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out medication, healing what they could and
praying for what they could not.
The team worked with Ugandan missionary
Hannington Bahemuka, whose ideas for
the recovery of his war-torn homeland were
outsized only by his heart for its people. He
inspired other Ugandans to dig deep, telling
them that God had given them everything they
needed to rebuild their communities.
“People walked for days to see us, and
we saw a thousand patients in less than four
days,” Brent said. “We used 50 percent of our
medications on the first 25 percent of the
trip, and Dave said, ‘We’ll just go loaves and
fish’ (referring to Jesus’ miraculous feeding
of the 5,000). We said, ‘All right, that sounds
amazing. God will take care of it.’”
And He did: “We decided that we were not
going to hold back, but treat every person the way
they should be treated,” Nicole said. “And our
very last patient got our very last dose of malaria
meds. We had the exact dose we needed.”
The doctors left the churches where their
makeshift clinics had been established with
three large bags containing other medications.
Loaves and fish.
On the night before they left Bundibugyo,
near Uganda’s border with the Democratic
Republic of Congo, the Nedellas shared with the
Pinnacle team for the first time their infertility
journey. They cried together, and Pastor Derik
Hines of Community Church of Joy in Glendale
laid his hands on Nicole’s stomach.
“I’mnot one who’s had a lot of healings
manifested inmy life, but as I began to pray, it
went fromme asking God to heal her to this really
strong sense that God was telling me He was
going to give her a baby,” Hines said. “God started
stirring inme in a powerful way, and I was so
scared, but I said to these two doctors, ‘I knowGod
is going to give you a baby. He will place in you
a baby before the first of the year.’ And I’m so
thankful that it was actually Him speaking.”
Immediately after, the sky opened to a
downpour. “And you could just feel God,” Nicole
said. “There is nothing that will make you feel
God more than being helpless in Africa.”
Blessings abound at home
If Ugandans could trust God for their
wellbeing, the Nedellas could try to trust
His plans for them. But it was easier said
than done. Once back in Arizona, the couple
decided to pursue infertility treatments. A week
before they were to begin, four days before the
end of the year, Nicole learned she was pregnant.
The pregnancy was rough, plagued by
pain and bleeding, and after going into
labor at 26 weeks, Nicole was hospitalized
and put on bed rest. With many prayers, the
Nedellas’ long-desired blessing was born
healthy on Aug. 15, 2013.
***
Jesse, whose name in Hebrew means “gift
from God,” loves the two big beige dogs in
his backyard, babbling his secret language to
strangers and climbing onto his mom’s lap for
reassuring nuzzles. He arrived in his Father’s
time, and he was worth the wait.
“Jesse is my walking miracle,” Nicole said.
Learn how the hand of God is guiding the Nedellas in their medicine,
mission work and family life in a video at
The first time GCU alumnus Dr. David
Engstromwent on a medical mission trip,
to Thailand in 2006, he viewed it as a cool
opportunity and a welcome break from his
daunting hospital residency. He returned
home and told his wife, Jamie (Reisland)
Engstrom, that he wouldn’t be going back.
But God had other plans for the
Engstroms, who graduated in 1999 from
GCU with bachelor’s degrees in human
biology and now operate a booming West
Valley practice, Pinnacle Family Medicine.
Over the past nine years, David and Jamie, a
physician’s assistant, along with other GCU
alums, Pinnacle staff and area pastors, have
made five more trips to Thailand and have
added Uganda and Mexico, too. As a result,
an estimated 9,000 people during 16 visits
have received God’s love and Pinnacle’s
medical care.
Among those joining the Engstroms on a
trip to Bundibugyo, Uganda, in October 2014
were GCU alums Brent and Nicole Nedella
(see main story) and Courtney Mitchell and
Stephanie Bradley, who earned bachelor’s
degrees in nursing from GCU in 2011 and
2013, respectively.
Engstrom said nothing brings people in
developing countries out of their homes like
free medical care.
“Whenever Jesus or the Apostles
shared the Gospel, the platform was
always healing the sick and proclaiming
the kingdom,” he said. “When we go on a
medical mission, every single patient hears
the Gospel. That’s the important thing.
You can give some medicine for 30 days to
cure them from some sickness or pain, but
saving souls and leading people to Christ,
that’s the reason to do it.”
GCU alumni and others brought God’s word and medical care to western Uganda in October 2014.
photo courtesy of nicole nedella
Medical missions spread theWord
To see a slideshow of the Pinnacle team’s 2014 trip to Uganda, visit
