Just a few stories of what God is doing through and among Christian medics and dentists across the Eurasia region.

The Balkans

Dr Dana Galchis, ICMDA Balkans Area Student Representative (ASR), reports on November's Balkans student leaders' training: 70 student leaders from Romania, Albania and Moldova gathered together. It was a blessed time in which the students prayed, worshipped, studied the leadership model of Nehemiah, learned how to become better leaders, exchanged ideas, shared thoughts and prayer requests, played and had fun..! It was a great conference. People left with lots of good ideas, encouraged and ready to do more in their Christian medical groups.

One student from Albania wrote:
We had a really wonderful time...When we had the invitation and read about the program we got excited about this opportunity. The scholarship support [we received] made it possible for us to attend. The conference itself was very encouraging. The presentations that students from across Romania shared about their movement were good at making us reflect on what can we do and how. If someone would ask me if we would like this conference to happen again, I would respond: Yes.

Central Europe Student Leadership Conference

Our current ASR for Central Europe has organised student leaders' training for Central Europe at the end of April. Framed around the Austrian student and junior doctors' conference where Professor John Wyatt will be one of the main speakers, special sessions during the conference and especially on the following Monday will discuss practical steps on how to launch and lead Christian medical groups in the different countries of Central Europe. Pray that student leaders will come and be equipped to lead works in their countries. Pray for similar initiatives across the region.

Emails from Iceland

22 September 2009: I thought you'd be happy to know that things might be moving forward with a student group forming here. A friend of mine who's lived abroad is back in Iceland and she just started studying nursing. I hadn't talked to her for a long time and hadn't mentioned anything about wanting to start a student group here. Last week she approached me and said she really wanted to start some kind of Christian group for students and young people in the medical professions! What an answer to prayer! So now there are two of us who want to do this! We are going to meet to discuss how we can get things started.

13 October: Hi there! Just thought I'd share some exciting news with you! We now have a Christian group for medical/nursing students, junior doctors and young nurses in Iceland. We had our first meeting tonight! Only 4 showed up but there are at least 3 more who are interested so I think it's a good start! I'm very excited and happy, God is SO good! I would appreciate continuing prayers for this group that we may be a start to something amazing among students and young doctors/nurses here – a vessel through which God can touch the people we work with and the patients we encounter.

16 December: Our group is going well. So far it's been informal, getting to know each other, sharing our experiences and praying for each other. There are 10 to 11 people who are interested, and each meeting we've been around 5 people. It's good. I've told them about Uruguay and one is eager to come. We also contacted our national movement (Christian Healthcare Association) to try to work with them and strengthen each other.

Give thanks and pray for this Christian medical group in Reykjavik, Iceland. Pray also for those desiring to start similar groups across the Eurasia Region. This summer sees a strategic sub-regional conference for Christians in healthcare to the East of the former Soviet Union.

ASRs – one still needed

The Area Student Representatives in Eurasia continue to play a key role visiting groups and conferences and in supporting student leadership training in the region. We continue to seek candidates for the role of ASR for Western Europe. Contact me if this is something you may be interested in. For more on ICMDA in Eurasia email me to receive ICMDA Eurasia News.