Volunteer Experiences
Volunteer Story — Jenn McLaughlin
Hello, my name is Jenn, and in 2022 I traveled to Peru with Ed and his group to provide medical care in the jungle villages. I am an emergency nurse practitioner with a master’s in family medicine from the University of South Alabama. In my personal life, I love traveling and experiencing new cultures, with a goal to visit every country. The trip with Ed-Ventures in Missions and Amazon Promise gave me the opportunity to give back and explore.
In the emergency department, it becomes easy to lose the love of “caring for others.” You experience so much abuse of the system and resources that it can easily jade you. This trip to Peru was a huge eye-opener and allowed for a refresh and reset on why I became a nurse and nurse practitioner. The wonderful people of Peru were unbelievably thankful for our clinics and wanted nothing more than to be heard — and to receive vitamins.
It was amazing to see how close each village was and how they cared for each other. We set up our clinic in a new village each day, and every single one was so welcoming to our entire group. There were many memorable moments during our trip, but the children stand out the most — from the long lines to get their nails painted by our nurses, to kids running around with our sunglasses and glove balloons. These kids don’t have clean water, electricity, or any privileges of modern life, yet they were the happiest and most thankful children I have ever been around.
This was my first mission trip, so I didn’t know what to expect. It set the bar very high for future trips. I spent hours researching how to treat things like piranha bites, only to find that what they really needed was to be seen, to be heard, and to have our time. We were not rushed through each day or each family.
As the only female provider in our group (other than the Peruvian physician who accompanied us), I provided as much women’s care as I could. Many of these girls had never had pelvic exams, sex education, or someone they could ask personal questions to. I felt privileged to be that person for some of them. I was able to use a Doppler to let them hear their baby’s heartbeat for the first — and sometimes only — time during their pregnancy. While some exams revealed unfortunate findings, this allowed the girls to be referred to Nauta or Iquitos for further testing and possible care in larger cities. Without these exams, conditions such as cancer might not have been discovered until much later, if at all.
You learn quickly on these trips how much of a difference you can make, and it is incredibly rewarding.
Volunteer Story — Jesal Amin, MD
Into the Amazon: A Physician’s Journey of Healing and Humility
As an emergency room physician raised and trained in Missouri and now living in Dallas, TX, my life has always straddled the edge of intensity and service. Yet despite the fast-paced world of modern medicine, I’ve long harbored a quiet calling toward international aid—something deeper, more immersive, more human. That calling took vivid shape in 2022, when I had the opportunity to serve on a medical mission in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. It turned out to be one of the most transformative experiences of my life.
What initially drew me to the trip wasn’t just the promise of adventure—it was the pull of purpose. I wanted to understand healthcare in some of the most remote and underserved places on Earth. When I heard about the opportunity to provide care to communities deep in the jungle—places reachable only by river, where access to medicine is rare—I felt a deep conviction. This was something I had to do.
From the moment I arrived in Peru, the experience was humbling. We stayed in a modest lodge in a small riverside town, with power available only a few hours each day. Every morning, we traveled by boat through the winding Amazon, venturing deeper into a world where dense jungle met incredible human resilience. We set up makeshift clinics in villages unreachable by road, offering care to patients whose medical needs had often gone unmet for years.
Some of the cases I encountered left lasting impressions. I treated a child with a water-hammer pulse—a telltale sign of a serious heart condition that had never been diagnosed. I saw congenital limb deformities, advanced parasitic infections, and illnesses that in the U.S. would have been caught early, treated quickly, and mostly forgotten. The lack of supplies challenged every assumption I had about what it means to be a provider. I had to improvise, adapt, and lean on the ingenuity of my team.
Despite the challenges—the language barriers, the unpredictable weather, the emotional toll—there was profound beauty in every day. In the evenings, the children from our village would gather to play volleyball and soccer, inviting us in despite the gaps in our language. Laughter and movement became our shared vocabulary. The simplicity of it all—the joy, the connection—is something I’ll never forget.
I also found unexpected peace in the routine of care. In a setting so stripped down, every small act of medicine became a moment of meaning. Our patients were deeply appreciative, often thanking us not just with words but with gestures of kindness and respect. I found the experience not only fulfilling but oddly relaxing. It reminded me of why I became a physician in the first place.
There were moments of sheer awe, too—like watching dolphins swim alongside our boat or going on night tours through the jungle with local guides who introduced us to tarantulas, bats, and even piranhas. These experiences, though sometimes offered to tourists, felt different when framed by the deeper purpose of our mission. We weren’t just visiting; we were connecting, learning, and serving.
What made this journey unique wasn’t just the medicine or the scenery—it was the convergence of raw remoteness and cultural richness. I witnessed how entire communities live in harmony with their environment, relying on traditional plant-based remedies passed down through generations. Their lives are woven into the fabric of the rainforest in ways I had only read about before.
Through it all, I learned patience, flexibility, and the deep importance of teamwork. Our group included translators who helped us bridge the communication gap with patients, navigators who guided us safely through the waterways, and cooks who nourished us with simple, wholesome meals. Every role mattered; every person contributed.
This experience changed me—not just as a physician, but as a person. I returned home with a deeper appreciation for things I once took for granted: clean water, reliable electricity, access to healthcare. More than that, I gained a renewed sense of humility and perspective. I now see discomfort not as a barrier, but as a space where real growth happens.
To anyone considering a similar adventure, I say: go with an open mind and a flexible spirit. Prepare to sleep surrounded by the sounds of the jungle, to eat modestly, and to be challenged in ways you never expected. But also prepare to be changed—because you will be, in all the best ways.
