Homer Alaska - News -

During her sophomore year, Hemstreet went to Ecuador on a two-week mission with her church youth group. It was her first trip outside the United States and she spent it working with disabled children.

"We held two camps, both one week long. We were assigned campers and had to look after them the whole time. Some of the children were in wheelchairs, some were deaf and others were blind. I believe that's when I first developed a heart to help people and share love with others," said Hemstreet.

It was her experience in Ecuador that ultimately gave Hemstreet an answer to her soul-searching question. A few months after graduation, she was living aboard the M/V Pacific Link, a 150-foot floating hospital operated by Youth With a Mission.

YWAM, a non-denominational Christian outreach organization founded in Kona, Hawaii, in 1960, presently employs more than 16,000 full-time aid workers in 170 countries worldwide. Among their various international endeavors is YWAM Marine Reach, a program that uses ships like the M/V Pacific Link "to bring physical and spiritual healing to the poor and needy," according to their Web site.

The Pacific Link first took Hemstreet to New Zealand and Fiji, where she learned the basics of health care. She was taught by YWAM instructors to clean teeth, to treat for lice and diarrhea, to administer immunizations for measles and mumps, and to deliver babies. After several months of intensive training, Hemstreet was ready to put her newfound expertise into practice. She has been to Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world, helping people to live longer, healthier lives.

For a girl from Homer who had been out of the country only once in her life, it was a new adventure that took a little getting used to.

"I think what shocked me most was the 'squatty potties' in Asia. They are these beautiful, porcelain holes in the floor which you squat over," said Hemstreet. "I never know what to expect. I have noticed that every time the wheels of the huge airplane hit the land of a new country or continent, I get these nervous butterflies. I never know what it will be like and I'm always waiting in anticipation to set my feet on new soil and embrace it."

Photo Courtesy of Christa Hemstreet Christa Hemstreet checks the pulse of an Indonesian man at a health clinic operated by Youth With a Mission.

"I want to bring them joy, hope and the love of God. I can do that through providing health care," said Hemstreet. "It's amazing. It brings me so much joy that I have this opportunity to sacrifice having a 'normal' life to help people who are suffering."

Today, Hemstreet is based in Perth, Australia, where she has committed to work in a YWAM health care school for the next two years. In addition to training young people in the basics of health care, she leads teams into remote villages in Africa and Asia, providing needed medical care that otherwise might not be available.

Hemstreet's mother, Melanie, is proud of what Hemstreet has chosen to do with her life. Although she misses her daughter and cherishes her fleeting visits to Homer, Melanie understands why she has chosen this path.

"Christa is thinking about the needs of others. She cares about infant mortality, hunger and nutrition, about people who have absolutely no way to access any type of health care. She wants to make a difference and she is putting her desire into action. She inspires me. When I grow up, I want to be just like her," she said.

If you would like to donate to Christa Hemstreet's efforts or if you would like to receive regular updates on her activities, she would like to hear from you. Her e-mail address is greeneyes.02@hotmail.com.

Aaron Selbig can be reached at aaron.selbig@homernews.com.