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Stafford native Trixy Franke is pursuing her dream as a medical missionary in Africa, but it's not exactly how she had planned Date published: 1/23/2010
By CATHY DYSON Trixy Franke did some "serious soul-searching" about her dream to become a medical missionary, particularly after plans to work in east Africa fell apart. This time last year, the Stafford County native was completing a three-year residency at an Indiana hospital. That was after she had finished four years of medical school at Loma Linda University in California. She and her husband, Bill Colwell, were set to head to Rwanda, where she would work in a clinic, and he would use his training in fundraising and community development to lead programs through the Adventist Health Institute. Franke and Colwell are Seventh-day Adventists, and the university she attended, along with the facility in Rwanda, are affiliated with the church. Franke had agreed to spend six years as a medical missionary in return for having her school debts forgiven. But when the door to Rwanda shut, Franke was unsure what to do next, she said in a recent e-mail. Rwanda would have provided jobs for both her and her husband, and he would have been able to continue his online pursuit of a doctorate degree. Plus, she had been preparing for an assignment in east Africa. She knew the culture, the language--Swahili--and some of the people after doing missions in four hospitals and six countries. As she lingered in limbo, medical colleagues around her sprang into action. Some signed contracts for jobs, and others finalized plans for overseas assignments. She wondered if she should stay in America. Physician recruiters were offering her hefty sign-on bonuses, as well as packages to help her repay her school loans, if she remained stateside. Even friends were asking where she was going to get on with her career, after 11 years of higher education and residency. Franke had to tell them she didn't know, and that answer didn't come easily to her. The 30-year-old is the daughter of Antoinette and John Franke of Stafford, and as a homeschooler, she excelled in independent study. When she graduated from Mary Washington College in 2001, she had the highest grade-point average in her class. Franke came to realize that, in deciding her future, she had to trust her faith more than her intellect.
Date published: 1/23/2010
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