From Traveling Nurse to Mercy Ships Volunteer: God’s Plan for Trent

Without volunteers like Trent Yoder, Mercy Ships couldn’t provide surgeries for patients efficiently. As the team lead in the preoperative department, Trent coordinates the intake of patients seeking free surgical care on the Global Mercy™.

In his role, Trent manages everything necessary to ensure that patients are physically and mentally ready for their surgical procedures. Each day, Trent wakes up before the nurses arrive and prepares his workspace. He oversees all documentation around patient assessments and evaluations, vital signs, anesthesia consultation, consent forms, and transportation from the Hope Center to the Global Mercy.

Trent knew he wanted to serve in a way that follows the model of Jesus, but said he’d been putting off joining Mercy Ships over a period of years.

“I actually looked into Mercy Ships after I got out of college, but I wound up working for a couple of years and never finished my application,” Trent said. “Once COVID hit, I began travel nursing, and it was paying well so I just stuck with it.”

Driven to find something more meaningful in life, he finally finished his application.

“I got caught up in how much money I could make. I realized I had forgotten about my goal just after college. I lost focus of what God was trying to direct me to do.”

‘I Felt Broken’

Trent recalled his time working as a career travel nurse, making good money but feeling as if he was missing out on something bigger. He began to go on prayer walks – praying and meditating about where to take his life.

“I felt broken and empty, traveling from city to city, working for a couple of months. Then, as soon as I got to start knowing people, I had to leave again,” he said.

One day, a serendipitous sign presented itself to Trent in the form of a letter written to him by a fellow nurse

“I just started a contract in Atlanta and worked with this nurse from Phoenix, Arizona. We barely knew each other because we worked different shifts. She wrote me a letter saying that she had a dream of me walking in the city at night, and she could tell I was crying out to God,” he said.

“She didn’t even know I was asking God, but she could tell I was searching for something. She also didn’t know I was a Christian, so it was brave of her to write me this letter, describing several dreams she had involving me working abroad on a medical mission.”

Trent said he called an employer back and told them he was going to work for Mercy Ships instead of pursuing another contract job.

“Don’t be a Jonah,” his colleague said, “You need to go.”

Finding Purpose Through Mercy Ships

At 12 years old, Trent lost a leg after being diagnosed with bone cancer and undergoing 11 surgeries.

“When I saw the ship for the first time, I saw the gangway going straight up. I had all these suitcases, and I thought, ‘Oh no’,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would be able to make it up to the ship with my prosthetic leg.”

Undeterred, Trent made it up the gangway and has been serving on the Global Mercy for the last 15 months. In that time, he had an incredibly rewarding experience with the patients during his tenure at Mercy Ships.

“There are days where I suffer pain because of this prosthetic,” he explained, “But it’s a reminder to me that this world is not my home.”

Trent also found a commonality with many of the male patients that come to the Global Mercy for surgery.

“I remember as a young boy when I had cancer, some male nurses would come in and watch NBA games with me. And just being able to give back in the same way, that’s been really great,” Trent said.

“I think going through these things is a part of God’s plan for my life,” he explained. “I see God’s love for the people of Sierra Leone. I see God’s love for the people of this world. And being able to be a part of it is just an awesome feeling.”

Do you want to find your place on board like Trent? Mercy Ships needs skilled medical volunteers, along with people from other backgrounds like HR, accounting, and cooking! Check out current open volunteer positions.