Tests revealed the 16-year-old Mercy was suffering from bone cancer in her tibia just below the knee. Dr. Nugent knew her leg would need to be amputated above the knee to form a good limb for fitting a prosthesis.

Mercy’s parents, though, wanted to take their daughter to the village witchdoctor for “traditional treatment.” Dr. Nugent, along with the hospital’s social worker and chaplains, prayed that God would intervene and allow the surgery to proceed. When they all met together the next day, the girl’s parents agreed.

The surgery went well. Within three days, Mercy was up and using a walker to get around. Two days later, she was released. She began chemotherapy at a different hospital, but during follow-up visits to Tenwek, Mercy was bright, cheerful, and looking so much healthier. And her parents expressed their appreciation to Dr. Nugent and the hospital staff for saving Mercy’s life.

Tenwek, located about 150 miles northwest of Nairobi, is one of dozens of mission hospitals around the world where World Medical Mission doctors are treating patients—and showing and sharing the compassion of Jesus Christ.

Since World Medical Mission started the Post-Residency Program in 2004, nearly 170 doctors and dentists have been sent to 38 hospitals in 33 countries. At the same time, more than 800 medical personnel each year fan out across the globe for short-term assignments.

Today, Will is a neurosurgeon and became the first neurosurgeon in our Post-Residency Program. He found his niche at Tenwek Hospital and served there for two years. He and his wife Alisa are now raising support to return to Kenya as long-term medical missionaries.

Since coming to Tenwek in 2016, Dr. Copeland’s expertise and compassionate care have left an indelible mark. His work was celebrated earlier this year when the American Association of Neurological Surgeons honored him with the Young Neurosurgeons Committee Public Service Citation. The award recognizes his outstanding effort to establish excellent healthcare and a new standard of surgery in Kenya.

stretching their vision

Jonny and Anna Shaw grew up with the Atlantic Ocean separating them. Jonny is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Anna hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In God’s providence, they met in India at a highly remote mission hospital on the border with Nepal. Jonny was in his last year of medical school, while Anna had finished nursing school.

Beyond the Wheelchair

As a radiologist, Dr. Read Vaughan was searching for opportunities to serve overseas. He just didn’t know where. In 2008, he and his wife Suzie attended their first Prescription for Renewal conference put on by World Medical Mission. While there, the Montana radiologist discovered that his expertise was welcomed and needed at Tenwek Hospital. Since then, the Vaughans have served on 13 mission trips with World Medical Mission, including not only at Tenwek but also hospitals in Ethiopia and Honduras.

Dr. Vaughan introduced Faith and her grandmother to Solomon Top, a physical therapist at Tenwek, in hopes that a wheelchair could be provided to improve the little girl’s quality of life. When he examined Faith, Solomon saw beyond the wheelchair and believed it was possible that she could walk someday. Solomon made special casts for Faith, which would progressively straighten her legs out. He worked with her for months and she improved tremendously. Eventually, she was able to walk with the help of arm crutches and orthopedic braces.

Now 11, Faith is adventurous and active. No longer confined to the dark, dirty corner of the hut, she spends her days playing outside with her cousins. “I’m very happy,” Faith said. “I thank God. He’s taking care of me.”

This year, the Vaughans were presented World Medical Mission’s annual award, “In the Footsteps of the Great Physician.” The award recognizes missionary doctors who exemplify humility, compassion, and commitment to the Gospel through selfless Christian service.

God made a Way

Dr. Paul Cornici was born in Romania and at the age of 12 years old witnessed the revolution that brought down communism in his country in late 1989. His family moved to the United States, and he did his undergraduate work at Ohio University, followed by medical school at what was then Medical College of Ohio (now a part of the University of Toledo).

Dr. Cornici always had a heart for missions and did short-term mission trips. That vision expanded and about two years ago he and his wife Colleen, along with their three children, headed to Kijabe Hospital in Kenya for a year. He served in emergency medicine. “If God calls you into medical missions, it won’t be easy,” Dr. Cornici said, “but God will make a way for you, and it will be very rewarding.”

But when Mary entered medical school at the University of Tennessee, that thinking changed. She liked internal medicine more than surgery. “I like my patients to be awake,” she said, laughing. “I like the medicine part of it.”

During her final year of residency this year, she spent three weeks at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya.

“I love to teach, and the medical officers and clinical officers are so eager to learn there,” she said.

Eventually, in 2008, God led the Axelsons to Kijabe Hospital for their first of many short-term assignments. Once Dr. Axelson retired in 2011, he and Lynn have spent the first 10 weeks of the year at Kijabe—with the exception of 2017— ministering to patients. Although his specialty is oncology, Dr. Axelson devotes much of his time training future Kenyan doctors. Lynn enjoys going on rounds with Mercy, the hospital's pediatric chaplain, as they pray with and witness to the children about Jesus.

She wasn’t following the Lord at the time, but during her third year, God began drawing her back to Himself. She was involved in a campus ministry and went on a mission trip to Zimbabwe for two weeks. They visited a few hospitals, and a nurse on that trip told Samantha one night she believed God was telling her that Samantha was going to be a doctor and that she would return to Africa.

“I told her she was totally crazy,” Samantha said. “But it wasn’t long before I began sensing God wanting me to trust Him for the real possibility of medical school and that through Him all things were possible.”

Samantha applied to medical school and was accepted at what is now called Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Pennsylvania. The first day she watched an open-heart surgery and didn’t pass out!

Today, Samantha is serving two years in family medicine at Kijabe Hospital with our Post-Residency Program.