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I hope this letter finds you well as we begin a new year! This is an exciting time for CMDA Ministry in the Greater Indianapolis Area! I’d like to update you on how the Lord has been blessing our ministry and it’s impact among students and doctors locally.

It wasn’t all that long ago that our ministry focus was largely on the Indiana U medical students. But over the past several years, a thriving CMDA ministry has expanded under the leadership of a very dedicated group of doctors who comprise the Indianapolis CMDA Medical and Dental Councils. Their vision has been to develop a God-honoring ministry among the healthcare professions in the Indianapolis area. The impact? Students are thriving spiritually and doctor and student involvement continues to increase – the energy is infectious!

Here is a brief list of our CMDA initiatives and highlights from this past year:

• El Salvador Spring Break Mission Trip
• 5 Students received scholarships from the Kelly Mission Fund and a grant deposited in the Kelly Missions Fund enabled 6 IU-PA students and 2 PA’s to participate
• 1600 patients were seen; 2,151 prescriptions dispensed; 466 eye glasses provided and 51 patients came to Christ and are being discipled by local Salvadorian churches!
• Kent Brantly, MD in Indianapolis
• Spring Event – Over 300 area doctors, students, health professionals, spouses and friends heard IU Grad and former CMDA student leader, Kent Brantly, MD share, “Ebola & My Story”
• Indiana U Medical & Dental Schools – Over 200 students heard his story of God’s faithfulness
• Marian U – Over 500 students heard Kent share his testimony of faith in Christ
• Global Missions Health Conference – We provided 19 scholarships to enable medical and dental students to attend this Urbana of Healthcare Missions.
• Grace Prescriptions Conference – 2 IU students received scholarships to attend this conference.
  55 participants from 12 states attended this “live” conference at the Indianapolis Airport Ramada Inn.
• 2 Part-Time Staff
• Jason Doddridge, who is on staff with the Navigators, invests some of his time “coaching” the student leaders at Indiana U medical and dental schools and Marian U.
• Greg Needham, PhD, retired Lilly scientist and volunteer IVCF staff, invests some of his time in ministry to the needs of IU medical and dental faculty and staff.
• New Dental Council – Under the leadership of Bob Dickson, DDS, we now have a local Council of Dentists and dental students, who are overseeing our ministry on the campus of Indiana U Dental School. And under the leadership of Clark Downey, DDS we are exploring ways to minister to dental practitioners in the Indianapolis Area. This is in addition to the Medical Council that oversees our ministry to medical, PA, and osteopathic students as well as physicians in the Indianapolis Area.
• “Kent Brantly’s visit to our campus was the largest event of our school year. We heard his stirring account of how faith in Christ motivated him to serve others and to persevere with Ebola.”    – Marian U Student
  
• “The Global Missions Health Conference and our Spring Break Mission Trip to Santa Anna, El Salvador were two of the most influential experiences of my first 2 years of medical school. Seeing God work in such powerful ways through medicine has shown me how God can use me to further his kingdom wherever God calls me. My attendance at both events was made possible in large part to the scholarships I received through CMDA. I am so thankful for these opportunities!”                  – IU Medical Student
  
• “Because of CMDA I was able to meet some of my best friends throughout dental school. These friends have made a big impact on my personal walk with Christ and my day-to-day life. I wish I had gotten involved [in CMDA] earlier in my dental school career.”                       – IU Dental Student
  
• “Every time I have gone on a CMDA-GHO mission trip I have been reminded of just how blessed my life has been and I am reminded that with this great blessing comes great responsibility to help ‘the poor and the least of these’ to feel the love of Jesus.”                                  – Indianapolis Practicing Physician

Student scholarships are making a huge difference in allowing our students to participate in events that may change the trajectory of their lives. A dental student leader remarked that they never see the love of Christ modeled and shared with patients while in training or on a school trip. Think about that. If not for the mentoring these students receive from Christian practitioners here in Central Indiana or on our CMDA mission trips where will they see how to integrate their faith into patient interactions? Your generous support enables us to offer scholarships as one way for students to see Christian medicine and dentistry first hand.

Our vision for ministry has a practical side. As practitioners and Council members, time for direct ministry among the students and doctors in the Indianapolis area is limited, yet the need is greater than ever before. Students increasingly lack a biblical background and need guidance in developing campus ministry. And medical and dental faculty are under more pressure than ever before. Who understands their world and their needs? Our part-time staff, Jason Doddridge (students) and Greg Needham (faculty) have extended our reach into the campuses of IU and Marian as well as among the medical and dental faculty. But this does not come without cost. Ministry rarely does. Your support enables us to provide a modest stipend to cover their time and ministry expenses.

As you can see, we are having a positive impact not only on the next generation of doctors but also on those in practice right now. With all this, our anticipated financial outlay is as large as ever. We are hopeful that these investments will yield fruit for God’s Kingdom which is what really matters!

As you pray about what I have just shared, please consider financially supporting this ministry. An investment in the healthcare ministry of CMDA Indianapolis is an investment in students, who will carry the gospel to patients here or around the world. It is an investment in the health and wellbeing of practitioners, who need our peer-to-peer ministry. It is an investment in eternity – the best kind.

• To make an On-line Donation, click on: Donate Indianapolis CMDA

“OR”

• To send a Check made out to “CMDA,” attach a note designating your gift to “Indianapolis CMDA” and mail to:

CMDA Midwest
951 East 86^th Street, Suite 200A
Indianapolis, IN 46240

May God bless you as you make medicine and dentistry your mission field!

Sincerely,

Peter N. Schilt, MD, FACS

Central Indiana CMDA Council Chair

PS: Mark Your Calendars!!

Coming Tuesday Evening April 12, 2016

        Indianapolis Spring Event

        Topic: Human Trafficking

        Presenter: Jeffrey Barrows, DO

        World Recognized Expert on Human Trafficking

        More Information to Follow