HASTINGS — Hastings native and Mary Lanning Healthcare employee Liz Munnell is combining a passion for serving others with her nursing skills to tackle an exciting adventure in 2017.
Munnell, a Registered Nurse in MLH Surgical Services, recently was accepted as a volunteer aboard Mercy Ships, a medical mission. Mercy Ships performs life-transforming surgeries on those who otherwise do not have access to healthcare. Mercy Ships, which has operated a fleet of hospital ships since 1978, serves patients in some of the world’s poorest countries. Munnell’s volunteer stint will be April 30-May 13, 2017, on the ship, which currently is anchored in Benin, Africa.
“I don’t know my exact duties while onboard,” Munnell said. “But the OR is scheduled to do general and maxillofacial surgeries.” Some of those surgeries may include adult and pediatric hernias, circumcisions, cleft lips and palates, facial tumors and soft tissue masses.
Munnell is qualified for the trip in more ways than just her medical background. She has worked in MLH Surgical Services since 2014, when she graduated from Creighton University, Mary Lanning campus with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. While a student, she took mission trips to Rwanda and El Salvador. In addition, her parents were missionaries in Peru until she was 11 years old. While attending Hastings High School, Munnell went on several mission trips through the Hastings Evangelical Free Church.
Munnell said she first heard about Mercy Ships while in high school from her youth pastor. Last year, a family member mentioned the organization. That’s when Munnell started doing some research and found out the trip might be a good fit for her.
“I think the Mercy Ships trip will be the perfect opportunity to integrate my two degrees,” Munnell said. “I have always felt that I have the gifts of mercy and compassion, and, of course, my love for travel and adventure always helps.”