Called: Thaddeus and Lucy Gichana

Thaddeus and Lucy co-facilitate a trauma healing workshop in March 2019.

CALLED: THADDEUS AND LUCY

Meet Thaddeus and Lucy Gichana, SIM missionaries in Kenya. Together they serve in the areas of biblical trauma care, urban refugee ministry and leadership.

Lucy was the third of 11 children. Her father worked far from home and was largely absent. While Lucy was still in primary school, she and three siblings were left in the care of their grandmother.

Thaddeus was the fourth of 10 children. His father died when he was three and hee was taken in by an uncle when he was six.

Both Thaddeus and Lucy were separated from loving mothers and siblings at young ages. They were also both raised as Roman Catholics. Lucy’s father wanted her to become a nun after completing her education, while Thaddeus was admitted to Mother of Apostles Seminary, but did not enrol for it.

Lucy gave her life to Christ in August 1993 at an open-air gospel meeting soon after she had heard a voice asking: “Is it London first or salvation first?” She was getting her passport to go to the UK after completing undergraduate studies but immediately responded: “Salvation first.”

Lucy was accepted into an internship programme with World Vision Kenya, who then hired her as a community motivator. Eventually she became their coordinator for design, monitoring and evaluation.

Thaddeus was saved through the gospel passion of his younger brother, Joseph, who moved in with him after high school. Every evening, Joseph shared God’s Word and, in May 1996, had the privilege of leading his older brother to Christ.

While serving as mission coordinator of his church, Thaddeus began to understand God’s call to mission. He heard God say, “If you will open your life to me, I will heal your bitter life and change it to a sweet life.”

In March 2003, Thaddeus was introduced to Life Challenge Africa, a ministry of SIM Kenya. Soon he resigned from his job as a physical planner and pursued ministry training, while volunteering at his church. Thaddeus heard God say: “I have raised you up as my ambassador of hope to the hopeless.”

Lucy and Thaddeus met in 2005 and were married in 2009. On their wedding day, Lucy realised she was committing herself to be not only Thaddeus’s wife but his ministry partner too. Thaddeus joined SIM formally in 2010, and feeling the need to deal with childhood trauma, he and Lucy joined the School of Counseling, Deliverance and Healing. They are now certified as trauma healing facilitators by the Trauma Healing Institute at the American Bible Society.

In October 2015, Lucy joined Thaddeus at SIM. They now travel together to provide biblical trauma care both inside and outside Kenya and have developed SIM Kenya’s Urban Refugee Trauma Care ministry.

Thaddeus is SIM’s regional trauma healing coordinator over both East and Southern Africa, while Lucy coordinates Churches for Grace programme under Kijabe AIDS Education and Community Outreach, a SIM Kenya partner project. Thaddeus also became chair of the SIM Kenya council in September 2018.

Lucy and Thaddeus draw strength from God’s calling, particularly from the words of Isaiah 45:1-3. They even decorated their wedding cake with this passage!

Please pray for them to remain steadfast in pursuing God’s calling on their lives. Pray too for God’s provision to enable the couple to pursue chaplaincy training.