Names hold a lot of meaning in the Bible.

When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, the added “ha” elevated his name from “great father” to “father of many nations.” Joshua (God is salvation), Elijah (the Lord is my God), Ezekiel (God will strengthen), John (God has pardoned), Matthew (gift of God) – so many names speak to the character God was building in them through His story.

In one of the most remote areas that Mission of Mercy works, we are seeing a man’s name imbued with new meaning as God equips him for service. Josephat Ethekon works at the Elelea Child Development Center, located in the Turkana district of northwest Kenya.

The Turkana district is the largest in Kenya – and also one of the most desolate. The community of Elelea is over 100 miles from a major town and more than 250 miles from a large city. In this region, families depend on animal herding for their survival, something increasingly difficult in the face of a years-long drought.

As the grasses and subsequently their herds dwindled, malnutrition and other preventable diseases loomed as greater threats, especially for the young children. Josephat Ethekon tried to help treat illnesses in the traditional way using the bark of trees, often the only resource the region had. His last name – Ethekon – relates to this practice, as it is also the name of that healing bark.

The lack of available medical treatment was hindering the children’s development. Something as simple as a skin rash could flare into something more debilitating. Seeing the tremendous needs of the children in Turkana, Dr. David Beyda and the Medical Mercy program began training Mission of Mercy project staff as Health Care Workers. Among them was Josephat Ethekon, who traveled some 300 miles south to attend Dr. Beyda’s classes.

Armed with basic medical training, Josephat took it upon himself to visit local clinics to become more familiar with the available medicines. He traveled to the remote villages to assess children, sharpening his examination skills and continuing to diagnose and treat the most common illnesses.

A health care worker is not made from one round of classes, however. Dr. Beyda and a Medical Mercy team of volunteer nurses and doctors returned in August 2010 to run clinics in Malindi, the southeastern coastal region of Kenya. Again Josephat traveled south to learn by doing – receiving patients, examining, diagnosing, and issuing medicine – eventually seeing patients on his own and occasionally asking the Medical Mercy team for help.

At the end of the week in Malindi, Josephat received a medical kit that would allow him to treat the children in the various projects in the Turkana region. He lost no time in visiting the communities, weighing the children and assessing the levels of malnutrition, doing general check-ups and administering first aid.

Recently an outbreak of chickenpox swept through Elelea, and Josephat was instrumental in identifying the symptoms before it could spread further. His medical treatment assisted both children and parents who were affected. Josephat’s main concern now is keeping a consistent supply of medicines. Turkana is so remote that it is difficult to receive regular shipments.

The Elelea community is noticing the difference in their children. The village of 8,000 now has a resource for healing, and it no longer comes from the bark of a tree. Now healing comes at the hands of Josephat Ethekon, a man with a heart for his community and a desire to see improvement in the lives of children. He knows the benefit of this work could go far beyond this day. “I want to learn more about medicines and use this knowledge also as a tool for evangelism.” 

If you would like more information on the Medical Mercy program that assists children and trains project workers to provide medical treatment, visit www.missionofmercy.org/medicalmercy.