Girls Only

Since this is the first post of 2009--Happy New Year. I brought the year in with 6 C-sections in 12 hours. Please pray for safety as I walk to and from the hospital in the middle of the night.  New Year's Day included a family nap. Malin left the following day with another physician here, Dan Hayward, to climb My Kilimanjaro. They'll be gone 8 days and 8 nights. Amelia, Meredith and I decided it would be the perfect time to have a girl sleep over. Amelia's friend Claire came over and we painted toe nails, ate popcorn, and watched The Sound of Music. We're moving in the Dan's wife and 4 boys for the rest of the week. Suzanne has graciously offered to help with the girls as I work (she also looks forward to some girls in the house).

In clinic this week, there was a man on my schedule. I said to the nurse, "I don't see men." She replied, "But you're a gynecologist." So I repeated, "Yes, that's why I don't see men." She said, "But you should be able to help him, you're a gynecologist." I smiled and said, "Yes, my training was in gynecology I have not seen a male patient in over four years." She laughed and said,"Really?" She eventually understood and ended-up calling someone else to see him. But for those of you that our wondering,  his problem was related to a unfortunate accident which he was thinking Viagra would cure. There are many things not available in Kenya, but the "little blue pill" is. 

Mosquito Nets & Apartment Living

      We live on the lower level of this building in the lower compound.  We get our drinking water from a collection tank supplied by rain water from the roof (after boiling and filtration).  We have two bedroom a bathroom and a kitchen and dining room.  We are lucky to have many families around with kids who love to play.
  We all sleep under mosquito nets at night to prevent malaria.  This is Amelia on the left and Meredith on the right.  Our first week in Kenya Meredith pulled her net down accidentally and she had mosquito bites all over her face.  We felt terrible--as now her net is better secured.

  

Remaining

We have not blogged about something we've spent much time discerning through prayer, conversations with other missionaries and World Medical Mission. Before we wrote, we wanted to be certain we knew God's direction. 

Since arriving in Kenya, we have felt growing uncertainty about going to Cameroon. We attributed this initially to not knowing what faced us at Banso Hospital. But the more we talked to other missionaries and the more we prayed the more we knew God desired us to remain in Kenya. After talking with our mission board they agreed as well. Tenwek Hospital and Kijabe Hospital, both in Kenya,  have things we need to be successful for the next 2 years and possibly for life. There is schooling, a large mission community, help from other specialties, and many other families supporting us as we both work. This was agonizing as we had committed to Cameroon, but we believe God is sovereign. We also believe God knew our plans long before we understood them. And as we know what God desires we have no choice but to obey. So, we will remain at Tenwek for at least 6 months and then likely be going to Kijabe Hospital. The dates/timing is not all arranged yet. We also would still like to visit Cameroon a short time while we are here. 

Amelia asked me a wonderful question tonight. She said, "Mommy, I think two years is too short. Can we please stay 6 years or even the rest of life in Kenya?" She did not know we were staying in Kenya yet. We believe God called our entire family to missions and even Amelia is hearing that call. 

Happy Boxing Day

This is our first time celebrating boxing and we're not exactly sure what to do. But it does mean a day off, a potluck, and time to take down Christmas decorations.

We had a great Christmas. The Christmas Eve service included myself reading a sermon from our good friend Pastor Derek Starr Redwine which was planned no more than 3 hours before the service. Christmas Day we began celebrating in church with music and the children's program. Then we brought gifts and caroled in the pediatric ward as a church. Next we shared lunch with the Crognales, a dual physician couple with 2 little girls, very much like us. Dino Crognale made a wonderful lasagna and I made Amy Starr Redwine's buttermilk chess pie. After visiting we went to our friends the Galat's. We first met the Galat's at our Samaritan Purse orientation. We watched Cheaper by the Dozen and ate popcorn with orange fanta. 

Our internet connection worked well enough to Skype with both of our families. This is always an encouragement.  Tomorrow we head into Nairobi which on a good day is a 4 hour drive one-way. We will be grocery shopping and visiting the Massai Market, the local craft market and returning Sunday.  

Meredith turns 2!

"Happy Day!" as Meredith would say. She enjoyed her 2nd birthday with cake and friends.  Her gift was a rag doll we affectionately called "Mercy". One of the most popular names here. Her face and knees bear the scars from constant tree climbing, running, swinging and trying to keep up with Amelia, but the smile never leaves. One thing we cherish about Meredith is her generally content disposition.

I'm on-call this weekend and grateful for the help of another OB/GYN. Its trying as we've already delivered 2 very premature babies and held a term baby as he passed from probable lung disease.  Many patients need the peace only Jesus brings.

 

Visitors Welcome

We welcome visitors at Tenwek!  We have plenty of room, the need is great, and their will always be a warm cup of chai waiting for you.

Even Princesses can get a Black Eye

     Amelia has taken to life in Africa.  She climbs trees barefoot, holds geckos with her bare hands, and makes forts with her friend Clair in the Bush.  The other day she asked for a pocket knife  because she wanted to carve a spear. 

     As you can see from the picture Amelia took a knock from a child in a swing. 

On Being a Missionary

When I grew up (Malin writing now) I always thought missionaries were kind of peculiar people.  Some summer sunday evening a missionary would come to share at our church.   They were always wearing awkward clothes and trying to get you to eat strange foods.  Then they would pray or preach in a foreign language.   I use to think that is great, but not for me.

   Here I am now, no Sara and I, no really Sara, Amelia, Meredith and myself living as missionaries.   God has called our whole family.  We, as a family, are trying to determine what that means together.   How will God shape us?  How will God use our hands in the dental clinic, in the hospital...and how will He use the smallest hands in our family as Meredith makes a friend?   

New things

Malin and I have seen lots of new things this week. For myself, these include a 6 year old injured while trying to pick mangos  and a 60 year old woman who was bent over picking beans only to have a cow kick her (since you know my speciality you can probably figure out where these injuries were located). Both are recovering well from surgery. 

Malin also had the opportunity to see 1 of the 7 C-sections I did in the past 3 days. And he went to the OR as well to assist in a jaw fracture and cleft lip. This morning's c-section was a woman that had been admitted the past 3 weeks for severe pre-eclampsia. She had only 1 living child and 3 dead children and we were trying to wait as long as safe for her health prior to delivery so that this baby would not be too premature. We prayed before the c-section (as we pray before any surgery) and then delivered a 1100 gram vigorous baby boy. She began crying and praising God for an alive child.  Please join us in praying that this baby will grow strong and live, also that Lillian will have a safe recovery. The pictures are of a c-section for twin boys and Malin wiring a jaw with Dr. Kuyaya (Tenwek's dentist).

New games

This weekend we rested, hiked, baked cookies, and shared a meal with friends. Amelia and her friends made a "village" out of some bushes. They each owned certain products and traded them for other goods.  There is also a trampoline here which the girls have enjoyed playing on. I'm really appreciating how much the girls play outside and are using their imaginations. Above our some pictures of the animals we've encountered.  Meredith enjoyed feeding giraffes, but Amelia was too scared. On the other hand, Amelia will hold any reptile (something I prefer not to touch!). 

Malin went to the OR today for a facial tumor. I have to head there as well for a repeat C-section. Thankfully I had a short break this morning to homeschool and e-mail.

A quick update

One week worked and I don't think either of us believe all the pathology and complex medical problems we've seen. The girls did remarkable well with their Kenyan nannies.  It is customary to eat lunch at 1pm together as a family. Our meals ranged from chicken stir fry, tacos, to lentil soup and local greens. Janet is an incredible cook.  We have little planned this weekend, but hope to explore a bit more on foot Bomet, the district Tenwek Hospital is located in. 

The first Sunday of Advent

This first Sunday of advent began with an hour walk. Heather, Beth and myself began at 6am just as the sun rose over the tea fields. It was stunning. A long, warm shower awaited me and then practice with the church worship team. The service in Swahilli and English lasted close to 3 hours. Praise songs, hymns, advent lighting, prayer, offering (one for the church and another for 2 women getting married and for a funeral), a sermon, and even dancing filled the service. Meredith stayed outside with me during the sermon and thankfully Amelia sent to Sunday school.

After church Amelia made a new friend. We now care for a chameleon. She is looking for a name. Any suggestions? Meredith took a walk to the dam. This dam provides the power for the homes and the hospital.

As we start this advent season. I am reminded that the first candle signifies HOPE. Serving in Kenya reminds us that this HOPE is for all people. I learned this as a child through a song. The lyrics went something like this, " Light one candle for HOPE. One bright candle for HOPE. He brings HOPE to every heart. He comes. He comes." Pray we may share in this HOPE with the people here.

Touching Down in Nairobi

We left Whidbey Island at 7AM on Friday Nov 21st with two vehicles, lots of luggage, and two excited girls. The check-in process of our luggage and ticketing was uneventful. We had been prepared by other traveling physicians with only a one-way ticket to bring extra documentation from Samaritans Purse to clarify our reasons for traveling and eventual repatriation.
The 10 hour flight from Seattle to Amerstam went quicker than expected. Malin watched lots of movies. Amelia saw Peter Pan for the first time. Sara unfortunatly was struck with a severe bout of dizzyness (a side affect of malaria medication) compounded with motion sickness from the flight. Meredith walked between our seats and Nanna and Papa 5 rows to the back to burn energy until we found out she was waking other passengers.
In Amsterdam we had a two hour layover. Many tears were shed as we said a tearful goodbye to Sara's parents. Their itinerary took them on a later flight to Kenya and then on to Mombassa for mission service at a Christian Eye Clinic. We will miss them as they we a huge help getting us ready to go.
The flight to Nairobi was one hour late due to snow in Amsterdam and de-icing the plane. Overall we were very proud of our Amelia & Meredith behaved. Sara had an extra seat and was able to lie down with Meredith and try to sleep off the dizzyness. Eight hours later our plane touched down in Kenya at a warm 70 degrees at about 10 PM.
We were discouraged to see a terribly long line to get through customs. We were all wiped out and knew even after this line to get Visa's we still had to get our luggage through Customs. It seemed God knew this as well..as a man motioned us and another medical missionary family to new counter and we had our four visas within 5 minutes.
The Kenyans were very helpful gathering our luggage. We only had one action-packer searched and our family went through customs without problems. We packed into a van and were off to a Kenyan guest house to recuperate.
Just two miles from the airport our van broke down. We were prepared as Amelia had her handheld flashlight she was given from Papa! A replacement vehicle was found and at nearly midnight--some 30 hours of traveling we could sleep! But not for long. 4 AM struck and we were wide awake!
The last two days at the guest house have been a mixed bag. We are at this point with gratitude from the support and love we have received from friends and family. At the same time it becomes evident how really far away we are from the people we love.
We anxiously await tomorow as we will drive 200 miles to Tenwek Hospital!

Packing our bags and off to Kenya

   

After nine 50-lb action packers, 4 suitcases, 4 carry-ons, and a harness for Meredith shaped like a Monkey for the airport we are physically ready to begin our adventure at Tenwek, Hospital in Kenya.     We leave tomorrow and arrive in Kenya on Saturday.  We will stay in a guest-house in Nairobi for several days to rest and get adjusted to the time change.  

     We travel with excitement but also with some anxiety about what the unknown holds for our family.  We pray God gives us wisdom, patience, strength and that He walks with us everyday. We believe God has great things in store for our family and that He will reveal himself in ways we could never imagine.  

2 sets of passports

Well, we've learned a few things in the past several days. First, the government does issue 2nd passports. Second, those passports last for 2 years. Third, you have to have birth certificates, letters from employers, current passports, photo identification, plane tickets, official letters of request for a 2nd passport, passport applications, photos for the applications, $130/person, and finally you have to appear in person at one of 8 regional centers if you have children. And thankfully we had all we needed and now proudly own 2 sets of passports. Just our Kenyan medical licenses are left to obtain. Thanks to all who prayed this would go smoothly.

A New Direction

New tickets, new visas, new location... new plans, but perhaps not new to God. After feeling certain our visas would not arrive in time to fly Nov 18th and almost certain it could be 3 more months of waiting, we discussed our options with World Medical Mission. Several ideas were discussed and after praying about options this weekend and emails with other hospitals we felt confident beginning to serve at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. This commitment is intially for 3 months. As my parents were already headed to Kenya for medical missions Nov 21st, Lord willing we will be flying out with them.

What has already happened amazes us. Our tickets to Cameroon were refunded enough to cover the cost of flying to Kenya and we were able to get on the same flights as my parents. Visas are easier to obtain to Kenya. Tenwek also had housing available, which is remarkable. Also, the local dentist had just requested World Medical Mission to send help.

There is still one big hurdle. We will be going Friday to Seattle to obtain a 2nd passport. This way our permanent passports can remain in the States for visas to Cameroon and we can still travel to Kenya. Once this is obtained I just have to pack everything-up into 12 fifty pound luggage pieces and we will be good to go. At this time we believe God will still bring us to Cameroon; we just don't know when. Thank you to all who are praying.

Empty Hands

Our hands are empty. Empty of the equipment we sent to Cameroon, empty of visas, empty of the sale of our house, empty of most of the stuff that used to be in our home, and empty from the goodbyes to most of our family and friends. In this emptiness it's easy to despair; we feel daily the Lord reminding us, "That a person plans their course, but the Lord directs their path." And in that we have hope. We believe God is sovereign and that God has a plan. We are confident God desires us to continue pursuing medical missions and are looking at opportunities while awaiting our visas. So for now we are asking: what does the Lord want to fill our hands with?
When God makes our path clear, we look forward to sharing that with you.

Get Involved

We're now in Bend, OR visiting Malin's parents. The girls did well on the drive from Denver. Malin's parents church is having a missions festival tomorrow and we're sharing about Cameroon. We'd like to show this video, but it's too long. Instead, I decided it should be part of our blog and an encouragement to others considering medical missions.

Out of Akron

We all arrived safely in Denver, CO Oct 22nd. Malin drove and I flew with the girls. Our sisters Megan, Kiersten, Ana and there families all live here and we are enjoying our visit. The 70 degree weather also helps and reminds us of the pleasant temperatures we will soon be living in Cameroon.

At our mission conference and orientation we met 1-2 people (out of hundreds) who had lived in Kumbo. Apparently it's beautiful, but hard to get too because of the dirt roads. We were somewhat discouraged that so few physicians/dentists had been there. So while Ana and I were at Whole Foods sampling coffee from Africa I mentioned to the roaster that I would soon be in Africa. He asked, "Where?" When I told him, he smiled and said his last job was installing water pipes and filtration in the Bamenda/Kumbo area. He said the people were wonderful and the scenery was spectacular. Sometimes God provides encouragement in the strangest of places.

VISAs

Cameroon recently changed the process for obtaining a work VISA for the next two years. Therefore there is concern that our VISAs will not arrive before we our scheduled to leave. If this happens we will not leave as scheduled Nov 18th. Please join us in prayer, that our VISAs may come soon and on time.