Serge has a conference every 3 years with all their missionaries. Loved getting to take part in this big event for the second time. Above - our Kibuye team. Yes, we're growing! There will be 45 of us here in Burundi by the end of this month! Excited to welcome new teammates and friends. Below - many of the conference participants from around the world. Loved getting to connect with folks from both similar and different fields and to find lots of common ground with both. It was an encouraging and refreshing time together. (I'm in the middle-left in a purple shirt.)
After the conference in Spain, I headed back to Burundi for about 6 weeks:
The peds team did some more teaching and learning with the outpatient malnutrition families. I was thrilled to see how much the students learned this time about how well the mothers understand their kids nutritional needs. The mothers struggle with poverty, limited resources, and a plummeting economy, but the students were impressed with how much they understood and how well they cared for their children despite the many obstacles.
We got a new hospital sign thanks to a creative and artistic intern!
I was honored to be included in a traditional ceremony to put the baby on the mother's back. After the baby is a couple weeks old, family and friends gather for a meal and prayer, the father announces the baby's name, and the grandmother carefully ties the baby on the mother's back for the first time. We all cheered for Baby Micah!
A couple days after this ceremony, I got back on an airplane to visit my third continent of the summer - North America! I so loved getting to participate in lots of family time during my month in the US.
We love our family vacations at Rosemary Beach!
The big impetus for this trip was a huge family milestone - 40 years of marriage for my amazing parents! My sisters and I hosted 90+ of their closest friends to toast this feat and thank God for their faithfulness and love all these years.
I also got to meet Baby Maisy and spend lots of time with these 4 precious nieces and nephew - including ice cream at Jeni's, first day of kindergarten and 3rd grade, swimming and hiking, and special one-on-one birthday dates with each of them.
And then it was back to my normal Burundian life but still with a couple of special events beyond the usual patient care, student education, and team life:
We started a new sickle cell clinic (above)
And I loved attending the dowry ceremony and wedding for Francine and Desirée.
Beautiful scenery even at the end of dry season
Entertaining the crowd with pictures and rock, paper, scissors while waiting for the wedding to begin
So how does a Burundian village wedding compare to a Nashville 40th anniversary? Well, both had lots of food:
But in America you serve yourself, whereas in Burundi you're given a plateful - always including Fanta.
In Burundi, someone brings around a tub to wash hands before the food - especially important as there aren't usually enough forks to go around.
But in America, you get cake!
There are speeches (toasts) in both
and lots of happy family and friends!
