A new teacher, and other new things

 

Many parents around the world have experienced a disruption in their childrens' education over the last two years. For some, it has been minimal - classes online for a few months, or the addition of masks and temperature checks at school. For others it may have felt more invasive - frequent testing, cancellation of certain activities and "landmark" events like prom or graduation, minimal social outlets. For still others, especially in the developing world, it has been catastrophic - complete cancellation of school for months, even more than a year. We read reports of young girls becoming mothers and leaving school altogether, something I witness in our maternity ward more frequently than I would like.

For our family, arriving in Kapsowar just before covid, we didn't really know what education would look like for Dominic. We've been piecing it together over the last two years, and generally, I'm happy to report, Dominic is getting the basics of reading, writing, and math. However, I continue to feel like an inadequate teacher - especially on mornings when I'm trying to teach, coordinate my operating schedule, and manage admissions to the maternity ward (see example photo above). 

That's one reason we are looking for alternate options. As I have said before, we are SO grateful for the short-term and long-term volunteers who have helped with Dominic's education so far. A young man, Liam, just arrived this week and has agreed to stay for 3 months (!) to help Dominic with his curriculum. We're so grateful for these opportunities for Dominic to learn from someone other than Mom and Dad! As we hope to stay here in Kapsowar for the long-term, we're exploring options that will allow us to recruit and work with a long-term teacher, for Dominic and for any other kids of long-term volunteers who may want to come here. 

Next week we're departing for an interview in the US with an organization called Serge (www.serge.org). Please join us in thanking God that a short-term volunteer has agreed to come and cover for me during our very quick trip to the US. Please pray for a good meeting with Serge, and also for strength, energy, and good SLEEP for us as we cross 8 times-zones and come back again in less than two weeks. We are hopeful that this will be the beginning of a great partnership moving forward.

Also, while I'm asking for prayers - please pray for peace in our region of Kenya. I am writing this post in my office, waiting to start a surgery. My case was "bumped" because a gunshot victim was just brought in from a rural region nearby - the fourth such shooting that I know of in the past few weeks, and of course I only know about those victims who have survived to reach the hospital. Violence is increasing between two different tribal groups in the region, and we are praying for an end to this vicious cycle.

Looking forward to seeing some of you soon!

Kim