(Photo courtesy CURE International)

Afghanistan (CURE/MNN) — The U.S. Embassy in Kabul confirms an Afghan security guard shot and killed three Americans at the CURE International hospital on Thursday. Officials said the three killed were doctors, including a visiting father and son.

Another doctor and a U.S. nurse were wounded in the attack.

Investigators said a guard suddenly turned his weapon on the staff he was supposed to be protecting and started shooting, before turning the weapon on himself. He is being treated at a military hospital. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

One of the American doctors killed in the attack was identified as Dr. Jerry Umanos, according to The Chicago Tribune. Umanos, a pediatrician, was originally from Chicago. He worked at the Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago until he and his wife moved to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the identities of the father and son have not yet been released.

In the wake of Thursday’s violence, dozens of Afghan national police are stationed in front of the CURE hospital in western Kabul. The facility specializes in child and maternity health and is a few blocks away from the former King’s palace.

It’s the latest incident in which Afghan security forces have increasingly targeted foreigners. Militants have killed more than a dozen foreigners since January 2014.

On Thursday morning, CURE released its first statement on the attack. Additional information was released later in the day by CURE president and CEO Dale Brantner:

It is with deep sadness that I write today, mourning the loss of three lives that were taken by force at the CURE International Hospital compound in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Dr. Jerry Umanos was killed by a security guard in Afghanistan at CURE International hospital in Kabul.

One of these men, Dr. Jerry Umanos, had faithfully served the Afghan people as a pediatrician at the hospital for more than seven years, caring for the most vulnerable members of society–children and premature infants–and helping them survive the harsh realities of childbirth in Afghanistan. We may never know the number of future doctors, teachers, or law enforcement officers who were given the chance to live full and healthy lives because of the work of the CURE International Hospital staff and the service and sacrifice of Jerry and his family.

I knew Jerry personally and can testify to the excellence with which he served and trained Afghan doctors and nurses in the highest quality medical practices. My heart is deeply grieved for his wife and family, as well as the families of the other men killed, who were not employees of CURE International but guests of our hospital. One other guest also sustained a non-life-threatening injury.

The shooter was not an employee of CURE International, but rather a member of the Afghan police detail assigned to protect the hospital. The assailant shot himself after the attack and was taken into surgery by Jerry’s colleagues at the hospital before being transferred out of our facility into the custody of the government of Afghanistan. We don’t yet know the motivation of the assailant and are still working very closely with the Afghan authorities to learn all the details surrounding this tragic incident.

I want to emphasize that CURE International remains committed to loving and serving the people of Afghanistan. We are also deeply committed to protecting the health and welfare of our patients and staff. This is the first fatal incident at our facilities in Afghanistan since coming to the country in 2002, and today’s tragedy reinforces our need for vigilance.

Since 1996, CURE International has been serving children and families in desperate need of surgical care with the highest quality medical techniques, restoring bodies that were broken and bearing witness to the transformation of lives and families throughout the world. We do this not because it is what Jesus would do, but because it is what He did; and so we cannot help but see these needs, know that there is a cure, and meet hurting people where they are. That is what Jerry did, and that is what we are called to do for children and families around the world.

Please pray with the 1,600 CURE employees worldwide that God would comfort the families of these victims as well as all those affected by this tragedy and give them a peace that truly defies human understanding.

Walking in love,

Dale Brantner
President & CEO
CURE International

CURE is a non-profit organization that operates in 29 countries. Their Kabul facility has 100 beds but treats around 37,000 patients annually.

Regarding the government invitation, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health asked CURE International to assume control of both a partially restored hospital and a nearby outpatient clinic in Kabul. By the end of that first year, both facilities were fully operational and serving between 2,000 – 3,600 patients each month.

In addition to providing top quality care, the hospital also offers training programs for doctors and nurses to further elevate the level of care provided in the future. Programs include obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, plastic surgery, and general practice.

Today, CURE International Hospital of Kabul is one of the leading medical institutions in Afghanistan. The hospital represents many things to many people. To expecting mothers, it is a haven where they can safely deliver their child.

For children with physical disabilities, it is where they can be made whole. For health care professionals, it is a center of medical excellence where they can receive advanced training and education. For the nation of Afghanistan, it is a source of hope.

But there is another part to CURE. Helping people find the kingdom of God is the other half of what they do. Their mission at CURE International: healing the sick and proclaiming the hope of Christ.

The financial services FBZ provided were only part of the package. FBZ celebrated CURE's arrival by sponsoring the catering needs during the opening ceremony at the hospital. They also hosted a lavish dinner the same evening at a five star hotel. In that part of the world, meals are very highly esteemed.

FBZ has once again recognized CURE's need for local financial support. FBZ has deviated from the norm and donated $50,000 toward the treatment of poor children with disabling conditions.

Upon receiving this donation, CURE held an event to commemorate this gesture. FBZ provided the tent and the refreshments. They also received a tour of the hospital. Mr. Barkat Ali, the managing Director, was humbled by what he saw.

Mr. Ali stated that the donation to Beit CURE Hospital is one way through which the Bank has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the child mortality rate.

Beit CURE Zambia is one of the few hospitals in Zambia that is able to adequately address the surgical needs of the disabled children in the country. Along with patient beds, the hospital also houses a chapel and spiritual center, three operating theaters, an outpatient clinic, an administrative building and a general services building.

Pray that the hospital will continue to impact lives. Ask God to provide for the spiritual needs to all who enter the doors. Praise the Lord for the willingness that FBZ has to be involved in the CURE Hospital.

So how does a ministry like CURE International–which serves kids with physical disabilities despite their ability to pay–keep a hospital running for 10 years?

"It's so clear that healing matters to God," said CURE president and CEO Dale Brantner. "And that healing is not just physical: it's spiritual as well."

Brantner says quality orthopedic care is generally unavailable in Malawi. As a result, most people fly to Europe or Dubai for treatment. But since CURE offers a higher level of orthopedic care at the Beit CURE International Hospital, more Africans are going there for surgery. These private operations help the hospital stay open despite rampant poverty in Malawi.

What's on the horizon?

"CURE will continue to go into some very difficult places," Brantner said. "Many of the lessons we've learned in Malawi will have tremendous impact throughout the entire network, helping us to raise the level of excellence."

It's easy to lose sight of the Great Commission by focusing on their hospital's success, Brantner admitted.

"It's brought healing in that country and into Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and over 20,000 children have been healed," he shared. "It's just so easy for the ministry to always gravitate to the tasks at hand.

"We want to remain true to our calling, which is to preach the Good News to the poor."

Pray that CURE workers would keep sharing the Gospel with the poor in Malawi and around the world. Share this story with your friends on Facebook and see how you can help CURE Malawi here.

CURE spoke to over 10,000 people at the concert, sharing their mission of "healing kids and proclaiming the Gospel." Using a live Skype broadcast, they introduced crowds to their CUREkids coordinator in Honduras and Carlos, a boy who recently had foot surgery to correct his condition. Festival-goers also met Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot, in the CURE VIP tent. Foreman chatted with fans, signed autographs, and performed an acoustic set.

Through these efforts, along with with speaker Tony Nolan's commendation, CURE raised enough funding to give each of the 15 children a much-needed surgery.

In the developing world, children born with leg deformities or clubfoot are often crippled for life. While clubfoot is the world's most common congenital birth defect, affecting over 200,000 newborns each year, it is curable. Kids under the age of 2 can be cured permanently–without the trauma and dangers of surgery–by using the Ponseti Method, a casting process used to straighten the feet.

Treatments or surgery for kids in the developing world is often just not available. But since 2006, CURE has healed more than 10,000 kids of clubfoot. Click here to see kids waiting for surgery and a chance for a normal life.

A multi-disciplinary team of doctors and
surgeons successfully performed the seven-hour procedure three weeks ago at
CURE Ethiopia Children's Hospital. Surgeons removed extra body parts from an
adolescent girl. 

The girl was born with an incomplete "twin,"
called a parasitic twin, attached to her pelvis, resulting in two additional
incompletely developed arms and two additional legs. Aside from the complexity of the surgery
itself, what makes this remarkable is that it is usually performed before the
child is two years of age, or perhaps not at all. 

"This
successful surgery demonstrates the quality of health care that is now
available in Ethiopia through the CURE hospital," said Dr. Eric Gokcen, Medical
Director and Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at CURE Ethiopia.

"The fact that we were able to accomplish
this in Ethiopia with a team of doctors from CURE and Black Lion speaks to the
level of excellence we have been able to achieve." In addition, the cooperation of the medical
staff is an example of the highest level of teamwork for the sake of the
patient. 

The surgical team was a cooperative
partnership between senior surgeons from CURE Ethiopia Children's Hospital and
Black Lion Hospital, the public hospital in Addis Ababa. It was led by Dr. Gokcen. Through continued
cooperation within the medical community, along with the support of the
Ethiopian government, CURE believes that the standard of health care for
disabled children and adults throughout Ethiopia will continue to rise.   

Dale Brantner, President and CEO of CURE
International, says their goal is to do everything with excellence. "This surgery is just one example of how our
team in Addis Ababa continues to deliver the best possible medical care to
disabled children throughout Ethiopia. It
is also an example of the unique training opportunities CURE Ethiopia is able
to make available as we seek to educate and equip local medical professionals
to improve the overall quality of care throughout the region."

CURE International's focus on training is
present at each of their facilities around the world. In Ethiopia, CURE is an approved training
site for orthopedic surgery, life support, and nurse anesthesia, and is
affiliated with the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa,
the American Heart Association, and Addis Ababa University.

Beyond training, though, is the heart of
CURE's mission: healing the sick and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. "Our single driving focus," said Brantner "is
to follow Jesus' command to bring healing to the sick and proclaim His
kingdom. For this girl and her family,
that means meeting their immediate needs by lifting this physical burden as
well as taking the time to pray with them and minister to their spiritual
needs. The surgery and the ministry go
hand-in-hand."

In fact, both the
girl and her brother accepted Christ before her surgery. It demonstrates
once again the beautiful healing–both physical and spiritual–that takes
place at CURE hospitals.

According to the staff of CURE Ethiopia
Children's Hospital, the girl is excited about her future. She can now envision going back to school,
getting married, and living a normal, productive life, something that until the
surgery would have been inconceivable. She and her family are rejoicing and experiencing a new sense of freedom,
both spiritually and physically. 

CURE Ethiopia Children's Hospital opened in
January 2009 to provide comprehensive rehabilitative surgery and treatment for
children with various disabling conditions. CURE Ethiopia has performed over
3,000 surgeries free of charge in the last three years and has seen thousands
of people in its clinics. CURE is also a
certified training site, partnering in the training and education of health
care professionals in Ethiopia.

CURE International was founded by Dr. Scott and Sally Harrison as a
result of the enormous need for medical and spiritual care they witnessed in
their travels to developing nations. Since opening its first hospital in 1998 in Kenya, CURE has focused on
providing first-world quality care to children who suffer from physical
conditions that can be corrected or alleviated through medical and surgical
intervention.

The organization's
teaching hospitals and pediatric specialty programs operate in 25 countries.
CURE is the largest provider of pediatric surgical care in the developing world. To date, the organization has seen more than
1.6 million patients, performed more than 128,000 surgeries, witnessed over
122,000 expressions of faith, and trained more than 5,200 national medical
professionals.

The Beit CURE
Zambia is one of the few hospitals in Zambia able to adequately address the
surgical needs of the disabled children in the country. The hospital campus is
comprised of six buildings housing 45 patient beds in the children's ward and
16 beds in the private patients ward.

Since opening its
doors, Beit CURE Zambia has seen over 8,000 patients and performed nearly 4,000
surgeries.

What's more, the
ministry has continued to grow. It's
branching out yet again, this time with the CUREkids program. That program is the bridge between supporters and the
kids the teams get to serve.

Donors contribute to the needs of specific children and follow
their progress step-by step. Along the
way, CURE staff posts pictures and stories of patients who have surgeries
scheduled. Anyone who is interested in
supporting or praying for these children can view their stories and choose to
follow them.

CURE also sends updates to the followers through e-mail or lets
them see the updates in their Facebook news feeds. The goal is a deeper level
of involvement for everyone who cares about healing children for the sake of
the Gospel. 

Due to the growth of the work in Zambia, Beit CURE Zambia needs someone on the ground to essentially become
"eyes and ears" to help tell the story of healing.

The ministry has CUREkids implemented in five hospitals and is now looking to launch a sixth: in Zambia.

CURE is looking for a Coordinator to begin the program there the
first week of September 2012. Potential
leaders would be passionate about Christ, love story telling, kids, and
missions. Check our Featured Links
Section for more details.  

Josh Korn is part of CURE International Niger's spiritual
development team. He details a key factor behind the assessment. "One
of the big ones is malnutrition. The country of Niger is suffering a food
shortage right now.  That, obviously, has
implications on babies and their mothers."

After Niger, the next worst countries were listed as Afghanistan–which held the lowest spot for two years–Yemen, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Eritrea,
Chad, Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

CURE
has hospitals in both Afghanistan and Niger.
While they have a similar mission, they have a unique focus to each
region. In Niger, CURE's hospital is
the only one of its kind in the entire country, explains Korn. "Our hospital
treats children with disabilities. We do a lot of cleft lip repairs, clubfoot
and we also treat a lot of burn victims."

Located
in the capital city of Niamey, the hospital attracts patients from every region
of the country.  

With
two operating theaters and 24 beds, their annual surgical capacity is approximately
1,000. They typically see over 250 patients per month at their outpatient
clinics. The Hospital has a total staff of 63 including five Expatriates.

In
2011, the team launched a national CURE Clubfoot Worldwide program in Niger
with the ultimate goal of treating every case of clubfoot in Niger. Their team
has already been providing training and support to other healthcare providers
in clubfoot treatment methods and is continuing to plan future trainings as they
expand the program.

Korn says the food crisis plays a role in what they do. Sometimes,
malnourished children don't have the strength to recuperate from a surgery, so
they have to be brought up to a healthy weight first. "We give them their square meals
a day, and unfortunately, that's better than a lot of them have at home, especially
when they come from a village. A lot of times, they don't want to leave the
hospital."

Other times, just getting to the hospital is a hardship. Their team
responds as best they can to the needs with the resources they have. It's all part of their mission to heal
the sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God. "When we're doing a life-changing
operation on a child, that is proclaiming the kingdom of God, and we're trying
to make that as explicit as possible. People here in Niger are very receptive
to hearing about Jesus and about the Gospel."

As the crisis worsens, CURE will continue to work to be part
of the solution and make the environment for being a mother a little less
fearful. Their immediate need? "Pray
specifically that God will send the rains soon. The rainy season in Niger is
supposed to be starting now, and so far, we haven't had any rain. Because of the crops that were so unsuccessful
last year, we're having massive food shortage now. If the rains don't come on
time this year, it'll be an even bigger problem."

We have more details about CURE's programs at our Featured Links
Section.

Over the last number of months, the small, central African nation of Malawi has gone from bad to worse economically. Previously on Mission Network News, we informed readers about the significant foreign exchange issues Malawi has been facing, not to mention its severe fuel and food shortages.

The problems have all gotten worse. And CURE International is in the thick of it.

One major problem for the people as well as the hospital is the increasing shortage of fuel. The hospital needs fuel for ambulances and other necessities, but it's exceedingly hard to come by.

"I've had to contract for nearly half a million U.S. dollars worth of fuel in order to secure [CURE] a very modest 2,000 liters [528 gallons] a month," notes the CURE Malawi's executive director Stuart Palmer.

The value of the Malawian currency, the kwacha, has also caused problems. "The Malawi kwacha is officially held at 166 Malawi kwacha to one U.S. dollar inside the country. But across the border, it trades at 230-240 Malawi kwacha to one dollar," explains Palmer. "So that's about 38-40% overvalued in the country."

Meanwhile, food shortages are worsening. Palmer notes that one feeding program has increased its enrollment by 90% for children under five over the last few months.

Power outages are increasing. Even for those lucky enough to have a generator, fuel is nowhere in sight to power the generators.

To put the proverbial icing on the cake, in late November, Malawi implemented a Zero Deficit Budget, reports All Africa. Essentially, instead of receiving the usual 40% of its annual budget from donors, the government will cover this amount by sourcing funds from elsewhere–namely through the introduction of exorbitant taxes on products.

From fuel shortages to budget crises, the situation is unarguably sticky. It's not hopeless, but with so many problems, Palmer says it's hard to know what to attack first. "As a country, it's difficult to see what could be done apart from a large devaluation of the currency, which would be quite painful."

CURE has suffered directly from all of these trials. Nonetheless, the hospital continues to be a beacon of light in an ever darkening place.

"I think many times we forget, as Christians, that how we walk through times of challenge can be our greatest testimony," Palmer observes.

Eyes have certainly been on CURE. Despite the extreme difficulties in what is already one of the world's poorest nations, in-country giving to CURE's efforts to provide free surgeries for disabled children has actually increased as people recognize the importance of what CURE is doing. Hearts are softening more in Malawi, already named "The Warm Heart of Africa" for its friendliness. Palmer says that softening is moving people toward the Gospel as well.

Besides performing surgeries, says Palmer, "We also share the Gospel with all the children and the guardians that come through, and that really is a very life-changing experience for many of them. They've never come across what I would call a true, balanced, Christian, Gospel message before."

This extremely trying economic season for Malawi coincides with a joyful time of giving for Christians–Christmas. CURE already helps the poorest of the poor, but those people are now getting even poorer. This holiday season, you can help CURE give one of these children the chance to walk on earth, and also to walk one day in heaven. Partner with CURE by supporting just one of these children in prayer, or by helping to pay for a surgery.

To see the faces and read the stories of the kids you could help, click here.

Of course other nations have had kids' soccer games before, but none like this. It will be the world's first soccer match in which every child on the pitch has been cured of clubfoot.

The game this Friday, October 21, will feature children who have been cured of their clubfoot, thanks to CURE International Beit Hospital and the Malawi National Clubfoot Program. These children would never even be able to kick a ball if it weren't for these organizations, and now they will be playing a whole game.

Stuart Palmer, Executive Director of CURE's hospital in Malawi, says, "The children's football match epitomizes the work of CURE in Malawi. It demonstrates the complete transformation of young lives previously blighted by an easily curable physical disability and very painful social stigma. And who knows: some of these children may go on to be international football players. After all, Steven Gerrard was born with the same conditions."

The match will be a celebration and also hopefully will mean more people hearing about CURE's hospital. CURE provides free surgeries for children and adults with clubfoot and other conditions, all while sharing the Gospel.

Pray that this soccer match might be a doorway to Christ for some.

CURE's Malawi hospital is just one of many around the world. Learn more about their work here.

Among
the buildings targeted were the U.S. Embassy and the neighboring NATO
headquarters. The message of the
insurgents: they had the ability to infiltrate even the mostly heavily-fortified areas in Afghanistan.

A
five hour siege left people rattled, but with remarkably few casualties,
considering the possibilities of what could have been.

CURE International has a hospital in Kabul, about five kilometers
from the Embassy. CURE COO Mark Bush
says first of all, "The hospital has not had to close; we continue to
operate. Most of the staff has gone home for the day, but for the most part, we
are secure there."

Although the hospital was not in the cross-hairs, the staff had to run the gauntlet to get
home. "Most of our expatriates do live much closer to the U.S. Embassy, and
so some of the violence that has occurred was within earshot of our
neighborhood. The good news is that things are secure, and everybody was able to
get back home safely."

CURE
Kabul Executive Director Joe Davis-Fleming wrote, "We were all escorted
home by armed guards, and we all made it home quickly with no problems. We will
continue to monitor the situation, but it appears that we should be able to
safely return to the hospital tomorrow (Wednesday) morning."

While the attacks seem to have come to an end, it seems prudent to adjust the security
protocols. Bush explains, "We
will change our security patterns as far as transporting to the city tomorrow
and the next several days until they are confident that this insurgent activity
has been brought back under control."

CURE International's presence has been a beacon of hope in that
war-weary country. Due to a severe lack
of trained nurses and doctors–particularly female practitioners, there simply
weren't enough personnel to  meet the
overwhelming medical needs. As a result,
the health of women and children was among the worst in the world.

In 2005, CURE accepted an invitation from the Afghan Ministry of
Public Health to assume control of both a partially-restored hospital and a
nearby outpatient clinic in Kabul. By
the end of their first year, both facilities were fully operational and serving
more than 8,000 patients each month.

Today, CURE International Hospital of Kabul is one of the leading medical institutions in
Afghanistan. For the staff, their sense
of purpose drives them forward, in spite of the risks. However, "Anytime there is insurgent
activity, it just brings to mind the unstable community that does exist within
Kabul," says Bush. "We would certainly appreciate all the prayers related not only to our
expatriate staff who is dedicated to being to be there fulltime, but also to the
staff up in the hospital."

There are nearly 300 Afghanistan workers employed by CURE
International. Given the target scenario of this week, says Bush, "It's
a risk for them as well to be working at an American-run organization. So
anytime activity like this occurs, where an insurgent group tries to make a
statement, it calls to mind all of the reasons why they're working at this
hospital."

However, CURE's
hospital still works to transform the lives of children with disabilities and
their families in Afghanistan through medical and spiritual healing. CURE not shy about the hope of Christ; however, "Our ministry is a ministry of healing and proclamation, but
within the context of the laws of the country that we're operating in."