Graduation
Celebration
Surgery Department at Tenwek Hospital, January 2015 |
In January, the Tenwek surgical department celebrated the
second graduation from our five year general surgical residency. Two chief residents, Dr. Jack Okumu and Dr.
Elijah Mwaura, finished their five year training at Tenwek Hospital and were
recognized in the graduation ceremony.
In our second graduation in three years, the two chiefs “passed the
torch” to the incoming chief residents, Dr. Philip Ouko and Dr. Damaris Mbalu,
who are now fifth year residents and chiefs for the program. Dr. Okumu has
taken a position as staff surgeon in his home town of Kisumu, Kenya and Dr.
Mwaura has taken a position as staff surgeon at Chogoria Mission Hospital in
the Mount Kenya region.
Our friend and partner, Dr. Carol Spears, Surgery Program
Director at Tenwek wrote the following this week:
Tenwek is currently training
fourteen residents - eleven GS and three Ortho. These residents provide
vital services to patients and have improved the overall quality of surgical
patient care at Tenwek. Residents provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven
days a week for any surgical or ortho emergency. Attending surgeons
backup the residents and come in to see patients or operate as needed. The
residents, however are the front line in providing much needed care to patients
who come in with urgent needs for general surgery emergencies such as
appendicitis, volvulus, perforated ulcers, bowel obstructions, etc. The
volume of trauma in Kenya continues to rise as roads have improved and the
numbers of vehicles and motorcycles have increased. Trauma patients and
assault patients who come to Tenwek at all hours of the day and night are seen
in the Emergency Department and reviewed immediately by junior and senior level
residents and the surgery attendings. It is inspiring to see the growth
in the residents as they progress through the program and become confident,
well-trained, capable surgeons who have compassion for their patients and
concern for the spiritual condition as well as their physical healing.
Tenwek is blessed to have a
wonderful camaraderie amongst the residents and faculty. It is a
“family" that not only works together, but also plays together, prays
together, worships together. There is intentional time built into the
week for spiritual development, for Bible Study, for meeting to discuss
improvement of the residency program. But there is also intentional time
built into the week for play and for eating together and for being together
outside of the work environment. This is an important part of what has
built a strong team spirit and it is important to us to protect it and ask God
to grow it and foster it. It is also why we ask for an in-person
interview so that we can try to discern the people who are the most likely to
be a good match for Tenwek for the five years of training. Most visiting
surgeons to Tenwek echo what the faculty has known for a long time as they
leave and say, “Working with the residents was the best part of my whole
experience at Tenwek!"
As we established the Tenwek
Surgery Residency in January of 2008, we claimed Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord
builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” As we look at what God has
done, we are in awe and we recite Psalm 118:23 “the Lord has done this, and it
is marvelous in our eyes.”
Please
pray with us for the ongoing success of the surgical training program at Tenwek
Hospital under the auspices of the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons
(PAACS) and the College of Surgeons of East Central and South Africa
(COSECSA). The PAACS vision is to
produce 100 Christian African surgeons for Africa by 2020.
Support and House Project Update:
As of February 1st,
we remain just $1,500 a month short of being fully supported, with support
levels being determined by World Gospel Mission. We have set our target to raise half of this
support or more by Easter, April 5th. For the new house we hope to build at Tenwek
staring this fall, $23,653 has been
given to date and thus we are still trusting God for the remaining $76,000 to
come in before our return in early August.
Tenwek is preparing for seven new doctors and their families to be
housed at Tenwek in the next 18 months (with no current doctors retiring or
planning to leave) so our house construction project is critical to helping
with this shortage. Three physician
families are going on HMA this summer but will be returning in mid-2016, making
that time frame our target for completing the house construction.
Would you pray and
think about helping us build a house at Tenwek Hospital so that our current
home at Tenwek (4+ bedrooms) can be used by a younger, growing physician’s
family?
You can join our
support team or donate to our ministry or the house project by going to the
following link: www.wgm.org/chupp .
You can also send a check to the mission address at the end of this
Chupplink with a note attached giving direction on how the gift is to be
used.
Family Happenings….
This year has been a wild ride for us
as our children have become adjusted to life in America. We have a full house again, as Steven and
Melody both moved home after one semester in the dorm at their colleges. Steven
has decided to re-enlist in the Air Force and is well on his way to signing a
4-year contract. He hopes to work toward a job in Combat Control, which is a 2
year training “pipeline”. Melody moved
home after a hard semester at Cedarville University, and is now taking classes
at the local community college and working part-time at Starbucks. She loves
being a barista and giving me the scoop on all the specialty drinks there! She
has learned to drive and is enjoying her new-found independence. Kayla is also
learning to drive and has her learner permit. She and Ashley are tolerating
school here, but are very ready to return to their friends and RVA.
We are cherishing this time with
everyone at home, since we know that time is limited. Steven could ship out as
early as April, and Melody is already looking at colleges in the Greenville, SC
area as this will put her very close to Mike’s parents. She and Mike plan on a
college trip over Melody’s spring break in a couple of weeks. Please pray for all of us as our two oldest
make their way to becoming independent young adults, and for peace for Mike and
I as we leave them here in July.
Mike and Pam
Missionaries with World
Gospel Mission
Serving at Tenwek Hospital Bomet, Kenya
US cell: 269-985-8564
US address: 487 Maiden Lane, St. Joseph, MI 49085
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