Adventist Medical Missionary—The Very Best Thing Adventists Do

Can you pick a Seventh-day Adventist out of a crowd? Or would you know when you passed one on the street?

Maybe not, but there are distinctive characteristics of Adventists all around the world. It all stems from their conviction to reflect the character of Christ in every aspect of their lives.

Adventists believe being a true follower of Jesus affects you through and through. It’s more than the words you say or the appearance you keep. It’s letting the Holy Spirit dwell in you, guide you, forgive you, restore you, and lead you “into all truth” (John 16:13), so you can experience the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

As Adventists grew from their grassroots beginnings into an organized global church, they found it particularly meaningful to apply biblical principles of conduct and compassion in the areas of health and well-being, stewardship, mission, and evangelism.

Compelled by the mission to live God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness, and hope, the Adventist medical missionaries look to transform the health experience of our communities by improving physical, mental, and spiritual health; enhancing interactions; and making care more accessible and affordable.

The Skill to Heal. The Spirit to Care

If you want to know why non-Adventists love Adventists, this would be why: Adventists do a great job of kindly caring for sick people.

Personal Adventist Health

We didn’t begin by caring for sick people, we began by reforming health habits. Within weeks of organizing as an official church, our prophetess was taken off in a vision experience that told the newly minted church that not only should they change their worship from Sunday to Sabbath, and accept that dead people die and only have hope of life after resurrection, but also that they should improve their diets and use progressive cutting edge ideas to regain health. It can now be shown that the health ideas promoted were not original with Ellen White, which either means she was well-read with a unique ability to select the valuable ideas of her time from the wide supporter errors of her day, or that God was working with Ellen White as he was working with Silvester Graham and Amelia Bloomer to improve the health of this sick world by all means possible.

Unique to Ellen White was not that tobacco was bad for you, and alcohol should be avoided, that plants were safer than eating things “with faces and mothers,” and that whole grains were superior to white stuff. What was unique to Ellen White is that the health of your body was a religious duty, that health was a spiritual issue, that God did care if you bathed, smoked, were too fat, or died too young.

Institutional Adventist Health

Starting in 1863 with “the Health Vision” what evolved in Adventism was a religious obligation to be healthy, to use only proven safe and effective remedies, and then later to expand prevention and care of illness to non-Adventists. This began after 1866 as “health retreats” where sick people would come to get a cure by diet changes and avoiding the poison chemical used by regular physicians as drugs. It expanded as the prophetess and her church funded young Adventists (like John Kellogg) in medical schools to get educations and degrees that the public would recognize while promoting advanced ideas on a cure.

Testimonies or letters were written to Adventists by the prophetess encouraging them to help take care of their friends and neighbors using the superior diet and health care ideas promoted. This was termed a “medical ministry” and the hundreds of these letters were later compiled and edited into books sold to Adventists as “Counsels.” Toward the end of her life, Ellen White’s book-making team published a polished and beautiful capstone book called The Ministry of Healing. Read this one if you want to get the message unconfused by personal applications that may or may not apply to you at this time in history.

I have learned that many patients seek Adventist physicians based on their previous experience. I have seen patients who drive 90 and 120 miles bypassing other hospitals and clinics to be attended to by “an Adventist physician.” We are not smarter or better doctors than those in their home towns, but there is something about the attitudes Adventist doctors have been gifted with by our Church and its institutions that meet needs in people’s hearts. Many patients pay for each visit they make, and very few complain about the fees. In fact, scores of them bring gifts in addition to paying their bills.

Involvement in Mission Work

Mission work is a major theme in Adventist history, and today their collective drive to serve around the world is as strong as ever.

In our broken world, there will always be people who need help. Wars, natural disasters, poverty, and famine are unfortunate realities, making an ever-present need for humanitarian aid and community development. Adventists believe this responsibility of service belongs to any and all of Jesus’ followers, whether they’re called to a faraway country or just down the street.

While there are numerous organized mission efforts within the Adventist denomination, Adventists uphold a general spirit of volunteerism as part of their day-to-day mission focus. Many help out in Adventist Community Services centers, and others have created or serve within a wide range of local need-based ministries.

Final Word: Evangelism in all Things.

Similar to missions, Adventists see evangelism as an inseparable part of the Christian walk. And they believe their lives should reflect that. Just as the Apostle Paul encouraged:

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17, CSB).

When the Advent Movement was in full swing, it seemed only natural to want to live out and share each new discovery of Bible truth. They were so amazed by the spiritual growth they experienced, and they were eager to spread the word to others.

Many of the Adventist evangelistic efforts focus on what they learned about prophecy in Daniel and Revelation. This is largely due to those parts of Scripture being set aside or skipped over before the Second Great Awakening. Even the clergy just didn’t talk about it.

With this newfound knowledge of Scripture, Adventists wanted to share that yes, many world-changing events will happen on the earth in the coming times. The good news is we can embrace the promise of peace that God has already won the war, and those clinging to Jesus will be saved!

In the meantime, many blessings are available to us before the Second Coming, when Jesus will take His followers to heaven with Him. The health-related discoveries in early Adventism provided additional opportunities for evangelism.

In realizing what an impact simple healthy habits and natural remedies could have on everyday health, it was exciting to share these discoveries with people who had long been struggling with issues they would now be able to manage. It became a testament to how God provides for His children through the very environment He created for them.

Adventists continue to share ways to improve health and wellness while drawing closer to God. Today you might see health fairs, free clinic days, seminars, screenings, and more happening at their churches, available to the community.

With so many aspects of everyday life becoming intertwined with opportunities for worship and evangelism, Adventists are a close-knit denomination. God can do amazing things with a group of people united in conviction and mission, and you don’t have to be a doctor or an expert in theology to be part of it!

The wonderful thing about Adventists is they embrace all spiritual gifts—which God has given to everyone—in service, ministry, and belonging. And throughout the years they’ve continued to express the joy and camaraderie they feel when working toward a common goal, letting the whole world know they can find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus.

List of Adventist Medical in Kenya

	Name (Website) Location	Type & Field
1	Better Living Hospital Nairobi, Kenya	Hospital East Kenya Union Conference
2	Better Living Hospital Likoni Road Clinic Nairobi, Kenya	Clinic East Kenya Union Conference
3	Chepareria Seventh-day Adventist Health Centre Chepareria, Kenya	Clinic North West Kenya Conference
4	Eronge Dispensary Keroka, Kenya	Clinic Nyamira Conference
5	Gatumbi Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kianyaga, Kenya	Clinic North East Kenya Field
6	Gesusu Dispensary Gesusu, Kisii, Kenya	Clinic South Kenya Conference
7	Itibo Dispensary Kenya	Clinic Nyamira Conference
8	Kabokyek Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kericho, Kenya	Clinic South Rift Valley Field
9	Kaigat Dispensary Eldoret, Kenya	Clinic Greater Rift Valley Conference
10	Kamagambo Dispensary (website) Kisii, Kenya	Clinic Ranen Conference
11	Kebeneti Dispensary Kericho, Kenya	Clinic South Rift Valley Field
12	Kemera Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kisii, Kenya	Clinic Nyamira West Field
13	Kendu Adventist Hospital (website) Kendu Bay, Kenya	Hospital West Kenya Union Conference
14	Kitundu Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kikima, Kenya	Clinic East Nairobi Field
15	Maliera Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kisumu, Kenya	Clinic Central Nyanza Conference
16	Manyatta Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Nyangweso, via Homa Bay, Kenya	Clinic Kenya Lake Conference
17	Matare Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kehancha, Kenya	Clinic Ranen Conference
18	Nairobi Adventist Hospital (website) Nairobi, Kenya	Hospital Central Kenya Conference
19	Nyabikaye Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Isebania, Kenya	Clinic Ranen Conference
20	Nyabola Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Oyugis, Kenya	Clinic Kenya Lake Conference
21	Nyagesenda Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kisii, Kenya	Clinic Nyamira West Field
22	Nyagichenche Dispensary Nyamarambe, Kenya	Clinic South-East Kenya Field
23	Nyanchwa Adventist Mission Hospital Kisii, Kenya	Hospital South Kenya Conference
24	Nyasore Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kisii, Kenya	Clinic Nyamira West Field
25	Oyani Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Suna, Migori, Kenya	Clinic Ranen Conference

26	Ranen Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Sare-Awendo, Kenya	Clinic Ranen Conference
27	Rangwe Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Rangwe, Kenya	Clinic Kenya Lake Conference
28	Riakworo Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Gesima, via Kisii, Kenya	Clinic Nyamira West Field
29	Riokindo Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary (website) Kisii, Kenya	Clinic South-East Kenya Field
30	Segero Dispensary Eldoret, Kenya	Clinic Greater Rift Valley Conference
31	Sironoi Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Kapsabet, Kenya	Clinic Greater Rift Valley Conference
32	Watamu Seventh-day Adventist Dispensary Watamu, Kenya	Clinic Kenya Coast Field
33	Wire Dispensary Oyugis, Kenya	Clinic Kenya Lake Conference

Health ministry’s department endeavors to ensure that the healing ministry of Jesus is carried on through training, teaching of its members to upholding, adheres, lives, maintains and practices healthful principles as outlined in the Bible MISSION Health Ministry is committed to carrying on the healing and teaching ministry of Jesus Christ, by promoting optimal levels of health to men, women, and children in our church and the surrounding community; by educating them on ways to prevent disease, ways to effectively manage existing health conditions and compassionately caring for the sick . It is dedicated to fulfilling the commission of Christ in Matthew 28:20, VISION Health Ministries maintain a healthful membership that advocate, adheres, and practices good principles of health in fulfilment of the mission of the church. Purpose • The principal purpose of the Adventist Health Ministries is to bring physical and spiritual healing to the people of the congregations in the church and the community. • It also intends to educate every church member so that he/she can develop a life-style that adheres to the principles of health and temperance and make use of the natural remedies that God has provided for our well-being.

OBJECTIVES

1. To advocate a healthful lifestyle in line with the Biblical principles
2. To sensitize and empower church members on healthful living through teaching and training.
3. To develop a strong program of health care for congregations and people in the community to alleviate sickness and suffering.
4. To reach people for Christ through the combination of gospel and health outreach.
5. To monitor and evaluate the activities of all health facilities within the WKC.
6. To establish HIV and AIDS education, prevention, care and support programs.
7. Prevent the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco and other substance abuse or debasing drugs
8. To network with other stakeholders and development partners in promoting healthful living.

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