How Jehovah Rapha Care Ministries Started

In the early 1990s, our founder, Melissa Rickenbacher, would help take her Uncle Joseph to MD Anderson Cancer Center for treatment. While there, they met many patients and families from out of town. Others were from out of state, and some were even from out of the country. It was at this time that Melissa realized that most insurance does not pay for the expenses that are accrued while traveling for cancer treatment. She and her uncle realized that many people fought, not only for their lives, but for the financial stability to live once the fight was over. Sadly, Melissa's wonderful uncle passed away, but a calling was left, and the memory of those patients they encountered lingered. God gave her the vision to start a ministry to help patients who come to Houston for treatment. Out of great suffering, the heart of Jehovah Rapha Care Ministries was born. Over the years, Melissa moved often with her husband as their careers took them to many places across the globe, but the calling never left. When they moved back to Houston, they decided "now is the time to start the ministry." Sadly, just when they started looking into what they needed to do, Melissa was diagnosed with cancer. Going through treatment herself brought her to a new, first-hand realization that it's not only hard to fight cancer, but it's also almost impossible to fight alone. However, so many people do fight alone, and there needs to be a ministry that will walk alongside those who are fighting alone. God gave her a wonderful gift of allowing her to meet people day after day and of asking what their needs truly were at the time. From this experience, Melissa was able to establish Jehovah Rapha Care Ministries with a better understanding of how to reach out and help those who travel and those who fight without help. Praise God, Melissa is now in remission and ready to get to work on fulfilling what God put in her heart to do many years ago. So, with a grateful heart and in her Uncle Joseph Stone's memory, with the knowledge she has gained going through her own cancer treatment, and most importantly, God's calling, Melissa and the team have started Jehovah Rapha Care Ministries.