Retirement is full of choices. But, when we retire will we really quit working? Many of our colleagues have found great joy after retirement in continuing to serve around the globe, especially short-term, but also long-term service.

Having the opportunity to serve anywhere in the world is one of the privileges of choosing medicine as our career path. We all know someone who has done mission service, short-term, or even those who have committed their entire career to working overseas.

My own father, LOWELL KATTENHORN ’41, spent a year in Karachi, Pakistan, halfway through his career. Then 14 years later he completed a three-month stint in Seoul, Korea. He retired at 61 and then spent the next nine years in Blantyre, Malawi, which he would tell you were the best years of his life and the best way to spend his retirement. He was forever thankful for the service he was able to provide at that time of his life.

The love of service for ROLLIN BLAND ’68 stems from his childhood. He was raised in the Adventist Church and schools and recalls praying for missionaries serving abroad—doing God’s work. Later, in his fourth year of medical school, Bland completed an overseas elective. He also fondly remembers the inspiration of a cousin, a pastor who served in Palau and ultimately married him and his wife, Dolores.

After completing his internship/residency, Bland went to Nigeria for three years. He then returned and practiced in Oklahoma for 40 years. But he admits he always wanted to return to Nigeria. So, over the years, he participated in multiple short-term mission projects in more than 20 countries. But the call to long-term service continued to nag Bland.

At age 69, he sold his practice, worked for another organization briefly, and then one day was informed he wasn’t needed anymore.

Meanwhile, his daughter and son-in-law, DANAE ’06 and OLEN NETTEBURG ’07, reached out to him. “Dad, is there any way you could come help us out here in Chad?”

Age apparently didn’t make any difference, maybe a perfect retirement scenario. His immediate reaction was, “God just led me to Chad!” He served there for the next seven years! He admits that one of the intrigues of mission service is the opportunity to “do everything”—fixing vehicles, electrical, plumbing, teaching, preaching, and then practicing medicine and surgery as well! His overwhelming observation is that there are endless opportunities. And wherever you go, you are needed, looked up to, and valued!

He is thankful for the many opportunities he has had to visit and work short and long-term in more than 100 countries, serving in 20 of them, including Mongolia, Thailand, Yap, Panama, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Palau. His favorite though was Chad, with Papua New Guinea a close second! The short-term trips organizations for short-term service include Maranatha, Quiet Hour, and Share Him, to name a few.

So, like I said earlier, life is full of choices, and there are different options at every step of the way. Many of us imagine traveling the world, and some imagine working around the world! It is almost never too late to do either one. Short-term mission service has been the fulfillment of so many of our fellow alumni’s dreams. If you have a dream … explore and fulfill it! 

Published in the Summer 2024 ALUMNI JOURNAL.