Pete and Libby Halestrap shared the love of Jesus through medical work, teaching and discipleship at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya, however, at the end of September 2023 Pete received a life-altering hospital diagnosis and the whole family was rushed to the UK for Pete to have further tests and scans. After a hospital appointment on 2nd October 2023, it has become clear that Pete will need radiotherapy and a potential biopsy, and the family will need to remain in the UK indefinitely.
The sudden nature of this diagnosis has naturally had a huge impact on the whole family as they navigate the emotional, physical, spiritual and practical implications of navigating Pete’s diagnosis as a family and of being torn from their home and ministry in Kenya, to potentially never return. They ask for continued prayer for Pete, Libby and the children, and for Kijabe Hospital and Titchie Swot’s work and ministry where their absence will be keenly felt.
The Halestraps have been living and serving in Kenya since 2012. They were based at Kijabe Hospital, a large mission hospital in the Rift Valley.
While Christianity is widespread in Kenya, its ethnic diversity and vast countryside mean there are still many who remain strangers to the good news of Jesus. Kijabe Hospital serves people from all over Kenya and other parts of East Africa, including a large number from unreached people groups. As people attend the hospital looking for high quality and compassionate healthcare, they are also exposed to the gospel in both word and deed. The hospital is a major training institution and provides an environment for learners to grow in both their clinical skills and their Christian faith, before going on to serve throughout the region and beyond.
Pete worked in the Outpatient and Emergency departments of the hospital. He also served as the Director of Medical Education, which gave him oversight of numerous clinical training programmes and allowed him frequent opportunities for teaching. Through this, he sought to disciple and mentor local healthcare providers and mobilise them to reach others.
Libby ran an education course in the hospital, seeking to equip clinicians involved in medical education by enhancing their teaching skills. She also helped facilitate a global Christian mission course called ‘Kairos’. Besides this, Libby assisted with student support and teaching in Titchie Swot, the primary school section of Rift Valley Academy, AIM’s boarding school for missionary children.
Despite having to return to the UK, the Halestrap family still need to continue raising financial and prayer support as Pete will be unable to work for a long time and the family will need to find somewhere to live in the UK and find schools for their children.
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