Friends, as Marilyn and I ready ourselves for another trip to Kenya in January, we are again confronted with an old familiar enemy...and his favorite tool...FEAR. Beginning with our first mission experiences in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and later with our trips to Kenya, we have experienced fears of one type or another on each and every occasion. When we first ventured out into the medical mission field of Guatemala, my main fears had to do with illness and personal safety. On every prior occasion that I had the opportunity to travel into Mexico or Central America (for tourism), I would regularly experience “tourista”...sometimes quite severe... including high fevers, and sometimes bloody diarrhea. My main fear at that time, was getting out into the mountains of Guatemala, and being unable to access medical care if needed. At that time, Guatemala was also being threatened by Narco-terrorists, as well as gangs engaged in the kidnapping of wealthy Americans and others. Our mission teams had Guatemalan soldiers assigned to our team to ensure our personal safety, and we were confined to a hospital “compound” within the area that we were serving. It was with great fear and trepidation that we reluctantly followed the call that we had felt on our lives to begin using our medical skills and our significant resources to help others in the name of Jesus. I had heard all the assurances of scripture that God would provide and enable those He had called, but this did NOT alleviate my anxiety and fear...this was “head knowledge”, rather than “heart knowledge”. Only after stepping out in faith (though admittedly a somewhat miniscule faith...), did God show me that He would indeed provide for my health and welfare...I did NOT get sick ( and have not gotten sick on MULTIPLE trips thereafter) and did NOT feel unsafe or threatened. As a result, my faith began to grow, bit by bit, with each new mission experience and with the absence of significant illness or safety issues on each occasion. As these fears began to subside, I developed an intense claustrophobic fear of flying, and would become nearly ill when merely thinking about being trapped inside a gigantic aluminum cylinder at 30,000 feet! We were scheduled to make another trip to Guatemala in the summer months of that year, but I could not imagine boarding a plane to get there. Around that time, I became aware of the Christ Healing Center (Now called “One”). During a fact- finding meeting, whose purpose was to explore coordination of clinical medicine with spiritual wellness, we attendees were extended an offer to try out a prayer session with the staff . I was very reluctant and skeptical (as is my default position on most things), but decided to give it a chance anyway. I went in for my session, and while being prayed over, was asked to speak the first thing to enter my mind. I did so, but noted that my thoughts were of childhood experiences and sins, that seemingly had nothing to do with flying, claustrophobia, etc. I was asked to speak what I thought I heard God saying to me in response to these confessions, and was then asked to describe what images, if any, I might have had in my mind. I remember describing an image of myself being held in the palm of God’s hands...like an Allstate insurance commercial! The team then asked God to give me a tangible sign upon leaving the center that He had indeed been communicating with me. I remember going home, opening the mailbox, and seeing in the stack of mail, an advertisement from a dentist friend from church. The mailing piece showed a family being cradled in the palms of their overly large dentist (!) with the message that, “your family is in good hands with Dr. ______!! Needless to say I was profoundly impacted, and speechless...the memory continues to bring me chills. I made that flight to Guatemala, though with much discomfort...I remember calling on this mental image frequently to get me through. It has been many years, and with repeated successful episodes of overcoming flight anxiety, I no longer think much about flying...or health or safety issues for that matter. When Marilyn and I first felt drawn to serve in Kenya, we discovered a whole new set of issues and fears to be dealt with. We again felt “under attack”...I began to worry about whether I could be effective (medically) in a world where nothing is as it is the West...the diseases are not the same, the lab values are reported in different units than those used in the US, and the cultural issues are definitely not the same (think tribal warfare, bows and arrows, etc)! I was told to expect to see a lot of TB, TB meningitis, bacterial meningitis, and AIDs- related problems, as well as malaria, tropical diseases, and many other things I had only read about, but rarely seen or cared for in 30 yrs of private practice. Once again, taking a step in faith was the first challenge, but we found this a little easier given our past experiences with a providential God. Needless to say, we survived that first immersion into Kenyan medicine, but each time has truly been “otherworldly”...each time we have been enabled and provided for...each time, just the right specialist from Kenya or the US has been present to help us when we feel lost or clueless about what we are dealing with. We come away each time convinced that God has been present in the experience. We have now been to Kenya each of the last 7 years, and on each occasion, a new “attack” involving one type of fear or another has been thrust upon us. We were there in 2013 when Al Shebab, a terrorist group operating out of Somalia, attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. A couple of our fellow missionaries had just been at that very mall, shopping, and “stocking up” for their time in Tenwek. They had left the mall 30 minutes prior to the attack. During that attack, 148 civilians were murdered before the Kenyan military were able to restore order. We were in Bomet, (a rural area, 4 hrs drive from Nairobi) at the time, but had been in Nairobi one week earlier. During the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 we continued to make our annual September trip to Tenwek Hospital in Bomet...each time, anxious about the outbreak possibly spreading to Kenya, and “trapping” us in a quarantine situation, or worse....possibly exposing us to an illness associated with >90% mortality. In addition to Islamic terrorism, equally terrifying diseases, and isolation from the comforts of the Western world, we also have been in Kenya during presidential election years. In 2007, more than 1000 civilians were killed in election violence, and 600,000 fled the city for safety, In 2017, we flew into Nairobi just ahead of a presidential election which was scheduled to take place later that month. On that occasion, only 24 violence-related deaths occured, but we definitely experienced anxiety and fear that things might again spiral out of control. So with that background, 2020 feels very much like more of the same….a new virus, but an old and familiar enemy...Fear. As we have been preparing for this upcoming trip, we have again trusted in God to make clear to us whether we should be going or not. As the time approaches, we have watched “doors begin to open” for us.... The mandatory quarantine of 14 days following entry into Kenya from certain U.S. territories (including TX), has now been lifted. The COVID -19 vaccines have been making remarkable progress, and will potentially be available literally days before our scheduled departure, and we will be considered among the first in line for access (health care workers, AND over age 65!). Once again, we will be trusting God to keep us “in the palm of His hands”, and trusting in His promises from scripture….
2 Timothy 1:7, ESV “for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self control.”
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Mark 8:35 ESV “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Daniel 3:17-18 NIV “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Friends, please be in prayer for us...pray that we will again be protected from illness, violence, and terrorism...pray that our fears will be assuaged, pray that we will be enabled to care for those individuals that we encounter, and pray that we will be good ambassadors of Chist’s love and compassion.
With love,
Randy and Marilyn
