I’m Heather Holt, and I’ve gone to Ethiopia four times on medical mission trips through CSPC. Here’s how God has been at work through those to help me live deeply.  

“I knew God was calling me to do something that would stretch me- I wasn’t sure what it was. My husband and I got married in 2009, and by 2012, we were talking about starting a family. But I had this persistent sense that God had something for me to do first- something that would change my life in a profound way. It would’ve been hard to move forward with other plans until I had the answer to this one. Then one day, my brother-in-law mentioned the Ethiopia ACT Project and how CSPC sends a medical team every year. It was like a light bulb went off. I knew instantly: ‘That’s it! That’s what I’m supposed to do.’ So in July 2012, I boarded a plane to Addis Ababa for my first mission trip with CSPC. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the sights, sounds, and smells of Ethiopia. As we descended into the airport, I saw this thick layer of smog over the city. It was the rainy season, so everything was gray, wet, muddy. The streets were chaotic: people and animals everywhere, cars swerving to avoid pedestrians, and goats being herded through the city. It was overwhelming. And then there was the poverty. Shanties with corrugated metal roofs sat right next to half-finished buildings. Stray dogs roamed the streets. I remember seeing butcher shops where unrefrigerated meat hung in the windows and thinking, ‘How does anyone survive this?’ 

But the thing that struck me most was the people. Ethiopians have this incredible joy that radiates from deep within them. Their smiles light up their entire faces, and they laugh with such freedom, even in circumstances I can’t imagine enduring. I quickly fell in love with them. Every time we got off the bus to go to the Ethiopia ACT clinic, patients would already be there waiting for us to arrive.  They’d smile, blowing kisses, and saying thank you before we’d even done anything for them! It was humbling. They were so gracious, and yet we were the ones there to serve them. That first trip stretched me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I’m a hospital pharmacist here in Knoxville, used to working in fast-paced, high-pressure situations, but Ethiopia was a different kind of challenge. I was completely out of my element. I don’t usually treat pediatric patients or deal with things like scabies or sexually transmitted infections. And back then, I was the first pharmacist CSPC had sent on these trips, so I felt the weight of responsibility. But God used that trip to grow and shape me: in gratitude, in faith, and in my conviction to steward the life He’s given me well. It was a reminder of the blessings I’d done nothing to earn- being born into a stable family, having access to education, living in a country with so many resources. None of that was my doing. All of it was God’s grace. That first trip marked the beginning of a journey that would change my perspective forever.

When I got back from my most recent trip to Ethiopia this past November, I carried more than just memories. I carried a heart full of gratitude. Getting home the week before Thanksgiving, I was just overwhelmed with thankfulness for the opportunity to serve. Your heart is so full coming back, and then you head straight into this season of Thanksgiving and Advent- this time of watching and waiting, anticipating God’s ultimate gift to us. It’s a season where my heart just explodes with gratitude now. But it also convicts me of how much I take for granted and how selfish I can be. God’s given me so much in terms of resources and blessings, and one thing He’s continually teaching me is that none of it is actually mine. My 11-year-old asks me all the time, ‘Mommy, how much money do we have?’ And I tell him, ‘We have more than enough. Enough to help others. Enough to share.’ That’s the message I want to live out with my kids: that we have been blessed to bless others. We can let go of what we hold so tightly because God has already given us everything we need. This realization started deepening for me in 2023 when I stepped away from my full-time job to create space for where God was leading me. That required sacrifices, but in letting go, God allowed me to discover another way to serve. During the trip that year, I’d prayed, ‘Lord, show me where you want me to get more involved.’ And He made it clear: I had the time, the skills, and the heart to step into leadership of these trips. It was a scary thought, but God was asking me to take the next step- and I said yes.

So by the end of 2023, I found myself on a new path: having the responsibility of leading these medical mission trips to Ethiopia, along with 2 other CSPC members. And together we successfully led the 2024 trip! It was a step of faith, for sure. It stretched me, yes, but brought immense joy, too. I’ve committed to leading the team for five years. After that, we’ll see where God takes me. I’m seeing in new ways that it’s not always easy, but when you follow where God leads, you’re blessed over and over again. Let me highlight one moment from the 2023 trip that beautifully drove that truth home for me. A mother came to the clinic with her identical twin baby daughters- one healthy, the other significantly underweight due to gastric reflux. Being an identical twin myself, I felt a deep connection. I mean, I’ll never forget this mom sitting patiently for 45 minutes as I crushed tablets into a suspension to help her baby keep food down. She held her daughters the entire time, blowing kisses to me and telling the translator, ‘I’ll wait as long as it takes, because she’s going to help my babies.’ At the end, I shared with her that I was also a twin and showed her a picture of myself and my sister. She had tears streaming down her face. I told her, ‘Someday, your girls will be this close, and God will bless you over and over through them.’ I don’t know if I’ll ever see that family again. But I do hold onto the hope that I’ll meet them again in heaven. And it’s this growing eternal perspective that I think helps fuel my heart for missions- and my own encouragement to you if you’re considering a trip: Just do it. It’s scary, and it stretches you, but that’s exactly where God grows you. If He’s pressing it on your heart, He’s asking you to trust Him for the change He wants to make in you. Don’t be scared. Take the leap. You’ll be blessed more than you can imagine.”