A wave of help and healing swept through Samatau this week as a free medical clinic brought relief to hundreds of people. So far, the Hawaiian medical team has treated 226 patients and performed 25 minor surgeries.

The clinic, set up by a team from South Seas Christian Ministries (SSCM), has been running since Saturday at the Amazing Love Christian Church compound.

They hope to reach up to 400 people by the end of the week. Patients lined up from nearby villages and even a few from prison, for free check-ups, medicines, and minor surgeries.

Dr. Cecily, a board-certified surgeon with the team, performed the operations. One patient, an elderly man, had a cyst removed from his neck and kept saying, “Faafetai lava, faafetai lava,” as he thanked the doctors during the procedure.

Dr. Brad Hall, who leads the mission, said many people simply want to know if they are healthy.

“A lot of people come in with, they just want to check up, and so we have some lab tests we can do, we can listen to their chest and look around,” said Dr. Hall.

“A lot of people are actually very healthy, and they just need a little help for their medicine cabinet, like some toothbrushes or paracetamol, and we're happy to do that.”

Others, he said, needed more help.

 “Some people have chronic medical problems, they have wounds that are infected, their vision is blurry for different reasons, so we can help a lot of that,” he added.

For more serious cases, the team works closely with local doctors.

 “Can we help with everything? No,” said Dr. Hall. “But there are some things that the Samoan doctors, they need to, so we kind of work with the Samoan doctors in the sense that we screen for them... there's a few people, they need more help than we can provide, so we refer them to the medical system here in Samoa.”

One case was a young woman who lost sight in one eye after being hit with a rock two years ago. Dr. Hall urged her to seek treatment at the national hospital right away, saying her vision might still be saved.

The clinic also had a full pharmacy, giving out all medicines for free.

 “No one here pays anything,” said Dr. Hall. “Everything is donated, and everyone on the team is a volunteer from Hawaii.”

The team’s mobile clinic was set up in a house and turned it into a surgical room. They carry out basic surgeries such as removing soft tumours, cysts, and infections.

The patients are kept comfortable and are numbed before surgery.

Marie Eletise, one of the leaders of the mission and Coordinator, said the work is about love in action.

 “We come to share God’s love, not just through prayer, but through medicine. It’s a blessing to serve here. Honestly, we are more blessed by the generosity and warmth of the Samoan people.”

The team of 20 includes doctors, nurses, medical students, and church workers. In addition to the clinic, South Seas Christian Ministries (SSCM) runs Bible camps for children, youth programs, and church leadership events. Over 200 children attended the Bible camp this week.

SSCM’s Executive Director, Nofoaina Eletise, leads the mission, working closely with Tuailemafoa Theresa Ulberg, SSCM’s Samoa representative, who helped organise the visit.

Pastor Lemalu Livingstone Toelupe of Amazing Love Christian Church called the clinic a “great blessing.”

 “This was possible through partnerships between churches, not just to help their members, but also villagers and anyone in need. These opportunities are not cheap, as everything is expensive. With all that prepared by the team—free check-ups, equipment, surgeries, and medicines, this is a big blessing for us and the community.”

“Everyone’s so nice. Everyone’s happy. Even the patients with serious illnesses smile. They’re polite. It makes us want to take care of them even more,” said Dr. Hall.

“I love Samoa. I understand you guys are the best. They're so generous. We're well taken care of. They feed us. I know they're sacrificing to keep us comfortable, so we appreciate it,” he added.

The current clinic ends Thursday, with the team taking a day to explore Samoa before heading home. Another SSCM team will arrive next week to open a clinic in Vaitele.