Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images courtesy of Jacob Adams
Jacob Adams first felt the pull toward medical missions as a child, watching his mom prepare to serve as a nurse on trips he was too young to join. “I never got to go with her, but that desire to serve through medical missions stuck with me,” he says.
Years later, the 2016 Walker High School graduate is now a second-year medical student and 2027 class president at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn, Alabama. Alongside his wife Kaitlyn, an Intensive Care Unit supervisor at East Alabama Health, he’s preparing for his second medical mission trip with the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA).
Their introduction to CMDA came after relocating to Auburn from Birmingham. The couple had been searching for a spiritual community similar to the small group they loved back home. They found it through CMDA, a ministry that supports medical and dental students in growing their faith while navigating the pressures of their studies and future careers.
“When we learned CMDA was organizing a trip to Peru, we prayed about it,” Jacob says. “It was a lot of money, especially with both of us going, but we felt called to do it.”
That first trip gave them both a renewed sense of purpose. Kaitlyn led triage, assessing patients and recording vital signs before they saw a physician. But her role often extended further. “She would ask, ‘Do you know who Christ is?’ and have spiritual conversations with patients,” Jacob says.
This year, the couple is stepping into leadership roles as Directors of Administration and Logistics. They’re involved in scheduling clinic days, coordinating travel details, and helping plan the team’s devotional and small group sessions.
When they arrive in Cusco, one of Peru’s most impoverished cities, they’ll be stationed at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The team will start each morning before dawn with worship and prayer, preparing to serve 115–125 patients daily across five full clinic days.
“People start lining up around 7 a.m., even though we don’t start seeing them until 8,” Jacob says. “Many of them have walked for hours to get there.”
Many of the people they serve belong to Peru’s indigenous Quechua population, a community often underserved and isolated from formal healthcare systems. “Some of them don’t even speak Spanish; they speak Quechua, so that’s why it’s so important we partner with local churches that already have relationships in these communities,” says Jacob.
The medical needs range from chronic joint pain and untreated injuries to parasites caused by unsafe drinking water. Jacob notes that simple treatments like a steroid injection can give someone relief for months, and if not for the mission group, they might not be otherwise able to access the care.
Each patient is also given the opportunity to hear the gospel and connect with a local church for continued spiritual and physical support. “We’re not there to sell them anything,” Jacob says. “We just want to be the hands and feet of Christ.”
The impact runs both ways. “I’ve done mission work in the U.S., but seeing the need abroad gave me a whole new perspective,” Jacob says. “It made me grateful for what we have and reminded me that service doesn’t stop when we come home.”
Jacob and Kaitlyn now plan to go on at least one mission trip each year, and they encourage others to consider where they might be called to serve—even if their gifts aren’t medical. “Start praying now,” Jacob says. “God uses all kinds of skills, from construction to hospitality. There’s a place for everyone.”
To support Jacob and Kaitlyn’s mission efforts through prayer, financial assistance, or both, visit https://app.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/Jladams2 and https://app.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/kaitlyncadams.
Contributions help fund medical supplies, cover travel costs, and support other students who feel led to serve. WL
