Compassion Stories

20,000 is a big number. $20,000 could buy a car, a year of college study, an enormous amount of Compassion Tea. 20,000 people would fill a sports arena, would potentially sway a vote or public opinion, would buy a vast amount of coffee or tea. But when 20,000 is the number of patients who are regulars at one of our clinics, we kinda get excited! During this quarter, Tanzania Christian Clinic, under the leadership of Danny and Nancy Smelser, issued its 20,000th patient number. In a remote district of Tanzania, at least 50 km away from a major city and serving the Maasai and Chaga tribes of the area, Tanzania Christian Clinic has left a lasting imprint on the community. But as Danny says, "The sky is the limit for TCC in so many ways." Please pray for the clinic as it seeks to continue serving the 20,000 and to build on what it has already established!

Good News

According to the quarterly report written by Danny Smelser, "Last month patient identification number 20,000 was issued. Just for your reference, patient 00001 was seen on March 9, 2009. So with God’s blessings, and the contributions of many generous donors, at least twenty thousand different folks have been treated at TCC in the last nine plus years. Hopefully they all realized that they were being treated in the name of Jesus, the Great Physician. There are two congregations that have been planted nearby TCC as direct fruit of the work. And a third congregation meets on campus at our sister organization, Alpha Omega Christian Secondary School which now has 114 boarding students."

But the work at Tanzania Christian Clinic is just beginning. And the needs are great. Recently, the beloved lab tech, Joyce, was killed in a bus accident. TCC is looking to replace her. Because the Maasai and Chaga peoples attend the clinic more frequently when an American doctor is present, Danny and Nancy are searching for a part time doctor to help while they are in the States. Also, a generous donor provided funds to build a surgical center at TCC; however, the Smelsers hesitate to build the center until they have a surgeon in place. Writes Danny, "So if you know of a surgeon who is nearing retirement and might like to spend some time at TCC to help start a surgical service, please let me know. It would be an adventure in Christian living." Indeed, it would!