The West African nation of Guinea is a former French colony situated along the Atlantic coast just to the southwest of the great Sahara Desert. It is a predominantly Muslim country that manages to interweave traditional African beliefs into their faith. While inheriting these beliefs, many of these warm and welcoming people are open to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.
The city of Kankan is the third largest city in Guinea, situated in the country’s northeast towards the borders of Mali and the Ivory Coast. The largest ethnic group in Kankan is the Maninka people, descendants of ancient Mail empires. They are primarily merchants, miners, and farmers. Many have become city dwellers but a large portion still live in villages consisting of small circular huts with thatched roofs, without electricity or running water.
We are looking to move to Kankan, Guinea to live and work among these people and their neighbors. As primary care physicians our desire is to lovingly deliver high quality medical care while sharing the eternal hope that exists in Jesus. The existing health system is crippled by low resources, poor infrastructure, and undertrained health leaders. There is a fatalist mindset among health professionals and the people have lost trust in the health system and often choose not to seek medical care, or seek it via alternative means (such as fracture care with a welder). The area is plagued by tropical diseases such as malaria and was home to ‘patient zero’ of the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
We hope to come alongside the existing medical systems and develop ways to restore hope, trust, and integrity to the local medical care. This could look like a primary care clinic, partnering in medical education, performing community health outreach, or likely a combination of all. As Jesus went around preaching and healing and ultimately sent his disciples to do the same, so we hope to combine physical healing with disciple making for the glory of our God among the nations.
Connect with The Bells:
The Doctors Bell (English)
The Doctors Bell (Spanish)
