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“Unfortunately, we have so much noise in our lives these days that it’s challenging to make time for our Father and to invite Him into our hearts. Saying YES has become more and more difficult. We have also become so self-reliant and narcissistic that we don’t even want to accept the Spirit trying to work within us—we want to be in control, remember?”
Today’s podcast presents one of the most amazing and powerful stories of God’s miraculous work and His faithful presence in our lives. Steve Meyer’s experience showcases an incredible tapestry that proves what is being said in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you.” and ultimately justifies that God’s plans are relational.
Steve Meyer, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon is the founder of STEMM (Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries). It is an inter-denominational Christian ministry that was specifically created to develop a relational bridge between Siouxland and Tanzania by addressing the priorities of spiritual growth, medical care, and educational opportunities.
But prior to founding STEMM, Steve was a lost soul, struggling to live each day, dealing with a failing marriage, and questioning his purpose in life. More than two decades ago, the chance encounter with a patient at Mercy Hospital altered the course of Steve’s life; it connected him with a Christian mission team and his life-changing trip to China.
STEMM was born in 1996 and the year after, Steve together with the organization’s other founders made their very first trip to Tanzania. Since then, STEMM groups have traveled to Tanzania on a semi-annual basis. And as the demand grows, so do the number of trips. It is through these “hands-on” mission trips that many Christians from all denominations and all walks of life have experienced life change and renewal in their own personal spiritual journey.
In 2017, to celebrate STEMM’s 20 years of success, Steve gathered three missionaries including Kevin Negaard, Jennifer Milby, and Manda Volkert for a medical mission and traveled 10,000 miles to Tanzania. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the team arrived to what they least expected, no medical mission was organized. Steve, despite being frustrated himself, told the team that they should trust God’s plan and assured them that they came to Tanzania for a reason.
Indeed, they did! On May 6, 2017, a bus carrying 36 seventh-grade students, two teachers and a driver skidded off the road into a ravine in the country’s northern region. And the three missionaries while on their way to a safari, witnessed this most horrific bus accident. They were some of the first people to come across the tragedy and they dove headfirst into the recovery. Wading through dead and dismembered thirteen-year-olds to find the only three with a heartbeat. They stabilized these kids and made sure they got into the ambulance.
Thirty-six people died, 33 of them were children and only 3 survived. This is how the story of the 3 “Miracle Kids” started. Doreen, 13, Sadia, 12, and Wilson, 12, who suffered from multiple serious bone fractures and disfigurements, and faced a long road to recovery. They are the biggest inspiration why Steve Meyer wrote the book “Answer The Call.”
“No, I am not a hero! We are just people that God put us in a place in time and we did what most anybody would do. It was an opportunity to serve.”- Kevin Negaard
“It’s just these incredible God moments that keep happening,” Negaard said. “This story shouldn’t be about us. From the Tanzanians who were dragging kids out, to the American people providing medical care… from the two countries coming together… and then Mercy coming forward, the Ronald McDonald house, just everyone coming together. That’s the story, not us.”
“Answer The Call” is a miraculous set of circumstances that was set before the significant people involved in this real-life story. This is the journey of taking the three survivors from Tanzania to America for their treatment, surgery, and recovery. All the people, starting with Steve Meyer himself, his wife Dana, his friend Lazaro Nyalandu, his team Kevin Negaard, Jennifer Milby, and Manda Volkert, Tanzania’s Vice President, Steve King, Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse, Mercy Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House, all the Tanzanians who helped; they all answered God’s call and said “YES!” to make multiple miracles happen.
We need stories like this that remind us that we can cross the barriers of different creeds, cultures, and countries. And we can unite and celebrate our common humanity and the fact that we all have the same Creator.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
– The importance of trusting God’s plan
– How listening to God and answering His call can bring about miracles
– The power of inner connectivity
– Giving back and building a bridge of hope
REFERENCES:
Steve’s Website
https://www.midwestmedicaledition.com/2015/08/21/83251/dr-steven-meyer-and-siouxland-tanzania-educational-medical-ministries#content
https://www.cnos.net/doctors/steven-meyer
BIO
Dr. Steven Meyer is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. He joined CNOS after his residency at the University of Kentucky, Shriner’s Hospital.
Dr. Meyer received his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He is fellowship trained in general orthopedics and pediatric orthopedics.
Steve together with his wife founded the inter-denominational Christian ministry called STEMM in 1996.
STEMM volunteers have performed nearly 1000 orthopedic, general and ENT surgeries in a country with only one physician for every 100,000 people and fewer than two dozen orthopedic surgeons to serve a population of 45 million. Meyer himself performed the country’s first hip and knee replacement.
STEMM has also helped send nearly 10 thousand Tanzanian children to high school and university. “We have produced doctors, teachers, engineers and multiple nurses,” says Meyer.
STEMM’s latest endeavor, launched in 2005, is STEMM Children’s Village, a village-style orphanage in a remote part of Tanzania. When filled to capacity, the homes on site – each complete with a “Mama” to care for the children – will accommodate up to 180 of Tanzania’s 2 million orphans. According to the group’s website, “The SCV will not merely save children from starvation, exploitation and death, but will also provide a Christian environment for them to thrive.”
Our primary motivation for this mission is Christ’s words found in Matthew 25:40: “As you have done it to the least of these…. you have done it unto Me.” This Christ-centered mission is driven by the values of compassion, caring, commitment and change. We truly believe that by giving of ourselves and extending Christian love to our brothers and sisters half-way around the world, we can make a life-changing difference. By “giving back”, we build a “bridge of hope” for those who have almost no hope. By sharing only a small part of our blessings, we can give them a future.
