Miller also found himself convicted and later acquitted of the murder of a government official in a high-profile case during his time in Somalia.
[1] Miller's background in the Mennonite church influenced his service and played a major role in the murder trial.
Miller served as a doctor at the Jamama Mennonite Hospital from 1971 to 1972 and lived with his family in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Early on, missionary-minded relatives began to influence Miller and planted ideas of a greater goal in his mind.
During their last three years of college, the young couple planted a church in California, Michigan, starting their focus on evangelism early on.
Miller pursued his medical degree, relocating the family and attending the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Miller's extensive training obstetrics, pediatrics, surgeries, and general medicine would serve him well, but he was still unprepared for the variety of tropical diseases that he would encounter.
[1] Typically, the missionaries received language training before or during their stay, but the short notice for the Miller family did not allow time for instruction.
Harold Reed, in charge of the Somalia Mennonite Mission at the time,[2] greeted Miller, Mary, and Stephen at the Mogadishu airport.
Mary had no defined work responsibilities but focused on raising Stephen and providing an orderly home life for her family.
They were joined by a team of American and Canadian nurses who worked tirelessly to run the hospital and care for patients.
[1] Miller studied tropical diseases, cataract surgery, and leprosy among other things in order to adapt to the needs of the Somalis.
Hussein Sadad Hassan, a 46-year-old Somali in a front seat of the car, was the most severely injured passenger.
Hassan died a day and a half after the surgery and his children held a traditional funeral service for him.
This note provided eight days notice before Miller was to appear in court, but it failed to mention the content of the trial.
This guilty finding was accompanied by a compensation payment (to Hassan's family) of 100 camels, the typical amount paid for a death, and a three-month stay in jail in Somalia.
However, the judge stipulated that if Miller were to continue his work at Jamama and avoid any additional charges, he would not serve the time in jail.
[1] After discussing this with Harold Reed and the Mennonite Board in the United States, Miller consented to accepting the charge.
The board would pay the family compensation and he would transfer to a hospital in Uganda for the final part of his yearlong service.
[1] The Mennonites, traditionally a peaceful people, would respond in accordance with their desire to be cooperative and maintain good relations with the government.
Two weeks later, Miller received a telegram exonerating him from all charges previously brought against him and pronouncing him innocent.
Miller worked to create a long-standing EMT program in Bluffton through the Wells Community Hospital.
Shari aided Miller in the editing and writing of his book A Hundred Camels: A Mission Doctor's Sojourn and Murder Trial in Somalia.
The Jamama Hospital has now been converted into a donkey stable after civil war battles ravaged the country.
Miller's service in Somalia led to thousands of saved lives and even drew the attention of President Siad Barre.
[14] His struggles with the murder trial helped to expose corruption in a young government that created a new constitution only a few years later.