John, Ali, Gabriel, and Grace
Hello friends! Thank you for taking a moment to visit our blog. We're looking forward with great anticipation to our service at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya. This blog will be a platform for us to to share our experiences with you and keep you informed about the work God is doing at Tenwek. In this first post, we'll share some of our story, give you an idea of what our ministry will look like, and share with you a few ways you can partner with us.
Even before we decided to pursue medical careers, both Ali and I (John) felt - at different times, perhaps - the call toward cross cultural missions. Neither of us knew what that might look like, nor did we actively pursue it as we moved forward in our careers. Ali went to PA school and I to medical school at the University of Toledo, and we worked hard toward our degrees. After what Ali would call an uncharacteristic battle with indecision, I realized (with a little help from my inner farm boy and shop enthusiast) that orthopedics was the specialty for me. We matched to Mayo Clinic for orthopedic residency and packed our bags for Rochester, MN.
Eventually, as the pressures of a challenging residency hit in full force, I began to see a prestigious career and luxurious lifestyle as the light at the end of the tunnel; a motivation for the tough days ahead. In 2015, God used a particularly difficult time in residency to push me to the point where all those things I was looking forward to were just not enough. During this time, God steered me toward II Corinthians 4 and 5, where Paul explains his motivations for being a missionary. A few verses in particular impacted me, including II Corinthians 5:14-15:
For Christ's love compels us since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.
God reminded me that he gave the ability to become an orthopedic surgeon so that I could serve him and his Kingdom, not just pursue my own interests. As Ali and I prayed about the implications of this, we once again sensed God's call toward cross cultural missions. Around that time, I re-visited a blog which had captured my attention in medical school - a blog much like this one. It chronicled the story of Dan Galat and his family as he served as a missionary orthopedic surgeon in Kenya. I emailed Dan, who is himself a former Mayo Clinic resident. He encouraged us to visit, and in 2016, Ali and I both traveled to Kenya.
Eventually, as the pressures of a challenging residency hit in full force, I began to see a prestigious career and luxurious lifestyle as the light at the end of the tunnel; a motivation for the tough days ahead. In 2015, God used a particularly difficult time in residency to push me to the point where all those things I was looking forward to were just not enough. During this time, God steered me toward II Corinthians 4 and 5, where Paul explains his motivations for being a missionary. A few verses in particular impacted me, including II Corinthians 5:14-15:
For Christ's love compels us since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.
God reminded me that he gave the ability to become an orthopedic surgeon so that I could serve him and his Kingdom, not just pursue my own interests. As Ali and I prayed about the implications of this, we once again sensed God's call toward cross cultural missions. Around that time, I re-visited a blog which had captured my attention in medical school - a blog much like this one. It chronicled the story of Dan Galat and his family as he served as a missionary orthopedic surgeon in Kenya. I emailed Dan, who is himself a former Mayo Clinic resident. He encouraged us to visit, and in 2016, Ali and I both traveled to Kenya.
In our 2016 trip, we spent one week with Dan at Kijabe Hospital, where Dan has been for the past two years, and then another week at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, where Dan spent his first 7 years of ministry. The really neat thing about both of these hospitals is that not only do they provide desperately needed healthcare in Jesus' name, but they are also teaching hospitals. Both Tenwek and Kijabe have orthopedic residency programs designed to train orthopedic surgeons who are also Christian disciples and are committed to serving in a mission hospital in sub-Saharan Africa following completion of their training.
During our time in Kenya, we sensed God's call on our lives to serve at one of these hospitals in a full time capacity. God has since confirmed that call in numerous ways, and provided an avenue for us to serve at Tenwek starting this fall through the Samaritan's Purse Post Residency Program. This two-year program is designed to transition graduating residents and fellows directly to the mission field following completion of their medical training.
My role at the hospital will consist of providing much needed orthopedic surgical care to the patients at Tenwek, and teaching and discipling residents in the process. Tenwek treats many patients affected by orthopedic trauma, including a large number of patients severely injured in motor vehicle accidents. Thus, much of my time will be spent providing fracture care. There is also a growing demand for hip and knee arthroplasty, and I hope to make this a significant portion of my practice as well. However, at the end of the day, the most important aspect of my job will not be creating perfect x-rays or good orthopedic outcomes (although I really like both of those things). In reality, the relationships I build with my patients and residents, and the opportunities to share Christ's love in the midst of challenging circumstances, will be the true fruit of the ministry.
For now, Ali plans to continue to stay at home full time with Gabe (3) and Grace (1) in order to help the whole family through the transition and to begin homeschooling for Gabe. Once we're settled, she may explore opportunities to use her skills as a physician assistant. I'm still working on her to join me in the orthopedic realm someday.
Our current plans are to arrive in Kenya during fall 2019. As we prepare to go, we would like to invite you to partner with us in our ministry. There are several key ways in which you can do this. First and foremost, we need your prayer. Our ministry at Tenwek will be full of challenges, and we will depend on your prayer and God's guidance to make it through. Secondly, please consider financially supporting our ministry. We're blessed to have a portion of our expenses covered by Samaritan's Purse, but we will require additional funds for travel, medical benefits for Ali and the kids, as well as resident education and hospitality. We are prayerfully hoping to build up a team of people who will commit to praying for us regularly and supporting us financially each month. Finally, please stay in touch! Without maintaining our connection to you, we might miss God's vision for our mutual encouragement. We would love to connect with you, whether it be through this blog, or via email, face time, Facebook, or a face to face visit. Our home will always be open to you. :)
