Dean and Cheryl Cowles

We feel called to medical and ministry missions to train, empower, and equip Kenyan physicians and pastors. Cheryl is an obstetrician who trains Kenyan medical staff at Tenwek Hospital. Dean is a pastor who helps equip and train pastors and other community leaders. He also helps with orphan and chaplaincy ministries and serves as the field director of Friends of Tenwek, helping short-term visitors get the most out of their time at Tenwek and in the community.

We served at Tenwek from 1990 to 1992, and our vision then was to see the hospital and churches grow with locally trained leadership. At that time there were no African doctors at Tenwek. Coming back twenty-five years later, it’s exciting to see those dreams being realized. The majority of our doctors are African trained. Now we want to take that to the next level, helping to start the first Christian OB residency program in Africa.

Our vision: 40 by 40—training up 40 African OB/Gyns by 2040. For more information, see this article.

In 1991, Dean started the Chaplaincy Training School at Tenwek, and it has trained and placed hundreds over the decades. We are expanding the school to a higher education level and broader scope to place chaplains “at the bedside and beyond.” 

The Cowles have three boys. Grant is a lawyer living in Denver with his wife Stephanie, who is pursuing her doctorate in child psychology. Isaac is a graphic designer who, in May 2021, moved to San Diego, where his wife, Keri, is starting her OB/Gyn residency. Solomon who was born in Kenya when they served here in the 90s. He works for United Airlines, which provides Dean & Cheryl with free flights on United—a huge blessing and cost savings.

Read more about the Cowles' journey by reading this story on the Nazarene Theological Seminary's website.