“I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are a substitute for joy… But then joy is never in our power, and pleasure often is. Our best havings are wantings.” This profound statement by CS Lewis may be illustrated by the life of Mary Buckler-Cairns. In the summer of 2008, while a medical student at Medical College of Wisconsin, Mary completed the INMED Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health, which included two months of supervised service-learning at Banso Baptist Hospital in Cameroon. You may enjoy her graduation photo!
A two-month African experience may fall into CS Lewis’ group of pleasures. But to sustain a career-long commitment in this environment requires finding joy in the unique challenges of culture, low-resources, family life abroad. Today, Mary and her husband are living in Cameroon, serving at Mbingo and Banso Baptist Hospitals. What’s more, she’s mentoring INMED learners in their own Service-Learning experience in this nation. In addition to grasping the nuances of African healthcare, by Mary’s example I suspect these fortunate young people will also be rethinking their ideas of pleasure and deep joy.