SPRING 2016The Journal of Christian Veterinary Mission

Christian Veterinarian

Leaving a LegacyPAGE 06

Investing in the Next GenerationPAGE 14

TIMES OF TRANSITION

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 20162 3Draw Near | cvmusa.org

ContentsSpring 2016

PresidentDr. Kit Flowerskflowers@cvmusa.org • 206.546.7226

Program & Latin America Regional DirectorDr. Brad Fryebfrye@cvmusa.org • 206.546.7248

Training & Asia Regional Director Dr. Karen Stouferkstoufer@cvmusa.org • 206.546.7308

Africa Regional DirectorDr. Fred Van Gorkomfvangorkom@cvmusa.org • 206.289.7953

Marketing & Communications ManagerMelissa Simsmsims@cvmusa.org • 206.289.7368

Short-Term Missions CoordinatorTracy Rubstellotrubstello@cvmusa.org • 206.546.7344

U.S. Ministry CoordinatorKrista Forsethkforseth@cvmusa.org • 206.289.7811

Director EmeritusDr. Leroy Dorminymissionvet@aol.com • 229.468.7898

CVM CanadaDr. Suzanne Laidlawslaidlaw@cvmusa.org

© Christian Veterinary Mission 2016. All rights reserved.

“Wisdom is with aged men (women), with long life is understanding.” - Job 12:12

The CVM family includes many individuals who have faithfully served God for many years in their families, through their churches, the profession of veterinary medicine, and in their communities. We encourage them to spend time in reflection, and to uplift and challenge us all through their testimonies. These faithful men and women continue to follow the Lord passionately and have shared words of wisdom in this issue of the Christian Veterinarian.

Perhaps you are one who the Scriptures identify as having long life (Job 12:12). Would you share your wisdom and understanding

with us so that others might learn? We encourage you to connect with your Regional Representative and to join us this summer at Shortcourse as we celebrate CVM’s 40th anniversary on Wednesday, August 24-27 in Kansas City.

“Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” - Psalms 71:18

This verse speaks to us all. May those who are old and gray declare His strength to this generation and His power to all who are to come!

PrayPray for those who are facing transition in life to seek the Lord’s leading.

Pray that Christ would continue to guide & work through this ministry.

Pray for students to lean on Christ as they go about their studies.

Dr. Kit FlowersCVM President

In this spring issue of the Christian Veterinarian, we’re focusing on serving Christ as you face times of transition. You may be nearing retirement, in the process of planning for that time or finding yourself in a significant transition and we would like to encourage you to finish strong.

Page 05 | Professionals

RETIREMENT IS A BLESSING

Page 06 | Planned Giving

LEAVING A LEGACY

Page 10 | Professionals

FINISH STRONG

Page 14 | Students

INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION

Wisdom With a Long Life By Dr. Kit Flowers, CVM President

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 2016 Christian Veterinarian | Spring 20164 5

Retirement is a BlessingBy: Dr. Bill Rowe

It was a blessing to be working as a veterinarian, just like it is a blessing to be retired; it’s just a different kind of blessing! Veterinary practice certainly provides daily opportunities to minister to our families, clients, employees, God’s animal creation, and His kingdom. But retirement allows us to spend more time in study of Scripture, and preparation for different kinds of ministry.

Christian Veterinary Mission provides wonderful opportunities to expand our horizon through short or long-term missions, domestically or internationally. My wife and I had the honor of spending a month with V.E.T. Net in Mongolia which was a tremendously enjoyable experience. We were able to teach clinical medicine and surgery, business practices, English, and the Bible. We developed new friendships, had fun with Mongolians and people of other nationalities, experienced new foods, saw some of the country, and drew closer to each other by working together.

Veterinary practice teaches us skills that the Lord can use to not only help internationally, but also locally, in our churches, as well

as other Christian and para-church organizations. This may be by serving on boards, teaching, encouraging pastors and others, as well as developing ourselves spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Retirement allows us to spend more time with spouses, children, and grandchildren and encourage those who God has put in our care. Grandchildren especially need to know that we care about them and that we may have some life experiences that will benefit them.

Be encouraged- retiring is not dying…nor is it a time to just “do what I’ve always wanted to do”. It is a time to start over with all that God has taught you so far, and use all that with which He has financially rewarded you. Retirement is a time to be of use in new and fulfilling ways—you may have talents and spiritual gifts that you have yet to discover!

So if you are retiring or have retired, enjoy the great opportunities that lay ahead as we continue to be a part of His Kingdom on earth.

In Memory of a Client’s or Friend’s Beloved PetPick a card from our new online shop, and CVM will send the grieving owner a personalized empathy card that acknowledges their loss and announces your gift. Comfort those who have lost a pet with the knowledge that their loss will allow veterinarians to help others in need.

Give a Meaningful Gift

Send A Personalized Card Nowrememberapet.org 206.546.7238

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 20166 7Draw Near | cvmusa.org

On a recent flight returning from a short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic I met a young man who recognized the CVM logo on the shirt I was wearing. He introduced himself as Jordan Flanagan, nephew to Dr. Keith and Jan Flanagan. We visited about how great it was that Jan continued their ministry in Haiti after Keith’s passing and the legacy of both Keith and Jan for the people of Haiti, a legacy that glorified God and inspired those of their immediate family and their CVM family to do the same.

We all have the opportunity to leave a legacy. The question is what do we want our legacy to say to the generations that follow? Proverbs 13:22 says “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous” Part of that inheritance should be a legacy of generosity of time, talents, and resources. Dr. Flanahan left a legacy of giving of his time and his profession to those who didn’t know Christ and providing for their spiritual and their physical needs.

There is no doubt that Proverbs 13:22 is speaking of monetary inheritance that we can leave so that even our grandchildren can enjoy the fruits of our labor. But we don’t want to leave a monetary inheritance

to those who will be cursed by it because of ignorance and an inability to handle money in a godly way. Therefore part of that inheritance— part of our legacy— is to teach the younger generations the importance of handling God’s money in God’s way.

Part of that education should include how to be generous. How do we impart generosity to the younger generations? Oftentimes we teach children by giving them a little money to put in the offering at church so they can practice being givers. This progresses to encouraging them to put a percentage of their own income into the offering, while continuing to demonstrate generosity as they see us giving to our church and to other ministries that are important to us. As they get older, we can share why those ministries are important and how we might check to see if the ministries are utilizing the resources that God has allowed us to give to them in a way that is honoring to Him. We can instruct them on how the choices we make in our spending (both discretionary and on necessities) can have an impact on how much we are then able to give. And even after we have gone to be with the Lord, we can still teach them as they see how we have distributed the wealth with which God has blessed us. This helps build a legacy, leaving an inheritance of stewardship to our children’s children.

Planned giving is a method that Christians can use to continue to teach the generations about stewardship and also support ministries with larger donations than they

could from their income. Some planned gifts provide life-long income to the donor or one of their beneficiaries. Many others use estate and tax planning to provide for the ministries (or heirs) a maximum benefit while reducing the impact on the donor’s estate. Whether a donor uses cash, appreciated securities/stock, real estate, artwork, partnership interests, personal property, life insurance, a retirement plan, etc., the benefits of funding a planned gift can make this type of charitable giving very attractive to the donor as well as to the ministry that they would like to continue to support.

Planned giving allows you to give more to your favorite ministries than you would normally be able to give from your income alone, thereby blessing those ministries while

also leaving a legacy for your descendants. We want to teach our children’s children the importance of being good stewards with what our Lord has blessed us, and leave a legacy of giving and generosity that will be an inspiration to the generations that follow us. Planned giving provides us the opportunity to continue to speak into the lives of family and friends here and now and from the other side of eternity.

If you want to leave a legacy through planned giving, we encourage you to consult with your financial advisor or to connect with the Donor Services department at CVM. For additional information from Dr. John Day, be sure to follow our blog at cvmusa.org/Blog/Planned-Giving or call 206-546-7574.

Leaving a LegacyBy: Dr. John Day

The question is what do we want our legacy to say to the generations that follow?

August 21-24 Sunday-Wednesday

August 24Wednesday

August 25Thursday

August 26Friday

August 27Saturday

Spiritual RetreatNEW this year!

CVM’s 40th

Anniversary Celebration Noon-9pm

All–Day Seminars Worship & Speakers

All–Day Seminars Worship & Speakers

Breakfast provided before Departure

Rhythms of Grace in a Driven World Preceding Shortcourse on August 21-24Kendra Long, wife of Dr. Meredith Long, will be guiding us in our spiritual retreat

prior to Shortcourse as we seek deeper intimacy with Christ so that His power and

presence transforms our lives and work. Kendra grew up in the West Indies and

ministered along with her husband for 14 years in Bangladesh and Kenya. She has

worked as the Director of Women’s and Children’s Ministries for Christian and

Missionary Alliance Church and the Director of Christian Formation at Church of

the Ascension. Having led numerous retreats in North America, Cambodia, Laos,

Kenya, Vietnam, Haiti and Bangladesh we are excited to have her lead this

session at Shortcourse.

SHORTCOURSE 2016August 24-27, 2016

Join us for our annual conference for veterinary professionals and their spouses as we grow together, build relationships, worship and are challenged in our profession. This year we will have a special celebration of Christian Veterinary Mission’s 40th anniversary!

Faith in the WorkplaceDr. Marty Becker will be joining us this year for the Workplace Ministry track. Dr.

Becker and his daughter, Mikkel Becker, will share about using faith as a part of

our veterinary tool box, God’s gift of the human-animal bond, and our obligation

for both an animal’s physical and emotional well-being leading to a fear-free

veterinary practice.

Unique Ways to Open the Door for the GospelDr. Julie Henderson, who served in Mozambique with CVM for many years, will

be joining us to share about how the use of plant medicines has opened the door to

sharing the gospel. She and her husband, Steve, served in the areas of health, water

development and adult education. These various ministries built relationships,

which led to Bible study discipleship groups and a church plant within the Muslim

community. Prior to serving overseas, Dr. Henderson was the owner of the

Northeast Texas Equine Hospital for 14 years.

Transformational DevelopmentDr. Meredith Long, who has served for over thirty years cross-culturally in Asia,

Africa and the Americas, will be sharing about the tensions, joys and sorrows of

international relief and development. With his wife and family, he served 14 years in

Bangladesh and Kenya. Over the last seven years he has served with World Concern

as the Senior Director for Programs and the Senior Advisor for International Health

and Transformational Development.

LOCATION: Housing and meals are provided at Heartland Presbyterian conference center, just outside Kansas City, Missouri.

NEW! Spiritual Retreat

Preceding Shortcourse

August 21-24, 2016

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 201610 11Draw Near | cvmusa.org

May 8th, 1977. Some of you may assume that this was the date of the first transatlantic steam ship crossing or the invention of the telephone, but in fact, it was the day I graduated from veterinary school. To those of my generation, it is a sobering reminder that soon we will have been “practicing” veterinary medicine for 40 years.

Regardless of where you are on the timeline, we all share a common reality—at some point our active participation in this amazing profession will end or most certainly change.

Many of you have not, as yet, anticipated or made preparation for that inevitable

event, but it will occur. How you finish is not only important to you, but it is also immensely important to God. I recently participated in a Bible study in which the topic was “confession is good for the soul.”

If you are like most of the participants, your initial reaction to that maxim might be to innumerate all of your shortcomings. If applied to your career you may find yourself lamenting deficiencies and regrets.

I can assure you that after almost 40 years I could generate quite a list of missed diagnoses and botched client relations.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10

I encourage you to practice giving praise as you prepare to finish well. As a Christian there are at least four things that you should be compelled to confess:

Who you are in Christ:“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:6

What you have in Christ:“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:7

What you can do through Christ:“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” - Philippians 4:13

And finally you can confess with complete confidence that your Heavenly Father has a plan for your life regardless of the stage you find yourself.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

If I were a self-help guru advising professionals about finishing well, I might suggest a three-step process to life after practice:

• Have a forward focus• Eliminate distractions• Set a new goal

But my experience has been that God’s word is the original source of sound council.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:13-14

Confession is good for the soul. Our Heavenly Father longs to hear ours.

Finish StrongBy: Dr. Joe Wright

“I encourage you to practice giving praise as you prepare to finish well.”

“But my experience has been that God’s word is the original source of sound council.”

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 201612

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE the 40th anniversary of Christian Veterinary

Mission in Kansas City, MO this summer at Shortcourse! We are grateful for what God

has done and are excited to reflect and envision how He will continue to use

veterinary medicine to express His love to others.

cvmusa.org/shortcourse

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 201614 15Draw Near | cvmusa.org

had a good example to follow, so I went around and introduced myself to all the vets in our area.

Looking back at forty-five years of practice, it is a source of joy to see the accomplishments of the many students and vets we have mentored and invested in over the years. Conversely, it is with a sense of sadness that I have seen our system of mentoring come under attack in recent years. Too often we hear of horror stories from both the mentor and the mentee. With our increasingly litigious society, it seems more and more veterinary practices are refusing to invest in students or young vets. I do not say this to lay blame on the new generation of vets or on the established vets. Rather, my purpose is to point you to the Book of all wisdom for answers to this dilemma.

Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” Minimum wage and workman’s compensation rules, and a lack of work ethic have conspired to make many practices refuse to hire or even accept volunteers from high school students. As practitioners, we need to be

“wise as serpents” to protect our practices from liability involving students without sacrificing the tremendous good that mentoring does. We recently received some encouragement in this area. The FFA advisor in charge of the veterinary program at our local high school recently told me that the school district agreed to provide insurance to preclude a vet’s liability in accepting these volunteers.

Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction. Otherwise, if students don’t get experience somehow, the shortage of support staff in our profession will only get worse.

We have been encouraged with the externs we have gotten through the CVM website. Veterinary students who have the Holy Spirit within them avail themselves of all the wisdom the Bible has regarding employer/employee relationships. CVM also has unparalleled opportunities for mentors and mentees. My wife and I have happy memories of vet students we have taken on mission trips. Dr. Gerald Mitchum

says that short-term vets to Mongolia are his most valuable asset in mentoring veterinary students and veterinarians at the Vet Net hospital. In our own practice, our youngest veterinarian first came to us as an extern during his senior year in veterinary school. We got a chance to check him out at that time and he was able to check us out. He has turned out to be an excellent addition to our practice. An added benefit to having him as an associate is that he runs the CVM booth at our state meetings when I am unable to be there. Bottom line, don’t give up on mentoring. Find a way around the obstacles and invest in the next generation of veterinary professionals.

James Herriot, in his book All Things Bright and Beautiful, begins Chapter 28 with the statement, “I always liked having a student with us.” One of the main reasons he liked having students was so that they could open gates for him in his rural practice. He also liked having someone to run and get things for him, someone to pull on the ropes during calvings, and someone to assist in surgery. But mainly he enjoyed their company and the sense of accomplishment that comes from mentoring someone. Herriot follows with a series of colorful stories involving students and new veterinarians in his Yorkshire practice.

Those of us who have been veterinarians for many years can tell similar stories.

Most of us remember with fondness the vet or vets who mentored us. Dr. C. E. Butler made the summer of 1969 one of the happiest periods of my life. He instilled in me love and excitement for our profession, and a sense of camaraderie for other vets that exemplifies the best of veterinary medicine. One day, he gave me the afternoon off and told me to go visit every veterinarian in our two county practice area. At one office, he instructed me to not tell the vet who I was, but to tell him that I had eight puppies that needed shots and worming, but that I didn’t get paid until Friday. “See what he says!” The

“target” vet knew about my boss’ sense of humor and guessed who I was, but everybody had a good laugh. Several years later, when I bought my own practice, I

Investing in the Next GenerationBy: Dr. Tom Gillaspie

gifts.cvmusa.org

Find a way around the obstacles and invest in the next generation of veterinary professionals.

17Draw Near | cvmusa.org

Connect with Your Regional Representative

WestDr. Barry Schwenk

North CentralDr. Melissa Cheeks

South CentralDr. Glenn Gaines

SoutheastDr. Lauren Charles

NortheastDr. Denise Thagard

Northwest / CaribbeanDr. Emiko Van Wie

Michigan / OhioDr. Kit Flowers

Western CanadaDr. Kit Flowers

Eastern CanadaDr. Suzanne Laidlaw

Christian Veterinarian | Spring 201618 19Draw Near | cvmusa.org

CVM’s mission is to challenge, empower and facilitate veterinary professionals to serve others by living out their Christian faith.

Our purpose as an organization is to walk alongside Christians in the veterinary com-munity whose desire is to bring glory to God through the use of their professional skills. It is our honor and privilege to pray with, talk with, encourage, equip, mentor and pro-vide resources and opportunities for men and women to follow God’s call in their life, whether serving in their own community or cross-culturally.

Animals are a bridge to relationship. Whether at a clinic in urban America or, the country-side of Mongolia, a veterinary school in Bo-livia or the Cherokee Nation, relationships are formed over the care of an animal. Trust is built, hearts are shared, and a seed is planted for the Kingdom of Christ.

What We Do

Connect With Us

facebook.com/christianveterinarymission @cvmusa

The Christian Veterinarian journal is a quarterly publication. If you wish to unsubscribe, please send an email to info@cvmusa.org or call (206) 546-7238. We suggest an annual donation of $40/year for United States mailing address, $60/year for Canada and Mexico residents, and $100/year for International residents to support CVM and cover mailing and publication costs. You may also request to receive the journal electronically.

Drs. Trent & Tabitha Cox, EthiopiaDr. Cherie Igielski, EthiopiaDr. Ann MacCormac & Shawn Fischer, GhanaDr. Troy & Rebekah Sammons, KenyaDr. Margaret Thompson, TanzaniaMs. Emily Arndt, CVT, UgandaDr. Daniel & Rachel Graham, UgandaDr. Val & Waffle Lomilo, UgandaDr. Rebecca Quam, South Africa

AsiaDr. Mary & Richard Ballenger, MongoliaDrs. Bill & Angie, AsiaDr. Gerald & Frances Mitchum, MongoliaDr. Peter & Mary, ThailandMs. Melissa White, CVT, Asia

Central & South AmericasDr. Kim & David Carney, BoliviaDr. Bill & Heidi Janecke, BoliviaDr. Coalson Lacey, BoliviaDr. Kelly Crowdis, HaitiMrs. Jan Flanagan, HaitiDr. Jeff & Bethany Bracht, Nicaragua Dr. Rick & Mary Ervin, Nicaragua

Long-term Service CandidatesDr. Sara & Jason Phipps, BoliviaDr. Hillary & Michael Mincher, MongoliaDr. Justin & Helen Woolsey, MongoliaDr. Shad & Amy Wilkerson, SenegalDr. Lena & Patrick Wensel, Tanzania

Dr. Paul & Alicia Evans, Zambia

USADr. Lauren & Jon CharlesDr. Melissa & Maurice CheeksDr. Kit & Jan FlowersDr. Brad & Angela FryeDr. Glenn & Kathy GainesDrs. Monty & ShelleyDr. Barry & Colette SchwenkDr. Karen & Ron StouferDr. Denise & Roy ThagardDrs. Fred & Vicki Van GorkomDr. Emiko & Joshua Van WieDr. Susan & CourtDr. Gina & Steven Wintermantel

Associates & Associate OrganizationsMs. Rhoda Beutler, HaitiDr. Wendell & Jann Cantrell, USADr. Billy Myers, EuropeDr. Rachel & Helmfried Dietsch, ThailandDrs. Jonathan & Leanna Dohanich, HaitiDr. Tim & Cathi Emery, South AfricaDr. Heather & Leon HeiseyDr. Julie & Steve Henderson, MozambiqueDr. Mary & Jack McDonald, UgandaDr. Tom & Diane Schiefer, Latin America Dr. Andrew & Chris Spence, MongoliaDr. Don & Marilyn Wilson, BoliviaCLIDE Consultancy, UgandaVetRed, BoliviaV.E.T. Net Team, Mongolia

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