Many of you know the title of our team blog is "Word and Deed" (linked on the left). We truly believe that God calls us to share the gospel both verbally and through our actions in caring for "the least of these". The last couple weeks, I've been encouraged through several "Word" opportunities here in the U.S. As I've shared about our experiences in Kenya and our future plans in Burundi, I've known the joy and strength of Christ in giving me the words and encouraging me through the response of others. I've even felt further confirmation that God has equipped me and called me to this work and is continuing to guide me as I process the joys and challenges of these past two years.
Speaking on Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the Missionary Medicine Seminar associated with Prescription for Renewal at The Cove in Asheville, NC
Missionary Medicine Seminar speakers - Our team spoke on several topics such as Suffering and the Christian Physician, HIV in pregnancy, Surgery as a Public Health Measure, Medical Education in Missions, and our team's Vision for Ministry in Community
We're so thankful for the enthusiastic and ever-present support of Scott Reichenbach and Mary Elizabeth Jameson with Samaritan's Purse's Post Residency program over the last 2 years.
George Beverly Shea, age 102, made a surprise appearance at the conference and even sang a song and made a few jokes
Myself, Heather, Jason, & Eric (Rachel not pictured as she was with the kids) with Mike & Ann Kendall, friends we met at Tenwek
Radio appearance on Charlotte's NPR!
I met Naphtaly Matta (on left) while working on Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria. He was visiting Charlotte, NC as was I, and Mike Kendall arranged for him to be interviewed on Charlotte's public radio station about his work with orphans and Bible translation. The radio station requested a medical perspective to be included as well, so that's were Mike and I come in!
If you'd like to listen to the hour long radio broadcast (recorded live), click here.
Honestly, my most interesting speaking engagement of the past week was to the 4th grade students at High Point Christian Academy in High Point, NC! These students displayed such a heart for the world as they asked insightful questions and even prayed for me. I look forward to hearing how God continues to work in each of their lives as they share His gospel with the world.
Last week I visited my alma mater Wheaton College for my 10 year reunion. I had the opportunity while there to speak to the pre-med students about my journey from being in their shoes to now. I remember thinking as a college student that this journey towards medicine was forever - would it really be worth it? But ten years has flown by; there has been lots of joy along the way; and I so enjoy using the gifts God has given me in medicine to serve His people around the world. I thought I'd share a little bit of that journey (and of my presentation) with you through this post.
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
My medical ambitions began young. At age four I decided I wanted to be a doctor and drive a bulldozer to work. Somehow the first goal was easier than the second because I have yet to find someone willing to let me drive their bulldozer! My medical journey continued and the interest grew greatly through my experience with Transverse Myelitis at age 10. I woke up one morning paralyzed from the chest down from a virus in my spinal cord. Through two years of physical therapy, God healed me completely and gifted me with the ability to walk again and even run and climb mountains. My interest in other peoples and cultures began as a young child listening intently to stories of missionaries in Sunday School. Our family embarked on a life changing cross cultural experience when we moved to the Mexican border as I was entering 8th grade (picture on the right is my mother, my sisters, & I with a friend in Reynosa, Mexico). During the three years we lived there, I grew to love learning Spanish and learning about other peoples and cultures.
I truly believe all these formative childhood events occurred so that the work of God would be displayed in my life.
Chicago - John Hancock building, Lake Michigan
In college, I grew to love missions more through a summer working with a community development project in Bolivia. Despite suffering from significant reverse culture shock on my return to the U.S., the people and the place of Trinidad, Bolivia still hold a special place in my heart. My first medical missions experience encouraged me greatly during my first year of medical school. I loved leaving the textbooks behind and observing firsthand how amazing it was to serve the impoverished people of the Ecuadorean Andes Mountains with medicine and the gospel, word and deed. My journey in medical missions continued through experiences in medical school and residency in Kenya, Trinidad, Togo, and the Dominican Republic.
My sister Lauren and I both graduated from Wheaton and now she works there! I so loved getting to spend quality time with her last week.
Two of my college roommates - in 10 years the three of us have added two husbands, 3 1/2 kids, 2 additional degrees, criss-crossed the U.S. multiple times, lived overseas, and traveled to at least fifteen countries! I'm so thankful for these and other friends God has given me who know my history, know my weaknesses, and love me anyways no matter the physical distance between us!
The Wade Center at Wheaton with the actual wardrobe which inspired C.S. Lewis as he wrote, "The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe" - one of my favorite books
I've referenced this quote before on the blog, but it continues to
capture perfectly my feelings towards the work ahead of me: now with
support raising, in France with becoming fluent enough in French to
be able to lecture medical students, & in Burundi with working at a hospital with no
running water and extremely limited resources. I'm so glad that where I
am most weak and insufficient, God's strength shines through all the
brighter.
"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I
have a delightful inheritance." Psalm 16:6
I'm so thankful for the heritage God has blessed me with - what a joy it is to have parents and others who have been discipling me and praying with and for me all my days.
I love being Aunt Alyssa! Or "Aunt Wynssa" as Samuel calls me. Sam is 3 years old now and has changed dramatically in the two years I've been gone. He now plays soccer (sort of :)), is very into imaginative play (especially "playing church"), and loves trash trucks and Cars. He's still as adorable as ever!
Emma is 9 months old and very busy! I just met her for the first time 2 weeks ago and I have loved getting to know her. She crawls everywhere and just started pulling up to standing in the last week. She's a bit of a daredevil and loves to be thrown in the air or to ride the rocking giraffe that belongs to Samuel. She adores her big brother and is pretty adorable herself! :)
Sam next to his finished train puzzle - completed all by himself.
Here's Sam "playing church". This is the "music scene" where he sings "Glory Be to the Father". I haven't yet captured his preaching or reciting the Apostle's Creed on video, but it's pretty entertaining. Maybe he'll follow his Aunt Alyssa into missions. :)
McCropder Team (left to right): John (ophthalmology) & Jess (teacher) Cropsey, Jason (surgery) & Heather (teacher) Fader, Carlan (emergency medicine) Wendler (with Ben McLaughlin), Rachel (OB/Gyn) & Eric (Family Practice) McLaughlin, Alyssa (med/peds) Pfister
Our entire team of 6 doctors, 2 teachers, and 7 children was welcomed into the World Harvest Mission family on Wednesday. We've spent the week in Philadelphia at WHM's headquarters learning about the organization, being interviewed, and then being oriented as new missionaries. We are the Burundi Team and we're thrilled to be joining a mission agency that fits perfectly inline with our vision and goals.
World Harvest's mission statement reads:
Laying down our lives to proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through
preaching, healing and equipping.
This is exactly what we feel called to do! World Harvest also expresses core values that line up with our own - I'm especially excited about reflecting more and more the two core values of "Centrality of the gospel" and "Ministering from weakness".
We desire to share Jesus' message from Isaiah 61:1-2 in word and deed as
we serve the people of the poorest country in the world, "The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good
news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those
who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn..."
Our group of newly accepted missionaries on the Burundi and South Sudan Teams pictured with Bob Osborne (center), the executive director of World Harvest Mission
Calvary Church in Bristol, PA
So, now what? Well, I'll be traveling all over the U.S. for the next year speaking at churches and at other groups, sharing about my experiences in Kenya and Burundi, and recruiting partners who share my passion for this work to join me in prayer and giving. If you are interested in learning more about this ministry, contact me here. I've also added an online donation link on the left side of the blog.
After 2 days of travel across three continents with 3
adults, 2 small children, 14 checked bags, 6 carry-ons and a guitar, the
McLaughlins and I were thrilled to finally greet our families at the Nashville
airport.
During my first week back in the States after two years
away, I’ve been surprised by some things that have changed and some things that
are familiar.
1) Driving. I didn’t drive at all in two years. In Kenya,
they drive on the left side of the road and the right side of the car.
Defensive driving is the name of the game – read this description by Jason
Fader of all the variables involved in driving in Kenya. Even as a passenger,
road travel is stressful in Africa. So I have certainly enjoyed the freedom of getting
in a car and driving to the store, stopping at a drive-through on the way, air
conditioning, radio, no exhaust, no motion sickness, cars staying in their
lanes, predictable traffic flow, road signs. I have accidentally walked to the
wrong side of the car to get in, though!
2) Greetings. In Kenyan culture, greetings are very
important. Everyone receives a handshake, even the small children. If your hand
is wet or occupied, offer your arm. If you want to convey special respect or
friendship, use both hands for a hand shake by placing the left hand on the
right wrist. On the rare occasion someone is too far away to shake their hand,
offer a two handed wave. When I welcome the interns to my house for Bible
study, I shake each of their hands as they walk in. This took some adjusting to at
first but became familiar by the end of two years to the point that I didn’t
think it strange. But my dental hygienist in Nashville gave me a funny look
when I shook her hand on Tuesday!
3) Anonymity. Given that I look and act differently than
most any Kenyan, it’s impossible to blend into the surroundings. I was pretty
good at being a wall flower during my middle school years, not so anymore!
Anywhere I traveled in Africa, I was greeted by the children shouting “Mzungu!”
(white person) and practicing their one English phrase, “How are you? I am
fine.” In Ethiopia, they call out “Ferengi!” (foreigner). Children walk up to
touch my skin. Adults stare and even take pictures on their cell phones (yes,
cell phones are ubiquitous even in Kenya). All of this is done in a friendly
way – visitors bring blessings according to African proverbs. But even so, I
thoroughly enjoyed running in my parents’ neighborhood this week with
anonymity.
4) Language. Even me, my English has somehow changed in
Kenya – click here if that sentence doesn’t make sense to you. I’ve certainly
made some language errors. My favorite one was told at one of my goodbye
parties by the Kenyan intern. I was trying to tell a mother that her child
shouldn’t eat because he was going to have surgery. I said, “Usikule mtoto leo,
utakula kesho.” Translation: “Don’t eat your child today; you will eat him
tomorrow.”I loved learning other
languages, though – which is a good thing as French and Kirundi are next!
5) Food. Cherry Coke Zero is just as good as I remembered as are raspberries and Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte. My mom was so excited to have me home, she
bought four kinds of ice cream! And my dad grilled steak and salmon. I really
enjoyed chai time every morning at Tenwek – when everyone stops to drink chai
together in the hospital. But other than that, I can’t say that I miss Kenyan
food. Let’s just say there’s a reason why there aren’t many Kenyan restaurants
in the U.S.! But that means I need to be a lot more careful to not eat constantly with all the choices available to me.
Reconciling the differences between these worlds is certainly
a challenge. Especially when I feel comfortable in some aspects of each. I
appreciate your continued prayers as I navigate reverse culture shock and
adjust back to my home culture. I pray that I will be able to say with the Apostle Paul (Ph 4:12), "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation," (i.e. in any and every country). It’s been such a blessing to be with family
this last week and I look forward to visiting with many of you in the next few
months. Next stop: Philadelphia to see my sister, brother-in-law, and 3 year
old nephew Samuel for the first time in two years and to meet my 9 month old
niece Emma. While in Philly, I also look forward to attending Assessment and
Orientation for a week at World Harvest Mission – my prospective long term
mission agency for Burundi.
This blog continues from the previous post on hellos and goodbyes. No need to worry about lacking closure here - it turns out Kenyans are excellent at farewells. I've received gifts, appreciation speeches, meals, dedicated prayer, four goodbye parties, and lots of hugs and handshakes over the last month. It's been so encouraging to feel valued and appreciated and blessed by these friendships with Kenyans and fellow missionaries. As is usually the case, "the people make the place." And that's the truth with thinking of leaving Kenya and with returning to the U.S. I'm most excited to see my family and friends. I'm most sad to leave my friends here. Of course I'm also looking forward to reliable internet and electricity, paved roads with generally followed traffic laws, clean water, cultural understanding, efficiency and convenience of everyday life, anonymity, favorite foods, and a break from the dramatic and often tragic life or death nature of practicing medicine in the developing world. Besides people, I will miss the challenge of hearing or speaking multiple languages per day, the simplicity of life where activities rarely are located more than a ten minute walk from my home, games with friends, the beautiful scenery and wildlife with perfect temperatures year round, chai time with the interns every morning, passion fruit and avocados, & fun and laughter with the children. Here's some pictures from the last week of goodbyes:
Eric and Jason leading worship our last Sunday at church
Kibet, one of our interns, invited us to his village home Saturday for chai and presented us with gifts of handmade calabash containers, pumpkin, and bananas.
More than just chai!
Anna, Maggie, and I at Kibet's house
Last day to round on pediatrics
Prayer for us at church on Sunday
The women's Bible study hosted a wonderful meal as a farewell for me at Carol Spear's lovely home. I'm going to miss these girls!
One last hike in the hills - the hill was quite steep coming down to this point, but these amazing women not only beat us to the bottom but did so with firewood, babies, and pangas (machetes).
Sunday morning breakfast at Barbara's
Bethesda AGC church hosted a music night as a farewell to those of us leaving and a welcome to those missionaries returning
Like I mentioned in my last update
letter (send me a message to receive those by email), Kingdom work
continues at Tenwek Hospital to fix what is broken and to bring hope and
healing to the suffering. This baby was abandoned in a nearby village
and brought to Tenwek by the police yesterday. It's the fourth baby to
be abandoned in the last month. Other missionaries have been caring for
these infants to the point of exhaustion, so as I'm finished with work, I
offered to help out with this one. Peter Joseph (named by Tenwek
missionaries) slept in my dresser drawer last night and did pretty well -
he only woke up twice and he figured out how to drink a bottle. We
estimate he's about 3 months old and has obviously only breastfed until
now.
Please pray for his mother, wherever she is, and for strength and wisdom for those caring for this precious, adorable child of God as they decide where his next home will be.
CT scanner on arrival at Tenwek
The McLaughlins and I are leaving on a very momentous occasion - the official dedication of the first CT scanner for Tenwek Hospital - a day long awaited by many. Several important politicians are attending the festivities and the hospital has been scrubbed and freshly painted in preparation. This will be a significant change in the care available to patients. Please pray for wisdom for the medical staff and the administration with the many decisions involved in providing this service.
Newly completed radiology building for CT scanner
Tents ready for the celebration; new intern housing behind tents
Ribbon ready to be cut, me with two of the long term missionaries Pam Chupp and Alene Burgert
Another of the long term missionaries, Amy Bemm, with four of her seven children
