A Blessed Time

I can hardly believe a month has passed since my last post, when I was getting ready to head home. I am now back in Kapsowar (after a very long 3 day trip home with many delays and missed flights) and have been back at the hospital for a week.
What a blessed homecoming it was! My mom, sister April, and new nephew Carson picked me up at the airport. It was so great for them to be the first people I saw when I got off the plane (though it would have been nice if Bethany, my other sister, and Dad could have been there too). It was a wonderful reunion and so exciting to finally get to see Carson, who is just about the cutest baby ever :)

Me with Carson at the Evansville airport

I spent the first week and a half in Evansville with my family (minus Bethany who was in the midst of preparing for finals and working in Indianapolis). It was a very restful time of hanging out, catching up on all the foods I miss while in Kenya (I made it to every place on my list) and spending as much time as possible with little Carson. I was so proud to see April coming into her own as a mother. She is doing a really good job and I know that she loves Carson very much. He is such a good baby and hardly ever fusses. He's pretty cute as well!

April with Carson after a bath - his least favorite activity

Sleeping beauty in his favorite spot

Getting ready for his first trip to church

Taking a nap with Poncho, the family dog

While I was at home, my mom had arranged for a special baby dedication service just for our family. Our home church does dedications once a year, on Mother's Day, which I wouldn't be there for. So, Pastor Dave graciously agreed to hold a special ceremony so I could be there. It was a really special time and great to be able to be there to hear April dedicate Carson to the Lord. I also prayed over both of them that God would be with them as he grows.

At the end of my time in Evansville, 2 of my mom's brothers, my aunt, my grandpa and 2 cousins came to visit. It was a good time together and good to be able to see some of my extended family without having to do too much traveling.


The last half of my time home was split between Indianapolis with my sister Bethany (among other things, see future post) and Ft. Wayne with my best friend Amanda and her family. It was great seeing Bethany and I was just sorry I couldn't have seen more of her. I am so proud of her and all she is doing. She just finished up her sophomore year of college at IUPUI, majoring in political science with aspirations of law school. She had a very busy year - including recovering from major surgery while barely missing any classes - and managed to get nearly straight A's. She also works quite a bit as a server at Buca di Beppo's (go visit her if you're in downtown Indy). We had a good time, though, doing our usual things - going out to eat and going to see movies. I am really praying that at some point she can come stay with me here.

Bethany and I (an older picture)

I am so blessed to have my family and to see God's blessings in their lives. When we first learned of April's pregnancy, we were devastated. It seemed hard to see how it could be a blessing. Now that we have Carson, a bundle of joy, I can see that God can work in any situation. He is already bringing my family closer together and I think he is helping his mom grow up. Please continue to pray for April - for wisdom and direction. Another praise is that my dad recently got a new job. He had been selling cars, a tough business right now, and was not very happy. He starts his new job in a week and is very thankful for it. Praise God for His provisions and His blessings! Saying goodbye was very hard, especially knowing that Carson will be walking by the time I return home. However, in the days of Video Skype, I'm hoping that he will still know who I am :)

Coming Home

As many of you already know, I'm coming home for a visit. I'm actually typing this at the Nairobi airport, waiting for my flight. My sister, April, delivered a healthy baby boy on April 9th and I am coming home to see him (among others). It was a safe delivery and they are both doing well. We praise the Lord for this!

Carson James

In preparing to come home, I've been thinking about all the things I want to do while home, how things will be different, things I'll miss, etc. So, here are some lists for you.

Things I'm looking forward to in the US:
1. Holding Carson for the first time
2. Real mexican food that I don't have to make
3. Spending time with my family
4. Papa John's pizza
5. Getting to connect with supporters and share with them what they are helping accomplish
6. Driving on smooth rides - and on the right side!
7. Seeing my best friend, Amanda, and her kids - Violet, Anara and Edison - as well as other dear friends
8. A real, juicy cheeseburger
9. Sharing with my former residency program how cool medicine can be in the developing world
10. Real salads and not having to pre-clean all vegetables in bleach water before eating them - do you notice a trend here?

Things I will miss from Kenya:
1. The beautiful view of the Cherangani Hills when I wake up in the morning
2. My wonderful colleagues and fellow missionaries in Kapsowar
3. The simplicity of life here
4. Children pointing at me and yelling "Mzungu! Mzungu! (White person! White person!) - Ok, I won't miss that one :)
5. The work that I am privileged to do each day at the hospital

Please pray for safe travels and for my family as they adjust to a new baby. Please also pray for wisdom for April as she begins to raise Carson, that she would raise him in a way that is glorifying to the Lord. Please pray for the people I left behind at Kapsowar that the Lord would continue to bless their ministry and that they would be able to get some rest despite extra work in my absence.

MIRACLE BABIES

I know I often have sad stories to share from Kapsowar, as many of our premature babies do not survive. I am happy to tell you about 2 miracle babies.

Karen was born a few days ago and came out weighing 800 gms (less than2 lbs). Her brother had died inside of their mother and came out first. They were only about 27 weeks, which here means almost certain death, as we have no way of helping babies breathe here - we can only give them oxygen via nasal cannula. I sadly told her mother that the 2nd baby was not likely to survive either and she graciously accepted that - as most women here do. In fact, I decided not to monitor the 2nd baby's heart rate, as we would not intervene in the case of fetal distress. I did, however, look with ultrasound to see how the second baby was presenting and noted that the heart rate was in the 90's(should be above 120). About 4-5 hours later, she delivered a little girl, who, much to the nurses' surprise, began to cry from where she had been laid to the side about 3 minutes earlier. She is doing great, breathing on her own. She is definitely not out of the woods yet, but we praise God for our little miracle baby. She has spunk,too, as she pulls out her nasal cannula several times a day. Please pray for Karen, and her mother Albinah, as they have several hard weeks ahead.

Little baby Karen

My hand by her - to show you how small she is!

Another happy story is that of Ednah's baby. Ednah presented at about 27 weeks in labor with twins. We attempted to stop her labor, butwere unable to, and she went on to deliver later that day. Again, the first baby died, but the second baby survived and flourished. Under her mother's watchful eye and loving care (and God's blessing), shehas grown well and is now breastfeeding and ready to go home! The smile on Ednah's face always lights up a room - especially when shewas told she could, at long last, take her baby home. We praise God for His blessings and love for these little ones!

Ednah with her daughter

Hudson's 5th Birthday

So, I haven't talked a lot about the Jones family, but I am so blessed to have them here. Their kids are so much fun and I really enjoy fellowshipping (is that a word) with Kyle and Vanessa. After Brandyand Deb left, I spent the weekend in Nairobi with the Jones'. It wasHudson's (their oldest) 5th birthday and we wanted to do something special. On Saturday, I went with them to Splash, a water park inNairobi. It was a great place for the kids to play and we had fun just hanging out, also with another family with young boys who are missionaries in Nairobi. As you can see in the pics below, the kids had a great time. We didn't get in because it was a little chilly. On Sunday, we went to Village Market (the place I've talked about before) in the afternoon. Hudson had fun driving electric Tonka trucks and Vanessa and I relaxed with a pedicure. It was a great weekend to just hang out and have fun and we hope to do it again sometime.

Hudson showing his excitement about being in the pool

Hudson getting ready to test out the slides

Jude (middle child) having fun on the slides

More Safari Pics

Deb and I on the beach at Lake Nakuru

Baboon at Lake Nakuru

Me with a lion right in front of our van

The 3 of us in our safari mini-busA beautiful view of Mt. Kenya A lioness on the prowl Me by Thompson Falls, on the way to Lake Nakuru

Baby elephant - my favorite!