May 23, 2023
Living in rural Africa has its advantages…so does having a husband with lots of willingness to try new things. Warren braves the hillside to harvest honey from our two hives. Among the pygmees of the forest, the pursuit of honey is a sign of true love for another...and it seems to be Warren's love language too. These bee hives have survived for 8 years, including various bug infestations. It looks like we have several liters of honey to show for his efforts! I will never forget the day he went out to harvest a bee colony. Emmanuel had just been born that morning and we were resting at home. He started to receive phone calls from people who had heard his radio plea for a swarm of bees to capture. I suppose when you are informed of a bee colony on the move, you have to seize the opportunity (even if your son was just born)! Needless to say, we captured a swarm of bees that we still have to this day.
We have been realizing all the fun food we can harvest in the village…without leaving the house. We have cocoa and coffee trees which has afforded lots of opportunity for learning agriculture and processing. Our vanilla plants are producing pods for the first time. Peanuts turn into peanut butter. We grow beans that are a staple in our diet. We plant cooking herbs and roots like carrot, and greens like spinach and squash. Mango season is amazing every year! Our one coconut tree has been giving lots of coconuts…which when put in a juicer yields coconut milk. Then there is honey…
Some of the foods are essential, like beans, but many foods we grow are considered luxuries (coffee, cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla). The local population grows crops like cassava, which yields to root and leaves for food. Tomatoes and other vegetables require a bit of finesse and specific growing conditions. What a blessing it is to know where your food comes from!
TRIP TO UGANDA
We recently returned from adventurous trip Uganda where we had some official business to conduct. It started with descending to the shore of Lake Albert and taking a ferry to the other side to enter Uganda. We have traveled this way before on pirogues and tugboats, but this boat traveled FAST, 20km/hour! It was interesting to see the fishing villages on each side of the lake and appreciate the many goods that are loaded on boats and transported to DRC. In Uganda we rode in a bush taxi piled high with goods on the roof and through a game park, up a cliff, and to the nearest city. Crossing Lake Albert involves sitting in the hot sun, sitting in border offices, and trudging through the mud!
We spent time with our dear friends the Millers in Kampala. They are kindred spirits who hzve walked through many similar seasons of life with us. Their kids are close to Emmanuel’s age, so they had fun together...even go-carting is available in Africa now. We have shared a season of life together here in Nyankunde, including when Emmanuel was born. We continue to see one another whenever the opportunity affords.
Returning to DRC, we passed through the breathtaking Rwenzori region of western Uganda. We were hoping to see the blue turaco and as many species of monkeys as we could...but the turaco was elusive. Sure enough, just before our departure a blue turaco appeared! The great blue turaco is a stunning bird with dark bluish-jade feathers. Emmanuel found a feather and promptly transformed it into a writing quill.
MEDICAL WORK
The hospital has not been overly busy lately, and yet the needs are always there. I am thankful for various community initiatives that are able to address true medico-social needs. The Nyankunde health zone has a program for mothers with at-risk pregnancies for closer follow-up prior to delivery, formula for babies who have lost their mothers or do not have adequate milk intake, and nutritional supplements for children with moderate malnutrition. For example, a woman with poor nutritional status and low milk production is able to be hospitalized with her baby for assistance. The baby gains the necessary weight on formula, while the mother receives hospital meals. After a few weeks, the baby is discharged with monthly receipt of formula. It fills a necessary gap and provides holistic care in a moment of need.
Since starting our at-risk pregnancy program (antenatal ward) 6 months ago, we have had 21 women participate and 21 babies born! We are thankful to God for this. We know that the community needs for women and children are enormous. We continue to look for ways to meet these needs. I will never forget encountering a woman on a footpath who gave birth prematurely on the road to the hospital. These are the women this program is trying to reach!
Malaria, pneumonia, diarrheal illness, meningitis, and tuberculosis are common illnesses here. There are always children admitted with sickle cell anemia who need blood transfusions. We have been able to stock a medication called hydroxyurea which can reduce hospitalizations and need for transfusions. Sometimes it is a simple intervention, like using hydroxyurea and monthly antibiotics that make a tremendous difference in this population. Sickle cell anemia is the most common chronic disease of childhood here. I dream of one day being able to have a more organized clinic at our hospital for these patients.
VISITORS
We have had many visitors these past few weeks which has been a tremendous encouragement to us! Dr. Robert Spencer, an American cardiologist, returned for his 4th visit this month. Even the chief of our village knows Dr. Spencer and his annual follow-ups with him. We welcomed physicians from the Ituri Province to attend a 2-day cardiology conference here in Nyankunde. We had a dozen participants and lots of practical sessions on managing heart failure, stroke, and how to read an EKG and perform an echocardiogram. It brought us joy to welcome physicians from many tribes and regions in the province for this opportunity. We hope that Nyankunde can continue to encourage a high quality of care in the province and facilitate opportunities to advance medical knowledge.
It is said in this part of Africa that visitors bring blessing. We have found this to be true, especially people like Dr. Spencer who remind us how important this divine calling in medicine is. He sets a great example of a physician who wants to encourage missionaries like us and we are grateful for him. Many people and organizations have chosen not to serve in this region due to perceived risk. The needs are great and it can feel lonely. Dr. Spencer always asks, “When can I come back?”
THE SEEMINGLY ORDINARY
Today I discharged a child with malnutrition. Much of what I do is routine, but the care of each child is unique and not routine. Each child is created by God in His image. Each parent is fighting their own battle. Today we prayed for this sweet mama of 5 children who is trying to make ends meet. Her husband was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed. We prayed for the little boy and his momma. The mother had tears in her eyes as we prayed. God sustain and watch after Your people.
We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer ‘Tomorrow’, his name is ‘Today’.” Gabriela Mistral 1948
We appreciate your prayers and support as we live and serve in eastern DRC.
-Pray for peace in Ituri Province, not a transient peace, but for lasting peace that comes from God.
-Pray against spiritual strongholds, witchcraft, etc... that keep people in fear of others and can lead to violence.
-Pray for a struggling hospital that wants to care for all people and the Church to accompany people in truth.
Blessings
Lindsey
I leave you with a poem entitled “Bare Feet” about the value of farming among the Bira people
Bare Feet
Take off your shoes and stay awhile.
Dig your feet into the soft, warm, dark soil.
Walk where your ancestors once trod.
Water the earth with sweat from your brow
As you struggle on to provide.
Sing as you work
Weep as you struggle
Only to salvage what crops remain after a bad storm
This is your land.
O my people, I see your labor and struggle.
You are my home.
May I take off my sandals and join you?
My feet are thickened and scarred too.
As I have walked many miles, farmed many fields.
Can I help you with your labor?
Two hands make light work
There is a better return for their labor
The two figures meet on the hillside and start to work in tandem.
Row by row, step by step, they descend the field from top to bottom.
At long last, the rhythmic staccado striking of the earth trails off, conversation stills.
Two silhouettes stand back to examine their work.
Mounds of earth dot the hillside like an earthen checkerboard.
Energized by the hard work, I feel stronger than I was before.
Now where did I leave my shoes?
We walk across the field to a small threshold between the trees.
I see a second pair of well-worn sandals sitting right next to mine.
I asked the stranger, “How did you know I was here?”
My shoes are off the path and my field sheltered by trees
Did you know that I was tired, alone?”
“I see you every time you come, my child.
Today seemed like a good day to pay a visit.”
