Venture Forth: Kenya 2013 - part 1

I finally made it! Nearly eight years ago while a seminary ,  a small group gathered in a small office in west Texas to dream and pray about the possibility of working among a people group of North Africa. Since that time several of that group have made North Africa home while others have still not set foot on the great continent. I was in the latter...until last month!  

My wife Jennifer and I were blessed to go to a small rural hospital in western Kenya called Tenwek Hospital, a mission hospital with a fantastic reputation and a strong medical presence in the region.  A robust orthopedic practice has arisen over the past several years with the arrival of Dr. Dan Galat, an excellent orthopedic surgeon with passion for the kingdom of God and dreams to serve for many years. Since then, Kiprono Koech, an African-trained orthopedic surgeon has joined Dr Galat as a full-time orthopod. They, along with residents, visiting surgeons, and an excellent hospital staff, run a very busy orthopedic service filled with some of the worst injuries (at least that I have ever seen). During my time there I was blessed to work alongside Dr Galat and Dr Koech to put people back together! 

Tenwek Hospital is a 300+ bed mission hospital located in Bomet, Kenya. It was begun by a Christian missionary physician in 1959 and has grown to a thriving hospital with residency programs in Family Medicine, General Surgery, Clinical Officer training (similar to a Physician Assistant), and Internship programs. Residencies in Orthopedic Surgery and Ophthalmology are planned along with a potential for a Pediatric Surgical Fellowship in a few years! The hospitals sits at approximately 7000 feet above sea level nestled among beautiful countryside and beautiful people.  It has five fully functioning operating rooms where procedures from open heart/valve replacement to abdominal tumor resections to complicated fractures are dealt with.  But most importantly it has fantastic people with huge hearts for serving the people of western Kenya in the name of Jesus. 

Way more to come...