A Nurse’s Calling To Serve
What happens when God takes a young nurse’s heart for helping others and leads her halfway around the world? For Cedarville University nursing alumna Rachel Parks, that calling led to Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa, where she is bringing medical care, compassion, and the hope of Jesus to vulnerable children and families.
In this episode of the Cedarville Stories podcast, Parks talks about her journey into nursing, her passion for missions, and how God prepared her to establish a ministry focused on holistic health and community engagement.
Parks first recognized her desire to serve underserved populations during a sixth-grade mission trip to Cleveland, Ohio, where she encountered children experiencing food insecurity. Years later, a college mission trip to Eswatini confirmed her calling to serve internationally, despite the unfamiliar culture and challenges she encountered.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Parks completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Cedarville University in 2023. Her experience in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Cedarville’s emphasis on Christ-centered, holistic care, equipped her to address complex health challenges beyond traditional clinical settings.
In 2025, Parks helped establish Palm Grove Health and Wellness Initiative, a ministry dedicated to strengthening communities through health education, disability support, and economic development.
Today, Palm Grove serves approximately 62 children with physical and intellectual disabilities, providing home visits, family education, counseling, and spiritual encouragement. Parks shares how the ministry challenges cultural stigmas surrounding disabilities while helping families recognize the dignity and value of every child.
The organization also supports caregivers through income-generating skills and mentors young adults facing unemployment and limited economic opportunities.
Listen as Parks shares how faith, education, and a willingness to follow God’s direction are transforming lives in Eswatini, one family and one community at a time.
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