Kayla Anne Puterbaugh

"...I made it about 5 months without getting really sick. Then one night it hit me hard!!! I either ate something bad, got a parasite, or picked up a bug. I don't know, but whatever it was, it was NOT FUN! I was sick to my stomach all night and some of the next day... Lets just say I lost over 5 lbs. that night. Not the best weight-loss method..."

Meet Kayla Anne Puterbaugh... The Kansas native recounts, above, a difficult experience encountered on one of the mission trips she has taken. A college student currently working as a supermarket cashier, Kayla has undergone certain life experiences that most students cannot claim. Let's take a closer look:

Background: "Ever since high school I've been really interested in missions. My senior year of high school I really thought about going to Uganda after graduating but that didn't work out. Then in 2010, my freshman year of College, I was able to go to a medical mission trip to Uganda. The following summer, I went back to help the Applegates with their children, as well as helping in orphanages under G.R.A.C.E. Project."

-Unsure of future plans, this 20-year-old daughter of a police chief is actively seeking God's will for her life. 

Q: Ok, so medical missions - what first interested you?

A: "To be honest, it wasn't really the medical mission trip that interested me, it was going to Uganda. I actually thought I had zero chance of going..."

-Ms. Puterbaugh's current international travel experience includes trips to Uganda and Mexico. 

-When asked about any past medical training, she divulged that she was only CPR certified - a step taken to be better equipped at working in the church nursery. 

Q: Tell me about your medical missions experiences.

A: "Well, seeing that I am not trained in the medical field, I did registration. Through a translator I would ask for the patients' basic information and top symptoms."

-Kayla had the opportunity to take two trips to different locations in Uganda, the first of which was a 10-day medical trip with Operation Renewed Hope. This trip focused on running several days of free clinics that offered medical, dental and vision care from a team of doctors, physician assistants, nurses as well as students and other volunteers. 

-"Looking from the perspective of the medical side, I saw more of the commercialized view of Africa. You know the not very clean, sad, sick children and adults. Some of them were very happy, but most of the people we saw were physically ill with some even dying," recalls Kayla about the first trip she took.

Q: How was the second trip different?

A: "When I went the second time, I was helping at an orphanage. The kids there were very happy. Don't get me wrong, they were sad sometimes, but don't we all get that way? 

I was able to see how the people lived, experience their culture and also I was able to make some friends. You know, they are just like you and me, but living without many of the conveniences we have here in America. 

Going two times and doing two totally different things gave me a huge view on how life is there."

-When asked how the trips impacted her the most, Kayla described the impoverished condition of many she encountered, but yet the willingness of these people to give and serve others. "It makes stop and think how much I have and how selfish I am... I would say the greatest lesson learned was that I can't do anything on my own strength - I have to rely on God."

Q: First time to Africa huh? What was the coolest part?

A: "The coolest part was probably riding dirt bikes around for transportation. The safari was pretty cool, too!"

-Responding to a question about possibly returning to Uganda, Ms. Puterbaugh noted that she would enjoy going back and seeing the friends she made in her time there, but she would also consider traveling to a different destination. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone considering a trip, but is unsure?

A: "I think the best thing someone could do when considering a trip would be to pray about it. I know that prayer is sometimes the default answer for everything. But, if God wants you there, He'll provide the money and give you peace about it. Also, I would seek advice from people you respect (parents, pastor, youth pastor, etc)."

Below we see a photo compilation by Maranatha Baptist Bible College student Hannah Edwards of the two trips taken by the college with ORH in 2010, the latter of which Kayla was on:

Uganda, Africa (March and May 2010) from Hannah Edwards on Vimeo.