Hello from Kibuye! Though
I'm just writing now, I did arrive safely in Burundi on January 10th. I got to
travel with the McLaughlins, a family on the team returning from furlough in
the U.S., and that was a big blessing for me! Our flights from Newark to
Brussels, then Brussels to Bujumbura, were smooth, and the McLaughlin kids did
an exceptional job. When we landed in Bujumbura, we passed through customs with
no complications and also picked up every single piece of luggage, nothing
missing! (we did pick up an extra piece by accident, though it was returned to
its proper owner). We stayed the night in Bujumbura, and after shopping in the
city in the morning, we drove the 2 ½ hours to Kibuye. The roads wound up and
down Burundi’s beautiful green hills, and I was thankful for their smooth
pavement. The last time I traveled a mountain in Africa, I was careening down a
Kenyan mountainside facing sideways, holding on to Abby Paternoster for dear
life… Anyways, thanks for your prayers for safe and smooth travels. God has
answered them and continues to answer them!
Kibuye is a beautiful place tucked away
in one of Burundi’s many hills. It’s amazing to think that so many dear people
live here! I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with the families I know from Ann Arbor
and connecting with teammates that I’ve never met before. Here’s a super short introduction
to the team for those of you who don’t know them. It doesn’t do them justice,
but hopefully you’ll learn more about them through coming posts, or through their
blog (mccropders.com)!
McLaughlins: Rachel is an OB/GYN, Eric
is a family medicine doctor. They have three kids: Maggie (6), Ben (4), and
Toby (2). Cropseys: John is an
opthamalogist, Jess is a teacher. The have three kids, Elise (8), Micah (7),
and Sammy (4). Faders: Jason is a general surgeon, Heather is a teacher. They
have two kids, Anna (10) and Abi (7). Alyssa Pfister: meds/peds doctor who
currently does pediatrics and also leads med student Bible studies. All of the
doctors here practice at Kibuye Hope Hospital and teach med students from Hope
Africa University in the capital city of Bujumbura. There are also a bunch of
other essential supporting roles to the hospital here: my roommate teaches our
school-aged children and 9th grade English at the local primary
school; Caleb and Krista Fader are engineer and nurse, and their son Liam is 2;
Nicole does finances with George Watts, whose wife and four children are here
too (Jonah (14), Matea (11), Micah (9), and Alma (4)). In addition, there are
many more teammates who will be arriving within the next year, such that the
team will be nearly doubling! These teammates will include an ER doctor, an
anesthesiologist, a meds/peds/OB doctor, a retina surgeon, and a family of
teachers.
As for what I have been doing, I do
spend quite a bit of time with the Kibuye children! Every weekday morning, I
teach preschool to Ben, Sammy, and Alma Watts. They are a bright group of
pupils, very imaginative and not afraid to speak their minds. Please pray for
us as we go through the ABC Bible Verses book! All three are excellent
memorizers and singers when they want to be! Tomorrow we are starting the D
verse from Ephesians 6:1: Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that
you may become blameless and pure, children of God. On the opposite end of the
age spectrum, I am tutoring biology for Jonah Watts, age 14. So far, it’s been
fun to make concepts understandable. I’m eager to get to the chapters on cell
and molecular bio so I can apply some of my college knowledge! I also teach
piano to 5 of the children, and I have found that I love helping kids to enjoy
music. Most of them are beginners, so it’s been fun to pick out their innate
strengths. And finally, I’ve pulled my ballet knowledge back from the depths to
teach 6 of the kids.
As for time at the hospital, I have
gotten to spend time in some of the different areas, and I am excited to spend even
more! I’m super thankful for the team’s graciousness to me. Though I have no
medical skills, I get to spend time in the hospital seeing what it looks like
to be a doctor here. On Fridays, I get to round with Alyssa in the pediatric
ward. It’s especially nice for me because on Fridays rounds are in English, but
it’s also been really fun to watch Alyssa interact with med students and
patients in three different languages (English, French, and Kirundi). I’ve also
spent some time in the OR, wearing scrubs that say Dr. Carlan Wendler because
he left them in the drawers of the room I am now inhabiting! On Tuesday I got
to watch Rachel McLaughlin take out an ovarian cyst, and I also walked in on a bowel
case that a visiting surgeon was doing. Can’t say I’d ever seen the small
intestines live and in person before then, but now I’ve seen one that was inflamed
and had abscesses all over it. I’ve also been to a few lectures for the
Christian Philosophy of Medicine course the med students attend. I have enjoyed
seeing the doctors teach on topics that remind me of the conversations that
happen at Knox (my church in Ann Arbor), and convey them effectively across
cultures, in French. Some of the topics have included: how medicine plays a
role in the Kingdom of God; how to approach suffering; and how God can work
through/despite our sin and limitations.
Overall, I’ve been super inspired by the
team’s cohesive vision for the hospital and their effectiveness in carrying it
out. There are many facets to the vision, from teaching the med students to
building relationships with the Burundian community around them to plans for
expanding the hospital’s buildings. Each person on the team seems to be honing
in on a slightly different part of the vision as his or her gifts and
personality are best suited. Some team members seem to be fueled by big dreams,
and others find motivation in carrying out the day’s work with obedience. All
are different, yet all contribute and collaborate. It is exciting, encouraging,
and inspiring for me to watch and even take part in in small ways.
One of the biggest themes I’ve
experienced here is grace. Hooray, just what I was hoping for/expecting!!!! As
a fact of life, I feel my need for God’s grace in the areas I am weak and inadequate.
As most of the activities I’m doing are ones I’ve never done before, I
definitely see my weaknesses: I’m still figuring out the kids’ different
personalities and how to best relate to them all. I’m also still figuring out
how to teach all of the subjects in ways that are effective, enjoyable, and
help the kids to understand and praise God in new ways. I’m excited to build
relationships with the med students (I’ve even gotten to know a few!), but wow,
French is/languages in general are hard. And sadly, cross cultural interactions
with language barriers are draining. As a side note, I would appreciate prayer for
my French (understanding and speaking), and excitement to get to know the new
batch of med students that are arriving in a few weeks. Anyways, all of these
activities have been super fun, but often I feel like I’m just fumbling around.
But what do you know, God is present here in Burundi, and He has reminded me
that He is working with or without me but is able to use me while I’m here!
What grace. Also, the team and the Burundians around me have shown me a lot of
grace for the times when I’ve not done the best job. It’s pretty amazing to me
how much grace these people can offer. I am learning to receive and
reciprocate.
Thanks so much for reading! It takes
some oomph before I find the gumption to write (thankfully I’m not teaching
english), so that’s why it’s taken so long to post, but I did want to let you
know what I’ve been doing. I appreciate your prayers so so so so much, and I
know the team does too. God is using them! I’d love to hear from you
individually too!
View from Kibuye Rock. The buildings are Kibuye Hope Hospital and our dwelling places are behind.
My preschoolers. L to R are Ben, Sammy, and Alma
Piano lesson! A happy time when we were ready and the power was on.
Thanks Heather for this and the previous picture!
Toby pretending to be a Burundian mama :D
