Quadruplets

The Kipsigis tribe has a very high rate of multiple births - I've seen several sets of triplets and innumerable sets of twins during the last year. In fact, we have FOUR sets of twins in the nursery right now (out of 34 babies). But today I cared for my first set of quadruplets! Thankfully the mother came in a couple days ago and so she received steroids to help with the babies' lung maturity. They delivered yesterday each weighing around 2 pounds. So far, they're all doing quite well but they have a long road ahead with all the possible complications of prematurity. Please pray for them.

Anna, one of the missionary kids, is daughter to two OB docs and loves to help hold the babies. She and I are holding the quadruplets in this picture. We'll need lots of help with these little ones in the days ahead - usually the mothers come to the nursery every three hours (night and day) to feed the babies for the duration of their stay (often months for the smallest premies) but I think this mother will have her hands full with four babies to feed every three hours!

We'd also appreciate your prayers for this littlest baby in the nursery weighing in at 564 grams (a little over 1lb). We've never had a baby survive this small at Tenwek but so far the little guy's doing his best and fighting hard.

Krismasi Njema!

We've enjoyed a wonderful Christmas here at Tenwek celebrating Jesus who came "because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:78-79) We've certainly seen elements of darkness this year here - sickness, death, abuse, brokenness - but we've also seen light break through in myriads of ways as God guides us in the way of peace! Enjoy these pictures from our Christmas celebrations:

Christmas caroling in the hospital and in the neighborhood:



The little missionary kids joined me in watching the Christmas movie Polar Express:



I love our women's Bible study with the interns. We've really enjoyed our Beth Moore study this year and praying and sharing together.


Christmas Eve dinner with friends:

Rachel & Maggie at the candlelight Christmas Eve service:


Christian, a one year old orphan from the baby center, has a lung condition we're still trying to figure out. Please pray for him.


My Christmas tree:


No white Christmas here, but how many of you had cows wander through your front yard on Christmas day? :)




Birthday party for Jesus:


This little girl recovered from bacterial meningitis about a month ago. We praise the Lord for healing her.


Boxing Day potluck:

Meet the McCropders

"The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer." Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1

I am so thankful to not be journeying on this road less traveled alone. During the last year, I have lived and worked together here at Tenwek with a team of three families in my same Samaritan's Purse Post Residency Program. It has been such a blessing to share this journey together in community and to discover we have a similar vision for ministry involving medical education and discipleship in an underserved part of the world. I am very excited to now officially join the McCropder team.

For the story of how the team came together, click here. Also, check out the team blog here or by clicking on the Word and Deed link on the left.

Meet the McCropders:
Eric (Family Practice), Rachel (OB/Gyn), & Maggie (age 19 months) McLaughlin
John (Ophthalmology), Jessica (teacher), Elise (age 4), & Micah (age 2) Cropsey
Jason (Surgery), Heather (teacher), Anna (age 5), & Abi (age 2) Fader

The Cropseys have graciously offered to share their "P" and the Faders have also offered their "er", so either way, Pfister is now included in McCropder and no team name change is needed. :)

The team has been thoroughly researching possibilities for future ministry after our two year term at Tenwek concludes next fall and we are excited to announce that Burundi is the front runner at this point. Read more about Burundi here and here. Thank you so much for your prayers and support and encouragement through this process. I'm so thankful to bring you all along on this journey with me as well.

"Our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner - no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat - the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden." C.S. Lewis

The Road Less Traveled

I've now lived overseas more than a year. It's been a year full of challenges - being far from family and friends, dealing with the tragic deaths of young patients, struggling with limited resources and health disparities, learning to teach, attempting to understand a different language and culture, seeking future direction for my life. But it's also been a year of abundant blessings - witnessing miraculous recoveries, sharing in the laughter and joy of children, discovering amazing community, being encouraged by family and friends near and far, experiencing magnificent creation, finding direction. I have seen Jesus' light shine in the darkness and have participated in His work of restoring brokenness in this life and the next. And I have enjoyed journeying on the road "less traveled by"; it has "made all the difference" (Robert Frost).

So, what's next? In seeking to answer that question, I've sought counsel and prayer from family and friends. I've considered my gifts, talents, personality, strengths and weaknesses, interests, and desires. I've studied and learned from the examples of those who have gone before. I've searched the Scriptures and prayed for direction. I've looked for the place where the world's great need and my deep gladness meet (paraphrase of Buechner quote), where I can best glorify God and enjoy Him forever (from the Westminster catechism). I've counted the cost.

And the conclusion is...

At least for this season of life, I'll be continuing in long term medical missions. I desire to continue to provide medical care for the "least of these", to educate and disciple national physicians, to live in community, to live out the gospel, to seek God's kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. And, though I believe these goals can be heartily pursued in the U.S. and I support and stand with those working to that end in various vocations, for me it seems the path is leading towards further life and work in sub-Saharan Africa. Stay tuned for details of my travel companions and likely location...

Ethiopia pictures

The team: Miles Gresham, Jennifer Hewitt, Sarah Torsch, Mike McDonald, Jeremy Allen, Me, Candace Mothershead
Home visit

Another home visit

Me with Caleb Treadwell (age 3) and a friend

Ethiopian food - yum! Team pictured with Michael & Emily Treadwell, missionaries in Ethiopia from Red Mountain Church

3 year old girl with malnutrition likely from congenital heart disease which we diagnosed - we referred her but don't know if she'll be able to have surgery in Ethiopia. The good news, though, is she does not have HIV - the mother had been very concerned about this for some time but was afraid to have her tested so we were able to test her and give her the good news. Her mother was crying and so thankful.

More Ethiopian food!

7 year old girl from rural Ethiopia (recently moved to Addis Ababa) with severe malnutrition

This 12 year old girl came to clinic with complaints that she is becoming weaker and now can no longer walk to school or get up out of a chair when seated. On further questioning, she'd been seen by another doctor in Addis who had done a muscle biopsy. The mother actually brought the results of the biopsy but nobody had explained them to her! The child unfortunately has muscular dystrophy so she will continue to get weaker and likely will be unable to walk soon - sad news, but I was glad to be able to give them a diagnosis and an idea of what to expect ahead and also to pray with them.

We drank a lot of good coffee - macchiato - during our week in Ethiopia. This is the coffee ceremony where they first roast the beans and then brew the coffee in that small pot.

The team on the last day of clinic pictured with Michael Treadwell and Linda Swallow, long term nurse practitioner working with the project

For more info about our time in Addis, see the below blogs or send me your email address and I'll add you to my monthly email update list (which is more detailed than the blog).
Special thanks to Candace for letting me use some of her pictures - she's an amazing photographer!

Climbing Mount Kenya

My friend Sarah & I climbed Mount Kenya last week - the second tallest mountain in Africa (17,000feet) - supposedly harder to climb (steeper) but more scenic than Mt. Kilimanjaro. I may have to personally compare the two some day!

DAY 1: Begin at 8530feet. Check out the model of the mountain and the route we will take (up Sirimon and down Chogoria).

Quick stop at the Equator on the way

Thankfully these guys carried our big packs and all our food for us!

We hiked 9km the first day - initially it was rainy and muddy but it cleared up by the end of the day. The mud slowed us down, though, so we barely glimpsed our first sight of the mountain at the end of the day and finished hiking in the dark (full moon, though) up to 10827ft. We stayed in a shelter (Old Moses Hut) the first night with a group of young hikers from Denmark.

DAY 2: Hike 14.6km up to 13,780feet

See the Mt Kenya peak behind us as we begin hiking the 2nd day

The mountain gets closer as we continue hiking

Lots of interesting vegetation on the way

Lunch break - getting colder

Rock hyrax - a relative to the elephant - evidently the skulls of the two animals look quite similar though significantly different in size

We slept in a shelter - Shipton's Hut - the 2nd night with a good view of our final ascent path

DAY 3: Begin hiking at 3am in order to reach the summit by sunrise. We hiked for three hours up 3000 more feet altitude (in just 3 km) in the dark over this scree stuff - essentially loose gravel that is very difficult to keep your footing on. We slipped and slid up (and then down) the scree but thankfully made it to the top with no serious injuries.

3am & ready to go (we think!) - Sarah and I with our guide Caeser

Full moon

Sunrise - note the clouds below us

The Pt. Lenana summit - 16,400feet. I doubted whether I would make it to the top all the way up to 10 minutes before finally reaching it - I had to stop and catch my breath every few feet with the altitude and my leg muscles were so tired! Clonus definitely made an appearance (my right leg shaking leftover from my paralysis at age 10 with transverse myelitis). I thank God for teaching me about how He strengthens me in my weakness one step at a time. I also thank Him for healing me from transverse myelitis so that this adventure was possible.

Who knew I'd be walking in so much snow in Africa?!

Sarah & I on the way down the other side (Chogoria route) with the peak behind us

Mountain lake or "tarn" formed by a melted glacier

Steep descent!

We continued hiking after a break for breakfast at 14,108ft. The view of the valley as we continued our descent was incredible!

Nithi Falls

Gorges Valley

We finished hiking day 3 at 4:45pm after hiking 21km, covering 11,000feet altitude (3000 up, 8000 down). What a long but spectacular day!

DAY 4: Altitude 9843feet. Short hike today (we did most of today's hike yesterday) - day of rest!

Our campsite

We saw monkeys, buffalo, water bucks, and lots of rabbits this day as we explored the bamboo rain forest

DAY 5: 10 km hike back down to 8530feet. Another muddy day but fun to walk through the rain forest.

This vehicle - 1978 Land Rover (older than me!) - brought us the final ~20km back to civilization. The vehicle may be old but the driver was excellent at finding the best track as we slipped and slid in the deep mud. I'm thankful for Dramamine!

We finished Sarah's African adventure with a short safari - here are the "cousins" to the rock hyrax

Glad to be back in familiar territory but thankful for such a fun, challenging, beautiful experience