BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Elaine Strid - President
Elaine was raised as a dairy farmer’s daughter in Missouri, USA. Her Christian home led her to church where she became a Christian at age 12. Elaine has been a Christian counselor for over 25 years, working in trauma recovery. She has been through mental and physical trauma and grief with loss of a child and spouse personally and God has healed her. God has used these trials to help her grow compassion for people who need recovery in the world.
Dr. Strid visited AIC Litein Hospital as a WMM Missionary in February 2022. She taught Biblical Counseling and Diagnosis Using the DSM-5 and Biblical counseling principals using EMDR as a therapy technique. What happened to her is that she fell in love with the people and the AIC Litein Hospital. The staff at the hospital know how to help people with very little supplies and minimal facilities. They need help so they can help this community more. After discussion with Dr. Elijah Terer, she consented to begin the process of forming Friends of Litein, a US nonprofit corporation to help raise funds to benefit the students, staff and patients and upgrade the facilities of the AIC Litein Hospital.
Cheryl Boodt - Secretary
Cheryl Boodt is a semi-retired general and vascular diagnostic medical sonographer from the shores of Lake Michigan, married to Tom Boodt for 47 years, mother of two daughters, grandma to one teen age grandson, and mom to one spoiled chihuahua. When she was a small girl, through a family friend who was a missionary nurse to Africa, Cheryl was inspired to be a medical missionary. God seemed to be calling her to mission work after retirement, but she had no idea how to do that as a sonographer. Settling her Dad’s estate in 2018 and fulfilling his wishes to give a gift to Samaritan’s Purse, she learned about World Medical Missions. Because of the gorgeous climate and English language, Tom and Cheryl decided to try one month in Kapsowar, Kenya March 2019. They both fell in love with Kapsowar and returned there in 2020 to serve for three months. Two weeks into that stay, Samaritan’s Purse evacuated them to Litein, Kenya, a place they never heard of before. Very quickly they realized , Litein was God’s plan for them all along. In Litein, they felt at home with the hospital and church family. They found a place where their talents were needed in radiology and industrial department, and they could make a difference. They love to call Litein, Kenya their African home and the radiology/industrial hospital staff family.
Amy Schultz - Treasurer
During the summer of 2021, my husband, 4 of my 5 children, and I spent 4 months working at the AIC Litein Hospital in Kenya. My husband, Dr. Matthew Schultz, is a family practice physician in Minnesota and I have been at home raising and caring for our 5 children since we have had our third child. Our oldest is a cognitively disabled adult whom I care for daily.
I have a degree in Computer Science and in my pre-staying home life I spent years managing databases and programming software. Over the past ten years, I have spent many hours volunteering and teaching children within our church and community. We also are a licensed foster home and have had 8 children placed with us who have all either returned to their precious parents or been adopted by loving families. I love Jesus and depend on his strength and direction daily.
We felt called by God to go to Litein and we feel called to continue supporting the hospital. We saw first-hand the many needs of the people and of the hospital. AIC Litein Hospital does well with its resources and has the potential to provide many more services that would meet a large local need if it can obtain more resources. I am honored and excited to be part of the board of directors for Friends of Litein.
Dr. Ryan Thompson
My name is Ryan, and I am a resident physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center training in the field of ophthalmology. Given my loves for people, travel, medicine, and Jesus, I have sought to pursue a life serving the Lord within international medical missions. During my final year of medical school, I was given the rewarding opportunity to work alongside the excellent team at AIC Litein Hospital to participate in the kingdom-building healthcare for the peoples of Western Kenya. As I built friendships with the CEO, residents, staff, patients, and neighbors, I was invited to see the future of this hospital – to dream big, to expand in our vision to confer dignity to our sick neighbors and glorify God in the process. I strongly believe in the blossoming opportunity and active work of the Lord in this special place for healing, freedom, and redemption. As Dr. Terer so inspirationally quotes, “something good can come from you!” I am a proud attendant of Christ Fellowship Church in Forest Hill, Maryland, and love to travel, run, play guitar, drink coffee, and play with my German Shepherd.
Dr. Elijah Terer
Dr. Elijah Terer, the current Hospital CEO is a licensed family medicine consultant.
He is a man of integrity with 28 years of practice in healthcare service delivery.
During this time he has served as a nursing officer, a clinical officer, a medical officer, been a family medicine resident and now a family medicine consultant. All through his willingness to go above and beyond in care to his patients has shone through.
We are truly grateful that Dr. Terer is a God-fearing man who is truly passionate about putting God first in everything we do.His vision for the hospital is to expand services that the hospital provides to its client as a way of increasing sustainability
He has hit the ground running initiating several projects to this end like the establishment of a weeklong mental health outpatient clinic, establishment of a renal outpatient clinic and expansion of radiology services to include MRI and CT scan
Prior to his appointment Dr. Terer has been a member of the AIC Litein hospital Board of Management for the last 9 years. He has also served in the board’s executive and finance committees with his past immediate role being the chairman of the hospital’s board for over a year.
He has held several leadership roles while at Tenwek where he served as internship director, family medicine program coordinator and volunteers on the boards of several high schools providing insight into improving their education standards.
Dr. Terer has also served as the chairperson of Kenya Red Cross Bomet County Branch. He service is also dedicated to God’s service, he is the chairperson of his home church AIC Kimulwet Church and is the chairperson of the District Church council as sits in the regional area council.