Living Hope Medevac Support

Living Hope Medevac Ministry has been serving the indigenous population of northern Ontario officially since October 1, 2023, but the roots of this ministry date back to that same date in 2019, when a little girl was airlifted down to London Ontario. Her condition was grave. She was less than a day old and, although the doctors were trying everything they could to save her life, they’d already told the family to prepare themselves for the worst. She’d likely not survive the night.

I’d been a missionary for LAMP for about 6 years, serving in that little girl’s community and the Chief there, who knew I lived in the London area, texted me hoping that I’d be able to go and sit with the family and bring them the comfort of God’s Word.

I met them all standing beside the incubator in the paediatric intensive care unit and talked with the mother about what was going on. She told me that the baby’s condition had worsened. She consented to having the baby baptized and, within minutes, I was reaching into the incubator with some sterilized water that one of the nurses gave me to welcome this tiny beloved child into God’s holy family in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Sprit. I prayed over her and that family in that moment.

God was gracious. I’m so thankful to say that little baby will soon be celebrating her 7th birthday. And God was making something else happen. Over the many months that I visited that one little child, whether it was in London or Toronto, God was opening my eyes to see that there were so many other children, not to mention adults, that were in similar circumstances. They were coming south in need of emergency care, to receive cancer treatments, have heart surgeries, receive treatment for horrible lung infections, deal with meningitis and brain aneurisms and so on. And cultural shock complicated their struggles.

Imagine living in a community of several hundred or maybe a couple of thousand people and coming to a city like Toronto. Sick Children’s Hospital covers a city block and employs over 13,000 people. And, as if the hospital’s not intimidating enough, you have to walk back and forth to the hospital from the hotel where you’re staying…

“Comfort, O comfort My people…” Isaiah 40:1

We most certainly offer up spiritual care. I’ve baptized, prayed, shared God’s Word and catechized in hospital rooms, in hotel lobbies and in coffee shops. I and my team have offered up end of life care. But, in addition to all of that, I can say that we’ve been able to do so much more.

We’ve been familiar faces, and were able to offer up friendship and compassion. Our team members have provided food and given out beautiful donated quilts and blankets and personal hygiene kits to those in need. We’ve assisted families with logistics and helped families deal with government bodies that are time consuming and difficult to navigate. Our team’s retrieved lost luggage, offset sudden unexpected costs, transported family members to and from airports and helped families with shopping trips. We’ve purchased necessities such as clothes, diapers and baby food. We’ve even taken families out on recreational day trips (especially when a family’s been in the hospital for an extended stay). All in all our ministry’s tried to do whatever it could to be the hands and feet of Christ for the sake of the indigenous community.

Service Area and Future

Living Hope’s been able to serve families effectively, thus far, in Toronto, London, Hamilton and Thunder Bay, but we’ve also been able to reach out (albeit occasionally) to families in Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Winnipeg. It’s my prayer is that, if there is a need and we, as a ministry, prove helpful, God makes the resources available and raises up appropriate volunteers and pastors who are willing and able to serve His purpose, in Jesus’ Name.

Living Hope Medevac Support is an outreach ministry of The Church of St. Mark – Lutheran, 130 Mineola Rd E, Mississauga, Ontario, L5G 2E5

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