Healing bodies.
Bringing hope.
Sharing the Gospel.
From Welcome to Care, From Care to Christ’s Peace.
Healing, Compassion, and the Gospel — Together.
ACO Annual Mission Outreach is an integrated whole-person care model built around ACO’s Annual Medical Mission Trip.
Alongside professional medical care, the outreach includes welcome and hospitality, children’s care, youth service, the forming of volunteers and the raising up of local co-workers, local church partnership, and voluntary prayer and spiritual encouragement.
Patients and families are not only medical cases. They are whole persons with physical, emotional, family, and spiritual needs. Through this integrated approach, ACO seeks to serve communities in Africa with dignity, compassion, medical excellence, and the love of Christ.
Medical care is the door; the love of Christ is why we come. Through medicine, ACO seeks to open the way for the Gospel — sharing the hope and love of Jesus with all who are willing, always freely and with respect for every person’s dignity and choice.
Five parts of one whole-person care — held together by the love of Christ.
From one doctor’s reluctant yes to one integrated outreach.
The ACO Annual Mission Outreach was never designed on paper. God grew it, year by year — one faithful step drawing in the next — until the parts became one whole.
A reluctant yes, and an overwhelming need
ACO founder Dr. Jun Xu did not set out to start a mission — he joined one. An Assemblies of God short-term mission team had been serving in Senegal for years, youth among them. He came as its only physician, and with him the mission gained something it had never had: a clinic. Two to three hundred patients arrived each day, and the young people already on that team stepped in beside him — the first hands ACO’s medical work ever had. The need was overwhelming, and the call would not let go. Returning year after year, he began inviting other physicians to serve, and one doctor became a team of doctors. Read the founding story →
The clinic becomes a classroom
Young people had been part of the mission all along. What changed in 2019 was why they came: for the first time, students signed up for the medical work itself — not to watch, but to serve: check-in, vitals, the pharmacy table, patient flow. Almost every medical mission in the world is adults-only — 18+ is the norm, and youth "medical" programs rarely go beyond shadowing — so a working mission clinic where school-age youth (10+) hold real roles beside physicians makes ACO one of the few of its kind, in the U.S. or anywhere. The meaning runs deeper than rarity: children learn to care by caring, families serve side by side across generations, and the trip became the seedbed of ACO Youth — a new generation of doctors, nurses, and missionaries taking their first steps. Meet ACO Youth →
A hundred hands, side by side
By God’s power the clinic had grown into a team of more than a hundred volunteers — physicians and non-medical servants alike — serving communities together across the mission days.
Care that a clinic day could not reach
Surgeons joined the mission for the first time, and the care reached past what a clinic tent could offer. Working alongside local hospital teams, they now carry out 10 to 15 surgeries each year — operations that, for the patients who receive them, had been out of reach. See the surgical care pathway →
Prayer walks alongside the care
Under God’s leading, individual Christians began to pray with villagers and children during the clinic — always freely and with respect — walking alongside local pastors who knew and loved their communities.
A dedicated prayer ministry forms
What had begun informally became a dedicated prayer team, serving throughout the clinic days — offered to any who wished it, and never tied to receiving care.
A joyful place for the youngest
A children’s VBS ministry — Children’s Hope & Care — was formally added: a safe, joyful space of Bible stories, songs, and games, so children were loved and met the hope of the Gospel while their families received care.
The parts become one whole
In a way only He could, God wove the clinic, children’s care, and prayer into one — and set the vision for framing the whole day with Morning Care and Evening Care.
One integrated outreach — five components, one whole
For the first time, everything comes together as one: the ACO Annual Mission Outreach — Morning Welcome & Care, the Annual Medical & Surgical Care, Children’s Hope & Care, Prayer & Spiritual Care, and Evening Care with the Jesus Film — five parts of one whole-person care, held together by the love of Christ. Come and witness what God is doing, share in His work, and be built up in His grace. Join the next mission →
From welcome to medical care—then an optional invitation to prayer, and an evening meal with the Jesus Film.
Each part carries more than its task: through welcome, children’s ministry, healing, and prayer, the love of Christ and the hope of the Gospel move with the care. The Gospel is not a separate program — it is woven through the whole of ACO’s outreach.
Alongside the clinic, the Children’s Hope & Care / VBS ministry welcomes children into a safe, joyful space — Bible stories, songs, games, and genuine care — so the youngest are loved and meet the hope of the Gospel while their families receive care.
Every patient receives medical care regardless of whether they participate in prayer, children’s programs, or any other ministry activity.
- Morning Welcome & CareHospitality, breakfast when available, clinic numbers, seating, and a peaceful start.
- Annual Medical & Surgical CareRegistration, triage, consultation, treatment planning, and basic procedures when needed.
- PharmacyMedication distribution and clear directions for use, when medication is available.
- Optional PrayerPatients who desire prayer may be guided to a local church–led prayer station.
- Optional Evening Care & Jesus FilmFamilies are welcome to stay for a simple shared meal and the Jesus Film in the local language — freely offered, and open to all who wish.
There is a meaningful place for every willing servant.
ACO welcomes people from every background, skill, and stage of life. You do not need to be a medical professional — or a Christian — to serve meaningfully; we welcome all who serve with respect for ACO’s Christian mission.
Medical Volunteers
Physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, medical assistants, medical students, and other qualified healthcare professionals may serve according to training and assigned roles. Returning medical volunteers can join the ACO Medical Alliance.
Adult Volunteers
Beyond medicine, adults bring their gifts — administration, education, photography, media and communications, logistics, and fundraising — along with hands-on roles like hospitality, patient flow, children’s programs, and meals. Non-medical volunteers can join the Friends of ACO network.
Young Servants
Youth and college volunteers grow as they serve — VBS and children’s ministry, soccer, music, education, community service, and supervised medical observation, with teamwork, cross-cultural experience, and daily reflection. Through Africa Cries Out Youth, ACO invests in them as a new generation of leaders — nurturing faith and calling, with support toward college, medical school, and future mission service.
Churches & Families
Churches, families, schools, businesses, and service groups can partner through prayer, monthly and one-time giving, supply drives, fundraising, and long-term partnership.
Prepare to serve well.
The registration process helps ACO prepare volunteers, assign appropriate roles, and gather information needed for safe, organized, and effective service.
- Account and basic profile information
- Mission group and service preference
- Medical credentials when applicable
- Emergency, health, and allergy information
- Payment and trip cost information
- Required waiver and electronic signature
- Flight arrival and departure details
- Parent consent and youth forms when applicable
Know what to expect.
Every participant receives a Mission Handout Book before the trip. It supports both practical preparation and a shared understanding of team expectations.
Care is never conditional.
ACO is committed to serving communities with medical excellence, humility, and respect — and to protecting the freedom and dignity of every person we serve.
- Prayer and spiritual care are always voluntary.
- Prayer is never required or connected to medical care, medicine, food, or any other service.
- ACO seeks to support, not replace, local church leadership.
- The mission team comes for a short time, but the local church remains in the community.
How do I prepare for the trip?
Participants receive preparation materials, orientation guidance, packing information, travel instructions, team expectations, and role-specific training before departure. Preparation may include medical coordination, cultural orientation, safety guidance, spiritual preparation, and youth supervision expectations.
Are Christian-specific roles assigned only to Christians?
Yes. Roles involving leading prayer, sharing the Gospel, teaching Christian content, or formal spiritual-care leadership are assigned to Christians who are prepared for those responsibilities and who serve under ACO and local church guidance.
What if I prefer not to lead prayer or evangelism-related activities?
You may serve in many practical and meaningful areas that do not involve leading prayer or Gospel-related activities, including medical care, logistics, hospitality, children’s activities, patient flow, sports, supplies, and documentation.
How are youth supervised and what are the safety policies?
Youth participants serve under adult supervision in structured, age-appropriate service areas. ACO provides team expectations, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, local coordination, and youth-protection requirements.
What does the trip cost include?
Trip costs and what they include are provided in the official mission announcement and registration materials. Lodging, local transportation, meals, outreach expenses, and other team arrangements may be included; airfare, insurance, visas, vaccinations, and certain personal expenses may be separate depending on the trip plan.
Serve communities in Africa with dignity, compassion, healing, and hope.
Whether you come to heal, serve, pray, or partner, there is a place for you — together, in love, humility, and partnership.