Lester Dornon was born in Japan, the son of Methodist missionaries. He received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He felt a call to practice medicine in a place where people have little or no access to healthcare. That desire led him and his wife, Deborah to Nepal, arriving in 1990 with two small children; a third child was born while they served there. Debbie was born in Middletown, OH, where she is a member of First United Methodist Church. She received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace University, a United Methodist-related school in Berea, OH. Les and Debbie left Nepal in 2002 to put their children through higher education, and returned to Tansen hospital in 2012. The Dornons' three children - Rachel, Luke, and Hannah - are now grown.

Ministry

Lester is assigned as a senior physician at the Tansen Hospital in western Nepal in South Asia. The hospital in Tansen is related to the United Mission to Nepal, established in 1954 as a partnership between the people of Nepal and a coalition of 20 Christian organizations on four continents. Read Tansen's 2023 end-of-year report here. Nepal is a small country high in the Himalayan Mountains, where poverty is widespread and health facilities in limited supply. Tansen and other United Mission facilities not only treat the sick but train Nepali doctors and other medical staff to eventually assume full responsibility for the hospitals. Debbie is assigned as coordinator of expatriate services at Tansen Hospital. She is in charge of helping missionary personnel and their families from many countries deal with issues such as housing, visa processing, creating bank accounts, and accessing other services. Read their latest newsletter here.

How You Can Help

By supporting Lester and Deborah, you can save the lives of people who need access to medical care in the impoverished country of Nepal. Like all United Methodist missionaries, Les and Debbie are responsible for raising their own support through covenant relationships with individuals, groups, and congregations. To support the Dornons, you may contact them directly at lesdebbiedornon@gmail.com, donate online here, or send a check to West Ohio Conference, 32 Wesley Blvd, Worthington, OH 43085, with 'Lester Dornon, #10919Z' or 'Deborah Dornon, #10920Z' in the Memo line. 

Get to know Les and Debbie and their ministries by watching these virtual itineration videos!

#StillInMission: Lester Dornon from Global Ministries on Vimeo.

#StillInMission: Debbie Dornon from Global Ministries on Vimeo.