Fanning the Flame

Mike and I would like to share a little bit about what is happening the month of November in our family.

Mike will be traveling extensively this month for recruitment, fund raising, and mobilization for Tenwek. He will be heading to Louisville tomorrow for the Global Health Missions Conference, where he will be talking to many young medical students, residents, nurses, and other healthcare staff who are looking to serve God long-term in medical missions. Please pray for divine appointments with them as they seek guidance in their participation in medical missions. We are praying for the call of God on several specialists desperately needed, including an anesthesiologist, an eye surgeon, a dentist, a pathologist, a pediatrician, and other desired specialties which are needed though not as urgently. Please join us in prayer that God will connect us with these docs.

Mike will also be visiting Taylor University on Monday to speak to the pre-med students about missions and medicine. Later in the month, he will be heading to Florida and southern California to visit and thank several donors of Tenwek Hospital and continue to raise awareness of the needs at Tenwek as a whole.

Please also continue to pray for Steven and Melody as they think and pray about their futures and educational options, in addition to the challenges of living in a new culture and making America home.

Kayla and Ashley continue to do well in school, and Kayla has begun driver's ed! It's hard to believe she's old enough to drive a car, but she's excited about getting her permit.

Thank you for your prayers for our family. We will send a longer update soon!

Mike and Pam

From all of us, the Chupp family in St. Joseph, MI this Thanksgiving, we want you to know that we are so grateful for your prayers, encouragement, giving, and loving on our family as we made the jump across the pond this summer from Kenya. Melody arrived last evening from Cedarville University so we are all together again and it is GREAT. Mike’s parents and his brother Brian and family will be joining us for the holiday. A rare Thanksgiving that WE get to host.

Echoing Paul when he wrote the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 9:12 “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

We will be expressing our thanks to God this holiday weekend out of the overflow of our being encouraged and helped this year by YOU!

Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Serving at Tenwek Hospital

Bomet, Kenya

mike.chupp@wgm.org

Kenya cell phone 011-254-708-114597

US cell: 269-985-8564

US address: 487 Maiden Lane, St. Joseph, MI 49085

Graduation Celebration

Surgery Department at Tenwek Hospital, January 2015

In January, the Tenwek surgical department celebrated the second graduation from our five year general surgical residency. Two chief residents, Dr. Jack Okumu and Dr. Elijah Mwaura, finished their five year training at Tenwek Hospital and were recognized in the graduation ceremony. In our second graduation in three years, the two chiefs “passed the torch” to the incoming chief residents, Dr. Philip Ouko and Dr. Damaris Mbalu, who are now fifth year residents and chiefs for the program. Dr. Okumu has taken a position as staff surgeon in his home town of Kisumu, Kenya and Dr. Mwaura has taken a position as staff surgeon at Chogoria Mission Hospital in the Mount Kenya region.

Our friend and partner, Dr. Carol Spears, Surgery Program Director at Tenwek wrote the following this week:

Tenwek is currently training fourteen residents - eleven GS and three Ortho. These residents provide vital services to patients and have improved the overall quality of surgical patient care at Tenwek. Residents provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any surgical or ortho emergency. Attending surgeons backup the residents and come in to see patients or operate as needed. The residents, however are the front line in providing much needed care to patients who come in with urgent needs for general surgery emergencies such as appendicitis, volvulus, perforated ulcers, bowel obstructions, etc. The volume of trauma in Kenya continues to rise as roads have improved and the numbers of vehicles and motorcycles have increased. Trauma patients and assault patients who come to Tenwek at all hours of the day and night are seen in the Emergency Department and reviewed immediately by junior and senior level residents and the surgery attendings. It is inspiring to see the growth in the residents as they progress through the program and become confident, well-trained, capable surgeons who have compassion for their patients and concern for the spiritual condition as well as their physical healing.

Tenwek is blessed to have a wonderful camaraderie amongst the residents and faculty. It is a “family" that not only works together, but also plays together, prays together, worships together. There is intentional time built into the week for spiritual development, for Bible Study, for meeting to discuss improvement of the residency program. But there is also intentional time built into the week for play and for eating together and for being together outside of the work environment. This is an important part of what has built a strong team spirit and it is important to us to protect it and ask God to grow it and foster it. It is also why we ask for an in-person interview so that we can try to discern the people who are the most likely to be a good match for Tenwek for the five years of training. Most visiting surgeons to Tenwek echo what the faculty has known for a long time as they leave and say, “Working with the residents was the best part of my whole experience at Tenwek!"

As we established the Tenwek Surgery Residency in January of 2008, we claimed Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” As we look at what God has done, we are in awe and we recite Psalm 118:23 “the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Please pray with us for the ongoing success of the surgical training program at Tenwek Hospital under the auspices of the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) and the College of Surgeons of East Central and South Africa (COSECSA). The PAACS vision is to produce 100 Christian African surgeons for Africa by 2020.

Support and House Project Update:

As of February 1^st, we remain just $1,500 a month short of being fully supported, with support levels being determined by World Gospel Mission. We have set our target to raise half of this support or more by Easter, April 5^th. For the new house we hope to build at Tenwek staring this fall, $23,653 has been given to date and thus we are still trusting God for the remaining $76,000 to come in before our return in early August. Tenwek is preparing for seven new doctors and their families to be housed at Tenwek in the next 18 months (with no current doctors retiring or planning to leave) so our house construction project is critical to helping with this shortage. Three physician families are going on HMA this summer but will be returning in mid-2016, making that time frame our target for completing the house construction.

Would you pray and think about helping us build a house at Tenwek Hospital so that our current home at Tenwek (4+ bedrooms) can be used by a younger, growing physician’s family?

You can join our support team or donate to our ministry or the house project by going to the following link: www.wgm.org/chupp . You can also send a check to the mission address at the end of this Chupplink with a note attached giving direction on how the gift is to be used.

Family Happenings….

This year has been a wild ride for us as our children have become adjusted to life in America. We have a full house again, as Steven and Melody both moved home after one semester in the dorm at their colleges. Steven has decided to re-enlist in the Air Force and is well on his way to signing a 4-year contract. He hopes to work toward a job in Combat Control, which is a 2 year training “pipeline”. Melody moved home after a hard semester at Cedarville University, and is now taking classes at the local community college and working part-time at Starbucks. She loves being a barista and giving me the scoop on all the specialty drinks there! She has learned to drive and is enjoying her new-found independence. Kayla is also learning to drive and has her learner permit. She and Ashley are tolerating school here, but are very ready to return to their friends and RVA.

We are cherishing this time with everyone at home, since we know that time is limited. Steven could ship out as early as April, and Melody is already looking at colleges in the Greenville, SC area as this will put her very close to Mike’s parents. She and Mike plan on a college trip over Melody’s spring break in a couple of weeks. Please pray for all of us as our two oldest make their way to becoming independent young adults, and for peace for Mike and I as we leave them here in July.

Mike and Pam

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Serving at Tenwek Hospital Bomet, Kenya

mike.chupp@wgm.org

US cell: 269-985-8564

US address: 487 Maiden Lane, St. Joseph, MI 49085

The Only “Sign” of the Resurrection…..In the belly of DEATH.

Matthew 12:39-40 He answered “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Honestly, I can’t say that the story of Jonah and “the whale” has ranked high on my Easter weekend reading materials. But this year, due to a rare Easter week holiday spent in Branson, Missouri with Mike’s parents (Ray and Mary Chupp), it made it front and center. Some of you are aware that Branson, Missouri is the show capital of the Midwest. One particular show at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson this year is based upon the story of the Old Testament prophet, Jonah. What a production! A huge cast of actors, live animals such as camels, trained donkeys, llamas, horses, a huge water buffalo, zebras, AND a huge helium filled fish made for a visual buffet. Our two daughters had no problem paying attention for 2 ½ hours! Jonah was thrown by sailors from a 50 foot, 30,000 lb wooden ship at the appropriate time and was swallowed by the helium filled monstrosity (or so it appeared). Video taken from inside the stomach of the fish documented Jonah’s peptic hair and skin treatments over his three day sea taxi ride to Ninevah as well as his change of heart and repentance to God for his disobedience. A highlight that brought tears to both Pam and my eyes was the song of deliverance sung by the choir of Ninevites when the 40 days passed and God was merciful to them, holding off on their destruction. As one by one the cruel and wicked men and women of Ninevah realized their sinfulness and fell down on their faces in sackcloth and ashes, our “hero” Jonah became severely distressed that his “crying out” had led to such widespread repentance.

The Sight and Sound theatre production of Jonah ended with Jesus himself appearing to Jonah to challenge him to repent of his own sin and pride and lack of mercy. Jesus revealed to the prophet that Jonah’s own experience with the mercy of God was a prophetic preparation for the ultimate display of God’s mercy in the substitutionary sacrifice of the Son of God for all mankind on the cross. As stated above in Matthew 12:39, Jesus told the Jews that Jonah’s sign was the ONLY sign they would receive and that the Son of Man would spend three days in the “belly of the earth”.

I’ve always been really hard on Jonah and his stubborn rebellion against being a messenger of mercy and hope. The Branson “Jonah” production added some creative license to the background of why Jonah might have really despised the people of Ninevah: they murdered his father in a raid on Jonah’s village. With the events of this week in Kenya and the attack and mass murder of a huge number of Kenyan university students by Islamic terrorists, especially targeting Christians, I can more easily understand the deep seated bitterness and anger that Jonah might have felt toward a group of people like the Ninevites. What if God called me to go to Somalia and cry out for repentance by the perpetrators of this violence? Would I go to the nearest port and run? Would I hunker down and hide? Would I explain to the Father that my own personal security and safety would be better for the Kingdom of God in the long run?

How incredible and moving it is for me to consider that Jesus didn’t respond like Jonah when given the charge by His Father to go to His Ninevah! He also faced a wicked and violent people whom He knew would hang him on a tree. His obedience would not result in immediate mass revival and repentance but ridicule, rejection, and death.

Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish could have come from our Lord Jesus from the grave:

Jonah 2:2 – 9 “ In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, “I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.” The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, “Salvation comes from the Lord.”

The hope of resurrection: without it we’ve basically got nothing except this short bus-stop of a life in terms of eternity. I have to believe that this HOPE is all that many Kenyan families are hanging on to this tragic Easter weekend after so many young people died at the hands of evil men who really “knew not what they were doing”. Please join Pam and I in prayer for the 150+ families who are suffering so terribly this weekend with grief and for the nation of Kenya which has been rocked by terror repeatedly in the last 17 years. He is Risen…and we CLING to that FACT. We TRUST in that FACT. We want to nations to KNOW about that FACT….even those who desire the death and destruction of God’s children.

Happy Easter!
Mike and Pam Chupp

Chupplink to You: Tenwek House Project with AMAZING progress!

In early April we sent out a letter asking many of you receiving this Chupplink, to consider giving toward a matching gift that friends of our work in Kenya offered to help us build a house at Tenwek Hospital. That matching gift was for $40,000 with a deadline for the match of June 1^st. As of today we have received a little over $37,000 so that our account balance has reached $64,500! We also have several individuals/couples who have made commitments to give to build this house at Tenwek to help alleviate a looming housing crisis in 2016. The total budget for the house construction is $120,000 so we are praying that with this appeal, a total of $60,000 will come in by June 1^st, ( ie approximately $20,000 more in the next one week) , not including the matching gift. If you did not receive our letter or lost it (or have now remembered that there was that green letter last month from the Chupps!), there are two ways to give:

Online: go to link: www.wgm.org/chupp-houseand fill out the on line form

By mail: send check with note attached “Chupp Tenwek House project 35239” to

Donor Services, World Gospel Mission, Box 948, Marion, IN 46952

If you have already given, THANK YOU SO MUCH! What a blessing the many gifts have been to Pam and I this past 5 or 6 weeks. It appears that God is working through you to build a house for Tenwek and our family for the coming years.

Our summer schedule and preparations to return to Tenwek Hospital

Mike is down to just 2 weeks of work with the surgery department of Southwestern Medical Clinic with his last day being June 5th. We are delighted to report that God has already provided for a renter for our house in St. Joseph, a new staff and her family from the Lakeland Hospital, St. Joseph, campus. We will be moving out of our house on June 30^th and our renters move in the next day. We remain humbled but so grateful to God for His provision EVERY TIME we have left the US for Kenya over the past 20 years. We plan on spending the month of July with Pam’s parents in Chattanooga during which time Mike is scheduled to fly to Seoul, Korea to speak twice at a medical missions conference at Yonsei University, July 16^th to 23^rd . Yonsei has been sending final year medical students to Tenwek for several years now to experience medical missions in Africa first hand. The students have been top notch and very energetic additions to our staff each Jan/February. Our departure date is August 2^ndand the bonus for our trip is that we will be meeting WGM Africa Regional Director, Mr. Jon Steury and wife Vera, in Amsterdam and flying into Nairobi together on Aug 3^rd.

Steven and Melody’s future

Our two oldest kids will remain in the US this fall to carry on their lives and education. Steven has been offered a home to stay in here in Berrien County, MI with a very good friend and his family who attend church with Steven at New Life Baptist Church in St. Joseph. He continues to work at Chili’s as a server and is very excited about a short term trip to Jamaica with his church in mid June. His desire to re-enter the Air Force was thwarted because of new requirements handed down from the administration that he couldn’t meet. He is now seriously looking at the possibility of mission aviation and becoming a pilot as one of our local universities here in Berrien Country has a reputable aviation training program. Melody, our oldest daughter, finished her spring term at Lake Michigan College well and is working nearly full time this summer at Starbucks. (one of our favorite places!) She plans on moving to South Carolina in the late summer and starting school at Upstate University of South Carolina in Spartanburg, only 30 minutes from Mike’s parents. Several other MK’s (missionary kids) from Kenya are also in universities in South Carolina which makes her very happy. She is planning on continuing her studies in Biology with a pre-Physician Assistant course emphasis.

Ministry at Tenwek……. YEAR 20

August 20^th will mark the beginning of our 20^thyear of ministry at Tenwek Hospital with World Gospel Mission. Every term of service has looked a little different. This term, we will be EMPTY NESTERS during most of the year as Kayla (Junior) and Ashley (8^thgrade) will be boarding at Rift Valley Academy three out of every four months. They are both very excited to be going to RVA this fall. Mike will be carrying on in the long term role of Medical Superintendent while doing part time surgery (mostly orthopedic because department chief, Dr. Dan Galat, will be home on HMA). Pam will be taking up the responsibilities of South Sudan ministry team logistics coordinator AND will be pinch hitting for the Friends of Tenwek organization as administrative assistant until a new intern, Mr. Joel White, arrives. Work permit delays have been quite common these days so Pam may be covering for Joel for several weeks or even a couple of months. Hospitality and Tenwek station duties will also play a prominent part of Pam’s daily activities soon after arrival, to be sure. We met Joel a little over a week ago, after he had completed orientation training at WGM in mid May. What an outgoing and like-able young man Joel is, having just graduated from college with a Business Administration degree. He sent us his picture below with Jared and Kristian Gleason and children (WGM headquarters staff who recruit and train volunteers) and Audrey (far left in picture) who is headed to Argentina this summer as a volunteer (Joel is the guy with impressive facial hair!)

Prayer Points

Praise God for:

1. Many generous givers for our house project

2. Renters for our house in St. Joseph

3. Places to live and plans to follow for Steven and Melody

4. Nineteen blessed years of being missionaries with World Gospel Mission at Tenwek Hospital

Please pray for:

1. The remaining ~ $20,000 to come in for our house project at Tenwek by June 1^st, if possible

2. Staffing needs at Tenwek this summer: while the surgery department is well staffed, the medicine, peds, ortho surgery, and ob departments are in critical need June through August. Please pray that God will send short term doctors to fill these big gaps in patient care.

3. Final opportunities we have in the next two months to share about our ministry and Tenwek Hospital including Mike’s home church in Mooresville, IN June 14^th.

4. Transition out of our home in Michigan at the end of June and goodbyes with our son Steven as well as church and clinic friends

Thank you praying friends and family! We could not be approaching our 20th year of ministry in Kenya WITHOUT YOU!

Mike and Pam

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission serving at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya

email: mike.chupp@wgm.org

Mailing address: 487 Maiden Lane, St. Joseph, MI 49085

Mike's cell: 269-985-8564

Pam's cell: 269-985-8561

Celebrating God's generous people

Two months ago we sent out letters to approximately 200 people who have known, followed, supported, and prayed for our ministry in Kenya. We shared with you our desire to help the Tenwek housing shortage by building a home of our own after living in our current Tenwek home since 1997. Two wonderful friends, husband and wife, offered us a matching gift for up to $40,000 on funds given by June 1st, just one week ago. This match would take us to the important 80% mark on the house cost so that we could work with Tenwek to prepare for us to build shortly after our return in August. It would also mean a little more fund raising in the next several months to reach the full budget of the house, $120,000.

We are delighted and amazed and humbled to share with you that not only did YOU respond in a generous way to make this match fully possible by giving $40,000 (making for a total of $80,000 with the match), but you responded by giving $77,000 so that the whole budget for the house has been provided for AND a cushion on top for the ever present possibility at Tenwek of the cost going over the budget! A total of $145,000 has been given this year to help us build this home at Tenwek!!!! Praise our loving heavenly Father for using you friends to meet this need. Over 70 different donors gave, including the original matching donor. Our faith has received a huge boost through this experience which God's Spirit orchestrated at just the right time for our ministry. The Tenwek CEO, Mr. Geoffrey Langat, was delighted to hear that we would be ready to start building shortly after arrival this fall. If we can keep the house construction within budget (and we will REALLY work to make that happen!) then Pam and I desire to help kick start the next missionary family that decides to build a home at Tenwek, hopefully within the next year with funds remaining in this fund at WGM.

Celebrating the life of one of God's special servants

How often do the flags of any US county get lowered for a week when one of God's son's or daughter's leave this life to join Him in heaven? That happened this week in Berrien County, Michigan as three term Berrien County Commissioner AND retired Administrator of Southwestern Medical Clinic (over 35 years!) went to be with Jesus on Monday, June 1st at age 85. Mr. Don Gast was the very first Administrator of Mike's group, Southwestern Medical Clinic, and officially recruited Mike to move north from Indianapolis to join a very special group of Christian doctors passionate about missions and serving the poor in Berrien County. The funeral was yesterday and what a reunion of Southwestern doctors, including several missionary doctors, it was. There are so many great things that could be said of Don Gast and some were shared yesterday by family and friends. There is no question that it was Don's winsome way and good communication that won our hearts for SWMC in 1993. It is no secret that we don't especially like winter in Michigan, but Don helped us to see that God wanted us in the great white north during times in the US on Homeland Ministry Assignment! Don and his wife Jule loved people and served them quietly and completely. As a student at Wheaton College around 1947, he was friends of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and Ed McCully who went to Ecuador together as missionaries in the mid 50's. Jim, Nate Saint, and Ed McCully, and two other men were murdered in 1956 attempting to reach the Huaorani tribe for Christ. Don shared with us how great an impact Jim's death had on him when we first visited the clinic and the hospital here in Berrien County in early 1993. Don Gast, like thousands of other Christians, felt that God wanted him to make an impact on missions and advancing the gospel around the world after the five men gave their lives for the gospel,. When given the opportunity to help administer a very peculiar group of doctors in his home of Berrien County, it was a match made in heaven. There are so many missionary doctors who have been helped by Don and Jule Gast since the mid 70's in very tangible, ministry assisting ways. He made our first three years in Michigan, when two of our children were born, so delightful and smooth. The founder of SWMC, Dr. Weldon Cooke, shared at the funeral yesterday, "Don Gast seemed to be always on my side, supporting me.....but then again, he seemed to be on every doctor's side!". What a testimony and BIG challenge to me for my work and ministry at Tenwek Hospital as Medical Director! To serve the medical, nursing, IT, lab, xray, PT, and other departments at Tenwek with national and missionary staff so that they say "Dr. Chupp is on our side and he cares about us!" Thank you heavenly Father for calling and enabling servants like Don Gast to serve the body of Christ that is working to advance your Kingdom in southwest Michigan and WAY BEYOND!

HMA (Homeland Ministry Assignment) Homestretch

Friday was Mike's official last full day of work though a couple of calls remain to help the surgery department with night coverage this month. Next weekend we will travel to Mooresville, IN, to share at Grace Church where Mike was saved, baptized, and we were married, and originally commissioned to be missionaries to Africa. This is going HOME to share with family about what God has done in our ministry and what we envision happening in our ministry over the next two years in Kenya at Tenwek Hospital. If you live in the Indy area, feel free to check out service times at Grace on June 14th and "Come on Down"! Our departure date from Michigan to travel to Chattanooga remains June 30th and departure for Kenya August 2nd.

THANK YOU DEAR FRIENDS FOR GIVING GENEROUSLY AND PRAYING FOR OUR FAMILY!

Mike and Pam Chupp

Just two weeks!

Just 13 days before our planned departure for Kenya and God has surprised us with an opportunity for mentoring and mobilizing medical missionaries. Mentoring and mobilizing are two of the three areas of our ministry focus, found in our new Chupp ministry logo on this Chupplink blog. We paid a visit to Bristol, TN and CMDA headquarters last week (Christian Medical Dental Associations) and were invited to share with the staff during their weekly Tuesday morning devotional time. Dr. David Stevens, CEO of CMDA, and former Medical Director at Tenwek Hospital in the 1980's, rolled out the red carpet for us and took us on a tour of the facilities, introducing us to many senior staff. What a dedicated group of people, advancing the cause of medical missions around the world. CMDA is the largest group of Christian Physicians and Dentists in the US. Over 900 of the 15,000+ physician and dentist members of CMDA are medical missionaries. Dr. Stevens together with his right hand man, Dr. Gene Rudd, and the other 50+ staff there in Bristol are energized and passionate about seeing the Great Commission advanced through caring in Jesus' healing name. We sang and shared about the Tenwek Hospital ministry before a very sympathetic audience! During the visit we were made aware of a CMDA ministry designed to help new medical missionaries from many health care mission organizations prepare for their fields of ministry. This next weekend CMDA will be hosting one of these pre-field sessions for over 20 new medical missionaries including spouses. Susan Carter, former WGM missionary, is the head of the Center for Medical Missions, the CMDA ministry that spearheads the event. Susan was CEO of Tenwek for several years and was Mike's first "boss" in 1997 when he became Medical Superintendent at Tenwek. Susan invited us to be a part of a couple of the sessions with these new medical missionaries, focusing on sharing about family life in another culture as part of a small panel. One of the couples participating this weekend is headed for Tenwek, Dr. Dylan and Jessica Nugent. Dylan is an orthopedic surgeon who together with his wife and four boys, leave for Kenya in October. We are excited to invest a couple of days that we have remaining in the US to meet and encourage such a large group of new missionary doctors and their families headed for the field. We have prayed that God would use us this year, while on HMA, to influence and impact and encourage young medical professionals starting their missionary careers.

Dr. David Stevens, CEO of CMDA and former Medical Superintendent at Tenwek Hospital. Dr. Stevens wrote Mike in 1988 and invited him to join the medical staff at Tenwek after training.

We had a second unexpected opportunity last week, that of visiting the Rev. Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. At the invitation of long time friends, Don and Pat Hoover, who live in Charlotte, we spent three most inspiring and moving hours at the library. What incredible lives of obedience and service on the part of Billy and Ruth Graham, pointing to the message of the cross of Christ! If you have never been to the library, which is free to the public, we highly recommend it. The video highlighting Rev. Graham's interviews by various TV talk show hosts was amazing. With humility, respect, and amazing wisdom, Rev. Graham answered very tough questions from the likes of Woody Allen, Phil Donahue, Johnny Carson, and Larry King which seemed to astound the talk show hosts. Wow, what a testimony of being "wise as serpents and harmless as doves". Our prayer is that God will raise up not just one but several Billy Grahams in our generation and in our children's generation to proclaim the good news of God's love, demonstrated so clearly in the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus on a Roman cross. The Graham family has had a huge impact on Tenwek Hospital over the last 40+ years. Tenwek's first pediatrician, Dr. Dick Morse, went forward to follow Christ at a Billy Graham crusade in Boston, MA as a medical student and shortly thereafter, felt a strong call of God to be a medical missionary. He and his wife Betty served at Tenwek Hospital with World Gospel Mission in Kenya starting in the late 60's. Franklin Graham's two organizations, Samaritan's Purse and World Medical Mission, have been tremendous partners of the Tenwek ministry since the 1970's. There is no question that Tenwek Hospital would not be the ministry it is today without the incredible financial and human resources that were sent to Tenwek through these organizations. Ruth Graham's father, Dr. L. Nelson Bell, was a missionary doctor in China before World War 2. In honor of Dr. Bell, Samaritan's Purse has been the leading partner in establishing and supporting the ongoing work of training hospital chaplains at Tenwek in the "L. Nelson Bell School of Chaplaincy". Chaplains from all over the continent of Africa have come to Tenwek Hospital for this training over the last 20+ years. They have seen our motto "We Treat - Jesus Heals" in action as they are taught evangelism and spiritual care over the course of the two year diploma. We are MOST grateful for the encouragement and challenge from the Graham family to carry on keeping the main thing, the main thing....proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don and Pat Hoover are both in their 70's and have a Billy Graham approach to retirement: God didn't tell us to stop serving Him when we retired! Don and Pat, both retired after successful business careers, spend many hours each month donating their time and help to Friends of Tenwek, a 501C3 organization for the last few years. Don has also led several teams of pastors and young people from Charlotte to Kenya for vision and service in missions. He actually leaves next week with such a team of young people on their first cross-cultural short term missions trip to Tenwek. Praise the Lord for gray haired saints who keep on keeping on in service for Christ!

Our visit to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC with Don and Pat Hoover and Mom Chupp on far right.

Would you pray with us for the following needs?

1. Our final preparations to return to Kenya on August 2nd

2. Transition of our daughter Melody to South Carolina to start her second year of college, majoring in biology at Upstate campus, University of South Carolina.

3. Our son Steven is looking for longer term housing and a job in St. Joseph, MI this month.

4. Staffing at Tenwek Hospital for doctors is critically low due to cancellations of short term doctors and some departures of national doctors for further training. Please pray for national and short term US doctors to hear of this need and answer the call for "Help needed!".

Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Serving at Tenwek Mission Hospital in Kenya since 1996

During many miles of travel this month of July, here in the South, my girls have been discussing their dreams of someday finding their "soul mate". Leave it to Dad to be just a little out of touch with what the term "soul mate" means! "Dad, how can YOU ask THAT? You have MOM!" Pam, understandably frustrated by her husband's dull wit asked "Yeah, what about me?!" Yes, what about her? This past weekend we attended a Pre-field orientation training for over 20 new medical missionaries sponsored by CMDA (Christian Medical Dental Associations) in Bristol, TN. These missionaries are from various mission organizations and will be headed to countries all over the globe in the coming year. Singles, couples, couples with small children were all in attendance. Our primary role was to serve on a panel Friday afternoon and talk about issues that impact the medical missionary family. Our oldest daughter Melody participated with us and joined four other panel members: a retired missionary couple, an internist who had served in China, and an adult MK who is now a grandmother. The discussion was lively, the questions very good ones, and my fellow panel members gave wonderful, sage advice and clarity to what life is really like within the family context on the mission field long term. That included Melody, whom the young parents in the group wanted to especially hear from in terms of her boarding school experience, pros and cons. Mel did such a good job transparently explaining the highs and lows of living away from us at Rift Valley Academy for all four years of high school. She summed it up by saying she would NEVER trade that experience for any other school experience, anywhere. The combination of semi-independent living in high school, deep friendships with kids from many nations whose parents were serving all over Africa, and teachers/dorm parents who are deeply in love with the Lord Jesus and the missionary kids, made for an incredible, foundational life preparation for Melody.

Ok, what about lessons from my soul mate? Pam fielded a number of questions from young wives and moms and even one young surgeon, a husband and dad, who wanted to know from Pam how Mike had been able to make her feel loved above his work with patients and ministry at Tenwek Hospital over the course of 20 years? Gulp! (I started sweating profusely!) Without pause or pretense, my wonderful wife used that question to give a testimony about God's grace and kindness to her over the course of the last 20 years that we have served in Kenya, through good and bad times, through joy and sorrow, success and failures. She explained about struggling with depression in 2008 in the midst of Kenya's post-election crisis, perceived home-schooling failures, and a rather long five year term of service at Tenwek. My soul mate described how that struggle in 2008 -09 had given me, her husband, an opportunity to show her once and for all that she really mattered to me. Her welfare and her emotional health were of greater importance, not my work/ministry in Kenya. I watched in awe as she calmly and genuinely described how she had come out of that situation completely emotionally healed and strong with God's help and an extra year in the US. Instead of "throwing me under the bus" in front of 20+ new medical missionaries (she could have told many interesting stories on her husband!) she shared how God has been faithful to her and our family as we have obeyed his call to serve as medical missionaries in Africa. If only she could have seen herself giving that testimony 20 years ago! Back then she was often feeling insecure, anxious about inadequacy, and wondering why God had picked her to be a missionary and surgeon's wife. Over the years though, Pam has been the steady, stabilizing force in our family. Her name means "sweet fragrance" and she has made our home a sweet smelling place for me and for our children and for our hundreds of guests at Tenwek since 1996. God knew a soul mate that this missionary surgeon would need to survive for the long haul in ministry. He also knew what my wife would need from her soul mate to grow in her faith and trust in God's never failing care for her.

Certainly God is not finished with either of us yet. We leave on Sunday evening, Aug 2nd, for Kenya with arrival in Nairobi, God willing, Monday evening. After a couple of days of shopping and rest in Nairobi, we will head for Tenwek on Thursday morning, August 6th. Mike already has a meeting scheduled with the Tenwek CEO, Mr. Geoffrey Langat, and Don Hoover, one of the founders of the Friends of Tenwek organization, on August 7th. My soul mate and sweet fragrance, Pam, and I request your specific prayers for the following concerns:

For the trip back to Kenya and Tenwek Hospital with our two younger daughters, Kayla and Ashley, this weekend: for journey "mercies" of some rest and opportunities to be faithful witnesses for our Lord with fellow passengers, security and immigration officers, van drivers, flight attendants, etc.
For Steve and Melody as they remain in the US and either find jobs or start school in August. Steve has returned to St. Joseph, MI and is looking for work and a more permanent place to live while Melody starts school at the University of South Carolina in Spartanburg on August 20th.
Staff deficiencies at Tenwek: Since January of this year seven longer term doctors have left Tenwek to return to the US as planned. An additional three long term doctors have had unplanned family and personal issues that have brought them home to the US from Tenwek this summer. On top of that SEVEN short term visiting doctors cancelled their time of service at Tenwek this summer due to concerns about security in Kenya. This has left Tenwek in a crisis with several departments with minimal to no consultant level doctors available to do patient care. An emergency appeal has been sent out from the CMDA (Christian Medical Dental Associations) network and a few doctors have responded from Mike's group in Michigan, PTL. Please pray that God will give incredible strength and grace to the doctors who are currently at Tenwek until reinforcements (including Mike) arrive in August and September.

I'll close this blogpost with a scripture that has become especially meaningful to us this week as God incredibly answered a specific prayer of Mike and a young college graduate. Joel White has a business degree and is the incoming Friends of Tenwek intern for the next two years. He submitted his work permit to serve at Tenwek last April but became discouraged with no news from Kenyan immigration after three months of waiting. Mike called him on Monday to encourage him and they prayed over the phone that God would open the door in His time and allow Joel to go to Kenya to serve. Today, word came from our business assistant in Nairobi, Jane, that his work permit has been granted! PTL! Joel will be a wonderful addition to our Tenwek staff and a big help to Mike and administration as he has an interest in hospital administration for his future. What is that scripture I mentioned above?

Isa 26:7 "But for the righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right and you smooth out the path ahead of them."

Pam and I and the girls are trusting our loving Father to "smooth out the path ahead of us" this weekend as we return to Kenya and ministry at Tenwek Hospital. Thanks to all of you for praying and giving and encouraging the Chupp family this year. We love you.

Dr. Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Serving at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya

mike.chupp@wgm.org

Return to a quiet Tenwek community.....

Well, some of you were praying, we just know it. We have completed one of the smoothest and kindest transitions back to our home in Kenya in the last 19 years. The only new experience was arriving at Tenwek last Thursday evening (with it raining, of course, which is not unusual) to a compound with many empty houses. We believe this situation will be temporary as the next three months should see the return of several career missionaries to Tenwek in addition to many hastily recruited short term doctors, due to the current shortage of staff. Today we had lunch with one of the longest serving missionaries at Tenwek, Faith Shingledecker, who has served at Tenwek for 35 years this year. Faith is our local cake maker and we enjoyed one of her creations after lunch today..

Our return marked the beginning of a steady flow of arrivals of short and long term missionaries over the next 90 days. Thank you heavenly Father! Many of you have been praying over the acute staffing needs we have here right now at Tenwek, especially in terms of experienced, consultant physicians. God has heard our prayers and people are responding to the need. An ObGyn doc from Michigan, Dr. Tom Ritter of Southwestern Medical Clinic and a Pediatrician arrived yesterday from the US as well as a neurosurgeon and his family. Our Chief of ObGyn, Dr. Joy Draper, and her husband and son arrive this coming week as well.

In spite of the staff numbers, our Eye department sponsored an outreach into South Sudan, our first all Kenyan team to travel internationally for cataract surgery. Pam is learning the role of logistics coordinator for these teams so she spent most of a day helping the team leader, Cataract surgeon, David Sawe, get just the right volume of supplies to stay under the allotted weight limit for the plane to South Sudan that they would be using. We had a wonderful send off for the team Wednesday morning with many missionary and national staff surrounding the seven Kenyan team members and praying for them. PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THESE TENWEK STAFF TO POINT SUDANESE, WHO RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT THIS WEEK, TO OUR HEALER, JESUS. WE DESIRE THAT THEIR SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS WILL BE CURED AS WELL.

Upper pic: Seven Tenwek staff, our first all Kenyan cataract surgery team, prepare to leave Tenwek for South Sudan. Lower pic: Pam with team leader David Sawe, who is a clinical officer, fully trained and licensed to do cataract surgery.

Into the Fray....

This past week was full of many meetings with department heads as well as hand-over from the two doctors who have been covering the Medical Director responsibilities for two months this summer, Carol Spears (surgeon) and Steve Manchester (family medicine). One special opportunity was meeting our first full day with the Tenwek Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Geoffrey Langat, as well as a visiting founder of the Friends of Tenwek organization, Mr. Don Hoover, from Charlotte, NC. Don and Mike spent some productive time discussing a visit in January by FOT Board members AND the various projects that FOT is helping Tenwek with right now.

Mike and Don Hoover, Secretary/Treasurer of the Friends of Tenwek organization that is now in its 6th year and has raised nearly $1 million for Tenwek Hospital projects. Thank you Don and the FOT Board!

House construction preparations...

We had no sooner moved back into our long term home at Tenwek (18 years) when we had a big meeting with the head of Tenwek's Maintenance and Construction Department, Mr. Joseph Maiyo, to plan the way forward for building our new home on campus. The various heads of the electrical, water, construction, and engineering departments all met with us on the plot of ground that Tenwek recently purchased near the Tenwek river to allow more homes to be built for staff. These utilities and construction staff at Tenwek seemed almost as excited as we are to begin the first home construction in our Tenwek community in ten years. Thanks again to all of you who gave so generously so that this new home construction could happen this fall. This will hopefully allow us to move out of our current home by next summer, making room for a bigger physician's family with younger children and need for more space. Would you pray with us that all of the government approvals and registrations for this construction will be granted so that we can break ground sometime in late September or early October?

Family Happenings...

Our two younger daughters have been delighted to be back in their life long home at Tenwek while preparing to return to Rift Valley Academy in about two weeks. Kayla will be a junior and Ashley an eighth grader, in her first year at RVA. Melody, our oldest daughter, starts her second year of college this week, having transferred to the University of South Carolina, Upstate campus in Spartanburg, SC. She will be majoring in biology this year, on a pre-professsional track. She was blessed with a Christian advisor on campus who took her on specifically because she learned of the unique family situation with her parents living in Kenya as missionaries. Our son Steven has been living in St. Joseph, MI after our departure to be near his home church and friends while he seeks direction from the Lord for his life.

For Steven and Melody and our two younger daughters, I have been meditating on memory verses from Psalm 32:8,9 "The Lord says 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.'" (NLT)

I am so encouraged that our loving Lord says that He will guide us not just TO but ALONG the "best pathway for your life". He is our ever present adviser and watchman on this journey. Wow, do I not want to behave in such a way that God needs to "bit and bridle" me or my family to get us to go down the right pathway.

God bless you this week as you or your children or grandchildren prepare to go back to school for the fall term. May HE guide YOU along a pathway of joy, peace, and growth through the work of His Spirit in your life.

Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Serving at Tenwek Hospital, Bomet, Kenya, East Africa

email: kenyachupps@yahoo.com

Kenya cell: +254-724-629125

A Great Day of Celebration at Raiya Church

Three weeks ago a small leadership team from a local Africa Gospel Church congregation called Raiya AGC (pronounced RYE YUH) paid us a visit on our back porch. This team consisted of Pastor Robert Bett and three of his lay leaders for evangelism, development, and the treasurer of the church. Pastor Bett invited us to return to share and celebrate with his church as our family and two of our supporting churches (Woodland Shores Baptist in Bridgman, Michigan and Grace Church in Mooresville, IN) had played a huge part in building the church starting in 2005. A Woodland Shores team had put on the roof in 2005 while the Grace team had poured the concrete floor and helped plaster the walls in 2007. It had been nearly eight years since we had visited this church that was planted in the middle of a community notorious for its local brewing of alcohol many years ago but now has been redeemed and transformed in part through the influence of this little church. Today we paid a visit to Raiya and celebrated with the church family all that God had done to help this church stand strong and be a bright light in a tough community, about 6 km from Tenwek Hospital.
The church compound hasn't changed much since 2007...

Raiya Church with several members out front

The church has had its tough times but Pastor Robert has remained steadfast and faithful to this congregation over the past 8 years. His leadership team is growing and adding some men to the mix.

Raiya local church council

Mike had the opportunity to preach and chose the title "Not so with you", Jesus command to his disciples in Matthew 20 when they were arguing about who would be the greatest.

Mike enjoying speaking with Pastor Robert interpreting into Kipsigis

We were honored with locally made gifts of a US flag rug, purse for Pam, belt for Mike. The kiddos on the right loved feeling Pam's white skin and touching her blonde hair.

No visit to share and celebrate a special occasion is complete without....a tree planting.

The founders of this church, mostly women, gathered for a picture with Pastor Bett. Pam and I had the opportunity to shake their hands and thank them for their faithfulness to God and His kingdom.

Founders of Raiya Church. They began meeting under a shade after a Tenwek missionary doctor (Dr. Russ White) and one of our staff (Mr. Geoffrey Musyoka) held a week of evangelism meetings in an open field where Raiya stands today.

One of the church women, Caroline, has the gift of evangelism and left a larger local town church to join Raiya a year ago. Her efforts have been blessed by God as in the last year alone, over 15 women have been saved and started attending the church from the local community. Many of these women used to brew alcohol and contributed to the huge number of men and women who became alcoholics in the Raiya area. These women's lives have been transformed and the joy of Jesus love radiated from many that we met today.

New members at Raiya in last year alone due to evangelism efforts by Caroline (holding Bible on front row) and her husband Sammy (in back left).

At the conclusion of the service, the entire church leadership team came forward for Mike to pray over them and ask God to empower them to be GREAT SERVANTS in that community. Please pray that the gospel of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit will transform even more lives through the ministry of this local church, only three miles from Tenwek Hospital.

Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries serving in Kenya, East Africa

World Gospel Mission/Tenwek Hospital

Box 948 Marion, IN 46952

+254-724-629125

kenyachupps@yahoo.com

LESSONS FROM AN INSPIRED TEENAGER

Her name is Anna Redding and her father, Dr. Mark Redding, a neurosurgeon, came to Tenwek Hospital in 2014 for his third short term medical mission trip to our hospital. When he returned home, his daughter Anna wondered if there might be something she could do to make a difference in the lives of the babies and moms of the Tenwek nursery. She was entering her senior year of high school in the state of North Carolina and one of her senior assignments called for a community service project. Anna asked her dad "What do you think I could do to help the Tenwek nursery babies? I obviously don't have any medical or nursing ability but I want to help." They thought and prayed and Dr. Mark had an idea: "Anna, you love golf and are pretty good at it. Why not ask for people to pledge a gift for every birdie you make in your senior year golf season?" Anna looked carefully at her junior year performance and thought that maybe for her senior year she could possibly get three birdies per round of golf. She counted up all the matches and tournaments her senior year and predicted that she might get 30 to 35 birdies that season and then she went to work making phone calls and talking to friends at church, school, and in the community. They decided to call this project: "Birdies for Babies".

Now Dr. Redding and Dr. David Hoover, President of the Friends of Tenwek (FOT) organization, are good friends and Dr. Hoover suggested to Anna that this would be an exciting project for FOT. Pledges starting coming in for $1, $5, $10 a birdie and the fall high school girls golf season began. Anna had kept her project secret from the other golfers with whom she was competing, but she was a determined and focused young lady to help those babies! Her first several matches and tournaments were amazing. She played at a level that amazed her coach and teammates and the competition. She wasn't averaging three birdies per round but SIX birdies per round and led her team to many victories. Half way through the season she had already reached her prediction of 30 birdies and asked her dad, "Should I stop, because we told the donors that I would drop around 30 birdies? Will they be upset with me?" Mark and Anna decided that she should push on and work harder and let the donors decide what to do about their pledges. Every time she leaned over to sink a difficult putt, she thought about those tiny premature and sick babies in the Tenwek nursery. She was a putting machine! Her opponents had no idea what was going through her mind and inspiring this young golfer. By the end of the season she had dropped 63 birdies and three eagles and was the number one female high school golfer in North Carolina!! She was named female golfer of the year in that state and was mentioned in Sports Illustrated as one of the young female golfers in the US to watch in the future. At the final tally, Anna had raised over $22,000 for the Tenwek nursery through the Birdies for Babies campaign.

After consulting the Tenwek pediatrician, Dr. Chuck Bemm, on the top need for the Tenwek nursery, Anna and her father decided to purchase a brand new GE Giraffe incubator with the $22,000. Mike and the FOT intern stationed at Tenwek, Mr. Joel White, worked on the logistics of the purchase, shipping, and installation of the incubator at Tenwek in late 2015. This week Anna and her father, Dr. Redding, returned to Tenwek to see the incubator in use and found a tiny baby, named Kipkoech Bett, thriving inside. Kipkoech was born premature, weighing only 750 grams back in December, but this week had reached the weight of nearly two kgs and is nearing discharge. In a dedication and appreciation ceremony this week for Anna, the Tenwek nursery staff and members of the FOT Board gathered for prayer around the new GE incubator with Kipkoech sleeping inside. There was not a dry eye in the room as the following letter was read to Anna by Mike to the group:
Dear Annie,
We haven’t been properly introduced yet but we will forever be linked. My name is Kipkoech, I just woke up a few days ago. I was placed in a wooden box the day I was born because I needed help surviving this big world right now. Then all of a sudden I was given a new shiny home. I asked them why and how. They told me that a very special girl came to Tenwek once and fell in love with us little ones. They say she worked really hard to purchase a new home for us while we are here. I couldn’t believe how amazing this girl was and the feats she accomplished. After I heard their story I just had to meet and write this hero of mine. So I found out her name. Annie Redding. That’s you, Annie Redding, you were coming to Tenwek and I just had to write you. I had to tell you how much I love you! You saw a need and fought to see it met. Because of you I have a home. A home that is safe, clean and warm. Through you, hundreds of infants will inhabit this same home I live in and survive because of it. Thank you Annie Redding for your love for Jesus Christ. A man that I hope to one day follow and love just as you.
I love you Annie and I thank you for allowing God to work through you.
Patiently waiting to meet you,
Kipoech

Kipkoech in his first home in the Tenwek nursery, a GE Giraffe incubator

We don't know how many dozens, if not hundreds of babies' lives will be impacted/saved by this new state of the art incubator in the Tenwek nursery. What we do know is that Anna has encouraged and energized our nursery staff to the max. Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." There are several lessons that Anna and her Birdies for Babies campaign can teach us but the main lesson is that God can use any gift or skill or talent that we have to bring glory to Himself. Placed in the Master's hand, a talent for putting a golf ball into the cup can make for a wonderful story like Anna's. God asked Moses "What is that you have in your hand?" and Moses gave up his shepherd's staff to be used to demonstrate God's power. A putter may not seem very divine or useful in God's kingdom but if given to the Master for His purposes can accomplish kingdom purposes.

Anna Redding, center, in Tenwek nursery this week with Mr. Don Hoover, FOT Board member. (Her proud Dad, Dr. Mark Redding just behind the GE incubator taking pictures!)

What is in YOUR hand right now? What training or skill or giftedness or availability could you offer to the Lord Jesus for His purposes? Anna Redding now has a full ride golf scholarship to the University of Virginia and is starting her spring golf season there. Keep an eye out for this young lady golfer. I have a feeling God isn't finished with her yet! I also have a feeling that He isn't finished with you and me either.

If you would like to see a great video of the dedication in our nursery with Anna and an interview with Anna and her dad produced by Rev. Dean Cowles, view it on YouTube at the following address:

https://youtu.be/wE5SrsBqyrM

Dr. Mike and Pam Chupp

Medical Director and Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Tenwek Hospital, Kenya

Finals Competition on Palm Sunday

Tenwek Children's Bible Quizzing Kids and Coaches 2016

It was a very busy and energetic Bible quizzing season this year with over 200 children participating and 30 coaches challenging their kids to study nine chapters in the last half of Matthew. We had a second site about 30 minutes from Tenwek (Mosop school) where four different schools with nearly 200 students also participated. We concluded with a tournament last weekend to determine out top teams in the older primary school division (Grades 6 to 8) and our younger division (Grades 4 and 5). For the first time that Pam and I can remember, the Bible material we studied and memorized with the kids aligned perfectly with the Easter message this month. We don't have the final number of medals handed out for scripture memory but well over 100 kids earned gold medals, meaning they had quoted to their coaches, word perfect, either 60 verses (older kids) or 45 verses (younger kiddos) that we had selected as the most powerful for kids to remember. Another 50 or more kids earned silver and bronze medals for fewer verses memorized. Our theme "Loving My God....KABISA" came from Matthew 22: 37-39 the "Great Commandment" passage. "Kabisa" is a great Swahili word meaning "with everything" or "entirely". See pics below for scenes from last weekend's final competition and awards..

Pam and Dr. Angela Many doing final stats for individual award winners in both divisions.

Two quizzers having fun during "study" time.

"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God."

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Action from Palm Sunday tournament with 30 teams involved in the final month of competition.

The top ten quizzers in our younger division

Lots of fun times on each team with kids making new friends

One of the verses we asked the kids to memorize this year was from Matthew 19:14 which says "but Jesus said "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." On the last Sunday of January we held our first competition for the 200+ kids and as we prepared all three quizzing rooms at the hospital, dark storm clouds started gathering to pour down rain on our campus, which it does often on Sunday afternoons. As I looked at the ominous storm clouds gathering, I was alone walking between venues and I simply asked God ..."Father in heaven, would you allow these children to come and have fun, quoting your word, focused on learning from your son Jesus today without getting rained on and being hindered?" I guess my faith was a little small as I prayed this prayer with an umbrella in my hand! God heard my prayer and, I kid you not, the storm clouds passed around Tenwek Hospital, pouring rain all over the hillsides around us but didn't get our quizzers wet at all! God does hear our prayers, especially when we are looking out for his precious possessions "for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven". We thank you on this Easter for praying and giving to make this children's program a success this year. We especially appreciate the efforts of Berrien Center Bible Church in Michigan, Grace Church in Mooresville, IN, Woodland Park Baptist Church and Silverdale Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN for providing funds and t-shirts for this year's program. God bless you all!

HAPPY EASTER FROM THE CHUPPS AT TENWEK HOSPITAL IN KENYA!

Mike, Pam, Kayla, and Ashley

Official Announcements

Ok, so I am not a white water kinda guy nor is my better half, Pam, so why a title about rafts and rapids? Well, first, talking about Class 5 challenges sounds...well, exciting! In just a little over two months our family of four will be saying farewell to our national and missionary co-workers at Tenwek Hospital (July 13th)just one month short of the twenty year mark. We attended the biannual missionary medicine conference held near Marathon, Greece for nearly two weeks in April along with nearly 700 other medical missionaries including families. The event is sponsored by the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA), the wonderful 80 year old organization that I have been asked to join as Senior VP on Sept 1st in Bristol, TN. At the conference it was officially announced that I was taking on Senior VP, Dr. Gene Rudd's role, coming along side former Tenwek Medical Director and now for 20 years CMDA CEO, Dr. David Stevens. Many good talks with long time friends and colleagues in the medical missionary community followed with many words of encouragement, delight, and words of wisdom on the way forward. What a great joy to receive encouragement and support from many of our heroes and co-workers in medical missions who work all over Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. CMDA and Dr. Stevens have made it a top priority to "fan the flame" of the call of God on the hearts and lives of over 1,400 young Christian medical professionals in the states who desire to serve God in missions. We had some really good talks with CMDA staff and leadership at the conference with our first assignment being given to us by Dr. Stevens at the conference....to represent CMDA at the Thailand Medical Missions conference in February 2017. This is the sister conference to the Greece conference and focuses on training and spiritual renewal for medical missionaries primarily serving in the Far East and Asia during the odd years.

WGM Kenya team at the Marathon, Greece CMDA conference April 4th to 14th

After attending our annual WGM Kenya retreat on the coast the latter part of April and dropping Kayla and Ashley back at RVA to begin Term 3, we arrived back at Tenwek for the final week of April. An Executive committee of the Tenwek Board of Governors met and appointed Dr. Steve Burgert as my replacement as the Tenwek Medical Superintendent, starting July 1st. Steve is a gastroenterologist who has been at Tenwek for nearly 7 years with his wife Alene. Both Steve and Alene had shared with us that God had been preparing them for more involvement in leadership and administration in their ministries at Tenwek and in Kenya. When we shared with the Burgerts about leaving Tenwek this summer and the need for a new Medical Director, Steve immediately started thinking and praying about this possibility. This particular issue of handing over the medical staff leadership was one of my biggest concerns and God very clearly took care of it with the willingness and availability of Dr. Burgert with the support of the Tenwek CEO and Board. Over the next 7 to 8 weeks, Steve and I will be spending a fair amount of time together understanding the responsibilities he will be assuming and working together on many projects and medical staff issues. Please pray for Dr. Burgert as he takes on this responsibility of leading the medical staff and serving with other chief officers in the management and mission of Tenwek Hospital which is in its 80th year.

Dr. Steve Burgert and Mike after Tenwek Executive Board appointed Steve as the next Medical Superintendent starting July 1st as we return to the states to join CMDA.

Well, what about that house you were going to build at Tenwek? Good question! We have been quite pleased with the progress on the foundation and lower level since the first of April. The lower level is beginning to take shape and the construction team is right on schedule. Dr. Mike and Julie Ganey, our newest WGM career missionaries at Tenwek, are taking on the role of the main clients this month and have adjusted the plans a bit to suit the needs of their young family. Mike, a pediatric surgeon, and his wife Julie have two small children. They are hoping to finish the house some time in the late fall with a move in by Thanksgiving or Christmas. We are quite pleased that the construction costs are within budget thus far. Thanks to many of you who gave so generously one year ago to make this new home a reality at Tenwek as housing has become very tight with new families wanting to come over the next 6 to 12 months to serve with our team.

New Tenwek house under construction with Dr. Mike Ganey and Pam in the background checking out the progress with the construction team this week.

With just two months to go, you might guess that we have a lot of packing and many goodbyes to say at Tenwek. Yes we do! On the other hand, I still have some important Tenwek staffing issues to deal with which need much prayer. One critical issue for prayer is that the Kenya Medical Board decided this year not to license or renew the license of doctors with DO degrees from outside Kenya (Doctor of Osteopathic medicine). DO's and MD's have become nearly synonymous in the United States with graduates completing a four year medical school and the same specialty residencies. Why the Board changed and is refusing to license DO's, we don't yet know. This will impact many mission hospitals like Tenwek as some of our missionaries and short term visitors have DO degrees including one of our new long term missionary doctors coming in about 7 months, Dr. Aaron Kelley, our first career Emergency Medicine trained doctor at Tenwek. Several of us, as leaders in our hospitals, plan on a meeting with the Board CEO in Nairobi as early as this Wednesday to ask why the change and can the decision be revisited? We have been in contact with leadership of the American Osteopathic Association and the American Federation of State Medical Boards to get information and support for the equivalency of the MD and DO degrees. Stay tuned for feedback on this issue! Several sister mission hospitals have joined with us in prayer and communication support for this endeavor. Please help us with your prayers as this decision stands to impact the careers of several missionary doctors in Kenya.

The Move

So what about that transition and the RAFT? Our two older kids, Steven and Melody, underwent excellent preparation at Rift Valley Academy for life and learning in the US after they graduated from high school. The concept of a RAFT or Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewells, Transition, has been part of our family discussions several times over the years. Now it is time for kids AND parents to prepare our RAFT for the move home to the US. We feel so blessed that within our community at Tenwek, we feel at peace about our relationships with national and missionary co-workers who have encouraged us and cried with us and prayed over us as July approaches. At our WGM missionary retreat last month, the entire field, over 50 missionaries and their kids, gathered around us to pray about our change in ministry to join CMDA after two decades at Tenwek. We have so much to Affirm here in Kenya in terms of our wonderful WGM co-workers and the hospital leadership and staff. The Farewells will be difficult and we will really grieve over this goodbye for many reasons. The paradox is that we are very excited about what lies ahead on this path. Already God has given us some BIG TIME help. Our renters in Michigan have agreed to buy our house on Maiden Lane and have signed a purchase agreement. A rental house has just become available on the CMDA property, a five minute walk from Mike's future office in September. My folks have graciously offered for us to have use of their minivan and CMDA plans on providing us with a second car for me to use.

We have tickets to fly out of Nairobi on the evening of July 14th, right after attending the RVA graduation ceremony in which four of our Tenwek MK's will finish high school this year, a record number. God willing, we plan on moving all of our things out of storage in Michigan with the help of a moving company and heading south to Bristol the week of July 25th. Our two adult kids, Steven and Melody, are very excited that we will be back in the US to stay and we are very excited to be with them again this summer. We covet your prayers through these next 2 1/2 months, just as you have prayed for us through many years of victories and challenges, depending upon God's hand to see us through.

A Final training opportunity....

Over the next four to six weeks I will be leading the Tenwek clinical staff through a CMDA spiritual intervention training course called "Grace Prescriptions". This 12 module course was produced through the efforts of CMDA's Senior VP, Dr. Gene Rudd, the doctor I'll be coming along side for training in September. The course has had a significant impact on Christian healthcare providers in the US and I believe will be well received and a big help to us at Tenwek. Our first session last week was a good kick-off for the course. We will meet every Wednesday morning for an hour to get through this training that promotes faith flags, faith stories, praying with patients, and other approaches to meeting the spiritual needs of Tenwek's patients. Would you pray that all our clinical staff who attend will be able to see and understand better how they can be more like our role model Great Physician, Jesus Christ, in meeting not just the physical needs of Kenyans but their spiritual needs at the bedside as well. See the workbook for the course below....

Pam and I want you to know how deeply we feel that the support team that sent us to Kenya in 1996 to serve the Lord Jesus at Tenwek Hospital (and that includes you) is responsible for our being equipped and empowered to make a difference in Kenya. Without your prayers, encouragement and amazing giving, we would not have made it, no way.

I'll close with some words to a song by Andrae Crouch that Pam and I have each sung several times in our earlier years even before getting married.

How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me?

Things so undeserved yet you give to prove your love for me.

The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.

All that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to you.

To God be the glory, to God be the glory, to God be the glory

For the things He has done.

With His blood He has saved me, with His power He has raised me.

To God be the glory for the things He has done.

Just let me live my life, let it be pleasing, Lord to thee.

And should I gain any praise, let it go to Calvary.

With His blood He has saved me. With His power He has raised me.

To God be the Glory for the things He has done.

On His Mission which He makes possible,

Dr. Mike and Pam Chupp

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission at Tenwek Hospital, Bomet, Kenya

mike.chupp@wgm.org

Farewells and Blessings....

It would be very difficult for us to fully describe the last 10 days of our ministry lives here at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. We are rapidly approaching our launch date of July 14th (immediately after attending the high school graduation ceremony of four Tenwek missionary kids from Rift Valley Academy). Since June 30th, we have taken part in many small and big parties, teas, celebrations, porch encounters in our honor to tell us goodbye and grant us God's greatest blessings as we move to Bristol, TN before the end of July. We will be joining the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) in leadership with two of our heroes, Dr. David Stevens and Dr. Gene Rudd, as well as nearly 70 national and regional staff members. We have had a series of significant "lasts" at Tenwek including Mike's final surgery of his Tenwek career, his first ever bilateral femur nailing under one anesthetic using his favorite technique called a Russell Taylor nailing procedure. This was a less invasive procedure on an 18 year old scout leader who was hit as a pedestrian by a passing car. The young man was up and walking with crutches within a couple of days after surgery, PTL!

Assisting Ortho resident Watson and intern Brian
with bilateral femoral nailing, my last case at Tenwek

Patient Richard after bilateral femur nails.

Tenwek leadership held a wonderful farewell celebration dinner for an entire evening, June 30th, Mike's last official working day as Medical Superintendent. It was attended by several board members, including the Board Chairman, Rev. Dr. Robert Langat, Bishop of the Africa Gospel Church, the Tenwek Management team, and many department heads as well as the long term physician staff. Over 20 speeches were made during the evening and gifts were exchanged between Tenwek and the Chupp family. Pam and our daughter Melody were in attendance for this special evening, celebrating our 20 years of service for Tenwek Mission Hospital. The Tenwek leadership very clearly expressed many heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the time of service to the staff and patients. It was an evening to be remembered and cherished, without question, for the rest of our lives. Some pics from our final weeks and farewells are below....

Tenwek Board Chairman, Rev/Dr. Robert Langat and Tenwek CEO, Mr. Geoffrey Langat, give farewell gift to us.

Hospital Board and Management members pray for us a prayer of dedication in our new role at CMDA-USA

Leading Doctors' devotions using CMDA course, Grace Prescriptions

Prayer of commissioning at Bethesda church

Mike with Radiology staff at Tenwek after farewell party

Final Tenwek ad team meeting with Dr. Steve Burgert, my successor, attending

It's easy, Dr. Steve!

OUR SCHEDULE

July 12th: Departure from Tenwek Hospital

July 14th: Attend Rift Valley Academy Graduation in AM, fly out of Nairobi in PM

July 15th: Arrival in Chicago and St. Joseph, MI

July 16th to 19th: St. Joseph, MI

July 21st to 24th: Central Indiana to visit family and friends

July 25th: Move to Bristol, TN into CMDA rental house

Aug 1st: Ashley and Kayla begin high school classes

Sept 1st: Mike starts as co-Senior Vice-President with Dr. Gene Rudd at CMDA

We request your prayers, friends, as we say goodbye to our beloved Kenya and our wonderful team of missionary and Kenyan co-workers for all these years. Our two daughters, Kayla and Ashley, will have an especially hard time over the next couple of days saying goodbye to classmates and friends at Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, Kenya. We also ask for your prayers as we travel to Nairobi and then the USA this Thursday, July 14th.

Farewell picture today at famous Tenwek sign

I'll close with a wonderful verse, shared with us by some dear friends who serve in Burundi at another mission hospital, Psalm 40:5 "O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them." God has been so good to our family during these years at Tenwek. Many Kenyan staff have told us "Dr. Chupp, you have been faithful in many small things, now God is going to give you responsibility for even bigger things....please be our Tenwek ambassador in the US."

We could NOT have made it through these two decades of service without YOUR prayers, YOUR financial support, and YOUR encouragement time and time again. THANK YOU! As we transition to CMDA leadership, we covet your prayers and your ongoing support as we expand our ministry territory to raise up Christian doctors whose hearts beat to be faithful servants of Jesus Christ, using medicine as a tool.

More to follow.......

Mike and Pam

Our contacts:

Mike and Pam Chupp

email: kenyachupps@yahoo.com

Phone after July 15th: 423-366-2286

Address after July 25th: 490 Old Jonesboro Rd., Bristol, TN 37620

Support through Aug 31st: WGM Box 948 Marion, IN 46952

After August 31st: CMDA, Box 7500 Bristol, TN 37620 (note attached "Mike and Pam Chupp ministry")

We Made it!

Yes, I climbed a new hill this morning to come to a new office from a new home in a new town, called Bristol, in eastern Tennessee. CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Associations) headquarters is at the top of a hill and we live in a CMDA rental house down the hill a few hundred yards. Walking up the hill reminded me of my morning routine at Tenwek Hospital for most of the past two decades, only the road is nicely paved and I didn't dodge any cows or motorcycles! I am writing this Chupplink from my new office in the Campus and Community Ministry section of the building where another new VP, Mr. Bill Reichart, will also be taking up residence soon. Dr. David Stevens (CEO) and Dr. Gene Rudd (Executive VP) have been remarkably hospitable with Gene doubling as maintenance man on the side to help us with various repairs in our new home. While I don't officially begin with CMDA until Sept 1st, there is much to do before that date so that we hit the ground running in the new position of Executive Vice-President, overlapping with Gene until January 1st when he plans to leave the position that he has held for the last 20 years with Dr. Stevens.

Our new ministry base in Bristol, TN...CMDA headquarters

Our family is adjusting very well given all the rapid changes and transition we have experienced in moving from Kenya. Ashley started her freshman year at Tennessee High School (THS) this past Monday, Aug 1st, only 20 days after her final day at RVA in Kenya. Kayla began her senior year also at THS but enrolled in the on-line program. Melody returns to the Upstate campus of the University of South Carolina in ten days in Spartanburg, while our oldest, Steven, awaits word any day now, of acceptance into the Air Force again, his second round of attempting to enter the special forces as a combat controller. God has been so good to us in many different ways these past three weeks since we landed in Chicago and St. Joseph, MI. Our renters officially closed on our house on Maiden Lane in St. Joseph this past Monday and we had smiles all around the title company table. Mine was due to the fact that for the first time in 35 years, we are totally debt free. PTL!

Ministry transition: WGM to CMDA

We have already shared in three supporting churches in the last three weeks and the most common questions we are asked by many including family members: Mike and Pam, how do we transfer support from WGM to CMDA and when should we do that? The answer to the "when" question is simply.....THIS MONTH (ie. August) as our last official date with World Gospel Mission is August 31st. The "how" answer depends upon the way individuals have been supporting our ministry through WGM. If it is by mail and check, then the same route can be used but simply mail the check (made out to "CMDA" or "Christian Medical and Dental Associations") with a note attached "Mike and Pam Chupp ministry" to this address:

Christian Medical and Dental Associations

Donor services

Box 7500

Bristol, TN 37621

CMDA will give our ministry credit for the gift and send you a tax deductible gift receipt, just as WGM has done.

If you have been giving on-line or prefer to transition to electronic gifts, click on the hyperlink below (or copy and paste https://give.cornerstone.cc/cmda-donate/checkout?memo=Mike+and+Pam+Chupp into your browser) and fill out the electronic gift form with CMDA which will then set up regular giving to our ministry with many options for gift amount and frequency. The e-giving link is:

Mike and Pam Chupp CMDA ministry

I have talked with Mrs. Cheryl Bishir who heads up Donor services at WGM and she assured me that all current electronic gifts to our WGM will be stopped as of August 31st. For any questions or concerns about your WGM support moving forward, Cheryl told me that you could call her direct line Monday to Friday at 765-671-7258. (This would include if preferred to transfer your support to another WGM missionary.)

Our new contacts:

Home address: 490 Old Jonesboro Road Bristol, TN 37620

Work address: Christian Medical and Dental Associations, Box 7500 Bristol, TN 37621

Our phone contacts: Mike's cell: 423-366-6005 Pam's cell: 423-366-0881

Work phone: 423-844-1045

Email: (Ministry) mike.chupp@cmda.org (Personal) kenyachupps@yahoo.com

Blog: kenyachupps.blogspot.com

Since our landing in the US, three weeks ago today, I have been sharing with friends and family the 1st verse of the most recent chapter in the Psalms that I have memorized, Psalm 111 (the only scripture reference with four ones!) "Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with His godly people." I have met with many of those godly people over the last three weeks and our hearts are truly overflowing with gratitude. We are thankful for a faithful group of brothers and sisters who have stood with us for the last 20 years of ministry in Kenya. We are also humbled and encouraged by many who have made it clear that they want to continue to help us recruit and train and equip future harvest workers among Christian healthcare workers through CMDA where our new vision is Transformed Doctors Transforming the World.

Serving Jesus, the greatest privilege available!

Mike and Pam Chupp

A loan of courage to make the leap.....

Most people don't know that I (Mike) am a bit anxious about heights (mild acrophobia). So when new friends (Dr. Lisle and Lauren Whitman) took us by boat on nearby South Holston Lake to "cliff island", I wasn't thinking that my fear would be confronted. It was a flat lake, right? That's when "D-Dad" told me to strap on my life jacket because we were going to make the jump off of cliff island. ("D-Dad" is Lisle's 70-something father who is over 6 feet tall and very robust.) I looked up to the top of cliff island and noticed that the side of a vertical rock wall in front of us was marked every five feet. By those markings, the top of the cliff was right around 30 feet from the water surface as the summer heat usually drops the water level precipitously by September. I wanted to politely tell D-Dad that I wasn't interested but something about having a 70 something man figure out that I was afraid of jumping from that height kept me silent and agreeable. (especially with my two daughters watching me). So, I jumped out of the pontoon boat with D-Dad, his son Dr. Lisle, and three young ladies (our daughters) and swam for the island. Climbing up the side of the cliff face, up to the top, was a little nerve racking to say the least. At the top, the six of us gathered near the cliff edge, with our life jackets on and, before I knew it, D-Dad went running off the cliff, feet first, down to the lake below. He bobbed up and swam for the boat like nothing had happened. What happened next, surprised Pam and me big time: I held my life jacket close and leaped in right after D-Dad with a shout! As I went over the cliff edge, I had the split second feeling that I had just made the biggest mistake of my life!! Not since I was 14 years old had I jumped from so high and that experience was terrifying. The fall ended quickly with a big splash, an acute pain in my bum, and huge relief that it was over as I swam to the pontoon boat. Pam had told Lauren that I would chicken out and she couldn't believe that I made the jump. All I could say to her was that having D-Dad go first and show me that it wasn't a big deal was an incredible boost for my courage. If he could jump, I could jump. He gave me a huge loan of courage, enough for me to do something I would not have attempted otherwise. I was feeling pretty good about myself until Dr. Lisle, still up on the cliff, threw his life jacket over the cliff and dove in, from 30 feet, HEAD FIRST! Gulp!

Not me...but I DID take the leap and it felt like this!

As I am preparing for an October with many meetings with doctors, residents, and students and their spouses, D-Dad's example is on my mind. I am praying that the "leap" which Pam and I took 20 years ago to go to Africa to volunteer as career medical missionaries at Tenwek Hospital will give courage to young health care professionals considering such a calling. I remember the uncertainties in 1996 about our future financial status, my professional competency as a surgeon, how my wife and kids would handle growing up in Africa, and many other concerns. After two decades my whole family will agree with me... we wouldn't have wanted it any other way! The leap was worth it and the ride, an amazing, blessed adventure with Jesus Christ as our life jacket. Yep, we suffered some bruises along the way and others probably handled the jump in more graceful fashion, but we did it .....and God has blessed us over and over again. As we serve with CMDA-USA in coming months and years, we could have the opportunity to encourage thousands of Christian healthcare trainees and practicing doctors/dentists/PA's/podiatrists/others. We will ask them to consider a career of medical ministry and we want to hand out courage loans, with no interest, to all we meet. The mission of CMDA is to "motivate, educate, and equip Christian healthcare professionals to glorify God by serving with professional excellence as witnesses of Christ's love and compassion to all people". Please pray with us that God will bless our efforts, especially in a busy October and November, to accomplish that mission, to the glory of God. Our schedule is below:

October 5th to 9th: Trip to Orlando to share at Surgery Grand Rounds, lunch with Orlando medical students, and speak at CMDA Orlando chapter fall banquet.
October 12th to 14th: Friends of Tenwek Board meeting and planning, Charlotte, NC
October 17th: Lunch with Greenville medical students and evening banquet with Upstate SC CMDA chapter
Oct 21st/22nd: Media training at CMDA headquarters
Nov 9th - 12th: Global Missions Health Conference, Louisville (giving talk on Mission Drift)

Between now and the first week of January, Dr. Gene Rudd and I will be working closely together so that I learn well to take on the many responsibilities that Gene has. Gene is currently in Israel, leading a team of doctors and dentists and CMDA friends on a tour of the Holy Land so I am "minding the fort", getting to know the ~50 staff who work full or part time here in Bristol.

News from Tenwek is encouraging these days. Several returning and new missionary families have arrived to reinforce the "remnant" that we left in July. The new house construction that many of you donated to is progressing well. Dr. Mike Ganey sent us a picture this week which we want to share with you....thanks for giving so generously. We believe this house could be the first of three or even four houses that your generous giving kick-started!

Roof nearly finished on Ganey family house at Tenwek

Your generous giving and regular prayers ALSO serve as a loan of courage to our family. Thank you, thank you.

Mike and Pam
2 Tim 1: 6,7

Wearing the new hat...on the road.

October has been a very exciting month for us as we had some golden opportunities to meet with groups of medical students, residents, and doctors/dentists in both Orlando, FL and Greenville, SC. We survived hurricane Matthew and its 70-80 mph winds but we experienced our first ever curfew in the land of the free on Friday, Oct 7th, due to the dangerous conditions. Two of the three meetings that we had scheduled were cancelled on that day, but we were so glad that Saturday was a beautiful day and over 60 people came out of their shelters to attend the fall CMDA banquet that evening. Medical students came from as far as Tampa to hear me speak, which was quite encouraging! A little over a week later I traveled to Greenville, SC to share with both students and the graduate chapter of CMDA in the Upstate area. This student group is BIG with nearly 50 out of the 200 first and second year medical students attending weekly Bible studies in this state run medical school. The graduate group and students held their fall banquet on Oct 17th and I was their guest speaker. It was such a blessing to be a part of motivating, educating, and equipping Christian healthcare professionals to focus on glorifying God in a career in medicine or dentistry or other healthcare related practice (this is the heart of the CMDA mission statement). The President of the student group emailed me after I had shared:

"Dr. Chupp, we are so grateful for the time that we were able to spend with you yesterday and for the words you shared with us. It was refreshing and rejuvenating for my faith to remember who we are ultimately serving and the ultimate purpose of medical school. I am grateful for your prayers, and I hope that our testimony is clear not only to the classmate we told you about but also to many others.....Your words are incredible encouragement in a time when it often feels that I am not serving the Lord much in what I am doing. In Christ alone, Ben"

The top two pics below were taken from Greenville banquet and the medical school lunch presentation. The third pic is Pam and I sharing a duet at the Orlando banquet.

Media training at CMDA National HQ

Dr. Stevens doing mock interview with Mike on "Rights of Conscience" for US healthcare professionals

Twice a year CMDA puts on the "Voice of Christian Doctors Media Training" here in Bristol. This training has prepared hundreds of Christian doctors and dentists over many years to go before journalists in TV or radio interviews and be better prepared to articulate their views and represent our Lord Jesus well. Some of you will remember Dr. Kent Brantley, who survived Ebola in 2014,...he went through this training immediately after his recovery from Ebola and it made a difference in his presentations for his nationally televised interviews and presentations. The training was intense but practical and several of the trainees told me "Hey, you've got a good radio voice, Mike!" (Maybe they were telling me I should avoid television????) Dr. David Stevens has done hundreds of these interviews on CNN, Fox News, NPR, etc and is quite gifted in this role. Dr. Stevens promised the 12 of us attending the training that we would be a whole lot better at the end of the two days than were we started the weekend. I believe the dozen of us docs and dentists saw his prophecy/promise come true! I would greatly appreciate your prayers that in God's timing, the right opportunities to go before the Christian and secular media will come AND that I will be willing to step out in faith, depending upon the Holy Spirit to guide my words and presentation.

Trainers and trainees in the fall 2016 "Voice of Christian doctors" media training weekend

Medical Missions conference next week

Every November over 3,000 health care professionals and mission organizations flock to Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY for the annual Global Missions Health Conference. In the past, we have had an exhibit booth for both Tenwek Hospital and World Gospel Mission to share with attendees what God is doing in and through medical ministries in Kenya. Now, we will be attending the three day conference along with a large group of CMDA staff from Bristol and I have been asked to work with Susan Carter at the Center for Medical Missions booth, in the heart of the CMDA exhibit. Will be an incredible opportunity to share with hundreds of conference goers who are thinking and praying about their response to the Great Commission and to the challenges that dozens of speakers will be giving at the conference. Speaking of speakers, I'll be giving my first talk at the conference on "Staying Mission True in Changing Times". This is a topic that has been on my heart and mind for my entire missionary career as I have heard of and seen many a mission hospital become lukewarm in its gospel witness b/c of a drift or shift from its founding vision. Please join us in prayer that God will call out hundreds of harvest workers during this VERY important call to serve conference from Nov 10th to 12th.

Sharing in devotions here at CMDA on Tuesday as well, right before GMHC. Will be sharing a message "Do you believe in miracles?" Since the signature book about Tenwek Hospital and Dr. Steury's life was entitled "Miracle at Tenwek", you know that I DO! The water tower at Tenwek proclaims the simple but powerful message "We treat - Jesus heals"! It's a great battle cry!

Fanning the flames until He comes to get us and take us home,

Dr. Mike and Pam Chupp
Serving with the Christian Medical and Dental Associations
mike.chupp@cmda.org
cell: 423-366-6005
Box 7500
Bristol, TN. 37621

Getting behind a great vision

"Transformed Doctors, transforming the world!"

We are approaching the five month mark here in Bristol as of February 1st and wow, are we working with some great folks at CMDA headquarters! 53 staff serve in the Bristol facility, supporting over 40 distinct ministries of this 18,000+ member organization. As of January 3rd, I (Mike) moved into Dr. Gene Rudd's office and officially took the mantle of the Executive VP of CMDA. Gene has graciously moved into a different office and continues as my coach and mentor in providing training and encouragement in my new position of leadership. Gene was honored in early December by our VP for Communications, Margie Shealy (see pic below) with the Kindness award, given each month to the CMDA staff who shows Christ-like kind behavior to our other staff in a remarkable way. Gene's daily life is filled with examples of acts of service and kindness to all of us who serve with him. He is an incredible role model and challenge to me!

Dr. Gene Rudd (my coach) receives the December "Kindness award" from VP for Communications, Margie Shealy

The last 10 days were very busy and important for the governance of CMDA as the annual winter Board of Trustees meeting took place in St. Petersburg, FL on January 20th/21st. During the two days of meetings, we heard some encouraging statements made by Board members:
"CMDA is about raising the flag of Jesus Christ first and foremost, not our own flag."
"CMDA is looking for the key result of instilling righteousness in medical students and residents across the United States."
"We are about discipleship in this organization. Any key measurement that indicates that we are doing this better should be of great importance to all of us."

Stories of transformation....they abound at CMDA. Medical students and residents making commitments to serve Christ in their careers. The estimate is that approximately 30,000 health care professionals and their spouses/families are touched regularly by this ministry and then get involved in touching a lost and dying world through compassionate care in Jesus' name through the various CMDA outreach ministries like Global Health Outreach teams, Medical Education International teaching teams, domestic inner city clinics for the poor and uninsured, and many others. And the organization's reach continues to increase. Already national groups of Christian Physician Assistants and Christian Pharmacists have come under the CMDA umbrella and tomorrow a delegation of Nurse Practitioners are visiting with Dave Stevens and myself to explore a collaborative effort of our two organizations. Please pray with us as we consider this joining of efforts with US NP's.

I wasn't the only newbie to join this 85 year old organization last year. Also joining the Class of 2016 was a new VP for Campus and Community ministries, Rev. Bill Reichart, formerly the Atlanta area CMDA director. Bill and I have become prayer partners at HQ for 2017 and we both have young adult daughters to pray over together. Bill has already been of great encouragement to me as well as a seasoned trainer on fully utilizing social media to get out our important messages from CMDA. (He formerly worked for CRU with university students) The CMDA Board was thrilled over the new strategic plan Bill has generated to grow the campus and community ministries across the USA on medical and dental campuses and in dozens of communities across the country, under our four Regional Directors. The other leader new to the team is Mr. Scott Rimell, new VP for Digital Media and Marketing. Scott came from Precept Ministries and prior to that had worked for medical publishing giant, Elsevier. I joked in CMDA chapel the other day that the three new VP's would start a Christian singing group called the "Newboys"!

Praising God for generous friends and answered prayers

In our Christmas Chuppdate we asked you to pray with us and consider helping us erase our first ministry financial deficit in our ministry career, associated with the move to CMDA from WGM. We are so grateful to Jehovah Jireh that He remained faithful to His character of "meeting all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). We had set a goal of year end donations of $25,000 for December to help erase our deficit and we saw God's people give $24,698, just $302 shy of our hoped for goal. As a result we are now slightly ahead of our monthly goal for support and entering 2017 encouraged by the generosity of so many who have trusted us to be following God's leading in our lives in this move to a Stateside ministry of raising up the next generation of Jesus' followers in medicine and dentistry. If any of you did not receive our hard copy Chuppdate in December, please drop us a short note at mike.chupp@cmda.org with your mailing address and we will add you to our list for the next Chuppdate.

Dr. David Stevens showing Mike the TV interview "ropes"

Family Update

December was a rather remarkable month for our family as just 5 days after moving into a new home here in Bristol, Pam slipped and fell and broke her left (dominant) wrist. This required an anesthetic in the Bristol Regional Medical Center for reduction and pinning by our new friend and CMDA Board member, Dr. Lisle Whitman. For my very independent and self-sufficient wife and friend, being out of commission for the holidays was a bit of a bummer. Christmas in a cast....these memories will be with us for some time! She and we survived the ordeal and she is now minus the pins and cast and well on her way to getting normal function back again in her left wrist. All three of our daughters are now together here in our home in Bristol with Kayla (senior) and Ashley (freshman) attending Tennessee on-line school and Melody having moved up from Spartanburg, SC with plans to transfer this year to ETSU in Johnson City, TN, continuing her exercise science major. Our son Steven continues to live outside of Indy and is working nearly full time at O'Charley's restaurant, not far from his girlfriend's family in Greenfield, IN.

Our family the week after Christmas with amazing mild temps!

Prayer with Praise

We celebrate an incredible year in 2016 with successful transition to ministry with CMDA in August and now I have fully moved into the role that Dr. Stevens invited me to consider in May 2015. The CMDA staff are great encouragers who are passionate about being part of a ministry to Christian healthcare providers positioned all over the world. We thank the Father for a successful winter Board meeting last weekend in St. Petersburg and then a very fun opportunity to talk about medical missions this week (Tuesday) at Quillen Medical School in Johnson City, TN, with the 20+ students in the CMDA student chapter there. They listened and thanked us repeatedly afterward for giving them a fresh perspective from the field on what it looks like to serve Jesus Christ as a cross-cultural health care missionary. Many of the students are very interested in serving in mission overseas in coming years.

Please pray with us over the following opportunities to serve:

1. Mike travels to southeast Asia on Feb 9th for about 10 days to represent CMDA at the biannual CMDE event for missionary continuing medical and dental education. He has two talks he is preparing for leaders and missionary managers on "Leadership from the Second Cultural Chair" and "Burnout Prevention and Management for Team Leaders".

2. This is the time of year for budget preparation at CMDA. Our experienced auditors report that the organization is either the most or second-most complicated not for profit they work for in America. Please pray for patience for Gene Rudd as he trains Mike and for Mike to be a quick financial study!

3. Just finished course #6 (Strategic Planning) of 14 total toward an MBA at Crown University. With many travels in the next two months have decided to delay my next class til May. I still have a ways to go but have received many encouragements from friends, Dave and Gene, and CMDA Board members that this is "the right thing to do at the right time."

4. Meetings this week with Christian nurse practitioners reps, leaders at Samaritan's Purse in Boone, NC, and leadership of Project MedSend here in Bristol about future projects and priorities.

Thanks so much for standing with us! We covet your prayers dear friends!

Fanning the flame until He comes to get us,

Mike for Pam, Melody, Kayla, and Ashley.

A Gentle and Humble Leader

Dr. George H. Rawls-c. 2011

Well, another February is almost gone while I have been listening to radio and TV tributes to great American black leaders of the past. It got me thinking of my own past and the black men and women who have impacted my life, both in the US and Kenya. One influencer in my life was Dr. George H. Rawls, a general surgeon who was on staff at Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis where I trained in general surgery from 1988 to 1993. Dr. Rawls was a gentleman, through and through, whom I watched closely during my five year career as a surgery resident. He was always respectful of other surgeon's opinions and was highly loved and revered by his patients. Now retired, his past achievements included serving a term as the President of the Indiana State Medical Association and then as Assistant Dean at Indiana University School of Medicine. He has written several books including "Papa, I wanna be a surgeon". My favorite memory of Dr. Rawls was from a spring meeting of the Indiana chapter of the American College of Surgeons held at Hilton Head, SC. I made a presentation on a resident research project that I had done and after the presentation Dr. Rawls came up to me and said "Mike, that was some good research and a great presentation....how about you and I go and play a round of golf?" So, though I was fairly economically challenged at the time, I got to play a round of golf at Hilton Head, courtesy of a gentle, black American surgeon named George. Thank you Dr. Rawls for being a great role model in my life professionally and personally.

Dr. George H. Rawls and Mike in 1993 at Hilton Head, Club Royale

A Missionary with Creativity and Vision

The second black surgeon is an old friend I met in 1988 when visiting Tenwek Hospital in Kenya as a senior medical student at IU. Visiting Tenwek at the same time was Dr. Michael Johnson and his wife Kaye from Philadelphia. Little did I know during my two month elective that both Mike and Kaye and Pam and I would be co-workers some day at Tenwek, serving in the surgery department as missionaries with World Gospel Mission. That happened eight years later when Pam and I landed at Tenwek and found Michael and Kaye in their 6th year as career missionaries in Kenya. Now over 20 years later, as I look back, I have realized that some really important programs and changes at Tenwek happened because Michael made them a priority. That includes the medical officer internship program that has impacted over 120 young Kenyan doctors who have spent 12 months at Tenwek during their first year after medical school. Michael made many trips to Nairobi with a medical student leader, humbly requesting the Ministry of Health to consider allowing mission hospitals to train these med school grads. Without question this program has had an incredible impact on many different mission hospitals, not just Tenwek over the years. Michael taught me something very important about leadership, shortly after I was asked to be the Medical Superintendent at Tenwek in 1997. "Mike, as you interact and guide the national and missionary staff at Tenwek, don't forget that perception is 90% of reality." That nugget has been a very important gem for me in leadership, remembering that what people think is true is VERY important, even if it isn't true. Mike and his wife Kaye served for many years in Kenya at Tenwek Hospital, Kijabe Mission Hospital and then started the "Least of These" ministry in Nairobi, reaching out to street children. A few years back they returned to the US and started an inner city ministry in Philadelphia, serving the poor and lonely and destitute in Jesus' name. Mike and Kaye: thank you for serving the Lord Jesus so faithfully over decades with passion, vision, and creativity. You are my heroes.

Dr. Michael and Kaye Johnson at WGM Celebration, June 2015

I'll close this blog with a verse from Isaiah 49:4 as a tribute to these black American servants: "Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand and my reward is with my God."

Challenged and encouraged by these memories of my black American heroes,

Mike Chupp

CMDA Headquarters

Bristol, TN

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Surgery Department at Tenwek Hospital, January 2015

The Only “Sign” of the Resurrection…..In the belly of DEATH.

Celebrating God's generous people

Celebrating the life of one of God's special servants

HMA (Homeland Ministry Assignment) Homestretch

Just two weeks!

Return to a quiet Tenwek community.....

Into the Fray....

House construction preparations...

Family Happenings...

A Great Day of Celebration at Raiya Church

LESSONS FROM AN INSPIRED TEENAGER

Official Announcements

The Move

A Final training opportunity....

Farewells and Blessings....

OUR SCHEDULE

We Made it!

Ministry transition: WGM to CMDA

Our new contacts:

A loan of courage to make the leap.....

Wearing the new hat...on the road.

The top two pics below were taken from Greenville banquet and the medical school lunch presentation. The third pic is Pam and I sharing a duet at the Orlando banquet.

Media training at CMDA National HQ

Medical Missions conference next week

Getting behind a great vision

Praising God for generous friends and answered prayers

Family Update

Prayer with Praise

A Gentle and Humble Leader

A Missionary with Creativity and Vision