© Giliad’s Hope 2017
about kendrick
A native of New
Braunfels, Texas,
Kendrick graduated
from the US Military
Academy at West
Point in 1985 where
he lettered in varsity
track 4 years and
served as track
captain his senior
year. After completing Airborne and Ranger Schools,
Kendrick served as a platoon leader in the 7th Infantry
Division at Fort Ord, California, then deployed with his
unit to the Multinational Force and Observers Mission in
the Sinai Desert of Egypt. He suffered a spinal injury and
became a paraplegic in a jeep accident after delivering
several soldiers to an outpost late one afternoon. During
that accident, Kendrick was knocked unconscious and saw
a bright light, felt an all encompassing warmth, and heard
an angelic chorus singing, 'Halleluiah". He was forever
changed.
Kendrick always knew he wanted to be a physician. After
graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston in 1993, he completed his training at Christus
Spohn Family Practice Residency in Corpus Christi in 1996,
where he served as chief resident. His parents, Nelson and
Genevieve Kahler, were instrumental in encouraging him to
trust God in all things and Kendrick was slowly growing in
the Lord.
After completing his medical training, Kendrick had many
dreams of traveling to a poor, developing country who had
few or untrained physicians, but he knew not where. He
prayed for God to show him. The answer came in a
newsletter from the Southern Baptist International Mission
Board, requesting help at the Bangkla Baptist Hospital in
Chacheungsao, Thailand in 1998. Kendrick apprenticed
there under excellent tutelage from Dr.'s Doug Derbyshire
and John Gibson. Feeling restless and knowing God was at
work, Kendrick felt a strong call and moved to Cambodia
in 2000, joining the IMB in their work at the Preah Ket
Mealea National Military Hospital in Phnom Penh.
CSI/Preah Ket Mealea Clinic opened in 2000 within Preah
Ket Mealea Hospital, teaching medical students and caring
for up to 2,000 poor patients per year, many being church
members from across the country. Kendrick returned to
Texas in 2006. Since then, he visited Cambodia on
extended medical mission trips twice per year. Kendrick
returned to Kampot, Cambodia to help open and serve as
Consultant in Family and Tropical Medicine at the new
Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital (www.skmh.org) in April 2012.
He frequently teaches the more than 20 Cambodian family
practice residents during their 3 year training course after
medical school. To God be the glory.
Gilead’s Hope