In Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, MedSend-supported surgeon Dr. Jacques Ebhele is treating patients during the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC while many around him are living in fear.
“This is my country, my town, and my people catching the disease and dying including nurses and doctors,” Jacques wrote to us this past week.
He could leave.
Instead, he stayed.
“I have no other alternative other than staying here, working hard amidst this tough situation and fighting together with others until the disease is defeated.”
A National Doctor Serving His Own Community
Jacques is not a visiting physician from outside the region.
He is a Congolese surgeon serving his own people through Christian Surgical Network (CSN), a ministry he founded after years of surgical training and leadership across Africa.
After serving in Gabon, Cameroon, and Malawi, Jacques sensed God calling him back home to the DRC.
“God spoke into my heart, ‘Come back home and serve in the DRC.’”
That calling led to the creation of CSN and the development of Mercy Surgical Polyclinic in Bunia, a growing surgical ministry focused on both physical and spiritual care.
Through MedSend’s Launch Project, Jacques is receiving financial support as he steps into long-term missionary service in the DRC.
Why the Launch Project Matters
Many national physicians are ready to serve as medical missionaries in difficult regions, but financial barriers often make long-term service difficult to sustain.
MedSend’s Launch Project helps bridge that gap by supporting National Scholars graduates as they step into missionary service after residency training.
Jacques is one example of what becomes possible when those physicians are supported.
Fighting Ebola While Bringing Hope
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has created fear and instability across Bunia.
“Ebola that has no vaccine and no specific treatment is more scary,” Jacques shared.
Yet even in the middle of crisis, he continues serving patients and pointing people toward Christ.
“We will work diligently, making sure that we represent the hands and feet of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to the forgotten.”
That same commitment shaped his work long before the Ebola outbreak.
In a recent ministry update, Jacques described treating prisoners whose surgical conditions had been ignored for months. Alongside surgeries and medications, he and his team shared the Gospel and cared for their physical needs.
“We are seeing more people with both physical and spiritual needs on a daily basis.”
Pray for Jacques, Bunia, and the Ebola response
Please join us in fervently praying for protection, wisdom, and medical breakthrough in the ongoing emergency Ebola response in the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and throughout the surrounding regions.
Lives hang in the balance, and we are honored to support doctors like Jacques, and so many others, laying their lives on the line to deliver compassionate care during this outbreak.
Give before June 30 to support physicians like Jacques through MedSend’s Launch Project and help bring compassionate healthcare and the hope of Christ to communities in crisis.
