Gary & Mary Vanderkooi

Dr. Gary Vanderkooi is a biochemist who has served in Ethiopia for nearly three decades developing a variety of education and ministry projects. He began in the 1990s serving as both project leader and brick layer for Soddo Christian College, a four-year college for the Wolaita people. Gary has also served as a project manager for the Soddo Christian Hospital. His greatest passion is for his work at the Wolaitta Evangelical Seminary where he has directed training while also overseeing the construction of the campus. He has now passed the leadership over to Ethiopians who are Christ-followers. Gary is currently giving direction to the creation of a Christian Elementary School in Soddo.

Dr. Mary Vanderkooi is the author of The Village Medical Manual and the designer of Equip’s Missionary Medicine Intensive (MMI) course, which was developed around that publication. Mary operates clinics among the Wolaita, a feeding program for those most affected by famine and poverty, and a home and school for orphans.