Bongolo Residents and Attendings

Residents

Surgeons 

 

Residents

 

Jean Faya Yaradouno - 4th Year Resident 

Born: 1973
Married to: Jacqueline
Children: One
Home country: Guinea (Conakry)
Medical School and year of graduation: University of Conakry, 2004
Year he began the program: April 2005

 

Jean (pronounced “John”) heard about PAACS from a C&MA missionary in Guinea who knew about Bongolo Hospital’s work in Gabon. He was accepted into the program and left Guinea on January 1, the day after getting married to a lovely young woman named Jacqueline. But he arrived later that day in Libreville, Gabon, with the wrong visa. Jean was supposed to request a visa to stay long term, but not knowing the difference, had gotten a one-month tourist visa.

 

Our business agent took him to the Immigration office to apply for a long-term visa. There Jean was told he would have to fly back to Conakry and apply for the right visa. The only problem was that he didn’t have the $1,200 it would cost to make the round trip. So he waited in Libreville and waited, while appeal after appeal was denied. When his one-month tourist visa expired he could not even go for a walk on the street without risking arrest. His friends and family back in Guinea called him on their cell phones almost daily and begged him to give it up and come home. God was speaking, they said; he had made a mistake, and he needed to recognize the obvious. But Jean refused give up. Instead, he got on his knees several times a day and prayed for a miracle.

 

After two months, immigration officials finally demanded that our mission put Jean on a plane and send him home. Then a miracle happened. Just hours before the plane was to leave, a high government official heard about John’s situation and intervened. Jean got his visa, and four months later he and his lovely bride Jacqueline—who came with the right visa--were very happily reunited! 

 

Yali Bin Ramazani - 3rd Year Resident 

Born: November 13, 1967
Married to: Eveline
Children: 3 adopted children
Home country: DRC
Medical School and date of graduation: University of Kinshasa, 1996
Year he began the program: August 05

 

Yali Bin Ramazani heard about PAACS from one of the Congolese residents training at Bongolo. Yali was working at an AIDS clinic in Kinshasa when he received an email urging him to consider training in surgery with PAACS. He was good at what he did, loved his patients, and had an unusual ministry in Kinshasa as an evangelist that had started when he was in university. But this was an opportunity to become a surgeon for God. Yali applied, was accepted, and six months later began his residency. His young wife remained in Kinshasa for a year to finish school before joining him.

 

The son of a pastor, Yali is a gifted preacher and looks for opportunities to minister in local churches. Every Sunday that he is not on call at the hospital he catches a ride with one of our missionaries to a village church that is without a pastor and in need of encouragement and biblical teaching.

 

Towards the end of his first year Yali began preaching regularly at a church that the hospital had planted in 1996 in the village of Makongonio, 40 kilometers from Bongolo. At one time an average of 120 people attended the church each Sunday, but by 2004, due to poor or absent leadership and teaching, the attendance was down to less than 20.

 

In the summer of 2005, Yali began preaching at the church three Sundays a month. Over the 12 months that he served in this way, attendance increased to more than 80. Several months ago a capable young pastor was assigned to the church, freeing Yali to move on to yet another village to preach about the Jesus he loves and wants to serve. 

 

Jean Claude Bataneni - 2nd Year Resident 

Born: 24/8/76
Married to: Christine
Children: 0
Home country: DRC
Medical School and date of graduation: University of Kisangani, 2002
Year he began the program: August 06

 

Jean Claude grew up in a Christian family in northeastern Congo. His father was a nurse and his mother a midwife, and both his parents and his grandparents worked at Dr. Helen Rosevere’s first hospital. Jean Claude made a profession of faith at a young age and was baptized at age 18. There was never any question about going into medicine.

 

When he was in his 6th year of medical school at the University of Kisangani, he heard Dr. Fuka talking about PAACS. Dr. Fuka had just been accepted to Bongolo Hospital’s training program and was getting ready to leave for Gabon.

 

Jean Claude was sent to Oicha Hospital in northeastern Congo for his internship. While there he met Dr. Philip Wood, a missionary surgeon serving with WEC. When Dr. Wood suggested to Jean Claude that he consider training to become a surgeon with PAACS, he was immediately interested. Shortly before leaving eastern Congo, Jean Claude married Christine, a 66h year medical student at the University of Kisangani. The couple have been married for less than a year. Jean Claude began his residency with PAACS on August 1, 2006. He is hoping that after his wife Christine graduates next year, she will be able to join him in Bongolo. Their dream is to eventually serve God in their homeland, the DRC.

 

Ruffin Loua - 1st Year Resident 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Surgeons

 

Keir Thelander, MD, FACS

Married Status: married
Spouse’s name: Joanna Thelander
Children (number): 2
Home country: USA
Medical School and year of graduation: 1999, Indiana University
Residency training: General surgery residency, Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio

 

Keir grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ at the age of 7, but had no plans of being a physician, a surgeon, or a missionary to Africa. God’s direction led to medical school and, after his first year of medical school in 1996, he and Joanna were married, still with no plans of being missionaries or Keir being a surgeon. In fact, Keir once told his mom, “I will never be a surgeon.” God certainly has a sense of humor and July of 1999 marked the beginning surgery residency in Cleveland. Keir’s last month as a fourth year resident was eventful because at that time God gave Keir a clear call to teach surgery, but no revelation as to where to teach surgery. Later that month Joanna read an email about PAACS describing the need for those to teach surgery in Africa, and God’s call became all the more clear. Teaching, surgery, and Africa, all with PAACS providing the chance to not only teach surgery to those who would likely not have such an opportunity to learn surgery, but to disciple Christian surgery residents. After a whirlwind of preparations, the Thelanders were sent to Gabon with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and began serving at Bongolo Hospital in August of 2006. Joanna and Keir have two children, Luke and Sarah. 

 

David C. Thompson, MD, FACS, FWACS, Tropical Medicine Fellowship

Marital Status: Married
Spouse’s name: Rebecca Thompson
Children (number): 3
Home country: USA
Medical School and year of graduation: University of Pittsburgh, 1973
Residency training: Mercy Scripps Hospital, San Diego, Ca. ( I-II); White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca. (III-V); Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium (6 month course)

 

David Thompson grew up in Cambodia, the son of missionary parents. At age 14, after seeing an injured man die alongside the road, he decided to become a medical missionary. In 1971 he married Becki Thompson, the child of missionaries to Vietnam. During their years of schooling, three of the couple’s four parents were killed while serving as missionaries. In 1977 David and Becki arrived in Lebamba, Gabon and began building what eventually developed into the Bongolo Hospital of the Christian & Missionary Alliance of Gabon, a 120 bed facility. In 1996, David was one of the founders of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons, and two years later he opened the first PAACS residency program at the Bongolo Hospital. Since then, the program has graduated 4 surgeons. The Thompsons have three children: Rachael, who is a single missionary in Cambodia with The Alliance; Joshua, who is married and a pastor in Redding, California; and Jeremy, also living in Redding, is married and is studying to become an elementary school teacher. Now in their late 50’s, the Thompsons plan to continue serving at Bongolo Hospital and training surgeons as long as their health allows.

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