Raising the “Lost Boys” opens doors for new outreach in Sudan.

Sudan (MNN)–The journey from being a houseparent for the Sudanese Lost Boys in Michigan to spearheading a hospital project in southern Sudan has been long.

Dave Bowman worked with Bethany Christian Services to help mentor several of the refugee boys as a houseparent. From that relationship, he discovered one day that the area they were from was sadly lacking in medical care.

Wrangling his own physical challenges, Bowman found it hard to imagine facing potentially life-threatening, but manageable illness without the benefit of a doctor’s care.

In Werkok, located in South Bor County, the area is roughly the size of Texas…and there is nothing available in the way of hospital care.

That knowlege spurred Bowman to action. Now, through Partners in Compassionate Care and Grand Rapids’ Cutting Edge Foundation, Bowman and others plan to build a 50-bed hospital in Sudan for the residents of the devastated country.

Bowman says they’ve got 14-thousand of the 100-thousand dollars needed for the “Lost Boys and Girls Memorial Hospital” in Werkok. “We’re hoping that the word will get out and that we can get the money in and start building in January or February of next year. Hopefully, by the end of 2006, we would be able to have the dedication of the hospital.”

Bowman explains the hospital is a ministry of compassion. “We want the hospital to be able to present the Gospel to those who haven’t heard. So, we want to bring healing to their soul, as well as to their bodies.”

Bowman urges believers to continue to pray for a signing of the peace agreement and are asking for continued prayer as they move forward with this project.