Turkey Mission Trip Makes an Impact 

Mission trips are about more than providing aid—they are about creating hope, fostering healing, and promoting spiritual growth for both the volunteers and the communities they serve.

Pastor MC Shin, from Living Word Fellowship Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan, is deeply passionate about missions, devoting his life to aiding people in need, both physically and spiritually. For decades, Shin has traveled around the world—sometimes twice a year—bringing vital aid to those affected by crises. On his most recent mission, he led 38 volunteers from across the U.S. to southern Turkey, where they ministered to over 2,000 families displaced by earthquakes and war. 

A Lifelong Commitment to Missions 

Shin’s journey into mission work started in 1996 when he attended Hartland College in Virginia. There, he was introduced to the concept of missionary work by a professor dedicated to spreading the gospel. With over a third of the student body hailing from various nations, it was a natural environment to spark discussions about mission trips. “We began planning ways to help each other’s countries,” Shin recalls. 

His first mission trip took place in Ecuador in the summer of 1997. Since then, he has worked in countries across the globe, including India, Singapore, Malaysia, Peru, Romania, Israel, Cambodia, and China. “I loved working with different groups of people, especially young people,” Shin says. The relationships formed during these missions had a lasting impact, with some individuals entering ministry and others becoming teachers. Shin remains in touch with many of the young people he met during these trips. 

He credits the mission field for helping him develop a deeper relationship with God. While he grew up as an Adventist Christian, Shin admits, “I met Jesus in the mission field.” He explains that it was through his experiences abroad that he began to witness answered prayers in his own life. 

In 2002, after becoming a pastor, Shin organized his first mission trip to Peru, marking the start of his annual tradition of leading trips abroad. This included several visits to Cambodia, where in 2016, Shin and his family moved for five years of service. Upon returning to Michigan in 2021, he resumed his yearly mission trips, the most recent of which took him to Turkey. 

The Crisis in Turkey and Syria 

On February 20, 2023, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey, followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock nine hours later. The disaster severely impacted Antakya, Turkey, located in the Hatay province, an area also home to thousands of Syrian refugees displaced by civil war. 

Antakya, formerly known as Antioch, is near the northern border of Syria and houses a large population of both Turkish citizens and Syrian refugees. Many residents were left homeless in the aftermath of the earthquakes. “Their living conditions are terrible,” Shin says, describing the plight of nearly 900,000 Syrians living in the Hatay province. 

While the Turkish government provided temporary housing for displaced citizens in small shipping container homes with basic amenities such as air conditioning and running water, the situation was much worse for Syrian refugees. “They have no support,” Shin explains, noting that many Syrians fear execution if they return home. Stuck in a waiting process for refugee status approval from a third country, they live in squalid conditions. Shin described the Syrian refugee camps as places with “dirty water, children without shoes, and filthy clothes.” 

Bringing Aid and Hope 

In July 2023, Shin led a team of 38 volunteers to Turkey, including several prominent figures such as Justin Ringstaff, executive secretary of the Michigan Conference, and his wife, Chelli, the director of Michigan’s Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACSDR). Michael and Melanie Quion, co-directors of Health Ministry for the Michigan Conference, and Dr. Daniel Chung, a dentist from Berrien Springs, also played key roles. 

The Quions, with their medical expertise, were tasked with leading a medical clinic. Given limited space, they had to be strategic with the supplies they brought. “We packed our clothes in carry-on bags, and our checked luggage was filled with medical supplies,” Melanie explains. 

The medical team focused primarily on Syrian refugee camps, where access to medical care and proper hygiene was scarce. Many refugees suffered from skin diseases, hypertension, and dehydration, which often caused headaches. “People don’t drink enough water,” Melanie notes, pointing to the preventable ailments they encountered. 

A particularly memorable case involved a man who had been partially paralyzed after a motor accident. “He had developed a severe ulcer on the bottom of his foot due to abnormal weight distribution,” Michael recalls. The wound had gone untreated for so long that the bone was visible. The medical team cleaned it and taught him how to care for the injury properly. 

Beyond physical conditions, many refugees were also struggling with trauma-induced stress and anxiety. Melanie recalls a young girl who had witnessed her sister being killed by a falling wall during the earthquake. The girl had been unable to sleep since the event, an example of how the team needed to address both physical and emotional health. 

Throughout their time in Turkey, the medical team treated 166 patients free of charge. Meanwhile, Dr. Chung’s dental clinic, which primarily served children, treated 139 patients, offering cleanings, extractions, and oral hygiene education. “There was a lot of need, especially among the children,” Dr. Chung says. “Parents always put their kids first.” 

One creative approach the dental team used involved cardboard models to teach children how to brush and floss correctly. At the end of their appointments, the kids received oral care supplies to take home. 

In addition to medical and dental care, Shin’s team distributed over 12,000 hygiene kits, which included essential items like toothbrushes, shampoo, and soap. The Red Crescent, Turkey’s version of the Red Cross, helped store and distribute these supplies to both Turkish and Syrian camps. 

When the team ran out of their initial supplies, an anonymous donor from Michigan provided $3,000, allowing them to purchase additional items locally. They also distributed soccer balls to children, bringing some moments of joy amid the dire conditions. 

A Lasting Impact 

Although the team couldn’t openly share their faith due to local regulations, their acts of service made an undeniable impression. “You can’t talk about Jesus, but when you do something for these people, they know who you are,” Dr. Chung says. “It plants a seed.” 

Shin believes that mission trips have a long-lasting effect, both on the people being served and on the volunteers. “When young people experience the joy of serving others, it changes them. They become active in the church and in missionary work,” Shin explains. 

For Dr. Chung, the experience brought a heightened sense of urgency about spreading the gospel. “People are struggling to live day by day, and they don’t know Christ. It changes what’s really important in life.” 

For Shin, mission trips are about more than providing aid—they are about creating hope, fostering healing, and promoting spiritual growth for both the volunteers and the communities they serve.