At student conference, my ears perked up when I heard about an opportunity to go to the Baltic CMF camp in Lithuania over the summer. A few emails, some packing and an apprehensive rendezvous with (then) strangers at Luton airport and I was on my way, along with one other medical student and four doctors from the UK. We touched down in Kaunas for another airport rendezvous and were then taken for lunch, with some having more adventurous tastes than others and trying the sour milk, cold beetroot soup and 'beer before beer'.

The camp venue was a youth homestead near Klaipeda, with quaint sleeping huts and outdoor eating arrangements that would never be practical in Northern Ireland! Gradually medical students and doctors started arriving, from Lithuania to Norway, Estonia to the Czech Republic, with about 35 people attending in total. Each day we had Bible teaching on 2 Timothy with Bernard Palmer (a retired surgeon from Hertfordshire), followed by discussion groups and then a medical-related lecture. In the afternoons there was practical training and other activities, such as the daily 2pm volleyball match which was a great way to build friendships, not to mention a source of entertainment for the more coordinated and sporty to laugh at those of us less gifted!

Bernard's teaching throughout the week left me with a lot to think about, particularly on 2 Timothy 2:2:

'And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.'

All too soon our time together came to an end, although not before I had inserted my first cannula, taken plenty of ridiculous photos and planned trips around Europe to visit various new friends. as I left, I had a full heart from the food, fun and fellowship we enjoyed together, united as medics coming together under God's Word.