"and in favor with the Lord and also with man."

CHILDREN'S BIBLE QUIZZING 2014

 Children at Mosop Mission School committed to studying God's Word

Pam gives award Bible to Top quizzer in January, Dorcas Chepkoech

In January we kicked off the 2014 Children's Bible quizzing season with over 300 children from over six schools and two orphanages, studying the book of First Samuel.   Our theme "The Battle is the Lord's" is taken from I Samuel 17: 47, David's battle cry before Goliath. During the same time period, Mike took the adults in our church through several character studies over four Sunday morning messages in January and February (Hannah, Eli, Samuel, and David).  The kids, joined by 24 adult coaches, have really jumped into memorizing key verses and studying these chapters with great intensity.  Many of the children are well on their way to memorizing, word perfect, 60 verses from 10 chapters in I Samuel.   The title of this blog was taken from I Samuel 2:26, describing the young man Samuel, God's prophet and judge with incredible integrity.  "Now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man."  Sounds a whole lot like Luke 2:52 doesn't it, describing another young man, our Lord Jesus, when he was with his parents.  I chose this verse and theme because the last three months have brought a great deal of favor for our family in ministry AND for Tenwek Hospital where we serve.   Let me explain........

FAVOR WITH GOVERNMENT, BOTH UNITED STATES AND KENYAN...

On Christmas eve 2013 we received notification that Tenwek's grant application for Phase II of a new Eye and Dental Care Center had been received favorably by the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) branch of USAID.  The award being negotiated is for $1,000,000!  This would be added to the Phase I grant of $800,000 already received back in 2012. We have now tentatively scheduled a ground breaking ceremony on Phase I for April 15th with some prominent guests likely to be in attendance.  In terms of favor or help from the Kenyan government, WGM Kenya Country Director, Jim Vanderhoof, together with Africa Gospel Church Bishop Rev./Dr. Robert Langat and our Tenwek CEO, Mr. Geoffrey Langat met this month with immigration officials in Nairobi over some work permits that had been delayed in getting approval.  All three work permits for an internist, obstetrician, and a general surgeon have subsequently been granted.  We praise the Lord for the way he has used our partners in ministry to open the door for these doctors to continue in service with us at Tenwek Hospital.

Future Tenwek Eye and Dental Care Center depicted by architects above

FAVOR WITH A BIG COMPANY.....
On January 28th, the x-ray tube on our Toshiba CT scanner failed, leaving our busy CT scan service shut down. We receive referrals from all over southwestern Kenya and do many "in house" scans daily.  We were given a price quote for a new tube at $120,000, an amount of money that we could not afford to pay to get our CT scan operational again.  After Mike encouraged the doctors and staff at Tenwek to pray, he sent an email to our friend, the President of Assist International, Mr. Bob Pagett, who was instrumental in securing the donation of the Toshiba scanner to Tenwek in 2011.  After a few emails to officials at Toshiba Inc. in California, Mr. Pagett received word that Toshiba, USA, had agreed to donate to Tenwek another used but fully functional CT scanner tube valued between $20,000 and $40,000!  Within two weeks, the donated tube arrived at Tenwek Hospital and was immediately installed, making the scanner fully operational again.  That very night a trauma patient with a head injury was diagnosed with a blood clot on his brain, seen on the CT scan, and taken for life saving surgery in our operating room.  The scanner was operational again exactly one month after it went down.  That may seem like a long time, but in terms of high tech equipment breakdown in Kenya and finding solutions, we believe the rapid replacement of such an expensive part was a direct answer to our prayers.  Jehovah Jireh used a large corporation like Toshiba to assist Tenwek in meetings the needs of hundreds of sick and injured in southwest Kenya. We praise YOU, LORD!

 Toshiba CT scan tube that failed and would have cost $120,00 to replace new!

 One of the first patients getting a chest CT on Feb 28th with xray tube donated by Toshiba, USA.

FAVOR WITH GOD:  HE KEEPS CALLING DOCTORS AND OTHERS TO TENWEK!
Our WGM headquarters informed us a couple of weeks ago that FIVE new doctors were in process with applications to come and serve full time at Tenwek with WGM.  Two family physicians, an orthopedic surgeon, and a married couple who are both general surgeons.  WOW!  As Medical Director at Tenwek you might imagine that my heart did flip flops with that news.  :-) With our brand new five year strategic plan calling for the growth in patient beds at Tenwek from nearly 300 to 500 over the next five years, the calling of more physicians to come and serve with us is delightful news. We definitely need more nurses, more clinical officers, more specialty doctors, and other kinds of staff from within Kenya to also feel God calling them to come and join this work where our ministry cry is "We treat - Jesus heals"!

Family Update:

Our son Steven has nearly completed five months in Australia and Papua New Guinea with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) and returns home to Kenya next week.  He has talked with us several times by Skype and told us of many opportunities to see God at work in him and through him to touch the lives of many people, including young people in the slums of Port Moresby, PNG.  Thanks to MANY of you who have prayed and given to make this opportunity for discipleship training and ministry outreach a reality for our son.  Our daughter Melody, a senior at Rift Valley Academy, leaves for Uganda this week with a group of 10 classmates to serve and learn during an interim experience in that country for 9 days.   She attended the annual Junior/Senior banquet at RVA last month, decked out like a princess (see pic below-she is only lacking the tiara!).  She is planning on starting nursing school this fall and has been accepted already at the school she is most interested in (Cedarville University in Ohio).  Kayla, our high school freshman, just finished a fun season of JV soccer and a good academic term also at RVA.  She is REALLY looking forward to the April break coming soon.  We are all eager to get back together as a family for our annual family vacation on the Kenyan coast in early April with Steven home and the girls off from school.  Ashley, in sixth grade, is putting her full energies into Bible quizzing, lots of homework, and fun around campus with many friends.

Our daughter Melody, senior at Rift Valley Academy

Prayer Needs:

Let me close this update by sharing a heart-felt need for your prayers for our family and our current ministry.  I have been reminded this week of the truth of Eph 6:12 that we "wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of darkness in high places".  It gets really easy to focus on the circumstances and people who cause us pain or discouragement in ministry at times.  Misunderstanding and busy schedules can lead to conflict in ministry in missions.  We must be ever vigilant because our adversary, the devil, seeks to frighten us, devour us, disable us in any way he can.  Would you pray that Pam and I can hold on to God's promises during times of personal trial?  We sang an old hymn in our church today and one verse "jumped off the page" for me: "though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blessed assurance control: that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul".  (from It is Well with My Soul)

Be blessed this week, dear friend of the Chupp ministry!

Dr. Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries at Tenwek Hospital with World Gospel Mission in Kenya

mike.chupp@wgm.org