My name is Kelly Stephan and I have been a physical therapist for 16 years. I was blessed to be able to go on my first medical missions trip to Ivory Coast(Cote d'Ivoire) in Africa thanks to the support from the Upward Twist! My sister and law who is a nurse and my brother who worked as a translator also went and we loved being able to serve together. We were all out of our comfort zones but knew we were where God wanted us to be and He guided us every step of the way! Our team of 39 provided optical, dental, and medical care along with physical and occupational therapy. We had multiple educational stations on topics such as dental care, HTN, diabetes, and nutrition/hydration. The average life expectancy is 63 years old and many people live in poverty with limited access to clean drinking water and adequate food. We went to two separate villages and worked long hours in the heat outside to see as many patients as we could. We had to be creative and use what materials we had available to treat people to the best of our ability. We saw many patients with neck and low back pain with cervical and lumbar radiculopathy. Many Ivorian women carry heavy loads on their heads and men and women work as laborers leading to these conditions. We did a lot of education on proper body mechanics and postural awareness to prevent further injury and soft tissue work to decrease pain and help these people leave feeling better! We also saw patients who had prior injuries but were unable to afford the surgeries and rehab needed. We did the best we could to give them rehabilitation exercises and equipment and support to improve their function and promote healing. We tried to show Gods love and compassion through our care and each patient was given the gospel and God's plan of salvation.

We were able to serve 1,226 patients and saw 355 professions of faith. One of the missionary's we worked with is a nurse practitioner who will follow up with medical concerns and each patient was invited to the local churches in the area for continue support. I left feeling so incredibly blessed and inspired to continue reaching people for Christ through medical missions and came home feeling so thankful for what we have. I'm thankful He gave us the strength to step out of our comfort zone and use our skills for His good. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your support!