Why Go Now? - 2021

Dear friends,

The following is a post from our blog dated 9/2/2018 entitled “Why Go?”  Some of you may have read it at that time…but for most this will probably be your first reading.  I am re-posting it now because it seems especially relevant in our current COVID-19 reality:

As we make preparations for yet another journey half way around the world, I find myself again reflecting on the question that many of you probably have as well...why go at all?  Why not take the money that we will spend, and just donate it to Tenwek Hospital (where Marilyn and I will be serving)?  Then we would not have to worry about transatlantic, cross-continent air travel, terrorism, vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, HIV/AIDS, TB, contaminated water or food sources, a number of tropical diseases, etc, etc, etc....!  We could properly enjoy a Labor Day weekend BBQ instead of trying to make 300 pounds of supplies, clothing, etc. fit into 4 suitcases, each of which can weigh no more than 50 pounds.  (No need to do the math.... it can't be done!).   The short answer is, that as followers of Jesus, we felt that we should probably pay attention to what He did, and said…He modeled a healing ministry, AND He told us to “Go”, and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).  The longer answer, at least for myself, requires some explanation.  Having returned to faith at a later stage in my life, I had never before considered that maybe I should be using my gifts and resources as God intended them to be used…they had always been viewed as things that I had achieved for myself by hard work and perseverance.  As I returned to my faith, I began to view my circumstances in a different light…I began to understand that I had been given much, and that much was expected of me.  I came to this realization gradually, but wasn’t quite sure WHAT was expected of me…I’m sure many of you reading this can relate.  Around this time, I read 2 books in succession, which changed the course of the remainder of my life.  The first book was entitled: “Radical.  Taking back your faith from the American dream”, by David Platt, and the second book was “The Hole in Our Gospel.  What Does God Expect of Us?”, by Richard Stearns.  I recommend reading them… if you dare!…. beware though, taken to heart, you may end up (as we have) in some corner of the world where you least expect to be!  One particularly convicting quote from David Platt’s book:  

“….We take Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations, and we say, “That means other people.” But we look at Jesus’ command in Matthew 11: 28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” and we say, “Now, that means me.”  

Guilty as charged!!  After coming to the realization that, as a Christian, I had obligations as well as privileges, I began to feel a tug on my heart toward the medical mission field.  I wish that I could say that once convicted, I rushed enthusiastically forward in obedience to the perceived call on my life, but that would be quite a stretch…. in truth, I DID NOT WANT to leave my comfortable little niche in the world.  I tried any number of ways to convince myself that this was not what God wanted or required of me.  I remember clearly “negotiating” with God as He drew me toward my first international medical mission trip to Guatemala (at the urging… “pestering” might be a better word…from my friend Rob Grimes).  I remember being on call on the weekend; it was Sunday and I had the usual 15-20 patients to make rounds on, AND I was on call for the ER.  I had promised Rob, that I would try to make the noon meeting of the team heading to Guatemala later that summer.  In my mind, I knew that there was no way I could finish rounds (and avoid new admissions) and be across town by noon…so I challenged God:  “Okay, God, if you want me on this team, you need to make it possible…let’s see if you can get me there”.  Needless to say, I was finished with rounds by 11:30 a.m. (a “miracle”!) and across town by noon (another miracle in and of itself!).  I was still not convinced, so I upped the ante:  “Okay, God, if this is where you want me, I need another unequivocal, clear sign”.  I remember walking into the meeting, being introduced to the team leader, Mike McCord (who did not know me or my wife), who greeted me by saying:  “You’re an internist…GREAT!  We need primary care docs…. and we need OB/GYN’s too…know any?”…. Thus began Marilyn’s call (and mine!) to international missions.  Suffice it to say, WE survived that first timid “stepping out”…no personal illness, no encounters with the drug cartels, and no gun battles with our army escort.  What I DID encounter, that was unexpected, was a profound sense of “rightness”, peace, and tranquility…a love and respect for the long-suffering people of Guatemala…a sense of awe at the apparent joy and happiness in the midst of such poverty and disease…an acute awareness of where God was at work in our midst…and a deepening of my personal faith life which, I am convinced, could not have happened had I not “stepped out in faith”.  Marilyn and I have made several more trips to Guatemala…also to El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic…sometimes together, sometimes one without the other.  Each time, has been easier and more rewarding than the last.  As we began to search for opportunities to share our volunteer work together, we began to hear about this mission hospital in Bomet, Kenya:  Tenwek Hospital, whose motto is “We Treat, Jesus Heals”.  We first heard about this place through a CMDA Fall Banquet speaker by the name of Carolyn Spears.  She is a general surgeon who has been a long-term missionary at Tenwek, and has a powerful personal testimony about her experiences there.  We looked at the hospital online out of curiosity, and noted that they were a 300 bed Christian mission hospital which provided medical, surgical, pediatric, orthopedic, and OB/GYN services…they were advertising a need for short term volunteers in all of these areas of service.  We did not give it much serious thought at the time, but then went to an international medical missions conference in Louisville, KY the following year.  While there, we explored some of the opportunities that we had scouted out ahead of time, only to find, that these programs would have no need for one, or both of us.  Doors were slamming right and left…. but then we happened upon the Tenwek representative, who excitedly told us:  “Yes, we could use the both of you…come some time and check us out!”  The last “nudge” came from the president of CMDA at the time, David Stevens, who just so happened to have served at Tenwek for 10 years in the early part of his medical career…he too had a personal testimony which spoke to our hearts, and convinced us to take yet another “giant step of faith” into yet another unknown part of the world.  We took our first journey to Africa (Kenya) in 2012, and again found the needs to be massive, overwhelming, and often heart-breaking.  At the same time, we found a warm, welcoming, gentle people…often of deep faith.  The peace that comes, and the sense of being in the place that God has ordained for us is unmistakable.  In addition, the act of going, serving in the name of Jesus, and being His hands and feet to our brothers and sisters in Kenya, is something that a “donation” of money can never buy.  So, my long answer to the question of “Why go?” is this:  God calls us to serve; He leads us if we ask, and are willing to follow; He equips each of us with unique gifts, talents, and resources; He enters into our areas of weakness and ineptitude, and by His strength enables us to accomplish what we could not accomplish on our own; and in so doing, glorifies His name, and deepens our faith and our relationship with Him. 

It has now been 9 years since our first journey to Tenwek Hospital, and the question “Why Go”? continues to be relevant in 2021…especially in view of the COVID -19 pandemic.  The answers remain the same…only the obstacles appear to have become larger in recent years.  In truth, our past trips have not been without significant risks and fears of various types as well…COVID-19 is just the latest to add to the list.  Admittedly, it IS one of the more frightening ones… both to ourselves and our families.  This having been said, a choice has to be made:  Do we continue to trust God ?...knowing that we have no guarantee of the outcome, or do we surrender to fear?...knowing that we have no guarantee of the outcome? We continue to feel the call to serve at Tenwek, AND, we now have relationships and friendships as well…long-term missionaries and their families, returning short term volunteers that we have served along side in past years, Kenyan physicians and their families, and even some returning patients that we have cared for in the past!  We have chosen to trust God, to continue to live our lives as we feel called, to take as many precautions as possible to remain safe and healthy, and to leave the outcome in His loving hands.  My prayer remains that each of you can also learn to discern God’s call on your life…to trust that He will equip you, and lead you, and walk with you…all the while growing your faith, and deepening your relationship with Him.  Expect obstacles and fears along the way…a sure sign that the Enemy is taking notice!  

Our love to all our family and friends…May God bless you, and keep you, and make His face to shine upon you, be gracious to you, and give you peace.

Randy and Marilyn.