An elderly woman comes in for an annual checkup. Although her history, physical and labs reveal physically healthy female, the woman begins to cry for no apparent reason in the interview.

You visit a 40 year old male in the hospital for an infected broken finger. He shares his story of experiencing physical ailment after physical ailment. With thoughtfulness he tells you, "I don't know why."

A 15 year old female presents to the office only to learn she has a sexually transmitted disease and is pregnant. During the visit, she looks to the floor in shame and helplessness.

Having been involved in patient care for two years, I have seen situations like this come up again and again. Patients will come in knowing they are sick, but the truth is that a pill will not make them well. They are not healthy, but the issue goes beyond the physical and into the emotional and spiritual aspects of their health. As long as one of these components is out of balance, the patient will not truly be well.

As a follower of Jesus, I have known God has called me to care for those He has entrusted to me. As a healthcare provider this means addressing all of the components of patients' health-the physical, the emotional and the spiritual. Yet while it has remained my heart's desire to be a part of God's work in truly making people healthy and well, I have struggled to know how to do this in a biblical, ethical and practical manner.

As an answer to this desire, God provided an opportunity for me to attend the Medical Strategic Network's (MSN) Health Student Summer Mission Project. Here I joined 39 other medical, nursing, pharmacy and physician-assistant students from 22 states and 4 countries. At the project, we began to learn how to bridge the gap between whole-person illness and whole-person health. Over the course of the Project, we have focused on learning how to ethically and sensitively address the spiritual needs of patients. Clinicians have guided us in how to take spiritual histories so that we can assess each unique patient's spiritual needs and best encourage and guide him or her in spiritual wellness

We have had opportunities to go to hospitals and clinics to put into practice what we have been learning. Going into the field has reminded us that sometimes God has us plant a seed, sometimes we are to water it and sometimes we have the opportunity to harvest it. Our encouragement can come from obedience to Christ's call to be His witness rather from fruit we may or may not see from the encounter. Going into the field has also reminded us of our dependence on the Holy Spirit to guide us in each unique encounter. God is ultimately the one who wins each person's heart, yet He allows us to be a part of the process and desires to guide and direct us in reaching those He knows and loves unconditionally.