South India Mission

2005 South India Mission

by The Raj Family

We traveled to India to visit with relatives and to do some work in the mission field this July 2005. The area we visited was affected by the tsunami in Dec 2004.
The journey to India was uneventful. On the way back, Dana celebrated her 15th birthday in the air, over Muscat. Because we crossed many time zones, her birthday lasted 36 hours!


Medical Clinics (Camps)

We found a great desire for medical and spiritual care when we were in Kanyakumari district of South India. In conjunction with Care Medical Trust, Franklin Hospital, the Nagercoil Christian Fellowship, Happy Homes and various orphanages, we were able to minister wherever the Lord led us.

The tsunami area was visited and medical camps held in Mandaikadu. This was a village hit by the waves, but people have already rebuilt their homes and getting on with their lives. Due to poverty and ignorance, many still lack good preventative health care.

Tsunami hit village of Mandaikadu
Dr Raj with patients in Mandiakadu


e.g. Over 300 people came for treatment one camp, but due to lack of electricity and darkness, I was only able to see about 150 people. The rest were given medications based on symptoms by the two local nurses on the team.

Children's Homes

Dr Elizabeth Raj, Diane and the Home kids .........Sister Jean, missionary, runs the Home


We visited a number of children’s homes. One of them, Happy Homes, was established 27 years ago by a Canadian missionary, Sister Jean Christensen, hailing from Vancouver, BC. The team distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste donated by a Toronto dentist.

Preaching and Ministry

Dr. Elizabeth Raj and Rev. Dr. Joshua Raj were invited to speak at the following places................

Dr. Elizabeth Raj at the Student Christian Movement’s prayer service and a Sunday village Tamil church service.

Dr. Joshua Raj at the Church of South India (CSI) Home Church Sunday English service, and at the Scott Christian College.

Daniel Raj provided music ministry at the Nagercoil Christian Fellowship’s Sunday service.

Elizabeth, Diane and Dana Raj provided music ministry at the Scott Christian College.

Summary

In all, we operated on six orthopaedic patients. One boy (picture) with a foot deformity came from an arid village 2 hours journey from where we were. The parents were extemely grateful and have had the gospel shared with them.

Claw Foot Deformity (left) Correected Clubfoot deformity (right)

Other cases included hip replacement, spine correction, broken wrist, spinal nerve compression, shoulder infiltrations.

We can only thank God that He uses us to help these poor people, and more importantly, that they hear the gospel message, that will save their souls.

Amen

Medical Missions to Gabon

Medical Mission to Bongolo Hospital, Gabon, Africa.
(October to November 2005)

by Rev. Dr. Joshua Raj

Flying into Libreville, Gabon on a pitch dark October night , I was filled with mixed emotions. It was the first time I was traveling to mid Africa, into a tropical land which needed so many immunizations that my arm was still hurting.
What struck me in the last ten minutes as we approached Libreville was that everything was pitch dark. I was at the window seat, and have landed countless times in Asia, Europe and North America. But this was the first time the land was dark, with no lights, roads or other infrastructure visible... There were no lights for miles on end. Even as we came in to touch down, all I saw were a few houses lighted up. Welcome to “dark” Africa. I said to myself.

I was whisked through immigration and customs by Henri. Turns out he is an evangelical Christian, and truly loves the Lord. He was so happy that Christians from the US and Canada were coming out to do medical missions in Gabon. My heart went out to him as he told me how they share the gospel fearlessly to anyone whom they meet. Much of what they say openly would be “politically incorrect” for us in North America.

But we should learn from brothers like Henri, and share we must, for if we do not open our mouth to share the gospel (and we do not have to be rude or undiplomatic), then the gospel will not be preached to all nations. Henri belongs to a new indigenous church that has sprung up in Gabon. They are tired of the endless debates in the older “western” churches, and are more interested in witnessing to the unsaved.

The number of orthopaedic patients was overwhelming in Bongolo, which is a rural village about 550 miles form Libreville. The last 300 kilometers of the drive was on dirt roads! Fortunately I arrived in one piece, in a vehicle ably driven by Pastor Serge, the administrator of the hospital. My skills in French consisted of four words, but I had able translators in the four African residents who were being trained to go back as missionary surgeons to their home countries. There were patients still waiting for surgery when I left.

Pediatric orthopedics is my special interest, though I also do joint replacements and spine surgery. Turns out, the greatest need in Bongolo was pediatric orthopedics. I saw a number of clubfeet, hip dislocations, fractures, various other ailments and tuberculosis of the spine.

It will be difficult to detail all that was done, but I will give two representative cases to give a flavor of what happened to me in that remote part of the world. Although I did about 27 operations, and saw countless patients, and oversaw soem residents at work, these two cases will give a snapshot of the type of ministry the Bongolo Hospital does, and what we do under the banner of the Pan African College of Christian Surgeons (PACCS), which is a ministry of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) in the United States. It blends the sharing of the gospel with provision of medical care, all under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.


Case 1: The first gratifying case was Filbert Manousi.

He is 80 years old and came in from the capital city 550 km away. He was nearly dead when he arrived, with his son and daughter. He sustained an injury to his leg a month previously, and the wound became septic. Due to ignorance, they visited a witch doctor, who put on some jungle herbs. The whole right leg, from the knee don was gangrenous and foul smelling. It was so smelly that the whole casualty had to be evacuated.

He was too sick for surgery, so he was put on a drip, given antibiotics and his children were advised that he would likely die in the next few hours. They agreed that we pray for him. God had other plans, however, and Filbert held on to life tenuously for the next 24 hours.

I felt impelled to do something to save his life. I realised that the Holy Spirit was nudging me, not allowing me peace in my heart. I had to do something. We decided to do an amputation under a local anesthetic; which is almost like civil war surgery. I managed, by God's grace to do it in quick time (10 minutes), with minimal blood loss. The residents who assisted me, Dr Rosaline (from Madagascar) and Dr Jean (from Congo), were also working and praying hard.

God be praised, Filbert was much better the next morning, except for some residual urinary problems. The wound, which I closed with sutures against normal medical practice, but which was his only chance, was healing well! He was talking to his relatives on the day I left Gabon.

He is still alive today, eating and talking to family. The children acknowledge it was Jesus who saved his life and have been listening to the gospel from resident pastors. We are so encouraged by how God can do things that we feel are hopeless. The local evangelists and pastors continue to minister to them, even though I have left Gabon.



Filbert (left) with his grateful daughter and wife, three days after amputation and recovery form near death..


Case 2: Maroundi Charisse.

This cute 3 year old was walking around the wards when I arrived, bent over and with a “hump” in the spine. The upper spine was bent forward due to tuberculosis. X-rays revealed that one of the vertebrae was destroyed and the bending would continue to get worse, resulting finally in paralysis.
The best option would be to remove the tuberculosis pus and put a bone strut in her spine to prevent further bending and paralysis. I had only done these in Malaysia, where the hospital facilities were excellent (intensive care and nursing). To do this surgery in Gabon would be an immense risk.

Charisse (right) in the OR before surgery


I delayed making the decision to operate, even as we all prayed about what to do. The child was such a treasure, always friendly and happy. My main concern was that I would have to operate by opening up the left chest wall to reach the spine. I wondered what would happen if something happened to her lungs or heart during or after the surgery. The day before the surgery, we had a final meeting with the mother. As I asked Dr Rosaline to explain the great risks involved, the mother cut us off and said something that shows how much faith in Jesus can exist in these far away lands.

The mother said that she fully trusted Jesus to handle the child’s surgery. She had had a dream in which Jesus had told her toplace the cjild in the doctor's hands. She wanted me to proceed. If the child survived, she would praise Jesus. If the child died, she would praise Jesus. The mother just “knew” that Jesus was there with us. I felt so humbled. I also realized that to the truly faithful, doctors are an instrument of God. The doctor himself is by no means god.

The surgery was done in a situation that had so many negatives that it would never have been successful if God had not been in it. I opened the chest more easily than I thought. The abscess was removed with minimal bleeding. The bone strut was inserted into the spine, just in front of the spinal cord. And I managed to close the chest wall without putting in a chest tube! Praise the lord.


Dr Joshua Raj (right) with Charisse after surgery. Dr Yali (left) is the assisting resident.




The child woke up without pain, and I was able to converse with her. When I left Bongolo, she was sitting up. Today, she is recovering well. The mother and child have been great witnesses to the Lord Jesus to other patients who do not know him. There are a lot of animists and Muslims people who saw what God can do. The operation could never have succeeded unless there was divine covering.



It is cases like these that have made Bongolo Evangelical Hospital a magnet to bring in patients from all over Gabon. And the local people and pastors are very effective in sharing the gospel to all who come, and especially to the families that accompany the patients. For example, Filbert was told in Libreville that nothing could be done for him, and his children decided to drive for twelve hours (enduring the foul smell of their father's gangrenous leg) to bring him to us. They had heard that in Bongolo, the Christian doctors would do something. By God’s grace, they accepted prayer and he survived, and the families were so grateful and they heard the gospel.

To other patients who meet Charisse and her mother, they have seen God in action, and they know what Jesus can do. What greater witness is there? Charisse's mother shares the gospel to the other patients fearlessly!. There are so many other similar testimonies.

To me, that is the greatest satisfaction. To be able to practice my secular vocation in medicine and my spiritual vocation as priest in Christ’s kingdom.

Amen

A Testimony

Dear Friends and fellow travellers in the journey of life.......... I have been fascinated by the recent explosion in the blogosphere. Which self respecting orthopaedic surgeon would not want his thoughts and views added to the myriad of blogs out there?You guessed it - ............me! For over 25 years, I have practiced orthopaedic surgery. I have operated and treated patients in three continents. I have travelled to the most properous nations on earth (e.g. the USA), and worked in one of the poorest (Gabon) and others in between. In between, I have seen the phenomenal growth of the South East Asian region, where I was born and grew up. In 1973, I encountered the living God, when I was a medical student. I saw God in his creation. It was when I was given the charge of dissecting a human hand for anatomy class. The hand structure was so complex, that I realised that there had to be a Creator.The millieu of religions that surrounded me in 1973 all gave different explanantions for our origins. But I realised that the only tenable answer was that there was one Creator. The Bible had the answer to my question of who created me: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27 Since 1973, I have been a Christian, and I do not find anything in the 33 years since that has changed my mind. Jesus has been real to me, and the Bible has been the source of real life faith. I have ben involved in church ministries for many years now. In this blog, I wish to share aspects of my faith journey, which is a blend of orthopaedic medical experience and theology. I am a surgeon and a minister. This brings some unique challenges in thought and pratcice. I hope it will be a blessing to you and a growing experience for me, as I put these musings onto paper (er, computer!). Amen +Dr. Joshua Raj MD, FRCS (Edinburgh), Th.D. A follower of Christ and by His grace, a minister of religion first; a father and husband second and an orthopaedic surgeon and a physician third.

Pray More! Appropriating God’s Power

Pray More! Appropriating God’s Power And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, Luke 18:1 The human body is a most complex and supreme creation. God’s hand is manifest in the intricate interplay between the various body cells, organs and biochemical reactions that have to go on to maintain a healthy life. Every body part has a distinct and unique function. In order for our body to be healthy, all our organs have to do their job correctly and at the right time. So it is not surprising that the apostle Paul used the human body as an analogy for the body of believers who call on the name of Christ. As Christ followers, we are members of one body – each of us distinct and unique, yet having to function in harmony for the church to be effective (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). The human body needs oxygen for power and to thrive. If the various cells do not receive oxygen, they will be unable to function. If a significant number of cells do not work, then the body function becomes impaired. A body starved of oxygen would end up in a coma. The spiritual equivalent of oxygen is the Holy Spirit. The church body needs the power of the Holy Spirit to invigorate and empower its members. And just as oxygen is sent to cells in the human body through the blood, the power of God to work through the church is mediated through prayer. Prayer is the lifeblood of the church. A church starved of the Spirit’s power will be ineffective – and always in a spiritual coma. Prayer is an integral part of the any church’s mission. Every ministry and cell group is encouraged to incorporate prayer as a significant part of their ministry. It is a mystery why God wants us to pray continuously (1 Thess 5:17), when He is sovereign, and can do as He pleases. But He wants us to ask Him, to pray continuously, and we can only obey in faithfulness to what He tells us to do. Everything can be brought to His throne of grace (Phil 4:6). It is obvious that the declension of spiritual power in churches today is due in part to a decline in corporate prayer. While many faithful prayer warriors privately have been interceding for the church, church gatherings for prayer seem to be in few in number and often poorly attended. If we are to be effective for God in our general goals in missions and evangelism and personal goals of holiness and character development, then the key to it all is to Pray More – to enable the power of the Spirit to move all the obstacles. We are to pray more as individuals, and especially in groups, offering prayer constantly (e.g. Acts 12:1-19). For where two or more are gathered in His name, Jesus is there. Set aside good amounts of time to pray more in your family and cell groups and other meetings, as a praying church. Let the best time be allocated to prayer, and not the last few hurried minutes. Prayer is important work, and our best work is done when we are fresh. Amen.

Sword and Scalpel

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Sword.................the Word of God The Scalpel..............the Surgeon's Knife The Word of God used by the minister of God divides asunder the soul and spirit, and dicerns the thoughts and intents of the heart The scalpel of the orthopaedic surgeon divides asunder the joints and marrow Both achieve healing, physically, and spiritually. . The blog of a bible believing orthopaedic surgeon and minister of God. . Dr. Joshua Raj MD, FRCS (Edinburgh), MCS, Th.D.