Enmity, and a New Years Resolution

Over the summer, I was composing an email regarding the elections that were happening in Kenya at the time, and I became quite exasperated because Gmail marked one of my words as mispelled. "Emnity." You know, the state of being an enemy of someone. A word that probably isn't used often in day to day conversation - although perhaps more commonly now than twenty years ago.

But, of course, the word isn't "emnity," it's enmity. And at thirty-something years old, with over 25 years of education under my belt, I had the opportunity to face the fact that I have been outright, objectively misreading and mispronouncing this word for my entire life.  

It was a silly, pretty insignificant little thing. Nonetheless it got me thinking about those beliefs, assumptions, opinions, worldviews that become so unquestionable to us. Things that are less objective than simply misspelling a word. Moving to another country and culture does a lot to expose those unquestioned beliefs and worldviews. So does coming back to your "birth" culture after living somewhere else for a while. Some of the things I've been wrestling with are, what does it mean to be blessed? What would Jesus say about individual rights? How can the church try to please God, not people (as Paul taught) but still show Christ's love in the world? Unfortunately Google can't give me the right answers to these questions, at least not as quickly and objectively as the correct spelling of enmity. 

The first part of August, we were in Michigan at a program called AlongSide. The best way I can describe it is an intensive support group, with a combination of lecture, small groups, and individual/couples counseling, all in a beautiful setting with time and space to start processing what we were learning. The program we attended was specifically designed for Christian healthcare workers and their families who had been serving overseas. We had a great experience, and I highly recommend the program (please contact me if you want to know more). My main takeaway from that time, the virtue that I want to try to practice as head into a new year and new season with our team in Kapsowar, is humility. Humility in the face of another culture that I don't understand. Humility in the face of a culture that I do understand, and sometimes don't agree with. Humility as we make decisions for our family, participate in decision making in Kapsowar, and participate in the life of the church. It's a scary thing, to put down in writing an aspiration to humility - it feels a little like telling someone you're trying to lose weight while you're in a buffet line, just opening oneself up to scritiny. 

Someone from the program presented this quote from Augustine. It's a little dense, but worth struggling through:

To [Jesus], my dear Dioscorus, I wish you to submit with complete devotion, and to construct no other way for yourself of grasping and holding the truth than the way constructed by Him who, as God, saw how faltering were our steps. This way is first humility, second humility, third humility, and however often you should ask me I would say the same, not because there are not other precepts to be explained, but, if humility does not precede and accompany and follow every good work we do, and if it is not set before us to look upon, and beside us to lean upon, and behind us to fence us in, pride will wrest from our hand any good deed we do while we are in the very act of taking pleasure in it. 

https://theoldguys.org/2019/07/05/augustine-humility-humility-humility/

I'm not to try to top Augustine, so...here are a few pictures from the last 3 months, in whatever order they fall!

Back home in Kapsowar!

Welcome back party at Maternity - so grateful for everyone who worked really hard providing care while I was away

A blurry picture of our first all-female OR staff!

Enjoying a delicious treat at our favorite restaurant in Eldoret

Continuity of care is a beautiful thing. This patient has lost 3 babies (2 with me) and finally got to go home with this precious gift just days before Christmas.

First day of 3rd grade!

Dominic has learned to make coffee! He left this gift for me after a particularly difficult night of call.

My, how our community has grown!

A quick Christmas greeting

Merry Christmas from Kapsowar! 

Life has been a sprint for the last several weeks. I (Kim) am really looking forward to the return of my clinical officer, Joyce, next month, as well as a short-term volunteer to take some of the load off my work schedule. So instead of a long, picture-filled post, this year I'll write my Christmas list - but starting with the "wishes" that have already been fulfilled!!

🗹 Financial support to return to Kapsowar

🗹 Safe trip back to our home in Kapsowar

🗹 New colleagues to help with the work here

🗹 Passed my OB/Gyn oral board exam!

𝥷 School teacher or tutor for Dominic

𝥷 Fetal monitoring to replace the broken equipment at the hospital

𝥷 A full-time, dedicated station manager for our "station"

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Travelogue, Part 6 - House Building, Philadelphia, the BIG EXAM, and British Columbia

We started October in Seattle with a visit from my brother, John. (I'd love to say the purpose of his visit was to see us, but he was actually there for the wedding of a childhood friend.) His wife, Evelyn, joined us toward the end of the week as well. 

Having dinner after picking up John from the airport

Grandma testing her new staircase (built by John)

Progress!

Dominic has enjoyed getting reacquainted with "old" friends from Seattle, but it wasn't all fun and games. He worked hard with Great-Grandma and finished grade 2, which we celebrated with dinner at Wendy's (his choice).

Playing football

A well-deserved Frosty

Kris and I headed to Pennsylvania for our final meeting with Serge before leaving for Kenya. There we met our new teammates in person for the first time! 

Team Kapsowar!

On October 17, I took my OB/Gyn oral board exam. Still waiting for the results...

The exam now takes place by Zoom.

Dominic made this Duplo creation for me while I was taking the exam.

We headed up to Lynden, then British Columbia, to visit friends and family for the week. The weather finally cooled off and we enjoyed some "fall" activities! 

We took the train back to Seattle, where we turned our attention to packing, getting some last-minute vaccinations and shopping done, and spending time with family. Dominic was able to attend "real" school for a half-day (thanks, Mrs. Wheeler!) and went trick-or-treating for the first time in years.

By the end of this busy month, we were feeling ready to get back to work in Kapsowar. Thanks to everyone we have visited in North America for all the support and fun memories!

Travelogue Part 5 - Washington and Florida (the covid days...)

Our last month in North America is almost over, and we have been staying busy right up to the end! Too busy to write a blog post, apparently.

Here are a few pictures from September. We started and ended the month in Washington state. Kris and Dominic stayed in Seattle for the first week, while I (Kim) headed up to Birch Bay for some "quiet" time to take a board-preparation course for my OB/Gyn oral board exam. During that week, I was able to do a presentation for my Aunt Mary Lou's women's Bible study group, sharing what I have learned  about maternal and child healthcare in Kenya. (No pictures from my week of studying, although you can imagine me sitting in front of a computer; and I completely forgot to take pictures at the Bible study too!) 

No pictures from the Bible study, but I did snap this photo of my Uncle Arlyn's Case tractor collection!

Supervising a lumber delivery for the new house

Kris, Dominic, Mom and Grandma picked me up from Birch Bay and we visited with several of Grandma's relatives. Then after a quick stop in Seattle, Kris and I flew out to Florida for a conference with Samaritan's Purse / World Medical Mission. We were able to do a lot of visiting and networking, and I gave a couple of presentations. We also had a bonus night in Florida after our flight got cancelled, and then tested postive for Covid immediately on returning to Seattle - so Kris and I headed up to Birch Bay to isolate, while Grandma, Mom and Dad took on an extra several days of childcare/homeschool duties.

Presenting at the conference

Meeting up with friends made in Kenya.

Serge, represent!

After recovering from Covid (we were symptomatic, but recovered quickly without complications), Kris and Dominic headed to Montana for potato harvest. They had a bit of an adventure getting there, with a slow Greyhound bus driver and surprise overnight stay in Spokane, but we were thankful for family who gave them a very comfortable place to stay. 

Potatoes

Montana during harvest

I continued to study for my exam and helped a little around the house. And just that quickly,  and with far too few pictures taken to adequately document it, September was over!!

While he was away, I received Dominic's school books for the next school year. We're still looking for a teacher, though!

We head back to Kenya early in November, so we are in the final stretch of visits, paperwork, shopping, packing, and starting to say goodbyes. I'll share more pictures from October soon!

Travelogue, Part 4 - Michigan and Ontario

When I was very young, summers seemed to last forever. As an adult, I've accepted that time goes flying by - but now I wonder, will it ever stop surprising and amazing me just how fast the weeks and months pass? 

August was a bit of a blur - the final days of our support raising tour. Our goal was to get to 100% of our pledges by the end of August, and thanks to so many of you who have generously committed to partner with us, we received our weekly statement on Septemer 1 and found that we had met that goal!! (Of course, if you still want to contribute financially, it's not too late! We anticipate our budget needs increasing over the next year as we consider taking on some additional roles, responsibilities, and expenses after we return to Kapsowar.) We are now freed up to turn our attention to the many administrative tasks that need to be completed before we return (not fun) and studying for my OB/Gyn oral board exam (even more not fun). But don't worry about us - we've planned plenty of small trips and fun activities to keep up busy!

Here is our report of our August activities. We began the month in Kalamazoo at Alongside (www.alongsidecares.net) at a 2-week program for medical missionaries and their families. Kris and I attended large group sessions with lectures addressing some of the common challenges people and families face while working and serving in a cross-cultural setting, including burnout, conflict management, cross-cultural challenges, and other stressors. We also had small group therapy sessions and individual/couples meetings with a therapist. Dominic attended the kids program, where all the same information was covered but in a kid-friendly way (if you think of it, ask Dominic to describe the amydala sometime. It's worth a laugh!). 

I took almost no pictures there because of confidentiality, but let me assure you it was beautiful and a very helpful experience for our family.

Dominic received a spoon that changes colors with temperature! That kept him entertained for a while!

From Kalamazoo we were picked up by our good friends Paul and Renae, and stayed with them in Grand Rapids for several nights. We were able to visit with friends from undergrad (Dordt), medical school (Grand Rapids), and even residency (Utah) during that short visit!

A warm day at Lake Michigan

Visiting with friends

We ate LOTS of ice cream!

And learned some new (old) games

From Western Michigan we took a train over to Port Huron, where my Aunt Sonja graciously picked us up in the middle of the night. We stayed with my grandma ("Beppe") for a few days and visited with lots of my dad's extended family (uncles, aunts, and cousins).

Bee-keeping lesson

Lots of time by the pool!

We rented a car in Sarnia with a plan to drive it through Eastern Ontario, on into Quebec, and then down through Vermont to New Hampshire. We made it as far as Toronto when the transmission started to fail...and the only replacement we could get was a Chevy 2500 pickup truck. Four hours of driving and $80 worth of fuel later, we were able to trade that in for a Passat, which *only* had trouble with tire pressure and coolant (actually, lack thereof). But we ultimately made it safely to all of our intended stops.

Eating Beaver Tails with cousins in Eastern Ontario

Hiking in New Hampshire

In all of our travels, we have been so grateful for the hospitality we have received, and for the generosity of our friends and family. We haven't had to stay in a hotel or pay for lodging for a single night!! (Well, of course we paid for our lodging at Alongside as part of that program, but you get what I mean.) 

So, we decided to splurge and spend a night on the US side of Niagara Falls...and go to the Rainforest Cafe (a 7-year-old boy's dream...not exactly the same experience for his parents who wondered why the floor was SO sticky, and what else might not be adequately cleaned)...and go on the Maid of the Mist for a close up look at Niagara Falls.

Ready to set sail - still pretty dry!

After the boat ride (my phone stayed safely in my bag during the trip, so you'll have to take my word for it - Niagara Falls is magnificent!) 

We wrapped up our trip to Ontario with a family reunion - my parents, along with my brother and sister-in-law, flew over from the west coast and we all enjoyed a few days hanging out together.

Have I mentioned that we ate a LOT of ice cream this summer?

Our first activity in Washington was the Evergreen State Fair, complete with snakes, 

A bloomin' onion...

...and a car smashing, fire breathing robot-dragon.

It's been quite a summer. See you next month!!