Dahlman Diary

Bruce and Kate Dahlman
Dahlman Diary
November 2010
Africa Inland Mission
PO Box 178
Pearl River, NY 10965
800.254.0010
www.aimint.org/usa
Dear faithful family and friends,
In our last newsletter sent in August, we described a number of transitions that we have been anticipating as
we have settled into life here in the USA and Minnesota. Many of you have been praying for us during these
months of transition and we thank you so much for your faithfulness.
“So what are you guys up to?” you may ask. Before diving into that question, we’d like to share a knipoog
that recently occurred to us. Knipoog? It’s a Dutch word that means “wink”, pronounced “knip-och” with the
“ch” like in German “buch”. This was the descriptive response of Amsterdam friends Chris and Hanneke after
Bruce was sharing of times when God’s impeccable timing, blessing or coming together of “circumstances”
have been very evident. Have you had those times? You might otherwise call it a coincidence. But then it
really isn’t – it’s a knipoog. Consider an example from our lives since our last letter:
A week before our New York trip to attend AIM’s “Rest and Re-Entry Seminar” in early October, Bruce
chipped his front tooth – not very glamorous for speaking at Bethel University Alumni Chapel to be held two
weeks later at homecoming (as the “Alumnus of the Year”; more on that below). During the emergency
appointment to get the tooth fixed, the dentist asked, “Could you use a couple of dental chairs for your
mission work?” “Probably”, Bruce replied, “but since I’m leaving tomorrow, it won’t be possible to get them
loaded in time” (to take to AIM headquarters for shipping overseas). “No problem”, the dentist replied,
“we’re starting our remodeling project tomorrow and moving the chair you’re sitting in out in the morning.”
After a few Kenya phone calls to confirm their new home, the chairs were loaded into the truck going to New
York, and will eventually be shipped to Tenwek Hospital, a sister institution in western Kenya that plans to
build an eye and dental services complex next year!
These “God-winks” or knipoogs are God’s wonderful “intrusions” into our lives to say, “Do not fear, for I am
with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). It is our gracious God who sends knipoogs into your life; a God who
longs for you to recognize them for what they are – a “trigger”, an excuse to shout out your praise. God
wants you to watch expectantly to discover the next knipoog that is being dropped into your life. Watching
for God’s knipoog and praising Him when they occur – perhaps this could be the “Pray without ceasing” to
which Paul invites us as the center of “Be joyful always” and “Give thanks in all circumstances” (I
Thessalonians 5:16-18).
One of the blessings received for Bruce was finding out he had been chosen as Bethel University’s “Alumnus
of the Year” for 2010. Bruce’s Alumni Chapel talk challenged the students to consider God’s call to “Go” to
the unreached ethne, or people groups that have not heard the name of Jesus. God’s response to our act of
obedience is summed up in Bruce’s Grandpa Schmidt’s encouragement to him, “There is no greater joy than
living a fully surrendered life.” Dialogue by Bruce and Kate with Bethel’s pre-med and nursing students was
a particularly enriching experience to see a new generation of mission interest begin to form.
Thank you for praying as we met and prayed with our AIM mission leaders in early October. The bottom
line: we have been asked to remain full-time members of AIM but based here in Minnesota. Our responsibilities are in three areas:
#1 - We will be Medical Mobilizers for AIM, INFA-MED and our efforts in nursing and family
medicine education. We are responsible to our good friend and mentor, Warren Day, who is the coordinator
of all of AIM’s regional representatives that do the follow-up work with those that inquire about service with
AIM. When medically-related inquirers come, we are available to answer questions about preparation and
expectations of health-related ministry in Africa. Attending medical missions conferences, making personal
visits, phone calls and sending countless emails are some the tasks to encourage people to pursue God’s call
on their lives. AIM has also asked us to lead teams of 6 – 8 health-profession students on 4 - 8 week
MediQuest trips to explore health-related professional opportunities in Africa.
#2 - The INFA-MED Management Committee asked (and AIM approved) for Bruce to be their
Director of Development in the US. One task will be to encourage support to the Family Medicine
Leadership Development Project (AIM US #916) to give scholarships so that medical officers at one of the 20
or so Christian Health Association of Kenya hospitals will be able to attend the three-year family medicine
residency course. The University charges tuition and the teaching hospital only pays half of a salary
(government hospitals pay no salary). INFA-MED would like to assist with one fourth of the salary, leaving
the final fourth for the sponsoring hospital. The Project will also assist with a three-year decreasing
commitment to transition the INFA-MED Director’s position from Bruce’s no-cost position as a missionary to
a Kenyan part-time salary. We invite you to consider assisting this fund – 95% of any contribution goes to
the Project (5% AIM admin. fee).
#3 - Last spring our Kenyan apartment askari (gate guard), Kennedy, gave us daily updates of his
sister in western Kenya who was hospitalized for a bowel obstruction. Surgery was delayed, the bowel
ruptured and the resulting abdominal sepsis resulted in her death at age 36 leaving a family behind. Case
reports like this spur us to redouble our efforts to provide Kenya, and other East African countries, with
residency-trained family doctors who will care for the patient first and foremost. But one problem is the lack
of trained family medicine mentors and educators to scale up the program. Kenyan program graduates and
family doctors from US, Canada and other countries that want to mentor and teach in Africa are asking for a
one-year fellowship program to solidify their teaching and needed clinical skills. From the AAFP Global
Health Initiative meeting in Miami (September) and interest from colleagues in Canada, UK and The
Netherlands, a core group of interested educators and affiliated universities is forming, of which Bruce is a
key part. Where it will lead is not yet known, but we appreciate your prayers for this exciting potential
program that could have a large impact to increase the primary care team consultants in rural Africa.
How does all this affect you, our faithful financial and prayer supporter for at least some, if not all, of these
last 18 years? The bottom line is that we hope it encourages you to continue your faithful support as we
transition to this way of developing the family medicine and other health care workers of Africa to deliver
compassionate and capable care in previously poorly served areas. Many of them will do so from their heart
of service to our Lord Jesus Christ; others, we hope, will serve better after having been mentored by those
emulate the healing of the Great Physician.
We have personally contacted a few key supporters to transition their support to assist the Family Medicine
Leadership Development Project account as described in #2. We pray the majority of you will continue to
support our ongoing work as you always have in the past, to the AIM Dahlman Support Account. If you are
one of the over 550 that have been reading this letter over the years and want to supplement our faithful
support team of 65, please write to the AIM address above on the letterhead. As mentioned in last letter,
income from Bruce’s ER work and Kate’s teaching here in the U.S. provides for our daily expenses. Your
continued direct AIM support will pay our health and other insurances, payroll deductions, and AIM
remittances. Contributions beyond these needs will go into our Mission Work Fund Account which will be
used to pay only expenses related to our three-fold responsibilities above such as travel to meetings, visiting
interested AIM medical candidates, leading future MediQuest teams, and developing a Fellowship program.
Finally, Namuncha Primary School is celebrating the
completion of the teacher’s duplex housing unit that has
been completed with the majority funding by the Father’s
Table Foundation. Funds for a water tower and septic
system to serve this and future housing units still need to
be raised. We would appreciate your consideration of
sending a one-time year-end gift to the Maasai
Development Project (#915) towards the final $9,000 to
complete this exciting project.
Thanks so much for being such a faithful and
committed part of our ministry; we are so blessed
by your partnership. May God bless you richly!
November 2010 Support Information
Dahlman Diary recipients: 580 Prayer Break/Notes Partners: 105
Regular Financial Supporters: 65 New Support Target: $4030 per month
Support Received: $5,101 (Ave. Nov 09 – Oct 10) Support %: 101%
Send tax-deductible Contributions and memo of intent made out to:
Africa Inland Mission, PO Box 178, Pearl River, NY 10965
Indicate for: Dahlman Support OR
Maasai Development Project (Namuncha School) #915 OR
Family Medicine Leadership Development Project #916 OR
Let us know if: *You no longer want to receive this letter – no problem
* You want AIM to set up an automatic monthly bank withdrawal
* You receive this letter by US mail but are willing to receive email
* You need to receive this letter as “text only” (30 – 50 kb)
* You want to receive “Prayer Break/Notes” every 2-3 wks. by email
Love,
Bruce and Kate