We Treat, Jesus Heals

Tenwek Hospital

We Treat, Jesus Heals

Jambo! Today Tenwek Hospital is a shining light on a hill to people of Southwest Kenya. Tenwek is literally located on a hill overlooking the Rift Valley, with magnificent views in all directions. The hospital provides primary health care for 600,000 Kenyans and is the major referral center for most of Western Kenya. Providing for physical needs is augmented by their deep desire to make Christ known and to provide for the spiritual needs as well. It’s been a beautiful thing to watch over my first few weeks here.

On this hill, many lives are saved—physically and spiritually—everyday. This wasn’t always the case. Before missionaries purchased the land in the 1930’s, it had been used as a traditional female circumcision site. Two young girls had bled to death here and the local Kipsigi tribe considered the ground cursed ever since. The Kipsigi’s practically gave the land to the missionaries at 5 shillings/year for rent. The dangerous practice of female circumcision has subsequently been reduced dramatically as many, many Kipsigi’s have become followers of Christ through the years.

It’s estimated that over 80% of the Bomet district of Kenya are Christian. The spiritual climate is very much alive, as the church services into late afternoon every Sunday bear witness. Tenwek itself is also becoming a hotbed for sending missionaries. Franklin Graham, president of World Medical Mission, works closely with Tenwek by providing visiting medical doctors. He wrote in Miracle at Tenwek, that Tenwek “has one of the most effective evangelical outreaches of any hospital I have ever visited.” From my first two weeks here, I can see how he could make this statement. Since we’ve been here, there have been groups returning or going to the following places for medical and/or evangelical outreach—The Mercy Ship stationed in Sierra Leon, South Sudan for Ophthalmology, South Sudan to start a clinic, Eritrea for evangelism, Lake Victoria Islands for evangelism, and many trips to Kenya orphanages. Most of the trips above have been initiated by Kenyans and it is Kenyans who are going. Maybe they will be coming to the United States to do missions before long.

It is essential to direct the glory to God. We treat, Jesus heals is a mission statement that is lived out daily by those walking through the hospital halls. We pray for patients before surgery and we tell them the Good News when led in Casualty. Tenwek started out as a small clinic run by one faithful nurse. God often uses the small, seemingly insignificant to expand the Kingdom, the mustard seeds (see Matt. 13:31-32). This begs the question, do you have a mustard seed to be used in the Kingdom of God. Even if you are climbing the Pilgram’s “hill of difficulty,” remember what once was cursed, now is blessed and God can use the faith of a mustard seed for His glory.