed working with interns and shot-term missionaries. It has also sent out full-time missionaries who coordinate the events and minister year around in their respective zones. Every year Mexican Medical Ministries host dozens of church groups and individuals that assist in construction and outreaches. All the office staff at its headquarters are also missionaries.
Last year over 9,225 Mexican people received free medical consultations and others received dental care due to the generosity of volunteers and donors.
During the same year more than sixty health fairs were performed throughout Mexico. This current year the volunteers hope to do even more, including building a new operation room and renovating a 40+ year old operating room to meet current Mexican government standards. Mexican Medical Ministries plans to continue its work for many, many more years.
