Kwaheri

This is my last day in Kenya. It has been an incredible experience being here. Last week I had the chance to be in charge of the clinic and operating room alone, while John took some vacation time with his family. I was given the title of the 'Samaki' (big fish) by the staff during that time. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but the nurses thought it was funny and we had a good time. Thankfully everything went well and I was able to get a glimpse of what it might be like to manage the clinic in Peru. I didn't get to see Vincent again, but we are praying that God heals him and gives him the ability to see again.

John and his wife Jessica took such great care of us while we were at Tenwek. I am so thankful to them. They are some very special people and are serving the Lord in an amazing way in Kenya.  I have learned so much from John even in this short time that I know will be incredibly helpful for the future.  I also enjoyed getting to know the other members of their team in the Faders, McLaughlins, and Alyssa Pfister.

It was definitely different being so far away for Christmas this year, but in many ways it was easier to focus and celebrate what that time is truly about.  We had a candlelight service with all of the missionaries at Tenwek on Christmas Eve in a small chapel.  Some of the children and the parents played music, and we sang together. It was a heart-filling time to see what God has done and to celebrate the root of it all in Jesus together.

It was also nice to have my younger brother Will with me over the last few weeks. He was on a break from medical school and was able to get some good exposure to some things that are not seen much in the western world. I think that it also gave him a taste of medical missions, and he has expressed a desire to serve in that way in some capacity when he finishes school.  It would be really cool to have my brother working with me at some point.  I'm thankful for what God has done in his life and in our family.

I will say that it never gets old being able to experience the reactions of people when they can see again, or for the first time well.  Seeing a mother's smile whose six-month-old child no longer has the prospect of lifelong blindness is more than enough of a Christmas gift for me.  We had a great time singing Christmas carols with the patients and sharing from God's word with them in the mornings each day.  I pray that the Lord has used this time to impact some people for eternity, and has given them eyes to see his glory in the face of Christ.

I'm thankful to Kristen for letting me be away this month. She is such a great encouragement and an amazing wife.  I now even more how much I don't deserve her, and I can't wait to get back to her as soon as possible.  We're much better together. I'm also thankful to all of those people who have joined us in this mission together and have made this time possible. Thank you to all of those who support and pray for us.  You have given a great gift to me, and to the Kipsigi, Maasai, and Kisii people this Christmas. Asante Sana! To God be the glory great things He has done!

Some pictures from the week:

Bird in the kitchen

John ready to battle with the wild animal

Candlelight service with other missionaries

Maasai patient

6 month old with cataracts

Taking a nap after surgery

Boy with traumatic cataract right eye

Healing up

Hard to see with two patches

Looking better

Goodbye Kenya

Jambo

This is a rare privilege. I'm getting to post on the blog, which is normally Kristen's area. I guess that my number of future blog posts will depend on my performance here over the next two weeks. We'll see how it goes.

Because of a break in language school for the month of December, Kristen and I made the tough decision to spend the month apart. She will be staying to continue tutoring in Spanish, while I spend the month in Kenya. We felt that it was a good opportunity to serve some very needy people during this holiday season, and a chance to keep up my surgical and clinical skills until we can get started in Peru.

Last Sunday I arrived in Nairobi after about a 30 hour travel time with several stops along the way. It was quite a trip. I met up with my younger brother Will at about midnight in the Nairobi airport where we were picked up by our friend John, a missionary ophthalmologist who has been working in Kenya for a little over a year now. We were all pretty exhausted and spent a quick night's sleep in a small motel before getting on the road towards Bomet, a small town about 3 hours northwest of the capital city.

Bomet is home to a wonderful mission hospital called Tenwek. The work at Tenwek started in 1935 with a physician named Dr. Ernest Steury. It is now a 300 bed hospital that serves hundreds of thousands of Kipsigi and Masai people in the Rift Valley Province.  They many different medical specialties here, and the eye department was started in 1997. Dr. John Cropsey is currently in charge of the eye clinic while his partner Dr. Ben Roberts is on HMA in the US.

Since arriving, John, Will and I have been very busy with clinic and with surgeries. We have seen a wide variety of patients, and have done many different types of operations. We are grateful that the Lord has allowed us to restore vision to many who have been blinded by various diseases. We have done cataract surgeries, glaucoma surgeries, corneal transplants, pediatric eye surgeries, and a variety of trauma surgeries.

The patients have also heard presentations of the gospel, and we have begun the morning with hymn singing several times already (mostly in Swahili). I have learned a lot from John and his team of assistants and nurses. They are all wonderful. John is a talented surgeon, and a very encouraging brother in Christ. I believe that this will prove to be a very valuable experience to have had as we begin to set up eye care in Peru.

It will be hard to be away from Kristen during Christmas this year. This will be our first Christmas apart since we got married. We surely don't plan to make it a pattern, but it is good to remember that we have a Savior who knows our struggles, and who has experienced all of them and more. He has been our comforter. He knows separation and loneliness, and he experienced them for us. Even though we can't celebrate together, we do celebrate this Christmas, and praise God for the unspeakable gift of his Son.

On a final note, please pray for a 13 year old boy named Vincent. I just saw him today and he has a severe blinding disease that has been destroying his eyes for 2 years now. It is very advanced we are going to do everything that we can, but he will need a miracle to save his vision. Thankfully we serve a God who gives sight to blind men. We pray that he will do it again here for Vincent.

Pictures from the week (sorry if a few of them gross anyone out):

Front gate Tenwek Hospital

Operating Room

Post-operative ward

Seeing patients in clinic

Operating with Joyce

One of our corneal surgery patients

Corneal scar

Corneal transplant after surgery

Blinding white cataract

Cataract gone, new lens going in

All finished

Last days of ESL classes.....

I realized today that I had not posted pictures of our last days of ESL class. What a great experience that was for me. I am seriously considering teaching again January-March.

My ESL class

The last night of our classes, Christy, my teaching partner and I had each student stand up and we ask each one a thought provoking question and they had 5 minutes to answer. Christy and I were so excited to see how much progress they had made, and how much more comfortable they were with speaking English. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that many of our students are professionals here in Costa Rica, and several of them are at jeopardy of losing their jobs because their English is not deemed "sufficient enough" by their employers. We are praying that these students will be able to keep their jobs and will also be able continue learning English. Also on the last night of classes, a local pastor from the area came to preach and to clearly present the gospel. There was then a time for the students to learn about local churches in the area, and how they could be involved if they desired. It was really exciting to be apart of this! Thank you for your prayers during my class. The Lord blessed our time richly!

Teaching grammar 

My wonderful teaching partner, Christy

Singing and preaching the last night of classes

One of my favorite students, Ruth. 

My youngest student Ruthie. She speaks almost fluent Spanish and English. She would correct my Spanish on a weekly basis :=)

Life lately.....

My Christmas "bota" (stocking)

   So for many weeks now, I have been spending my nights sewing with Mamí. We have made Christmas decorations, but the one that I am the most proud of is my Christmas stocking. With Mamí's help, I made the whole thing from a few pieces of felt and some sequins. I think it only took me about 20 hours, but now it is done and it is fun to have hanging in my room. Mamí made Nathan a stocking as well, so it will be fun in coming years for us to have matching stockings that were made in during our time in Costa Rica. It will be a good memory of our time here. 

   Nathan left yesterday for Kenya and hopefully will arrive there sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning. I am excited to hear stories from his time. I think it will be very valuable ophthalmology experience for him, and I pray that he has many opportunities to share the love of Christ with his patients. He is planning to blog while he is there, so we can all see pictures.

Yesterday, was a sad day for me as Nathan left, as well as my good friend Abby, who was my running partner. We had become very close during my time here so it was sad to see her go. Nathan and I have moved so many times, that you would think I would get used to saying goodbye, but every time it is just as sad. Although, I would rather have really sweet, deep relationships with sad goodbyes, then no relationship at all. So, I am really grateful for Abby's friendship during her time here. 

   This week was really one of the first weeks that I have felt a bit homesick. My grandmother passed away last Sunday. It was really such a blessing for her to pass to be with the Lord, as she has struggled for several years with dementia, but of course it is hard for my grandfather, my mom and her siblings. Nathan and I decided it was a good idea for me to stay in Costa Rica and not return home, which was the best decision, but I would have loved to have been with my family for the funeral. I am sure it will be difficult being out of the country when things happen with our family over the coming years, but thankfully the Lord is our Comfort and that was really apparent to me this past week. 

     I am looking forward to Christmas in Costa Rica. There are lots of lights and decorations in streets. I will say that the most annoying thing is the fireworks. We live in the city, which means we live VERY close to our neighbors, and they just happen to love to set off fireworks about 9 pm every night. That then means that every car alarm in the neighborhood goes off and every dog starts to bark for about an hour. We just laugh and go outside to enjoy the show! Hopefully I will have some good pictures of some of the festivities.

    Have a great week and I hope that you are all enjoying this holiday season!

Celebrations in Costa Rica

   So a few weeks ago I celebrated my 30th birthday here in Costa Rica. We had a really fun celebration with our Tico family. There was tres leches cake, a piñata, balloons and lots of food. They were really sweet to celebrate my birthday. If you had told me 10 years ago that on my 30th birthday I would be in Costa Rica studying Spanish, I would have laughed at you! It is really pretty amazing to look back at all that has happened in my life since I was 20. I guess all my big adventures of moving have mainly happened after I married my sweet, adventurous husband. And, at this rate, who knows where I will be when I celebrate my 40th birthday. For now, I am content in my 30s. 

I was blindfolded and taken to see my birthday party. Diana, my Tico sister is behind me and Louis David, Mamí and Papí's grandson is beside me.

My tres leches gluten free cake

Piñata time!

Papí and I 

Louis David, Kelly and I with all of our candy. We were really surprised that Louis David let us keep any of the candy. 

    We also had our first Thanksgiving outside of the States last week. When we normally would have been eating turkey, unfortunately, we were at school. It really just felt like any other normal day to us. Last Saturday, we did have an "American" Thanksgiving with our team. It was a really fun time to hang out and eat great, familiar food, minus a turkey! We had the next best thing, chicken :=) It was sad to not be at home with our families and friends for Thanksgiving.

     In Costa Rica, the month of December is a huge holiday month. All the students have their "summer break" from December-February each year. There are many parties with lots of food and dancing. This is going to be a fun month to watch and learn their traditions. Mamí, our roommate from Canada, Kelly, and I have already been busy making stockings, wreaths, and other various decorations for our house and rooms. Mamí is really talented at decorating and sewing, so it has been fun to learn from her. It is definitely cheaper to make your own decorations, so it will be good for me to know how to do this in Peru. I will have to post pictures of my sewing projects when I am finished.

   This next week is our last week of school. We are excited for a little change for the month. Hopefully, Nathan will be doing a lot of the blogging (for all of us) about his experiences in Kenya. Vamos a ver!

Hello California, Goodbye California in 48 hours...

  Nathan and I with my brother at his ordination

    So this past weekend we were able to go to California to see my brother, who is a new pastor, be ordained. It was a wonderful time to see he and my parents. We did not arrive until late Friday night, and we left early on Monday morning, but the time with them was great. It was really encouraging to see the church where my brother will be the assistant pastor. The Lord has done tremendous things through him and we were so honored to be there.

My brother giving his ordination vows

    One other great part of going to the States this weekend was that we were able to renew our tourist visas to be in Costa Rica. The country requires that you are only permitted to stay for 90 days if you enter as a tourist. After 90 days, you must leave the country for 72 hours. You are then allowed to enter again for another 90 days. So for right now, we are legal foreigners for another three months. In February, we will probably have to take a trip to Panama or Nicaragua for the weekend.

    School is going pretty well. We are getting ready to finish up in about 2 1/2 weeks for the semester. As I type this, I cannot believe that school has flown by so fast. At times though, it seems like it is creeping at a very slow pace. Nathan has advanced well and is speaking much faster and smoother. I am not nearly as fast or smooth, but I am able to say and understand a lot more than I could in August. Some days it has been a struggle, as I am seeing how impatient I am with language learning. The Lord keeps reminding me that His timing and ways are much more perfect than mine (although, often I like to believe that I have a better plan).  Right now, Nathan leaves in about two weeks to go to Kenya to do ophthalmology, and I will be staying in Costa Rica to continue studying Spanish. The Lord has provided a really sweet teacher for me for the weeks in December. I am excited to get to know her better.

   Thanks for your prayers about Nathan's finger. He is doing better and it looks like he should have no problem operating in December.
 
 

First trip to the ER in CR......

   Yes, that is Nathan's thumb! We went on a retreat this weekend with our Peru team, and Nathan developed an abscess under the fingernail of his thumb. We really have no idea how this happened. He was in a good bit of pain, and so we decided that yesterday it was best that we catch an early bus back to San José. We went to a local hospital here, and an ER physician removed part of the fingernail and started Nathan on antibiotics. He was in a lot of pain last night, but seems to feel a bit better today. We are really thankful that this did not happen later, as Nathan will have about 3 weeks before he leaves to do ophthalmology in Kenya for the month of December. His thumb is pretty necessary to perform surgery!

   So, yesterday as a taxi dropped us off in front of a large hospital, where they only speak Spanish, I was a little worried and intimidated, but the Lord used all the people there to comfort and bless us. This was yet another learning experience for me about being inconvenienced. I am learning so much about how the Lord's promises are true and that He will provide and care for us, but often not in the ways or timing that I expect. I am thankful that we were able to experience the hospital here in Costa Rica  and be reminded that we do not need to be scared for our health or safety. I am sure this is not the last time that we will have a medical problem, either here or in Peru, so I am thankful that the Lord is using small things, like an infected thumb, to remind us of His protection and goodness.

   Thank you for your emails. Pray for quick healing and that this would not affect Nathan's ability to operate and work in Kenya in a few weeks.

 

Lots of rain and mudslides

   We have had a bit of an interesting week. Costa Rica has been hit pretty hard with rain from hurricane Tomas. Supposedly, we got about 6 inches of rain in two hours on Wednesday night. We were told that on Wednesday night it rained as much as it normally does in 4 days. Tragically, 30 people died in their homes on Wednesday due to landslides from the rain. They all lived in a town about 20 minutes away from us. Fortunately, we live closer to the city and not directly at the base of a mountain, so we have been safe. Our power and water have been pretty spotty over the last few days. We did not have water on Thursday and no power on Friday. Right now, the rain has stopped and hopefully the community here will begin to mend. Over 1,000 people have lost their homes. We shopped for the Red Cross this morning and will be taking food to the shelter this afternoon.
    This week I have struggled with these power outages, not having a car, and not having water when I would like to have it. I have been convicted of my very bad attitude about this, because there are lots of people that live life this way every single day-- with no car, no electricity and no running water. And many people lost their lives this week. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams! This is really a good lesson for me to learn, because I have a feeling that this will not be the last time in our life that I struggle with these things.  The Lord is continually showing me my selfishness and how much I long to be in control through this whole process. I am grateful for the ways that He is continually teaching me.
     Thank you for your emails and concern for us this week, as many of you have heard about our weather! Please pray for the people of this country, and that the Lord will use this to draw many unto Himself. 

Workers look for survivors after the mudslides

Mountains near our home where some of the mudslides have been causing so much damage

Festival of Tamales

    Yes. It is just as it sounds. Yesterday we celebrated the tamale as we took part in a local Festival of Tamales. There were over 70,000 thousand tamales made for this event. Mamí, Papí, and Diana (our Tico sister) took us way up in the mountains for this festival. Papí loves tamales and has really looked forward to this for weeks. There were clowns and what they call masquerades, men on stilts with large heads on their bodies. Here are a few pictures, because I cannot do it justice by trying to explain it.

There were all these "characters" floating about the crowd. We saw the mario brothers, dracula, pirates, donald duck, clowns and many more

The faces were made of plaster and then painted

Mamí loved to grab all the intersting looking masquerades to have our picture made with them. It is funny to look at the pictures because you can see the face of the little boys who are carrying the masquerades.

 Nathan and Papí also found a "character" to have their picture made with!

There was also dancing in the streets

 In the center of all the towns is a Catholic church. This festival was positioned around the church

After watching the parade and the dancing, we of course took time to eat the tamales. When I lived in Belize after college, I had some "not so good tamales," so I was not so excited at first to try these. Papí was right though, these tamales were delicious! Nathan ate several!

 Nathan with Mamí

    We had a great day with the family. It was really kind of them to invite us. We continue to be blessed by our relationship with them.

    We cannot believe that it is November and we have lived in Costa Rica over two months. At times it feels like years, and other times it feels like it is flying by. Thank you for your continued prayers, which have sustained us.