Will and Alisa Copeland

1 in 2 million. That is the number of estimated neurosurgeons in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization recommends 1 for every 200,000 people. This disparity means that most people in Africa in need of neurosurgical care have no access to it and are left to suffer or die.

Since 2016, the Copelands have lived at Tenwek Hospital, where Will is part of a team able to offer this neurosurgical care to some of the neediest. Will also serves as the program director for the first and only Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons neurosurgical training program in all of Africa. In this role he has the privilege of training young African Christian doctors to become neurosurgeons and to use that skillset to share the love of Jesus with their patients in order to bring lasting hope in their time of suffering. Alisa homeschools their children and also leads an outreach ministry for medical wives called Side By Side that encourages women in their faith and medical marriages.

In the book of Philippians, Paul says “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (3:8 NASB).

This is why they go. Because Jesus is more valuable than anything this world can offer. They want to show Him to the people of Kenya while serving the poor and the suffering as Jesus did.