By JIM LUKSIC
The Progress
It’s never too late to change careers or find one’s higher calling.
Just ask Mesquite resident Robin Mingo.
The singer and humanitarian – who travels worldwide for church-related medical missions – didn’t begin nursing school until age 40. That’s when Mingo cracked open books at College of Southern Idaho; she eventually worked in a hospital’s surgical and Intensive Care Unit.
Mingo’s epiphany came when her mother succumbed to cancer at 61.
“Her nurses were wonderful, so I decided I wanted to help others too,” she recalled.
Fast-forward to January 2023, when Mingo first took her nursing skills abroad, to the Republic of Georgia. The maiden voyage came as a result of her ties to Calvary Chapel, her local church.
“My church is very mission-oriented,” she said. “The pastor talked about missionary work and the World Missions Alliance (a group with which Mingo collaborates).
Minga noted each location has churches that set up medical clinics.
She travels when possible – often accompanied by her husband, Mitch – to make a difference around the globe, addressing spiritual and emotional needs of people “hungry for hope.”
Challenging and incredible is how Mingo categorized a journey to Israel last October. Despite the sound of intermittent bombs that caused the ground to shake, she wasn’t scared.
“There’s a good reason we were there,” Mingo said of the mission, which ended up lasting seven weeks.
A more recent trip transpired closer to home – Mexico, to be precise. South of the border is where she supplied antibiotics, blood-pressure medication, and delivered food to the homeless.
In general, the missions last 10 to 14 days, which Mingo summarized as “fast and furious.”
In her previous career, prior to administering hospital-based care and globe-trotting, Mingo owned a salon/spa in Idaho for 20 years.
A Minnesota native, she moved to the Virgin Valley three years ago by way of Idaho. Mingo and her husband have three children: Devon, Cory, and Lexi Eschenburg.
It is her daughter, a server and bartender at Peggy Sue’s in Mesquite, who has been instrumental (so to speak) in Mingo’s singing revival.
As a kid, Mingo was well-fed on a diet of classic country and rock: Her mother often listened to music by Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, and Elvis Presley.
In 2011, Mingo tried out for the TV show America’s Got Talent; she also had an audition slated for The Voice, but nursing school took precedence.
Eschenburg, who helps her mother determine her playlists, expressed pride. “She is so talented!” she said. “We are each other’s biggest supporters.”
Which tunes in particular does Eschenburg enjoy hearing her mother belt out? Those would be Etta James’ classic “At Last” and Alannah Myles’ 1989 earworm “Black Velvet.”
Mesquite resident Richard Stein, no stranger to attending concerts, was at Peggy Sue’s bar to hear Mingo on a recent Tuesday.
“Female singer nostalgia,” is how Stein described the performance, noting the music gave him a chance to remember various songs and musicians. “Robin reminds me of Bonnie Raitt,” he said.
That’s no coincidence, given Mingo’s fondness for Raitt’s voice on tracks such as “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
For the record, anybody who tips Mingo during her mini-concerts is helping to fund her medical missions. Mitch’s golf buddies are among those who support the cause.
The monetary tips “help people think they’re involved and helping,” Mingo said. Donations may be made to Calvary Chapel Mesquite / ATTN: Robin.
Next on her itinerary is Egypt in mid-April; nurses are needed in Cairo.
In August, she will fly to Africa, where healing for sex trafficking will be the focus. “Parents are afraid for their children,” Mingo explained.
Although she isn’t fluent in foreign dialects, any communication barriers are overcome via interpreters.
For now, Mingo has no plans to retire in any language.
“I’ve been so blessed!” she said. “I don’t have anything tying me down here. I go wherever there’s a need.”
