Divine Healing in US Private Practice

In my previous post, we covered Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's Experiences in Afghanistan. Now in this segment, we'll cover his experiences of the Lord healing his patients during his private practice in the USA.

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Returning to the United States carried a deep sense of homecoming for Andrew. As a U.S. citizen born in Detroit, Michigan, he was drawn back to Texas to reconnect with two exceptional Texan surgical colleagues whom he had worked alongside in Afghanistan.

His first appointment brought him to Tyler, east of Dallas, where he joined the Southwest Medical School's regional branch focusing on long-term tuberculosis and chest diseases. Yet, after spending a year there while seeking where the Lord would have him plant his life’s work, Andrew felt a clear leading toward private practice.

Weighing his options, he declined a prestigious appointment as the Commissioner of Health for Texas. Another potential opportunity in Lubbock was quickly dismissed when he arrived to survey the city and watched a massive dust storm roll in—interpreting the sudden wall of wind as a clear "no" from the Lord. Finally, he visited Amarillo. The city immediately felt like home. There, he met a senior internal medicine physician looking for someone to take over his practice. Three months later, the beloved doctor retired, passing away peacefully with Andrew holding his hand when the older physician's wife could not be there.

Andrew assumed the practice, stepping into a thirty-year season of private care that he cherished deeply. Beyond practicing conventional internal medicine, his office became a place where medical science and divine healing intersected. Recognizing that physical ailments often carried spiritual roots, Andrew frequently encouraged his believing patients to incorporate daily family communion.

The results were astonishing. When a pastor scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor followed Andrew's guidance to take communion with his wife, a pre-surgical exam revealed the mass had completely vanished, shocking the operating surgeon. In another instance, a patient scheduled for surgery suffered from chronic back and knee pain. Before the operation, he was healed through taking communion and Andrew’s prayer. However, the physical trauma of the subsequent surgery for a separate issue caused the pain to flare back up. When Andrew prayed for him a second time in the hospital, the relief was instantaneous—prompting the joyful patient to race down the hospital hallways pushing an IV pole, playfully telling everyone that if they wanted to get rid of pain, they needed Dr. Stenhouse to pray for them.

On that same remarkable day, Andrew encountered a severe case involving another pastor who presented with a massive, melon-sized tumor protruding from his neck—growing half an inch every week despite aggressive medical treatments. Surrounded by the patient's wife and six board members, Andrew sought the Lord for guidance and received four explicit instructions: Do not touch the tumor; continue seeing the other doctors; tell him how much God loves him (addressing the spiritual burden of guilt and the enemy's lies he had been carrying); and pray for him. 

Andrew gathered the believers in the room, carefully obeying the Lord's instruction not to touch the tumor while reassuring the pastor to continue seeing his other doctors. He spoke of God's profound love—causing the pastor to break down in his arms—and offered a simple prayer of faith. Six to eight weeks later, the patient's private doctor called Andrew with incredible news: the massive melon-sized growth had shrunk down to the size of a small marble. Similar healings followed for patients dealing with conditions ranging from hernias to chronic illnesses.

Whether treating routine internal medicine or witnessing miraculous recoveries, Andrew consistently deflected all personal credit. For thirty years in Amarillo, his practice stood as a testament to what happens when a physician relies not solely on human intellect, but on a willing heart attuned to the guidance of the Father.

Author's note: The next chapter is Dr. Stenhouse's US Medical Practice in the VA Hospital and Hospice. See the Home page of this blog for more podcasts on the life of Dr. Stenhouse. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

US Medical Practice in the Hospital and Hospice

In my previous post, we covered the divine healing that occurred at various times in Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's US Private Practice that he had for thirty years. Now in this segment, we'll cover his experiences practicing medicine at a VA Hospital and in a hospice in the USA.

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Andrew’s commitment to patient care extended far beyond his private practice. During his career in the United States, he also served as the Medical Director for a Veterans Administration hospital in Texas. The role held a special place in his heart. Growing up in Britain during World War II, he remembered American servicemen throwing candy from passing cars and tanks, risking everything to help save his homeland. He felt a deep, lifelong debt to honor them.

At the time, the VA healthcare system often carried a reputation for institutionalized, impersonal care. Andrew refused to let that happen under his watch. He made it his mission to ensure that both the veterans and the hospital staff were genuinely cared for. Under his leadership, the facility underwent a radical transformation, becoming recognized not only as the most improved VA hospital in the nation, but soaring into the top five of all hospitals across the United States.

When Andrew traveled to California to accept the national award, other physicians from the top-tier institutions cornered him with a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity.

"Stenhouse," one of them asked, "how did you get into this rarefied atmosphere?"

"It's a matter of caring for your patients and for your staff," Andrew replied.

The doctors looked at him blankly. "What is caring?" they asked, genuinely puzzled.

"You don't know what caring is?" Andrew responded. He explained that medicine was never just about applying clinical techniques to chase good metrics; it was about deeply valuing people—both the sick and those who served them.

That same deep compassion guided Andrew into hospice work toward the latter years of his practice, where he cared for patients navigating the final threshold of life. He always sought to minister to their eternal well-being as diligently as their physical comfort.

One evening, he sat beside a patient who was nearing the end. Andrew spoke with him about his eternal well-being and asked if he had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. The man looked at him and said softly, "Well, I don't know how to go about this."

Andrew smiled gently. "Well, you know there's a door; and when you open a door you have to go through it to get through to the other side," he said, tapping his knuckles on the desk to make a sharp knocking sound. "Now, you have to open the door yourself, because the Lord is knocking on your door right now. All you have to do is open it, invite Him in, and thank Him for the work He did on the cross for you, for me, and for everyone."

Early the next morning, Andrew walked back into the hospice room. The patient was sitting up with a wide, radiant smile across his face.

"Are you keeping the door wide open?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, very wide open," the man replied happily. That very night, he passed peacefully into eternity.

Looking back on a lifetime of service—from bush clinics in Murupara and remote strips in Afghanistan to bustling Texas clinics and quiet hospice rooms—Andrew always deflected any personal praise. He often remarked that being called to medicine was a path he never could have imagined as a young man, yet it was an adventure he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. For him, the secret was never about natural talent or professional prestige; it was simply about having a willing heart, remaining obedient to the Father, and letting His compassion flow through a pair of willing hands.

Author's note: The next chapter in this series is about Dr. Stenhouse's extensive Credentials: Counting it All Loss. See the Home page of this blog for more podcasts on the life of Dr. Stenhouse. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Credentials: Counting it All Loss

In my previous post, we covered Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's experiences practicing medicine at a VA Hospital and in a hospice in the United States. Now in this segment, we'll cover his extensive credentials.

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Over fifty-five years of medical practice spanning multiple continents, islands, and healthcare systems—from Oceania and Asia to Europe, North America, and Hawaii—Andrew’s career was marked by extraordinary professional achievement. He earned a Bachelor of Medical Science (BSc), a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.), and a Postgraduate Doctorate of Medicine (MD) from New Zealand. He was awarded the Wellcome Research Fellowship and earned an extensive roster of prestigious board certifications and fellowships, including as a Member and Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (MRACP, FRACP), Member of the Royal College of Physicians in London (MRCP London), Fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP). Furthermore, his academic contributions included sole- and co-authored articles published across seven different medical journals, including two in The British Medical Journal that garnered significant professional citations.

Yet, when looking back on a lifetime of credentials, degrees, and scholarly honors, Andrew viewed them much like the apostle Paul. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3:7–11:

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him..."

For Andrew, that sentiment was not merely theological poetry; it became a literal reality. In 2014, a stroke swept away the accumulated medical knowledge of a lifetime from his memory bank. For a brief time, even his own identity was obscured, though that returned. He could no longer step into an office and practice medicine. The Lord made it clear that his clinical career was finished, but that his spiritual ministry to people was far from over.

While the natural medical knowledge vanished, the things of the heart and Spirit remained untouched. The supernatural gifts of healing, wisdom, prophecy, and discernment—along with the deep, foundational fruit of the Spirit—stayed vibrant within him. As Andrew often reflected, everything comes from the Lord, and everything belongs to Him. The letters and titles accumulated after a name will never cross the threshold of eternity.

Reflecting on a lifetime of walking with the Lord, Andrew always deflected any urge toward human pride. He often worried that sharing his accomplishments might seem like he was boasting, deeply wanting to ensure that no one thought more highly of him than what they saw in the Lord's work. His greatest concern was simply to remain obedient, trusting the Father to handle the details, whether in a peaceful clinic or a busy mission field. As it was often reflected in his conversations, any true good seen in his life was simply Christ at work, while his own mistakes remained his alone.

In the end, all those impressive acronyms—MD, M.B.B.S., BSc, MRACP, FRACP, MRCP(UK), LSHTM, FACP—take up lines on a page, but they pale in comparison to what matters eternally. As often discussed regarding his life and ministry, the only title that truly counts is the quiet reality described in Acts 4:13 regarding Peter and John: being ordinary people who had simply been with Jesus (or "BWJ," as it came to be affectionately summarized).

His ultimate hope in sharing his life story was simple: that anyone reading it might come to know Christ personally. As he frequently reminded those around him, every person is individually created by the Heavenly Father—down to the very hairs on their head being numbered—and loved so deeply that Christ was sent to the cross in our place. To find true life, a person simply needs to lay down their own ways, open the door of their heart, and give themselves fully to the Lord Jesus.

_________________________

Dr. Andrew C. Stenhouse's credentials (by the grace of God) listed below:

Academic degrees earned

Bachelor of Medical Science (BSc)

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.: an international medical degree equivalent to an M.D. in the U.S. system, also abbreviated as M.B.) from New Zealand

Post Graduate Doctorate of Medicine from New Zealand (MD)

Fellowship awarded 

Wellcome Research Fellowship

Post Graduate Awards

Member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (MRACP)

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)

Member of Royal College of Physicians in London (MRCP London)

Fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (FLSHTM)

Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP)

Board certifications

Australasia: Member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (MRACP)

England: Member of Royal College of Physicians in London (MRCP London)

Medical Licensure 

Texas State Medical License 1973-2015

Years in practice 

55 years in the field of Family Practice and Internal Medicine, including 30 years in private practice.

Continents and islands served on 

Oceania, Asia, Europe, North America, and Hawaii

Languages

French (most proficient), German (spoken), Latin (understood), Rarotongan, Arabic (a little), Hebrew (began learning), and Fijian.

Published Works

Several medical articles that he either co-authored or solely authored were published in seven different medical journals, including two of his own articles published by the British Medical Journal. (see full list at Medical Articles Published). Some of these articles have received many citations by other authors.

Ministries Served

Doulos Missions International (DMI) President & Chairman of the Board 2007-2015

Current DMI Board Member (2021)

Dr. Andrew C. Stenhouse, MD, M.B.B.S., BSc, MRACP, FRACP, MRCP(UK), LSHTM, FACP.

_________________________

Author's note: Our dear brother Andrew transitioned to his heavenly home in glory on September 15th, 2021 at the age of 87. You can read more about that amazing experience in my article called Homegoing.

See the Home page of this blog for more podcasts on the life of Dr. Stenhouse. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Divine Healing in US Private Practice (Transcript)

In my previous post, we covered Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's Experiences in Afghanistan. Now in this segment, we'll cover his experiences of the Lord healing his patients during his private practice in the USA.

Audio

Download the podcast

Len: Welcome to A Willing Heart. This is Len Lacroix, and I'm here again tonight with my guest, Dr. Andrew Stenhouse. And we're going to be talking about his time in the United States, where he had many experiences, one of which is his private practice that he had for thirty years in the United States. So, Andrew, I want to welcome you back to the program.

Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you so much, Len! It's great to be back with you and with our guests that may be listening in.

Len: Yes. So I want to begin by talking about your private practice in the U.S. for thirty years. So first of all, why did you immigrate to the U.S.?

Dr. Stenhouse: Well I think the reason I came back to the U.S. was I have my United States passport…

Len: Right.

Dr. Stenhouse: …and I was born here. And secondly, the two surgical doctors that I was working with in Afghanistan are both Texans and were from the Dallas area. So it was natural for me to continue my relationship with both of them. They were both excellent physicians and surgeons, and we worked very well together. So that was how I came to Texas--was to be close to both of those gentleman.

Len: Yeah. So that's how the Lord led you to Texas, out of all the places you could have picked.

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes!

Len:  So initially you went to--was it Tyler, Texas that you started off at but didn't stay there?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, one of the things I did when I came back was take an appointment with the Southwest Medical School in Dallas.* And they had a section of their university at Tyler, Texas; and this was in relationship to, predominately, long-term tuberculosis care.

So I was given this opportunity to join them, which I did and worked with both of the surgeons and with the hospital in Tyler, Texas.

[NOTE: UT Southwestern Medical Center (University of Texas) is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers.]

Len: And is Tyler in the Dallas area?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, it's east of Dallas.

Len: Ok.

Dr. Stenhouse: And—but it was more of a tuberculosis hospital and a chest-disease hospital.

Len: Ok. And how long did you work in that assignment?

Dr. Stenhouse: Well, with this assignment, I worked approximately one year, while I looked around to see if I could find the one I felt the Lord would be having me do for the rest of my life--and it would be a private practice, I felt in my spirit. And so that was why I made my base there.

Len: Ok. Now you ended up moving from there over to Amarillo, and that ended up being where you settled in. Tell me about how you began your private practice there in Amarillo.

Dr. Stenhouse: Well I was looking for the perfect situation for me and was offered multiple options. One of them was to be the commissioner for health for Texas, but I didn't feel to take that position, even though it was a prestigious position.

And then the next one was to take a position in Lubbock, Texas. And I was thinking about that; and as I looked out the window, I saw a huge dust storm coming towards us. And I said to the lady--I said, “Y'all can get these here?”

She said, “Oh, yes, these dust storms are common in Lubbock.”

And so I took that as a “no” from the Lord, bringing up that dust storm.

So then I came up to Amarillo. And I liked the feel of Amarillo; I felt almost at home here. And I was introduced to an internal medicine doctor, who was very senior, and who was actually looking for an internist to take over his practice. So we met together, and we started working together. And he retired three months after we had been working together.

He was wonderful! He was a wonderful believer. And even when his wife couldn't hold his hand when he was dying, I wouldn't leave his side and took his hand. And he passed into heaven peacefully.

Len:  And so then you ended up at that practice by yourself, right?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, that's correct.

Len: You assumed all of his patients and the whole practice, and you continued on there.

Dr. Stenhouse: That's right, yes. It was it was absolutely wonderful! And I loved the patients, I loved the practice, and I loved the gentleman that I took it from.

Len: Yeah! So from there, what are some of the experiences that you had in private practice?

Dr. Stenhouse: Well I’ll just give one or two. And what I found out, Len, was that I would pray for people, and the Lord would heal them. The Lord would show me what was wrong with them, and then I would heal them.

But then a lot of the healings that were in believers, He would just say to me, “Get them to take communion as a family, or husband and wife take it together.” And when they did that, the healing occurred.

For example, I had a gentleman that came in with a tumor. He was a pastor, and he was sent to me in order to clear him for surgery. And I did that, and I told him that this is what the Lord just showed me for him; and I thought that he should do that because I feel the Lord might heal him without the surgery. And sure enough, he did that--he and his wife—and, when he went to see the surgeon, the surgeon was shocked because there was no mass now.

Len: Wow! Praise God. That's amazing. Well do you have one other that you can share today for this segment?

Dr. Stenhouse: Well one of the other ones was a gentleman I was asked to see, who had back pain and high blood pressure. Well I was just taking care of his blood pressure, and then he came back into the hospital without any pain in his back and in his knee because the Lord had healed him. And they were taking communion in the same way.

And so he had his surgery, and the next morning when I saw him, when I was going to check his blood pressure, he said, “Doc, the pain’s come back!” So the pain that had gone had come back with the surgery.

And he said, “Doc, would you pray for me again?”

I said, “Sure!” So I prayed for him. And when I was in the hospital on that floor later in the day, seeing another patient, he was running around the hospital with his IV pole to support him and saying, “If you want to get rid of your pain, get Dr. Stenhouse to pray for you.”

Len: Amazing!

Dr. Stenhouse: So the surgeons weren’t excited about that.

Len: Yeah! Ha-ha! You could put the surgeons out of business that way.

Dr. Stenhouse: Ha-ha! No, I wouldn't do that. It was the Lord that did it.

Len: So there was also a story about a person who got healed of a large tumor, that you saw in a hospital--I think it was a pastor. Did you want to tell us about that?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes. This is another wonderful healing that occurred. And it was actually the healing the same day I--or the healing that saw the patient for the same day that the gentleman was running around with the pole.

So anyway, I went in to see him. And he had a huge tumor extending outside the left side of his neck, way past his shoulder, and it was growing by about a-half-an-inch every week, in spite of all the treatment they could give him.

Len: Wow!

Dr. Stenhouse: And it was the size of a big melon but it was going further out. And so I saw him and examined him. He was a pastor, too, and he had his wife there, and about six members of his board were also there.

So anyway, I went back to the-- after checking him, I went back to the desk, and I sat there. And I put my head in my hands, and I said, “Lord, help! What am I to do?”

And He said--the Lord spoke to me and said, “If you do these four things, I'll heal him.”

So I said, “Yes, Lord.”

So He told me the first one was not to touch the tumor; number two was to continue seeing the doctors; and number three was, “Tell him how much I love him.” And when he heard that, he fell into my arms.

And the Lord showed me, then, that he had believed the devil's lies about something he may have done or may not have done.

And then the fourth thing was, “If you pray for him, I’ll heal him.” So I told him that.

Len: Praise God!

Dr. Stenhouse: So, I got everybody settled in the room—made sure everybody were believers—and they were. And then I prayed a simple prayer to the Lord. And six weeks later, I get a call from his private doctor, telling me that it was now the size of a small marble.

Len: Wow! Praise the Lord! It went from the size of a large melon, down to the size of a small marble in—six weeks you said?

Dr. Stenhouse: Six to eight weeks, yes.

Len: Wow! Praise the Lord!

Dr. Stenhouse: So, those were two that occurred on the same day.

Len: Yeah.

Dr. Stenhouse: And the other one, of course, was different. But I've had a lot of patients tell me how much they improved—not necessarily with major problems, but with other problems—when they took communion on a daily basis.

Len: So, there was one other healing that we have time for, if you want to share about it today. And that was the person with the hernia that got healed?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, there was a gentleman that came in that had a hernia. And the Lord indicated that he wanted him to do the communion on a daily basis. So I told him that, and I told him I’d pray for him. And I did that, too, and he was healed.

Len: Wow! Praise the Lord! Those are some amazing stories, Andrew. And I really appreciate you sharing all that today about your private practice in Texas that you had for thirty years there in Amarillo. And, now that we're coming to the close of our segment today, I want to thank you very much for being with us on this program, and [I] look forward to our next conversation together when we meet next.

Dr. Stenhouse: Isn’t the Lord, wonderful?

Len: He absolutely is. He’s awesome.

Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you, Len. Goodnight.

Len: Goodnight, Andrew.

Author's note: The next chapter is Dr. Stenhouse's US Medical Practice in the VA Hospital and Hospice. See the Home page of this blog for more podcasts on the life of Dr. Stenhouse. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

US Medical Practice in the Hospital and Hospice (Transcript)

In my previous post, we covered the divine healing that occurred at various times in Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's US Private Practice that he had for thirty years. Now in this segment, we'll cover his experiences practicing medicine at a VA Hospital and in a hospice in the USA.

Audio

Download the podcast

Len: Welcome to A Willing Heart. This is Len Lacroix, and I'm here tonight with my guest, Dr. Andrew Stenhouse. 

And we've been discussing on our last program his life in the United States, starting with the private practice that he had in Texas for thirty years. And we're going to pick it up with another part of his life, here in the U.S., tonight. So, Andrew, I want to welcome you back to the program.

Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you, Len. And this is a wonderful section that's going to be coming up, and I want to thank you for the opportunity of doing this. And I would like to just go through these to show what the Lord will do with anybody whose heart is totally and completely given over to him in what they're doing.

Len: Amen! So, Andrew, there was a period in time when you were the medical director for a veterans’ hospital in Texas. Can you tell us about that, please?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, the interesting thing about that was that I love the veterans because of the fact of what the American veterans did, coming to Britain and risking their lives in order to save Britain during World War II. And what they would do, also—they would throw me candy from the cars and tanks and so on, that were going down the road. And so I felt I had a lot of debt to repay.

The interesting thing about that was that the VA tended to have a bad reputation as a care facility or a hospital. And I decided that that was not going to happen in our hospital. So I made sure that the veterans were cared for, that the staff was cared for, and that we would be known as a hospital that cared. And what happened was we became the most improved VA hospital in the nation.

Len: Wow! 

Dr. Stenhouse: And the second thing that happened was that we were in the top five of all of the hospitals in the United States. And that was something of an extreme honor.

And we went over to [the] California area where they were giving away the awards. And the other doctors that were on the top five said to me, “Stenhouse, how did you get into this rarefied atmosphere here?”

And I said, “It's a matter of caring for your patients and for your staff.” And they couldn't understand that.

They said, “What is caring?”

And I said, “You don't know what caring is?”

And they said, “No.”

And I said, “It's not just using the techniques that are available for getting good results. It’s a matter of taking care of people—both the patients, both the staff—and you'll get a good result.”

Len: That's so true. And I think that you're right about the reputation that the VA hospitals have, here in the country. And I’m sure that the caring is something that's probably missing in many of them, but you brought that. And how the Lord turned that all around—it's just amazing—to end up resulting in an award for the hospital.

Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, yes. So, it was a big award.

Len: So, before we conclude, I wanted to ask if you could talk to us a little bit about some important work that you did, Andrew, with the hospice—working in the hospice.

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, I would love to do this because my heart goes out to each patient that we have. And when they're coming in the hospice area, they're near the end of their life. And I love to talk with them and see them and talk to them about their eternal welfare with the Lord and if they have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.

And in this particular situation I had this evening was this gentleman said to me, “Well I don't know how to go about this.”

I said, “Well you know there's a door; and when you open a door you have to go through the door to get through to the other side,” and then I did a little banging on the desk that was there. [Makes knocking sound] Like that. And I told him, I said, “Now you have to open the door yourself, because the Lord is knocking on your door right now. And the thing you have to do is to open the door to the Lord and to invite Him in and to thank Him for the work He did on the cross for you and for me and for everybody that has been born.”

And the next morning I got up early and went in to see him in the hospice area, and he had a big smile on his face. And I said, “Are you keeping the door wide open?”

And he smiled at me and said, “Yes, very wide open.” And that night he passed into eternity.

Len: Wow, that's amazing! Got him just in time.

Dr. Stenhouse: But that's all it takes…

Len: Yes.

Dr. Stenhouse: …is just to have someone that you could talk to just at the right time.

Len: Yeah. We need to let people know, when they're--at any point in their life, but especially at that end point of their life--that they need to repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and they shall be saved.

Dr. Stenhouse: That's exactly correct.

Len: And one of the things that I really like is how you shared that whenever you would see a patient, your heart went out to them. And I think that's not necessarily a characteristic or a trait that all doctors have, necessarily. Because they may have the skills and the knowledge, but they may not have that compassion. 

Dr. Stenhouse: Yeah.

Len: And the Lord—when He called you to be a doctor, He not only gave you the ability to do the technical piece but also to have the heart for the patients.

Dr. Stenhouse: That's exactly right. Every patient that I saw, I think I had that feeling for.

Len:  Is there anything else you want to share about the hospice work? We're almost out of time here.

Dr. Stenhouse: No I think--I think that's all I've got. I could probably dig up lots of things, but those are the things that I felt I needed to share, that the Lord had put on my heart. 

Len: Yeah. Well, Andrew, that's going to conclude our program for tonight as we end our time together. And I want to thank you very much for sharing all these wonderful experiences that you've shared about your time as medical director and your hospice work. So thanks very much for being with us tonight!

Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, it's been wonderful! And I just would like to mention that it wasn't me. All I did was be obedient, Len. And I really feel that if somebody is obedient to the Lord and does what He asks them to do, then He'll fill all the details in, and they won't have to worry at all.

Len: Amen!

Dr. Stenhouse: But the thing about being called to live as a doctor is something that I never even thought of when I was young, but it's one thing I would never have missed in a million years.

Len: Hallelujah! Well we appreciate that. And thank you for all those years of service to the Lord and your calling as a doctor. And we'll look forward to our next program together when we meet next time.

Dr. Stenhouse: Okay, Len, I do too! And blessings to all those that are listening.

Len: Amen. Have a good night!

Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you! Good night, Len!

Author's note: The next chapter in this series is about Dr. Stenhouse's extensive Credentials. See the Home page of this blog for more podcasts on the life of Dr. Stenhouse. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Credentials (Transcript)

In my previous post, we covered Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's experiences practicing medicine at a VA Hospital and in a hospice in the United States. Now in this segment, we'll cover his extensive credentials.

Audio

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Len: Welcome to A Willing Heart. This is Len Lacroix and I'm back again tonight with Dr. Andrew Stenhouse for our final segment, as we've been discussing his life story, especially his divinely ordained career as a medical doctor. In this podcast, we'll be discussing Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's credentials that he has attained by the grace of God.

He holds multiple academic degrees that he has earned, including a Bachelor of Medical Science (BSc), a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.: an international medical degree equivalent to an M.D. in the U.S. system, also abbreviated as M.B.) from New Zealand, and a Post Graduate Doctorate of Medicine (MD) from New Zealand.

He was also awarded the Wellcome Research Fellowship, along with several prestigious post graduate awards, including Member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Member of Royal College of Physicians in London, Fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Fellow of the American College of Physicians. 

He is board certified in Oceania as a Member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (MRACP), and board certified in England as a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in London (MRCP London), and he retired after 55 years in the field of Family Practice and Internal Medicine, having served on multiple continents and islands, including Oceania, Asia, Europe, North America, and Hawaii.

Several articles that he either co-authored or solely authored were published in seven different medical journals, including two of his own articles, published by The British Medical Journal. Some of these articles have received many citations by other authors. 

He has studied several foreign languages including French (this is the one with which he was most proficient), German (he was able to speak it), Latin (which he understood), Rarotongan, Arabic (of which he knew a little), Hebrew (that he began learning), and Fijian.

He also served as President & Chairman of the Board of the ministry I founded called Doulos Missions International from 2007-2015, and is currently one of our board Members. I've known him for around 28 years and it's both my joy and privilege to call him my friend. Andrew, welcome back to the program!

Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, thank you, Len, for that introduction. It's such a wonderful pleasure to be back with you again.

Len: Well, Andrew, all of those credentials of yours are evidence of the excellence with which you served as a medical doctor for 55 years. But much like the apostle Paul said that he counted all his great credentials a loss, you also count all your credentials a loss for the sake of knowing Christ. 

Dr. Stenhouse: That's correct, Len. Knowing Christ is the most important thing in my life to me. 

Len: Amen. You know, the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:7-11:

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Php 3:7-11)

Dr. Stenhouse: That is exactly how I feel, Len. My biggest concern in sharing my life story is that I really don’t want anyone to think more highly of me than what they see in me or hear from me. I'm certainly not perfect. My personal life did not measure up to my professional life. Being on-call and working sometimes 24-hour shifts adversely impacted my personal life. All I did was to be obedient. If a person’s obedient to do what the Lord told him to do, Len, then even if the Lord sends him to a war zone, he would be taken care of. Anything good you see in me is Jesus, and all the mistakes are mine.

Len: Amen. Isn't that true for all of us! 

Now you've been walking with the Lord for 80 years since childhood, so you have a little more experience with it than most of us do. 

Dr. Stenhouse: Well I've not always been faithful to Him, but you know, He's always been faithful to me, Len.

Len: That's something that I think all of us can say, too. 

Now when you say you count it all loss, that's not just a concept or a theory for you, it actually happened. A few years ago in 2014, you stopped practicing medicine, not because you wanted to retire, but for health reasons. You had a stroke that wiped out all your medical knowledge from your memory bank, so it was literally all lost. Can you tell us about that and what it was like to have that kind of experience?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, I can, Len. I was no longer able to remember any of my medical knowledge after my stroke, you know, and for a short while I didn't even remember who I was, but that came back, of course. But if I were to see a patient in my office now, I would not be able to treat him medically. The Lord told me that after my stroke that I was not to practice medicine any more, but I could still help people spiritually.

Len: Wow! That's amazing to lose all that knowledge, and I'm sure it was very humbling, too. But the Scripture says that knowledge will pass away, and in this case it certainly did. However, the Lord not only gave you the natural talents and abilities to fulfill your calling as a doctor, but He also gave you an anointing for it that included supernatural gifts of the Spirit such as healing, wisdom, prophecy, and knowledge; and he gave you the heart of compassion that a doctor should have, as well as other vital fruit of the Spirit.

And while you lost all of your medical knowledge, you didn't lose those things that are of the heart and of the Spirit. Those have remained in you to this day.

Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, yes, Len, isn't that wonderful, how the Lord does that? Everything is from Him, through Him, and to Him. And the Lord gives and He takes away, so we should never be prideful of what we know, but realize that all things come from Him and is to be used for His glory. And the things that remain forever are faith, hope, and love.

Len: That's right! Those are the most important things in life that last forever. 

All those letters after your name are quite impressive in the natural, but the fact is that they won't last throughout eternity. I tried writing them all out and it's like an alphabet after your name that takes a couple lines -- MD, M.B.B.S., BSc, MRACP, FRACP, MRCP(UK), LSHTM, FACP. But, you know, the most important letters that you've received are your BWJ from the Lord, like it says in the Bible in Acts 4:13, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

Dr. Stenhouse: You know, Len, that's right. "Being with Jesus" or BWJ--that's what really matters for all of us, Len. And that's my desire for everyone who’s listening or reading my story, that they would repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, so that they would come to know Him personally as their Lord and Savior. For even if one person comes to know Him through my story, then that would be wonderful.

Len: Amen. That's certainly our hope and prayer. 

Would you do the honor of giving the Gospel invitation to our listeners tonight?

Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, I would love to do that, Len. You know, everybody has been created individually by the Heavenly Father. No two people are the same. Every person has his hair numbered -- not just counted, but numbered -- on their heads. And He sent his Son to the cross to die on the cross in our stead and in our place. And what we need to do is just to realize that His love for us to so great that He would give His only begotten Son on our behalf. So I would just like to invite everybody that is listening just to lay down your life from yourself and give yourself to Jesus and the Father in heaven.

When somebody comes to the Lord, they have to come to the cross, and they have to lay down everything that is theirs, and take up everything that is His, which is glorious and wonderful, and gives him the right to be in eternity with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Len: Absolutely! Amen. Repent and believe the gospel, for the kingdom of God is near. That's our message to everyone, and if anyone would like to pray with us or give his or her life to Jesus, I invite them to contact us through this website, and we will be delighted to do so.

Well, Andrew, it's been a joy to do these podcasts together and hear your testimony, and that concludes our final segment. So I want to thank you very much for sharing your story with us.

Dr. Stenhouse: You know, Len, it's been such a pleasure for me, and I just want to thank you and say God bless to you and your family and to all who may be listening. 

Len: Thank you. God bless you, too. Goodnight 

Dr. Stenhouse: Good night, Len, and good night to all.

_________________________

Dr. Andrew C. Stenhouse's credentials (by the grace of God) listed below:

Academic degrees earned

Bachelor of Medical Science (BSc)

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.: an international medical degree equivalent to an M.D. in the U.S. system, also abbreviated as M.B.) from New Zealand

Post Graduate Doctorate of Medicine from New Zealand (MD)

Fellowship awarded 

Wellcome Research Fellowship

Post Graduate Awards

Member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (MRACP)

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)

Member of Royal College of Physicians in London (MRCP London)

Fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (FLSHTM)

Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP)

Board certifications

Australasia: Member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (MRACP)

England: Member of Royal College of Physicians in London (MRCP London)

Medical Licensure 

Texas State Medical License 1973-2015

Years in practice 

55 years in the field of Family Practice and Internal Medicine, including 30 years in private practice.

Continents and islands served on 

Oceania, Asia, Europe, North America, and Hawaii

Languages

French (most proficient), German (spoken), Latin (understood), Rarotongan, Arabic (a little), Hebrew (began learning), and Fijian.

Published Works

Several medical articles that he either co-authored or solely authored were published in seven different medical journals, including two of his own articles published by the British Medical Journal. (see full list at Medical Articles Published). Some of these articles have received many citations by other authors.

Ministries Served

Doulos Missions International (DMI) President & Chairman of the Board 2007-2015

Current DMI Board Member (2021)

Dr. Andrew C. Stenhouse, MD, M.B.B.S., BSc, MRACP, FRACP, MRCP(UK), LSHTM, FACP.

_________________________

Author's note: Our dear brother Andrew transitioned to his heavenly home in glory on September 15th, 2021 at the age of 87. You can read more about that amazing experience in my article called Homegoing.

See the Home page of this blog for more podcasts on the life of Dr. Stenhouse. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.