Dr. David Thompson's story begins at the age of 14 in Cambodia where he witnessed a man die, after being injured in a car accident. Moments before he passed, his father, a missionary, sat next to him and attempted to share the gospel with him, but the dying man only wanted medical help.

From that moment on he set his sights on becoming a missionary doctor. Dr. Thompson would find a way to help the sick and dying in health and spirit, just like his father attempted on that fateful day.

A few short years later, at the age of 19, a single moment would again sharpen the person he was destined to become. Dr. Thompson received news that both of my parents had been killed in Vietnam by communist soldiers. He was at first enraged that God had not protected his parents, but in that moment God challenged David to trust Him. What emerged amid the deep pain of loss was the promise that he would never do anything significant for God unless he was willing to trust Him in both good times and bad. He felt his words, 'Do you trust me?’ and he surrendered. His answer was a clear and unwavering “yes.”

God had outlined his vision and purpose, but it would take years for his mission — a greater mission--to come to light.

He would go on to complete his medical education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and two years of general surgery residency at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in San Diego, California.

Other serendipitous life events would guide Dr. Thompson to a woman named Becki Michell, who in 1971, after earning her R.N. degree, would become his wife and would join him four years later in accepting an invitation from the Christian Missionary Alliance to serve as medical missionaries in Gabon, Central Africa. They had hoped to go to either Cambodia or Vietnam to serve, but by the time they were ready, both countries were deemed unsafe.

They arrived in Gabon in May 1977, quickly opened a nursing school and launched the Bongolo Hospital. Their small dispensary would go on to become a 158-bed hospital with full medical, obstetrical, pediatric, and surgical services. 

Their feeling of purpose never faltered. As their responsibilities grew, it became clear that they needed to do more for those they were serving. They returned to the U.S. and Dr. Thompson completed three more years of residency in general surgery, eventually qualifying for the American Board of Surgery. New credentials in hand, Becki and David returned to Gabon to resume our work.  

It wasn’t long before pivotal developments began to reshape their mission. David was the only surgeon for 200,000 people, and no matter how optimistic and hardworking they were they could not keep up with the needs. Dr. Thompson tried to recruit other surgeons to come and help him, but none responded. Desperate, he prayed and placed his faith in God’s sustaining hand.

One day as Dr. Thompson prayed, God said to him, “You train them!” He was shocked, but from that moment on he realized that if he wanted help, he would have to begin training surgeons himself. Not long afterwards David attended a Christian Medical and Dental Education conference in Kenya where he met nine other missionary and African surgeons. Dr. Thompson was surprised to learn that they were experiencing the same problem at the hospitals where they served!

The year was 1996 — and together they agreed to establish the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS). Their mission was to train and disciple African physicians to be surgeons who would glorify God and provide excellent and compassionate care to their own people. They would have to set up five-year formal residency programs in general surgery at our hospitals. They set a goal of fully training 100 African surgeons by 2020, with the vision that they would remain in Africa and would work in the under-resourced areas of the continent, serving the poor and those needing help the most. They made this decision without government approval or even a clear set of rules, trusting the abilities and experience God had given them. The first PAACS training program opened at Bongolo Hospital in 1997, with just one resident. In the two decades that followed, PAACS grew at an astonishing rate.

The Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) is a strategic response to the need for surgeons in Africa. We are a non-denominational, multinational service organization training African physicians to become surgeons who are willing to remain in Africa to meet this need. PAACS also disciples these residents to share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ with their patients. The surgical and spiritual training of these residents is offered at several well-established mission hospitals in Africa, under the direction of experienced, board-certified missionary surgeons.