Dr. Paul Galloway
My first dental mission experience came during the summer following my first year of dental school when I spent two-and-a-half weeks in Venezuela with Medical Campus Outreach. For perhaps the first time in my life, I felt ill-prepared for what was before me. I found myself in a new place, struggling to learn a new language and new culture while gaining my first real-world experience in a new profession. All the while, I came face-to-face with the overwhelming need of the people there. Although I certainly benefited from the dental experience and enjoyed the opportunity to serve those less fortunate, the real life-changing experience came as a result of stepping out of my comfort zone and trusting God to do something in my life that I could never do alone.
Out of that first mission trip sprung a relationship with a pediatrician who took me under his wing and helped me to see what being a disciple of Christ can look like in the fields of medicine and dentistry. By opening up his life and family, he has mentored me in ways he has probably never realized and has helped nourish my growing walk of faith. This has given me a desire to disciple others and teach them the life lessons that I have learned myself.
Since that first mission trip, I have had the privilege to participate on other projects to various locations through the ministry of Dental Community Fellowship. Each of these trips provides a unique window for God to speak into my life and grow my faith as I follow His call to make disciples of all nations. I have also realized that these projects can serve to impact our own culture as well, as they act as a springboard for many students to go deeper in their faith when they return home. By investing in the lives of students through Christian discipleship, it is my desire to see individuals, as well as our profession as a whole, change for God’s glory.
