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More than 1,000 bodies lay scattered across the mission compound surrounding Nyankunde Hospital after ethnic tensions exploded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002. Patients and hospital staff were murdered and every building was vandalized and looted.

Decades of missionary activity at the busy mission station came to a halt and Nyankunde Hospital lay in ruins for several years before a few nurses quietly returned and opened a small clinic in one of the salvaged buildings.

Dr. Mike Upio, who was born at Nyankunde Hospital, was away in medical school when the violence erupted. His mother, brother, and nine other relatives were killed. When he returned to Nyankunde in 2006 and saw the clinic, he knew God was calling him to serve there as a physician. He is now the medical director for the hospital.

“I want to see a hospital where people can come and get really good care and learn about the Christian life,” Dr. Upio said. “First of all, this hospital is about the Gospel. It’s a place where people can come and find a solution for their problems, both physically and spiritually.”

In Whittier, California, missionary veterans Richard and Dr. Ruth Dix also felt the Lord urge them to return to Nyankunde when Samaritan’s Purse shared a vision for a major rebuilding campaign. Richard was born in Congo to parents who established the mission station in Banda. The Dixes had served together at Nyankunde from 1966 to 1985. Ruth, an OBG, treated patients at the hospital, while Richard coordinated construction and building maintenance on the compound. In 2009, the Dixes returned to Nyankunde.

Richard and Ruth are both in their 70s and Ruth is battling muscular dystrophy, but the Lord has given them amazing strength and stamina. Richard is directing construction of an 8,000 square-foot building that will house an intensive care unit and operating rooms. He even set up a sawmill in the forest, where lumber crews fell trees and cut stacks of heavy beams and planks for the reconstruction project.



“It was very sad to see a place that was thriving and a lighthouse for the Gospel totally ruined,” Richard said. “But it was a thrill to see some of the men who had worked for me during those early years still walking with the Lord. To me, that was a real highlight. We’ve enjoyed coming back, we’ve enjoyed living here, we enjoy the people, and it’s a thrill to be part of the rebuilding
process.”

Although Ruth walks with a cane, she is always on call, ready to climb aboard a bright red mini ATV and maneuver down the hill on a dirt road to the hospital. She handles the most difficult procedures and provides valuable training to the medical staff.

“It’s been very satisfying to come back and to see people we knew before who have continued with the Lord,” Ruth said. “My shoulders are becoming weak because of the disease and I don’t walk well, but as long as I can do what I can do, I will continue.”

Evangelism and pastoral care are as important as the medical treatment patients receive at the hospital. Fulltime chaplains make their own rounds, encouraging patients, praying for them, and sharing the Gospel. The chaplains also help provide food, clothing, and other assistance for patients in need.

Chaplain John Mungimbo paused to comfort an older man who didn’t have any visitors. John listened to the patient’s concerns and then found a quiet opportunity to share the Good News.

“God loves you,” the chaplain said, “And John 1:12 says that those who receive Him can become sons of God. You have to be sure that you have received Jesus in your heart. That’s the most important thing. You have to open your heart and your life to know that Jesus is in you.”

A special patient to the staff was a quiet 13-year-old boy named Onesemu. He was horribly burned over his upper body, arms, and hands when he had a seizure and fell into his mother’s cooking fire at home. When he first arrived at the hospital, the doctors didn’t know if he would survive.



Onesemu sat on the edge of his hospital bed, thumbing through the pages of a Bible with his burn-scared hand.

“Jesus raised people from the dead,” Onesemu said. “I have faith that Jesus will heal me.”

Dr. Upio works tirelessly at the hospital, but spends much of his off time ministering to young people at his church and in the community. He leads Bible studies, coordinates youth evangelism projects, and organizes soccer matches to help bring kids from rival tribal groups together.

“If we want to build a future for this place, we need to focus on the youth,” Dr. Upio said. “We need to help young people overcome mistrust and be reconciled to each other and to God through Jesus Christ.”

The new intensive care unit and operating rooms are nearing completion. Samaritan’s Purse also sent four massive shipping containers filled with equipment, building materials, and medical supplies for the hospital.

A male nurse named Fabien, who survived the 2002 massacre, is optimistic about the future.

“My heart rejoices a thousand times every day,” he said. “I pray the hospital will rise from the ashes and be greater than it was before!”

Samaritan's Purse , Democratic Republic of the Congo , World Medical Mission , Restoring Hope and Saving Lives