Familiar life on three continents

Where am I? And where's home?

Well, I moved into my new house in Burundi on November 1st and had two weeks to unpack suitcases, hang pictures, welcome guests, and settle in before leaving. I love my new Burundian home!

 Receiving a beautiful woodcarving housewarming gift from the medical students at Bible study

 First Bible study in my new home

These students are incredible! They were so sweet to share testimonies that evening of how God has been working in their lives through the Bible study and through their time working with us at Kibuye Hope Hospital. It's so encouraging seeing them begin to understand grace and the gospel in addition to learning new medical knowledge! 

 Thanking the construction workers with a special meal

 plantains before cooking

 Cow before butchering and cooking :)

The beginning of my Kirundi speech to thank the workers

 Goodbye party/Birthday party with the team

 Sweet send-off as I left Kibuye

Goodbye to the medical students

Then I flew back to the US via Europe and stopped in Switzerland for a few days to visit some friends. 

 Shannon and I have been friends for more than half our lives! 

 This reminded me so much of Albertville, France where I studied French for 10 months before going to Burundi

 Fall leaves!

I love Europe at Christmas-time - and especially sharing the experience with special friends

And then I flew back to the US where my family was so ready to welcome me home! 

 And to treat me to my favorite Panera dinner

And ice cream, of course :)

I arrived back in the US just in time for Thanksgiving and am so thankful for the opportunity to celebrate that American holiday with my family & all our traditions.

And it's been so fun to celebrate Emma's 4th birthday and Samuel's 6 1/2 birthday in person!

And to finally meet and get to know baby Lily!

So with all the traveling and transition, it's easy to focus on my "homelessness" - not being completely at home in any culture and longing for an eternal home. And that's true. But I also am incredibly blessed in my transcontinental life. There is so much that is comfortable and familiar to me in various places around the world. After living in the US, Kenya, France, and Burundi, I have favorite foods and favorite places in all those countries. I've made memories there and look forward to hikes and beautiful views. In living there, I know where to buy toothpaste and what songs we sing at church (in various languages). I'm comfortable with greetings from these various cultures (though I do get confused at times as to which greeting to use in which culture - handshake, kiss on the cheek, side-hug, etc.). But most of all, there are people who know and love me and whom I know and love in several different cultures and countries. I'm thankful for a life that is interesting (to me) and full of love and friendship and I do look forward to the day (likely in heaven) when all my loved ones are finally in one place (besides Facebook :)). 

Sunday Beauty

Usually I look forward to sleeping in on Sundays since it's the one day of the week when I don't round on the pediatric ward (and church isn't till 10am), but I woke up early yesterday and was glad I did! I enjoyed a beautiful walk in the nearby hills - likely one of the last hikes before I head to the US for 4 months (I fly out November 19). 

 Sun shining on Kibuye Hope Hospital

 Rocks, gravel, and dirt being used to build our new water reservoir

 This picture demonstrates the unique vegetation in our area - evergreen trees, eucalyptus trees, and the ubiquitous banana trees and other more typical tropical plants. 

 The buildings at the bottom of the hill in the distance are those of our hospital and the med student dorm

 "Iphotora?" (Translation: "take my picture" - gladly!)

 Shepherds pausing to pose for a picture

 Beautiful 5 year old Melissa on Kibuye rock

 It was evidently the time of day for bringing the cows down the hill from grazing

 On the left is the old water reservoir and on the right is the new bigger one under construction. Our water has been mostly absent for at least a week (we fill buckets when it begins to trickle which happens about once a day). It's now the rainy season so hopefully this reservoir will be completed soon and then the rains will fill it up so we'll have more consistent water. The good news, though, is that the hydroelectric dams in Congo must be getting rain because our power supply has been much more consistent the last couple weeks - so if I take a bucket shower at least I can blow dry my hair afterwards. :) Oh, and the hospital has more consistent power, too! :) 

 Up the hill next to the reservoir there were many people filling buckets from the pump - evidently there is more water up there! Maybe I'll bring a bucket next time. :)

 This is the new student dorm that is under construction. When it's finished we'll be able to house approx 100 nursing and medical students at Kibuye - which is about a 1:1 student:patient ratio! They are limited in the number of places they can go in the country for rotations, though, so we make do with the large number of students. 

 My house is nearing completion and I'm hoping to move in next week! I'm super excited and love the way it's turned out thus far. 

 The one "power tool" used in building my house - a homemade welder

 Reading on my new back porch on Sunday afternoon - the little clumps of grass were each planted by hand. Hopefully the rain will cause them to take root quickly (instead of getting washed away!). 

And the McLaughlin family is so gracious to include me in their Sunday afternoon tradition of eating snacks and watching a kid movie together - love spending that time with them! I'm thankful for a relaxing and restful Sunday here in Burundi. Though also looking forward to church in English for a predictable period of time and donuts and family Sunday lunch after church in just 4 Sundays! 

To do list, condemnation, and perspective

I suspect many of you can relate but as it gets closer and closer to my departure for the U.S. (for a four month home ministry assignment), I've been feeling more and more overwhelmed by the to-do list that seems to only grow and never shrink! It stresses me out to not have enough hours in a day to get things done and to consequently feel like I'm letting people down. Case in point: yesterday at 2pm I received a phone call that the construction workers/foremen/plumber/electrician were waiting for me to come answer questions as my new house nears completion. At the same time I was trying to print an article on edema in children to share with a student preparing a presentation who wanted to review her power point with me. And I was already late to meet with a nursing student who was asking advice about what she needs to prepare to be a school nurse when she graduates in December. And a mother with 3 month old baby who is blind and developmentally delayed was waiting for me to go over lab results with her. I basically was late for everyone and the article never did get printed. I hate disappointing people! And I also hate feeling unproductive because I get interrupted from finishing tasks and so I don't get to check them off my to-do list. And when I get stressed, it's not a pretty sight!

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." Luke 10:41-42
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:1, 6

Why am I so quick to feel condemned? Judged by myself and found wanting even if I don't also feel the judgment of anyone else? I forget all too easily to fix my eyes on Jesus, to cast my burdens on him, and to rest in my identity as a beloved daughter. I appreciate your prayers that even as I continue to do the work I'm here to do that I would simultaneously set my mind on the Spirit and experience life and peace as a result whenever I am tempted to feel condemnation.

One way to tackle the to-do list is to recruit helpers! The girls are putting 30 children's vitamins in each bag to give out to malnourished kids. Happy and cheerful helpers! 

Another good plan sometimes is to drop everything for a day and join God where He's already working. We found out last minute about a Christian medical conference in Bujumbura sponsored by the Christian Medical Student Fellowship here in Burundi. That sounded like an ideal activity to be a part of so we filled up the van with students and drove to and from Buja on the same day to participate in the conference where Christian health professionals (mostly Burundian) were encouraged and inspired together by talking about the Kingdom of God. The above picture is the beauty of the drive from Kibuye to Bujumbura - the blue line in the middle is the mountains of Congo on the other side of Lake Tanganyika - rarely are they that clear. Of course the drive is also exhausting and motion-sickness-inducing but the beauty often overshadows those elements.  

The highlight of the conference was Ivan's testimony. He shared how when his class came to Kibuye in January of this year for their first clinical rotations they were shocked by the significant physical and spiritual needs they found in this rural area. They prayed and worshipped together weekly and eventually began to compile their resources to buy food or medicine for patients and they also began to pray and share the gospel with patients, visiting them even when they weren't on call or scheduled to be at the hospital. He shared story after story of people who felt loved and cared for and who then responded to the gospel, some just before dying. Others experienced miraculous healings like a young boy hospitalized for 4 months with a traumatic brain injury who now is well and able to play soccer with his friends. I loved how his stories contained examples of "word" and "deed" - caring for people in a holistic way in their suffering. It was encouraging to hear how God was at work in ways previously unknown to us.  

And it was worth giving up a day of "productivity" to spend time with these fabulous med students sharing this experience and fellowshipping with them and others who share a similar vision for caring for patients with compassion and holistic care. 

Another fun recent break was Sammy's 3rd birthday party. What could be more fun and rejuvenating than watching adorable kids hitting a piñata and then eating cake and ice cream together?! 

Team time is certainly a joy - and isn't it a miracle to get all those people looking at the camera and mostly smiling with no one screaming?! The kids are growing up. So thankful for this special group of friends! 

 And finally, I felt refreshed on a peaceful walk home from the hospital today after a downpour. It seems everything is brighter and clearer and more beautiful here after the rain. I think there may be a lesson there somewhere. :) 

Do you see the rainbow? Promises abound!