MISSIONARIES … Rosemary Fisher (right), a registered nurse and more recently a nurse practitioner for more than 30 years, told Archbold Rotarians how that training has helped her realize a passion: to participate in mission trips primarily to Africa where she assists with medical clinics. The program was arranged by Karla Ball (left).
For more than 30 years, Rosemary Fisher’s day job has been as a registered nurse and, more recently a nurse practitioner.
However, she has also had a passion for missions and has used her nursing skills to participate in medical missions to six African countries as well as in the Dominican Republic. She goes to villages that have underserved health needs and are unreached by established churches.
Local pastors request the medical clinics and assistance that comes with it. In fact, she recently returned from a mission where she was part of a four-person medical team.
During a typical medical mission, she said the team may serve as many as 2,000 people. Their most common health problems are malaria, typhoid, and worms – issues caused by a lack of clean water and poor sanitation.
Therefore, even before the medical team arrives, the organization that she works with makes arrangements to build a well that will provide clean water for drinking and domestic use along with a latrine.
Fisher said the well and latrine make a lasting impact to improve the villagers’ physical health. With that need met, a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity that Fisher founded called Momentum in Missions focuses on the villagers’ spiritual health.
She explained that the pastors who had requested the mission often serve several villages-predominantly in rural areas where trails are frequently more common than roads.
While completing the medical clinics, her group looks for ways that will help the pastors evangelize and start churches. As a result, Momentum in Missions now funds a program to give pastors motorbikes so they can more easily cover their area.
The group is also starting to provide micro loans designed to teach and help the pastors develop a source of sustainable income. Most methods somehow involve agriculture, for example: raising goats.
In some areas, the group has provided pastors with projectors and other equipment that allows them to show villagers a film about Jesus. The film has been produced in dozens of languages, so each pastor receives a film in their native language.
In other areas, Fisher’s group has provided funding that allows the pastor to broadcast a weekly radio program to reach a wider audience.
This spring, Rosemary and her husband Vern Fisher plan to start a business – The Outreach Coffee Company, a mobile drink bar that will serve a wide variety of coffee drinks, teas and more. A portion of sales will go to Momentum in Missions to further its work.
Initially, the Outreach Coffee trailer will be mostly in the Archbold area on Fridays and Saturdays. More weekdays will be added during the summer.
However, she said that they will take their Outreach Coffee trailer anywhere they are asked: church parking lots, business or company parking lots, festivals, parties and so on.
For more information about Momentum in Missions or The Outreach Coffee Co., contact Rosemary Fisher at www.momentuminmissions.org.