Adjusting to Life

September 6, 2022

     

Greetings friends and family,

We are writing from North Carolina where we find ourselves for the fall.  Fall is upon us already and the mornings are the 40s here in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the leaves are changing shades.  Soccer season is in full swing, come rain or shine.

As it is for many missionaries transitioning between both worlds, it is a bit rocky at the beginning.  We all contracted Covid at the end of July.  In fact Emmanuel and I fell sick on a transcontinental flight after having a negative PCR.  Then there were other health challenges in Lindsey’s family, near accidents, car issues….but I think like has finally equilibrated and we are all in good health again thanks be to God.

One of the big reasons we are stateside for a few months is so that Emmanuel attend second grade and we can receive support for homeschooling.  We have been somewhat isolated this last year as the only medical missionaries living and working in in our area.  He is loving it and prospering!  It feels like such a privilege to have help with his schooling, an abundance of books, and peers to learn from.  He has gained the confidence to play on a soccer league and is taking swimming lessons.  We want him to feel grounded in a stateside home as well as overseas.  We hope to continue to use this curriculum approach in future years when find ourselves in North Carolina.  We were guests in his second grade classroom to talk about equatorial Africa-the flora and fauna and cultural aspects to life.  Emmanuel was very proud to share a bit of his world in Congo through us.

          

We will use this time to reconnect with friends and supporters and to be nourished spiritually. It is lovely to have the time to do this!  We love the Blue Ridge Mountains and look forward to the vibrant fall colors and having time to work with our hands on our home.  Even last night we saw a large cat walk across our driveway…mountain lion have been spotted not so far way.  I (Lindsey) have enjoyed cooking with foods here that are simply unavailable overseas like peaches in cobbler and a variety of vegetables and meats.  I am used to going to the market in Congo and finding a limited number of things such as onion, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, squash to work with.  Overseas I have to plan meals around these things which takes some creativity, but in America I can cook almost anything!  We are enjoying re-connecting with old friends and making new ones!  Here are a couple of our visitors these last weeks, the Peterson family and Stafford family, Ellen and Iyad.   I love how friendship bridges space and time-we are so thankful for good friends.

             

     

We had a fun birthday party for Emmanuel last week complete with a  chocolate volcano cake, piñata, and games like tug of war and charades.  He felt special and valued by his friends.  There was a geological theme in the cool rocks and crystals he received as gifts.  Again such a privilege to have this time together.

  


  

Warren converted a regular bike to an ebike and has been exploring the area with new found abilities to negotiate hills.  I have been able to start swimming almost daily.  We are enjoying freedom of movement which we have in the USA…especially me not needing to be accompanied by a man everywhere I go.  This is another privilege of being in America which I do not take for granted.

So this is the beginning of our time in the United States this fall. I am sure there will be plenty of funny stories of a missionaries re-experiencing life in America-fast internet, an abundance of chocolate, eating out, driving miles and miles, reflecting on the price hikes of food (!) yet feeling deep cultural shifts, and trying to figure out our place, etc.  Stay tuned…We would love to connect with you.  We carry our Congolese brothers and sisters close in our heart in this season.

Blessings

Lindsey for us

  

  

  

The opening of an antenatal ward for women with at risk pregnancies with Dr. Deborah and nurse Rebecca

Back in North Carolina for the Fall.

 

On a Journey

June 2022

On a Journey.

 I love kids’ picture books.  One of my all-time favorites has become “Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson.  It is about a little boy who goes for a walk in the moonlight.  He draws his adventure with a purple crayon.  He tries to make a long, straight path, so as to not get lost.  But he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere, so he takes a short cut in the moonlight past many challenges (mostly good).  At some point he only wants to go home and can’t remember where his home is.  Finally he remembers that the moon fills his bedroom window, so he draws it and arrives home.  The constancy in the story is the moon even when Harold is disoriented and does not know where to go.  He eventually figures out the path to his home.

       

It is a beautiful story.  The moon is there on every page which is very significant in picture books.  I realized today that our relationship with the Lord is like the constancy of the moon.  Sometimes we get lost, we forget who we are, but that relationship is always there.  We can always find our way home.  If you haven’t read it, there are tube versions at:  https://youtu.be/yl94zwz8cKU

This last year we have been on our own adventure-of transition, of hanging onto hope of being able to return to Nyankunde.  It was like we set out to draw our story with a purple crayon.  This whole time of limbo, God was like the constancy of the moon.  He finally asked us to draw our own window back home in Nyankunde in February.  These last few months God has shown Himself to be our strong companion.  

We have needed personal courage on this adventure.  We have been challenged in coming back to a community still reeling from displacement and insecurity.  At times it has felt uncertain and we have felt lonely.  We have had to confront our own grief and pain of leaving last year, and see some hospital staff fail to return.  It has also been a time of belonging.  Moving back feels like putting on an old pair of shoes that fit well, being part of a hospital ministry with unique skills to offer.  Our home was looted, yet it was therapeutic to re-purpose physically broken things, like making a linen closet out of our vandalized house doors.  

Maternal/Child Health

In this part of sub-Saharan Africa (and probably much of the world), the presence of a mother in the family determines the health of the whole family.  It is partly a joke when we say, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy.”  It’s true though, and applies to health.   If a woman is healthy the chances that her children are thriving is also very good.  

This leads me to a recent story.  Baby L was so tiny at the age of 3months, he appeared to be a premature baby.  His body was wasted and dehydrated, with no baby fat, and below his birthweight.  His mother was admitted to the hospital in a weakened state, and not lactating.  She was found to have tuberculosis.  She appeared to be older than her years, but she is only in her 20s.  Baby L began gaining weight rapidly with infant formula and treatment of his infections.  His skin is clearing of insect infestation and he is beginning to smile.  Fortunately he has not shown any signs of active tuberculosis and has been receiving medication to prevent tuberculosis.  

  

This case demonstrates many things about the need to support mothers and babies in at risk settings.  According to the WHO the incidence of tuberculosis in DRC is 326/100,000.  Tuberculosis is endemic here in Democratic Republic of Congo.  Pregnancy is a time when women have re-activation of tuberculosis infections.  Tuberculosis puts the life of an expectant mother at risk, not to mention the risk of spontaneous miscarriage and premature birth.  The current recommendation of the World Health Organization is to screen where the incidence of disease exceeds 100/100,000.  Each year we have at least 1-2 maternal deaths following delivery and often the suspected cause is undiagnosed tuberculosis.

We work in a rural area where people live on a narrow margin.  People come to the hospital without shoes sometimes.  Food is never wasted.  People often wait a long time to come in for medical care so we see the consequences of advanced disease.  Not a day goes by when we feel like we aren’t making a difference or that God has work to do here.

Some days it feels like half of our patients are displaced from somewhere else.  DRC has had the most neglected refugee crisis for years now (50% of our province).  We can only imagine how displacement affects ones’ life.  How can one farm the fields and educate ones’ children when you don’t know where you will be in 3-months’ time?  It is always the most vulnerable among us, the children, that suffer most from the fallout of armed conflict.  Our malnutrition ward is bursting at the seams and many kids have tuberculosis.  I am caring for many orphans and some abandoned children.  

   

Thank you for your interest and support of our ministry here in eastern DRC.  We are grateful.  We are preparing for a short-trip back to the USA this fall.  We hope to see you!

Blessings,

Lindsey for us

-Thanks to God for completion of a successful school year (1st grade) for Emmanuel with his parents as teachers and the support of Angel!  Thanks for a great visit of our medical colleagues Ellen and Iyad.

-Pray for the many needs of Nyankunde Hospital.  One of the greatest being maintenance and equipment technical support.  Pray also that the hospital will be able to thrive during our time in the US this fall.

-Pray for our upcoming travels to NC this late summer and Emmanuel’s adjustment to 2^nd grade.  He is very excited to have classmates for a few months.  

-Pray for continued peace in the region.  Pray that the church would lead the way of peace and having the courage to examine the roots of ongoing conflict.  

     

  

By the shores of Lake Kivu & Loads of Village Children

May 30, 2022.  

  

This May 15th marked our 12 year wedding anniversary!  We enjoyed time on the shores of Lake Kivu together, swimming, kayaking, eating good food, and just having family time.  

So Many Kids

“There are so many kids here!  Where do they all come from?”  said our current visitor.  It is true.  There are so many children here in this season, compared to a few years ago.  Children are the majority of the many displaced persons living in our community.  In the ED/ICU the other day and ¾ of the patients were internally displaced.  People are truly moving from place to place these days as the security is fluid.  Now we are a safe haven for many-last year this was not the case.  A year ago when we bolted the doors to our house shut during a military siege there was doubt as to whether we would return.  Yet a year later and here we are again.

Homes have recently been marked with a triangle representing the number of households living in them.  I saw one home with 5 triangles today.  It is amazing that people are able to make things work under such challenging conditions.  We are seeing more and more cases of advanced chronic diseases such as tuberculosis.  Many women are coming in late to give birth, many with complications and infections.  Our maternal and neonatal mortality rate is quite high; much of it due to lack of prenatal care and trained birth attendants.  The insecurity we experienced last year has set our community back for years.  

We are finishing up an antenatal ward, a building where women with high risk pregnancies can await the birth of their babies.  It is going to be wonderful to be able to offer this to these women.  It is simple and has an outdoor kitchen, but it will be adequate for our needs.  We are grateful for the help of the organization “Saving Moses” that is helping us to get this program going.  Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest neonatal mortality rate in the world.  We need these kinds of interventions in place to help the most vulnerable women in our communities.  It is simply a safe place adjacent the hospital in which to give birth.

Practicing Pediatrics

There are so many stories I could share, of children who have found healing recently.  Just two days ago a child traveled with his parents at night, on a motorcycle, unable to breathe with a bead in his airway.  They were desperate, otherwise they never would have taken such risks.  Warren placed a surgical airway and was able to see the bead and remove it.  The child survived!  I have seen children with rare genetic disorders-hemophilia.  Kids with inherited heart defects making them blue…I always get nervous managing these kids.  Then I usually have at least 4 kids hospitalized with sickle cell anemia.  It seems like children are the ones coming in with the greatest needs these days.

I wonder what it would be like to practice pediatrics in the USA again.  It would be so nice to be able to call a cardiologist!  All of these kids would be going to clinics to see specialists and I would probably miss out on managing them.  Kids come back for their “hospital follow-ups” and simply show up on the wards.  What a joy it is to see them again!

Visitors

We are very thankful for our current American visitors-Iyed and Ellen.  They were planning to come a year ago, but our evacuation caused them to cancel their plans.  They transported some critical endoscopy equipment here for us (thanks Samaritan’s Purse)!  They have been seeing patients and troubleshooting machines.  They are our second “wave” of medical volunteers this year.  Their curiosity about people and the way people live here is refreshing.  Iyed has been training our doctors and nurses in anesthesia and the use of ultrasound for procedures.  Their presence has been encouraging to us at a time when we needed it.  

  

Home Life

Emmanuel is finishing up first grade!  He has done a great job having his parents as teachers this last year.  We have seen him gain confidence in his reading and writing.  It has been such a blessing to be part of his development and to see his unique abilities and interests.  We have done our best to connect regularly with one of his classmates from last year and his previous teacher Angel.  We are so proud of him for his hard work.  

We plan to spend a couple of months in North Carolina in late summer/early fall of this year.  Emmanuel will attend a local Christian school for a couple of months and then we hope to continue to curriculum throughout the year in Africa.  We are “tentmaking teachers” so it will be good to have this encouragement and continuity with a peer group in future years.  We’ll see how it goes.  Emmanuel has developed a certain proficiency in spoken French.  We hope to also teach him written French, but we have wanted to take one written language at a time.  

Our puppy Sirius is growing by leaps and bounds!  He is now bigger than our 3year Basenji dog named Jacob.  We usually have at least one chameleon in in our possession.  

  

We are just plugging along here in eastern Congo with the work that the Lord has given us to do.  The needs are tremendous and we believe in being people that promote peace.  We would love to hear from you.  Please drop us a line.

Blessings for us,

Lindsey

Thanks for our recent 12 year wedding anniversary.  We are thankful for each other and the love of God that binds us together.

Pray for peace in DRC in particular North Kivu and Ituri Provinces.  It is a very complex environment.  There is a new insurgency north of Goma, pray for this region.

Pray that we would continue to have confidence to walk in the will of God.  Pray that we would have a voice to speak for peace.

Pray for the plans to come together for our upcoming home assignment.

  


Peanut butter manufacturing & checkers with friends

  

A new take on a traditional oven (pot thanks to Jon Cadd)