I am strangely reticent to share what I’m about to write. In reality, it is incredibly wonderful news and I’m fairly giddy with excitement about it. I suppose I’m afraid that it might be too good to be true and it just might all cave in if I broadcast it to the world. But as I look at it, I have to admit that God’s fingerprints are all over it. It probably is too good to be true without Him, but then God’s always been in the business of “too good to be true, but true nonetheless.” So I’ll report it to you with a sense of awe and humility, and praise God for what He has done and seems to be doing.
As I’ve shared many times, we are training surgeons with the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons. And we’ve been in the process of seeking official accreditation for the training for a long time now. The really quick summary is that we’ve been seeking recognition both by the government here and by an international college of surgeons called COSECSA (College of Surgery of East, Central and Southern Africa). There have been challenges in both directions because PAACS represents a new bird in Africa. Specifically, we are training surgeons outside of the typical university hospital setting. Since we are a first, it’s been slow going in all arenas for every PAACS hospital. In the course of all this, I had essentially given up on the possibility of accreditation happening with the government here. We are just too different than the usual mold. Therefore, I was focusing my attention almost completely on COSECSA. Any progress with the government route was going to require a move by God.
Well, about six weeks ago, we received word that an accrediting team from the government was going to visit our institution and evaluate it. I have to admit that my initial response was not elation but concern. Would we be shut down? This information came to me literally the night we arrived in Addis Ababa for Amharic language school. I was concerned, but Becca and I prayed. God gave me a sense of peace that, whatever happened, He was still sovereign and that He was guiding things according to His plan. If we’re shut down, He must want us shut down.
We began coordinating with the accrediting office and I was very pleased to hear that they wanted to invite an Ethiopian surgeon to come with them to provide an expert opinion. For privacy’s sake, I won’t mention the surgeon who came but he is a fantastic guy. He is extremely bright and I suspect he will someday be the foremost surgeon in Ethiopia. We had already developed an acquaintance and I fully trusted his judgment.
The visit happened a little less than two weeks ago. Many people were praying for it. In fact, we later learned that God had arranged additional prayer. Both our mission agency, Global Outreach, and the hospital’s foundation board, the St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation, are accredited by the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). ECFA recognition helps indicate good financial credibility in a charitable organization. Apparently ECFA, in the course of their usual activity, selects a different organization to pray for each day during their devotion time. About one week after the fact, the ECFA president sent a note to St. Luke’s and told them that the “just happened” to select us for prayer on March 29th. It was the day of the site visit.
The visit went incredibly well. Everything proceeded smoothly and the program was presented with what seemed to be clarity and understanding. Questions were answered and misconceptions cleared. It seemed very positive when they left. We continued to pray fervently.
You see, the whole situation just seemed so remarkably different than the prior experiences. Where everything up until now had been a difficult, uphill climb, it seemed strange that this had happened so suddenly and smoothly. It didn’t fit. Only God’s movement made sense of it all.
Two days ago, I received an email. The letter of accreditation was ready to be picked up! I now have the precious document in my possession and will soon get it down to Soddo. After all this work and all this prayer… literally two years of effort… it seems so odd and stunning to say it. We’ve got it. We’re accredited! Again, the last several weeks have been so discordant with the rest of the process that it more clearly contrasts to me that God has done a wonderful thing here.
So what does this mean? I’m still wrestling with the situation. Ultimately, the final test will be whether or not our graduates are granted a license of ‘surgical specialist.’ But it really looks like that is going to be the case. Assuming that happens, I believe it’s going to dramatically affect our program. In the last six or nine months, the number of applicants to PAACS has dropped considerably and Ethiopian applicants have completely stopped. As I’ve talked with Ethiopian doctors, the issue of accreditation has been foremost in the discussion when it comes to PAACS. With this in place, I suspect we’re going to have no shortage of Ethiopian applicants. Furthermore, it may very well translate to doors being opened for our non-Ethiopian residents. Having a governmental license in surgery, while obviously completely useful in this country, would probably be transferable to other African countries.
As I rejoice in this news, I find myself freshly motivated to hit our program with renewed gusto. I think we’re doing a good job but we can be even better. My prayer is that we would be a truly superlative surgical training program. My prayer is that we would loudly broadcast the very best that we have to offer because of what Christ has done in us and is enabling in us. If there is any good in what we are doing, if there is any good in any of us, please understand that it’s God working in us. We don’t claim the credit and I pray that God would receive much praise and glory for all of it. Thank you all for your prayers and keep them coming. They are being heard!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Rom 11:34-36
