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ATLANTA – When Jay Westfall hands clients his business card, they often look at it and ask, “Why would you choose to live in India?” The answer is simple – it’s a calling.

As Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, Jay and Cokie Westfall balance the demands of work and ministry. Jay’s job as an independent clinical and regulatory compliance auditor for U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies allows him the opportunity to work in any part of the world. But Jay said it was Cokie’s call to serve the people of India that led them to the village of Kothanur, located outside the city of Bangalore, where they have lived since September 2007.

Cokie traveled to India in 2004 on a prayer walk with CBF field personnel. In 2005, she returned, participating in CBF tsunami relief efforts in Cuddalore. Since then, the Westfalls have served alongside CBF partner organizations in medical camps throughout southern India.

In India, the need for healthcare providers outweighs the supply, especially in rural and slum areas. In these areas, a lack of potable water and sanitation increases water-borne diseases, making medical care even more necessary. The United Nations estimates that there are between 2 to 3.6 million people in India living with HIV. These factors place a strain on India’s healthcare system.

“Trying to help all the poor in India is like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon,” Jay said. “But in being here, I’ve learned the importance of showing basic decency and common courtesy. Some of the people we serve feel invisible.”

The Westfalls serve in a variety of medical outreaches – medical camps in slum areas surrounding Bangalore through Humanitarian India Mission, medical liaison role within ProVisionAsia and a medical clinic for children affected with AIDS at the Infant Jesus Children’s Home.

“I have clearly seen God utilize my background as a resident nurse and my firm belief that Jesus loved, supported and empowered women throughout his ministry and calls us to do the same, to touch the lives of women and children who live in oppressive poverty stricken situations in India,” said Cokie, a graduate of Campbell Divinity School, a Fellowship partner. “My hope is to bring the deep love of Jesus to those who find themselves in these situations.”

The Westfalls said that CBF partner churches – Winter Park Baptist; First Baptist Church of Wilmington, N.C.; and First Baptist Church of Mt. Olive, N.C., have sustained them with continual encouragement through prayer, financial support and correspondence.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Westfalls, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.