In January of 1968, the Evangelical Medical Missionary Aid Society sponsored a short-term mission trip to Kola Ndoto Hospital in Tanzania which involved a stopover at the Maseno Hospital in Kenya. Dr. Ross Willows and his wife, Adele, were Canadians from Manitoba.
Dr. Willows was an Obstetrician/Gynecologist and I suspect his wife was either a physician or someone with extensive operating room experience.
The mission goal was a training seminar in obstetrics and gynecology and operations on selected patients identified and preselected by the resident missionary doctor. On the first night of the two-week mission a patient with massive life-threatening blood loss was admitted. Fortunately, Dr. Willows operated and was able to control the bleeding. There were eight visiting doctors at Kola Ndoto’s operating room that evening, each contributing to the healing of the patient who ended up needing five units of blood. Dr. Willows and the resident missionary doctors, being compatible blood donors, each gave a unit of their own blood to the patient, who according to the thank you letter to EMMAS had been in kidney shutdown for 36 hours (notes from Dr. C. L. Nelson).
Fifty-five years later, another EMAS Canada team was privileged to serve in Tanzania, again an unexpected surgical challenge was faced with courage. A ten-day old infant with major spinal defect needed corrective surgery to prevent life-threatening infection. It was the youngest patient our reconstructive surgery team had ever operated on. See EMASSARY May 2024 page 2.
Reporting on their July 2023 mission, the team told how the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center built their mission statement on Jesus’ teaching about the Good Samaritan who not only gave urgent care to the one in need, but provided for their aftercare.
At EMAS Canada, we are proud of our Good Samaritans who give and serve. Most of the funds used by our Tanzania 2023 team was donated by team members.
Our most recent team to Tanzania did not have to give blood, but they did leave money for the post operative care of a six-year-old child with 50% burns and the baby with the spinal defect. Join us by giving to support our teams.
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All Scripture references are taken from the New International Version (NIV)
Feature image: Tanzania Team 2024
