Sheila Leech
Healthcare Director, Latin America Region
Sheila Leech, 50, originally from the U.K., has served as director of the Healthcare Division in HCJB Global’s Latin America region since early 2003. She is also the mission’s international healthcare coordinator.
Leech first came to Ecuador in 1980 as a Plymouth Brethren missionary, working among the Colorado Indians who are known for their distinctive red-dyed hair. She learned not only Spanish, but also the Colorado language, and for eight years did “traditional” missionary work such as evangelism, literacy training, visitation and discipleship.
“Then I realized that I didn’t have any practical skills to help the people,” she said. “As I looked at Jesus approach to evangelism, I realized that Jesus was very practical. When people were hungry He fed them, when they were sick he healed them”
So she decided to get further training as a nurse. After one year working as patient advocate at HCJB Global’s Hospital Vozandes-Quito, she returned to the U.K. in 1989 to study.
In 1993 she came back to Ecuador as registered nurse, this time as a missionary with HCJB Global serving in community development. Within two years she became the department director, exposing her to a wide variety of medical ministries in Ecuador, ranging from water projects in remote areas to community clinics in poor Quito neighborhoods.
“Healthcare is a way of showing God’s love to people,” Leech says. But she doesn’t see healthcare as a “magnet, drawing people to the gospel. Rather, it’s a way of showing kindness and compassion as the rule of God. We preach the gospel at all times, and use words if necessary!”
When first asked if she would consider becoming the healthcare director, Leech said no. “I was comfortable in community development,” she explained. “I could deal with most issues that came up. But God moved me on. During a period of months I prayed about it, and I knew it was something God wanted me to consider.”
Leech’s goal has been to build unity among the Healthcare Division’s three departments—Hospital Vozandes-Quito, Hospital Vozandes-Shell and Vozandes Community Development.
“Developing a unified vision for healthcare in Ecuador has served as a solid basis to look at projects across the Latin America region and beyond,” she said.
As international healthcare coordinator, she is responsible to develop a global healthcare strategy for the HCJB Global, working closely with International Radio Development. Plans are to facilitate the implementation of this strategy through partnership development.
Since 2005 HCJB Global has sent four medical teams to Indonesia and Pakistan to serve in relief following the devastating tsunami and catastrophic earthquakes. New medical missionaries are being assigned to exciting new ministries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Ecuadorian staff members are moving into short-term missions. Currently three Ecuadorians are helping to staff the first Christian hospital in the Republic of Congo.
“We envision that local partners will take the lead in these ministries, and our role would be a supportive one,” Leech added. “I’d like to see short-term teams traveling to Africa for construction projects and having HCJB Global missionaries on loan to our partner ministries for defined periods of time in order to work alongside partners and train them. We could also help partners find donated equipment and supplies.”
Last update: July 20, 2006
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