Filipino Student Reflects on Being Called to Medical Missions While Serving

A woman walked into the clinic carrying one child in her arms and guiding the other beside her, and then-15-year-old Jamie Lynne Lois Balugo explained to her how often she should take her new prescription. Grasping the medication she had traveled miles to get, the woman locked eyes with Balugo and, with unmatched gratitude, replied with a  simple, “Thank you, doctor.” 

Balugo, now a senior biomedical science major at Liberty, cited this experience as the moment she chose to pursue medicine some day. Medical missions was a core aspect of Balugo’s youth as her mother provides free clinical services to people all over the Philippines. 

While both of Balugo’s parents are Filipino, her mother, whose parents lived in the states for a time, kept the American citizenship she obtained from being born in Portland, Oregon. Balugo’s grandfather was the first doctor in the family, and her mother’s current practice in the Philippines is a continuation of his legacy. 

Balugo began helping out in the clinic as a child by washing the dental instruments. By age 13, she was helping out in the pharmacy, which allowed her to be fully immersed in a medical environment and sparked the passion for medicine she has now.

“Being in the ministry made me feel like I could see the fruit of what [God] has sown, and I just feel like myself when I am serving people,” Balugo said.

Balugo attended a strictly English-speaking Montessori school in the Philippines that aimed to make its students proficient in English. Today, Balugo cannot speak her home dialect of Cebuno because of her constant exposure to English, but she reflects on her schooling as a kind of mission field of its own. 

Being a Christian made Balugo stand out to her peers. However, while they might not have agreed with her beliefs, when the time came for exams, Balugo’s classmates always asked that she be the one to pray. 

“The class would say, ‘Let Jamie pray because her prayers work,’” Balugo said. “Looking back, the Lord really used that because He has built trust between me and the people that I have back home.”

Those moments became pivotal in Balugo’s role in her community. Balugo became a “safe place” for the people around her and recalled being placed in leadership roles over and over again. Even though she did not feel equipped at the time, these opportunities marked significant growth in Balugo’s ability to care for others and trust God.

Jamie Lynn Lois Balugo first became passionate about becoming a missionary doctor while serving in her mother’s clinic.

“I was not even walking with the Lord as much, but I know God exists and that there is a reason why. You are not alone, and we are in this together,” Balugo said.

Although Liberty was not originally on Balugo’s radar when she graduated high school, the difficulty of transitioning to the American education system greatly discouraged Balugo. She finished her final semester of high school in the United States to account for missing credits and to prepare for strenuous standardized testing. 

Balugo had five schools set aside and made it known that she would not attend a university she could not physically visit. By the time she began touring schools — after waiting for her visa and struggling through the transition — her homesickness was overwhelming. Balugo had been planning out a future in the Philippines, and suddenly, everything had changed.

“It was hard for me because I had built relationships, and everything was great, and then I had to pack up and leave,” Balugo said. “That’s when I felt the Lord was just pressing, and I had never felt so hopeless, but also, I knew God  was there.”

A family friend pointed Balugo to Liberty after hearing about her interest in pursuing medicine. She toured Liberty reluctantly, thinking the denominational differences between her home church and Liberty would be too difficult  to navigate. 

Surprisingly, the moment Balugo stepped out of her car onto Liberty’s campus, she noticed the atmosphere was different from what she had expected. Even the same Bible verse her pastor preached on the weekend before she visited was on the wall of the Hancock Welcome Center, and everything clicked into place for her. Even the mountainous landscape surrounding Liberty made Balugo feel as if she was back home in the Philippines.

The rooftop of Balugo’s home in Cebu had been her safe space growing up — a place where she could retreat from the pressures of being in a missionary family and the ordinary stresses of growing up. That rooftop was nestled between mountains on the right and the sea on the left, allowing for the perfect escape.

“I could see Sharp Top, and Sharp Top looks like the mountain I could see from my rooftop. Even now, every time I look at it, it feels like I’m home,” Balugo said.

Once she came to Liberty, student leadership helped Balugo overcome past hurts, strengthened her walk with God and pushed her to become a student leader. Balugo has been a community group leader for two years, and she now serves as a resident shepherd. She learned that Liberty is not an organization; it is the incredible people who make it up.

While becoming a doctor is her life passion, Balugo recognizes the tremendous difficulty of her major and recalls many occasions when she felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of the goal she is working towards. In moments when it feels impossible, Balugo holds onto the peace she receives from God when remembering the woman in the Philippines who first called  her “doctor.”

“Whenever the fire runs out, I always think about that woman,” Balugo said. “There was something special about that interaction, and Jesus always brings me back to that ‘Thank you, doctor.’”

Vires is a feature writer. Follow her on Twitter at @nadiavires.

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