tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59540902816469831392024-03-19T03:50:05.476-04:00Word and DeedThe Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-19214798134720310162024-02-24T04:32:00.006-05:002024-03-01T07:31:44.353-05:00Wounded Healers All<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lret-hKv2SGUow1B1JZnZwR9mGDCWTAa-7s2uXPkRKgIc-3wFLwsguKWNEUVVvMI2jA2TiXBZYP37rN4dCKW73l4918aC1X-e4MdHrEYgPeWmQmIYmgUL0YBeWOSde3X7HkLwhrPBL05EOsgriVHEx3zHXIMeLPufxiiCwDvOmjMr5HxU5FW-gOJkULr/s8192/March%20Burundi-QENP-Semiliki%20travels%202023-127.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5464" data-original-width="8192" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lret-hKv2SGUow1B1JZnZwR9mGDCWTAa-7s2uXPkRKgIc-3wFLwsguKWNEUVVvMI2jA2TiXBZYP37rN4dCKW73l4918aC1X-e4MdHrEYgPeWmQmIYmgUL0YBeWOSde3X7HkLwhrPBL05EOsgriVHEx3zHXIMeLPufxiiCwDvOmjMr5HxU5FW-gOJkULr/w400-h266/March%20Burundi-QENP-Semiliki%20travels%202023-127.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(from Eric)</span></i><p></p><p>Nadia was admitted to my service last night. Two months ago, she delivered twins. One of them is doing well, but the other has had trouble and is admitted to our NICU. So she's been living at Kibuye taking care of her babies.</p><p>Apparently, last night, she went to get some dinner and had difficult breathing all of a sudden. She stumbled into the Emergency Room where her oxygen levels were super low and she was breathing way too fast. Her blood pressure and heart rate were also quite high. She was admitted to internal medicine where we did all the available tests that might help her, concluding finally that her heart is bad and her lungs have suddenly filled with fluid. </p><p>We're doing what we can, but I fear for her. I fear that we won't be able to pull her out of this, and that her twin babies will lose their mother, who seemed perfectly well twenty-four hours ago. Despite maximal oxygen therapy, she still has low oxygen levels and is breathing quite fast. Our team is gathered around her bed.</p><p>***</p><p>Also admitted to our service is Pastor Elie. Elie was a chaplain at Kibuye for decades. He's retired now, but has massively out-of-control diabetes. Despite all our effort, he has lost tons of weight, and he gets admitted for a few days during most months of the year. His disease is super challenging, but he's survived a lot longer than most people around here with a similar problem because of ready access to the hospital. </p><p>As soon as he feels better, he's usually wandering around the hospital talking with old friends. In fact, this morning, we passed by his room and he wasn't there.</p><p>***</p><p>Gathered around Nadia's bed, we have made all our medical decisions. She is still not doing well. Her mom has the healthy twin bundled up on her back. I'm wanting to pray for her. My Kirundi prayers are quite halting, but since Nadia is conscious, it seems like praying in Kirundi might encourage her.</p><p>Suddenly Pastor Elie walks up. He knows that we came by his room when he was out chatting. We answer his questions, and then I ask him if he would be willing to lead us in a Kirundi prayer for Nadia.</p><p>He answers without hesitation. "This is my job." He places his hand on her shoulder and begins to pray. From his words, I can tell that he is aware of her situation and that her other baby is already admitted in the hospital. Apparently, Elie's visits to the hospital help him keep his ear to the ground.</p><p>It's a beautiful picture. One obviously ill patient leading us all to pray for the healing of another. We do not help each other to healing only from some kind of disease-free platform of security. We are wounded healers, just like our Savior.</p><p>***</p><p>And then there's me. My body is more or less intact, but my heart is struggling. I'm leading my team of students and nurses, teaching them the best way to take care of these patients, but knowing that we won't succeed in a good number of cases. We're praying for healing and compassion and understanding, and even as we pray, I'm struggling to believe for these things. I wish my heart could be content with the situations in which I find myself, content to just be faithful in the daily work in front of me, but it's hard. My heart doesn't react the way I wish it would.</p><p>In the television series <i>The Chosen</i>, the producers gave James the Lesser (or "little James"), one of the disciples, a physical disability, and then Jesus sends him out to heal. He struggles to understand why he is not healed, and how he could be a vessel for healing when he is himself broken. <a href="https://youtu.be/KZDvcEkjthA?si=q227zINifuXXotca">The scene</a> is extra-biblical, but the themes discussed are not. Jesus speaks of God being glorified from James praising Him even though is not healed, precisely because he knows that there will be healing in the end. </p><p>Healing for Nadia and Elie. Healing for my own heart and all of us striving to bring life and wholeness in the midst of our own brokenness. Wounded healers all.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>***</p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">48 hours later update: "Nadia" has actually done much better than I was expecting. In a way that we don't often see here (without super intensive care), she has been pulled back from the brink and is breathing much better (though still on a lot of oxygen). Sometimes I'm hesitant to hope in such situations, since we're not out of danger, but I'm grateful for how it's going and pray it will continue.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">7 days later update: </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"Nadia" discharged home today. Her baby was also discharged, so they will actually go home. Just taking some pills. So thankful!</span></p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-55013440177931670462024-02-05T02:51:00.000-05:002024-02-05T02:51:13.106-05:00The Very First....<p> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(By Caleb)</span></p><p>Training is a cornerstone of what our team does here at Kibuye. Most of our team is involved in training surgeons, doctors, and nurses, but on the construction team we also have an apprenticeship program where masons, carpenters, iron workers, and welders can be trained by those already in the 'guild'. </p><p>When the first members of our team arrived in 2013 my brother ran the construction crew when he was not in the operating room. He strongly encouraged this apprenticeship program and to this day the construction leadership team still reminds me, "But Doctor Fader said we must always be teaching..." </p><p>Each year now for most of the last 10 years we've had a cadre of apprentices in various trades enter the year-long program. In order to enter the program, one must show good work ethic, a willingness to learn, and must be able to provide one goat for the induction ceremony/feast at the end of the year. The goat sacrificed represents the life-long dues required by the guild. Most of the time these apprentices are chosen from among our hard-working laborers. Hence a goat represents about 2 months' salary for them: no small sacrifice!</p><p>In November we celebrated the induction of 10 new members into their respective guilds. Since there were 10 of them it was decided that instead of 10 goats we should just get one very large cow. Each of these 10 graduates were allowed to bring their extended families to witness the event. There were speeches, pictures, laughs, and lots of beef shared around. Each graduate was presented with tools of the trade by their primary teacher such as a trowel, level, measuring tape, etc. As expected, it was a lovely team-building experience. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdI4LFdrgUbNBO3bQpJSY77jVNxvFQ-DtCZwpMy_F8V4oMjIKabsZ-27OjDWrUjttXHiukmaXl9E5ixwSMGUNhkY1_CopZlFnC7bjpTQC6XFyowCJtPjbradfrW-ByI3_hmm6QEAqnNt49SoIfYv_fuk0LuZKqxqqPDjxee02oxDpEay2MNJieiArb49eS" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2001" data-original-width="3985" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdI4LFdrgUbNBO3bQpJSY77jVNxvFQ-DtCZwpMy_F8V4oMjIKabsZ-27OjDWrUjttXHiukmaXl9E5ixwSMGUNhkY1_CopZlFnC7bjpTQC6XFyowCJtPjbradfrW-ByI3_hmm6QEAqnNt49SoIfYv_fuk0LuZKqxqqPDjxee02oxDpEay2MNJieiArb49eS=w640-h322" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our foreman, Sadiki, welcoming everyone. Graduates are seated in the front row. </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm2Dl35tMXB-dvwV_tJkyEb-5zR_OI-VHoI6UYz_1z9WZpd0w0IkStf3tzuhqdW1wjd4LkZpKX2pnT_G3TjN_uz6ET3fluVRapqv_8C833BRCcMrxwvqEoBOW8Y9brY5ZqL_UXHUdVLt2vzWMoo0gufYcIyuTCAKw5IxBc96RKWwmOrDCylsfwKukW2_fA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm2Dl35tMXB-dvwV_tJkyEb-5zR_OI-VHoI6UYz_1z9WZpd0w0IkStf3tzuhqdW1wjd4LkZpKX2pnT_G3TjN_uz6ET3fluVRapqv_8C833BRCcMrxwvqEoBOW8Y9brY5ZqL_UXHUdVLt2vzWMoo0gufYcIyuTCAKw5IxBc96RKWwmOrDCylsfwKukW2_fA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked bananas, french fries, and lots of beef. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />However, this year was extra special. For the first time in these last ten years we had our first female graduate. Her name is Savella and not only did she finish this year-long apprenticeship in a field absolutely dominated by men, but she was anonymously voted by the whole mason's guild as one of the top two graduates!! As our foreman was announcing the results of the vote he opened with, "Now please hold on to your hearts...." Everyone is very proud of Savella and we are so pleased to have her as a part of our construction crew. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioU_IIV3YRnsspv60c5cKDHBYGs1A8aRrSDfrmFRkw4iBP_5ef_6ytBRl56d-2WjLTofplZSrrYLu2aKUpijYWVefbexLmsg3LgAZqgXjOA5cIBHtMXeeK9vrZ-YwUEaHGPK8cFYHSuvoRMmNGRKVOtxtfe9aW9cftTd4sPhynDwSDa6r8FSCT-w1kvd-_" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2498" data-original-width="3024" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioU_IIV3YRnsspv60c5cKDHBYGs1A8aRrSDfrmFRkw4iBP_5ef_6ytBRl56d-2WjLTofplZSrrYLu2aKUpijYWVefbexLmsg3LgAZqgXjOA5cIBHtMXeeK9vrZ-YwUEaHGPK8cFYHSuvoRMmNGRKVOtxtfe9aW9cftTd4sPhynDwSDa6r8FSCT-w1kvd-_=w640-h528" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Savella receiving the tools of her new trade! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1PZV6t1fL-Us-UR1S14el2ogwhqD8xwgTPk6oik5Z4FTa9rzNQj14EHcdUaW-HtKnn5Oxuj7JRROaVifnNF6AKG6TCw-wss5oBipciMqgV_kH-_gCSeHTBBADMoF86_z80bw47vLWyLN7O1Js2IBng9_XjIeWKkoUyG9Y6jIE-sf4N9T-tn1WslF3yQgp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1PZV6t1fL-Us-UR1S14el2ogwhqD8xwgTPk6oik5Z4FTa9rzNQj14EHcdUaW-HtKnn5Oxuj7JRROaVifnNF6AKG6TCw-wss5oBipciMqgV_kH-_gCSeHTBBADMoF86_z80bw47vLWyLN7O1Js2IBng9_XjIeWKkoUyG9Y6jIE-sf4N9T-tn1WslF3yQgp=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skillfully adding the finishing touches...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><br /></p>Caleb Faderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13953280686064946115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-15208634674906336092024-01-21T04:58:00.004-05:002024-01-21T04:58:15.091-05:00Threads of Years Long Gone: Ministers, Babies, and Reasons for Reconsidering Hope<div class="separator"></div><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> (from Eric)</i></span></p><p>On Friday, the hospital inaugurated a new district health office. In addition to being a church hospital and a teaching hospital, Kibuye is the referral hospital for Kibuye Health District, a geographic area of over 200,000 people. Anyone sick in that area goes to one of 18 health centers in the district which refer necessary cases to the hospital. Of course, we also get cases from all over the country and neighboring countries because of specialized care here, but we are the primary hospital for this catchment area, and this health district is administered and supplied by the district health office.</p><p>Their office was insufficient and helping them build a better office just outside the hospital wall also liberated some valuable real estate within the hospital that the old office was taking up. So we partnered with them to build a new office building. The building is lovely, and governmental dignitaries were invited to cut the ribbon.</p><p>The guest of honor was Burundi's Minister of Health. Newly appointed to the presidential cabinet in the last few months, this was her first visit to Kibuye. Burundi's amazing traditional drummers pounded and danced out a welcoming rhythm as the Minister's vehicle arrived, and we formed a receiving line, of which I was about number eleven.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDlx65i2z4v6ydgibd9N6BHwSepbHUFbDuAwjZNEL7Ff1U9Eb1n6k_zI9NuT2bKuOBIJdXWWsbTjfbP3K3jDHCph_Vzw6_e3cCvmVIEPG2bmrxCXSUQ7Gp_ohZXi24PG0ZeCTlPVfXsk-UJTfGCOZsEoPNScDX3H3AjARy4rXzHsxCy9vuovUosgBEnXX/s1024/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-20%20at%2018.30.19.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDlx65i2z4v6ydgibd9N6BHwSepbHUFbDuAwjZNEL7Ff1U9Eb1n6k_zI9NuT2bKuOBIJdXWWsbTjfbP3K3jDHCph_Vzw6_e3cCvmVIEPG2bmrxCXSUQ7Gp_ohZXi24PG0ZeCTlPVfXsk-UJTfGCOZsEoPNScDX3H3AjARy4rXzHsxCy9vuovUosgBEnXX/w400-h225/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-20%20at%2018.30.19.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burundi's Traditional Drummers with the new district health office</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As the Minister proceeded down the line, I shook her hand and said "Welcome to Kibuye." Over the thrum of drums behind us, she said "I know you. I met you in Banga when you were learning Kirundi. You had babies with you."</p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8-jURY0sb2TWH8Z9CtC1DPEpmmlgFsEnGKYwBgb3zgbE3DveM8T6t1roWeYhPo-xscnwz7rzmkHx34kk3uoMVc1AfTiLkyu3MAf7LKR0BUkQueL_rYiF1cgAbLuTVWgHNcTQAd2N_5lj6SgwemDF9rYOLoOoVzu1x2asfcco0sUlG9XnSZY_F6hApJ99/s2048/420718310_700906722229140_2110024547384282721_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8-jURY0sb2TWH8Z9CtC1DPEpmmlgFsEnGKYwBgb3zgbE3DveM8T6t1roWeYhPo-xscnwz7rzmkHx34kk3uoMVc1AfTiLkyu3MAf7LKR0BUkQueL_rYiF1cgAbLuTVWgHNcTQAd2N_5lj6SgwemDF9rYOLoOoVzu1x2asfcco0sUlG9XnSZY_F6hApJ99/s320/420718310_700906722229140_2110024547384282721_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A journalist caught the moment where the Minister tells us she remembers us</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I couldn't believe it, to say the least. Banga? Banga is where our team spent three months in 2013 when we first arrived, fresh from French language school but wanting to get a small smart on Kirundi language study before moving to the hospital.</div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S4gE00LUWKLTVzMmKRPufpHfYfwtSfDzbpE-1-4HL8ItC1kalyvJ0ACc0o-d0eYry8j3KX7GSwAfN9WmbqjhWTZWsR6VnaxdLLtqTieghyiygTwFzfrx18WRypyFLh8V1Mm-3Fo_TR_jlhGrsjLX6No8jHv33ci-rrhoj7CpqJGtSFdurbWS5SD0lhKU/s4272/IMG_4674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S4gE00LUWKLTVzMmKRPufpHfYfwtSfDzbpE-1-4HL8ItC1kalyvJ0ACc0o-d0eYry8j3KX7GSwAfN9WmbqjhWTZWsR6VnaxdLLtqTieghyiygTwFzfrx18WRypyFLh8V1Mm-3Fo_TR_jlhGrsjLX6No8jHv33ci-rrhoj7CpqJGtSFdurbWS5SD0lhKU/w400-h266/IMG_4674.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future Kibuye kids at Banga.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It wasn't the easiest three months. In fact, the "green soup" that we ate every night for dinner has become a bit of team lore. The electricity and water were usually out, and thus staying healthy was quite a challenge. I remember one night walking outside to see the adjacent hillside aflame (apparently a "controlled" burn for farmers) and wondering where the fire would spread.</div><div><br /></div><div>During meals, the nuns who ran the guesthouse and restaurant, in order to help out high-chair-less parents (and to amuse themselves), would take Toby (who was about 5 months old) around and greet the other patrons. Apparently one of those patrons was the future Minister of Health, who came to Banga for a malaria training event.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3tneK_GG7aZYFMLZYQQN8kqym4w-9JOfiH1VYNqTIflvTkS4m3hMhJYiq95Te6fElIAMoXj2UZK12Dwxy56AewJb16wQOXFHFK62L1NrRy5k6Pozd4EUisXueMacd3I4bTAmV7-C-zKWLgMR9W2P2HkWdLjTwLl0KcgOSjD3q9nHU7Ov3gfb-Ge5o8xx/s4272/IMG_4980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3tneK_GG7aZYFMLZYQQN8kqym4w-9JOfiH1VYNqTIflvTkS4m3hMhJYiq95Te6fElIAMoXj2UZK12Dwxy56AewJb16wQOXFHFK62L1NrRy5k6Pozd4EUisXueMacd3I4bTAmV7-C-zKWLgMR9W2P2HkWdLjTwLl0KcgOSjD3q9nHU7Ov3gfb-Ge5o8xx/s320/IMG_4980.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama Lea - Toby's favorite nun</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Now the Minister is at Kibuye, cutting a ribbon and remembering our team fondly. The ceremony began, and the governor of our province gave some opening remarks. Bishop Deo did a wonderful job discussing the work of the Free Methodist Church's institutions at Kibuye and their involvement in health care, including some upcoming plans. Then the minister took the podium and gave a very favorable speech. She again mentioned to everyone meeting our team in 2013 and remarked on our love for their country. She said that she would like to take a tour of the hospital afterwards, and spend close to an hour being guided deftly by Dr. Gilbert our medical director. All in all, a very successful visit.</div><div><br /></div><div>***</div><div><br /></div><div>The collision of past and present filled me with gratitude. It was the gratitude of someone who had been living on the back side of a tapestry, where all the threads are knotted and seemingly disorganized as they do their best to get from here to there. Then, for just a moment, you're allowed to catch a glimpse of the other side of the tapestry, where a beautiful, complex image has been created by those same threads.</div><div><br /></div><div>You see that there were a couple stitches way over there, and then the thread disappeared for so long that you thought it was gone, and then it resurfaces in just the right place. And that makes you reconsider the other threads. It gives you hope for the other long-invisible strands. Or maybe this one over here has always bothered you, and you wish it would be gone. But maybe it actually plays a role in a bigger picture. It's been a source of tension, but maybe it's like the musical tension of a passing note to a beautiful chord. Who knows?</div><div><br /></div><div>No thread makes a tapestry. Rather it's all the threads together. It's the whole of all our lives and days and interactions, woven together by One whose perspective is so much bigger than ours that it's like how the heavens are higher than the earth. It's incredibly hopeful, and also incredibly humbling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is that what Banga was for? Probably not, or rather maybe one thing among many. Who knows? The point is that there are these moments where you see a bigger story and though you may not have much more of an idea of what's going on than you did before, you now have a reason to hope that there actually <i>is</i> a bigger story. And that changes everything with regards to how you look at the beautiful and the problematic that surround you even now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is that what the Minister's visit to Banga and now to Kibuye was for? Maybe a bit, but she is not just a character in our story any more than we are just characters in hers. Surely God has many plans for her life in so many other domains. And so we see that the big Kibuye tapestry is itself a piece within the tapestry of Burundi, within the tapestry of His kingdom throughout His creation.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's too complex. It makes our heads swirl. No one could weave together such a complicated web of billions of people's lives into a single beautiful work of art. But if someone could... If someone is, then that One is most worthy of praise.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">(On a more personal level, here's a song I wrote a while back on a similar theme: <a href="https://youtu.be/seY60uS7fC0?si=3FE5xyKcdrHCzeSI">The Weaving of My Days</a>, also on Spotify and other streaming sites)<br /></span><p><br /></p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></p><p></p></div><br />The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-60366311066817376852024-01-17T06:59:00.002-05:002024-01-17T06:59:48.606-05:00I Bless the Rains Down in Africa<p>by Rachel </p><p>If anyone knows anything about Africa, usually they can at least hum the above line from Toto. It's a great song. Most of my life I thought the line was "I MISS the rains down in Africa," which I think fits with the longing of the song, but anyway. I've been thinking about that song a lot lately as Burundi has had a pretty epic rainy season this year. </p><p>Now that we've been living here for 10 years, the dry and rainy seasons (instead of a classic summer/winter pattern seen in northern climates) have become second nature to us. The rains usually stop in mid to late May, bring in the annual dry season. Upsides of this would be massive amounts of solar energy for our powerpac, easy drying of clothes on the line, and reliably dry days and nights for outdoor activities. Downsides would be massive amounts of red dust everywhere! By September the rains usually return, maybe 3-4 times per week until May (with a one month pause in Dec/Jan). Obviously if you are a subsistence farmer, these seasons are quite important for the growing of various crops. In fact, if the rains are late (like a year ago), harvest comes late as well meaning that hunger and malnutrition increase until the harvest arrives.</p><p>This year, the rains were a welcome return by the first week of September. We love the sound of rain on our metal roof, and all the dust washing away. The profusion of green leaves, grass, etc is pretty amazing in this lush climate. However, what was NOT normal this year was the volume of rain. The rains came hard and fast and constant...in fact, there have been weeks where I don't think we saw the sun at all. There is an aid website called Relief Web that publishes data on things like food security and humanitarian crises. You can see the table below from the end of December featuring above average rainfall projected through February. While not as severe as some parts of Kenya, rainfall has been 50-70% more than average this year.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8QAvByLpJad87dBVsofPKi1hl7aBfFQezAvY064sdJn0M2wYrqvPUZaR9A40gOqgI_8NJ6pS5N0jnkBJQ_q4zqP-3gxQRJgktXlWpq3AKl4xmmSOLLe0Z0KISqjEEV49AnjXRPxab1IlGmU-BpI1QjRR-R259uE-HGI9xhHk7PakrBYgY78kfCAqcSxv/s1276/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%201.30.05%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1276" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8QAvByLpJad87dBVsofPKi1hl7aBfFQezAvY064sdJn0M2wYrqvPUZaR9A40gOqgI_8NJ6pS5N0jnkBJQ_q4zqP-3gxQRJgktXlWpq3AKl4xmmSOLLe0Z0KISqjEEV49AnjXRPxab1IlGmU-BpI1QjRR-R259uE-HGI9xhHk7PakrBYgY78kfCAqcSxv/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%201.30.05%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></p><p>We drove a Burundian friend to Gitega last month and asked him about the community and their thoughts on the rainfall. He replied that when people see this volume of rain, they worry about famine. Below are some pictures that Eric and I took on a recent walk around Kibuye. Notice the brown stalks of corn, dead from flooding, and even the flooded rice patties in the valley. Rain has also caused some significant erosion behind the hospital as part of the hillside washed away.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSkj3vGCaNRsmQkqdtofEZ788VMZ-Uyx9_z2E_cEqKY5wp1y6-rcDe0EShydDYmRnORTLExGTtUTxq9gOanp-V_YojpT4wdadYac2Q7oelt94V60Mi62DaAFKiZL5QV9IS9UiBKtbgmXuc6WxNfWioHa7S3LiOOEMYDpgrTNXJWS1du8o5v3Por6WuHSE/s1080/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.36.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSkj3vGCaNRsmQkqdtofEZ788VMZ-Uyx9_z2E_cEqKY5wp1y6-rcDe0EShydDYmRnORTLExGTtUTxq9gOanp-V_YojpT4wdadYac2Q7oelt94V60Mi62DaAFKiZL5QV9IS9UiBKtbgmXuc6WxNfWioHa7S3LiOOEMYDpgrTNXJWS1du8o5v3Por6WuHSE/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.36.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooding fields and dead corn plants</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIwzbV1fFJiE76j62AXU3xqtBLDOmesbCeVH7zFQrRdHT6bTmmHlMs9Cz5TJ5HZPi4rgojXJudHj_AQdY9_-oBDK6dZ5IxII-vw2XvXNwMVxa0Lkr843K1vZK05ZK-iJWO8el6bjbr2a9gZOh59OKPuLFZpxlaS_M4CZHiTlanDsr9SYtTSPth62JEoZB/s1080/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.29.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIwzbV1fFJiE76j62AXU3xqtBLDOmesbCeVH7zFQrRdHT6bTmmHlMs9Cz5TJ5HZPi4rgojXJudHj_AQdY9_-oBDK6dZ5IxII-vw2XvXNwMVxa0Lkr843K1vZK05ZK-iJWO8el6bjbr2a9gZOh59OKPuLFZpxlaS_M4CZHiTlanDsr9SYtTSPth62JEoZB/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.29.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erosion behind the hospital</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuyiCshliD3TKbJNPcZ_GZX7FgqOXVNMZFfEhFRAj6h4Cs1E-gV_eJgVRDuJzvSxgB1om8rNtbXB63S5yWAJ9Yda6Lrm7iiLXFiqBIE2ZmfObLCLElvnpMf9XDisbeX4AtaIpIjVeNW9B1ATO2H1ILl6SgsVjds3jyNQUj1pKEsMgq_PcUplfUsm3RhyQ/s1080/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.41.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuyiCshliD3TKbJNPcZ_GZX7FgqOXVNMZFfEhFRAj6h4Cs1E-gV_eJgVRDuJzvSxgB1om8rNtbXB63S5yWAJ9Yda6Lrm7iiLXFiqBIE2ZmfObLCLElvnpMf9XDisbeX4AtaIpIjVeNW9B1ATO2H1ILl6SgsVjds3jyNQUj1pKEsMgq_PcUplfUsm3RhyQ/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.41.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooded rice fields</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I love rain. I think it brings green and life and beauty. But if I was a subsistence farmer living in Burundi, and if my crops died I had no other way to feed my family, I would be worried right now. Could you pray for our friends and neighbors, that God would provide the right amount of rain for crops to grow? That they would have enough food to feed their families, even miraculously so? It's quite possible that numbers will swell in our malnutrition program this spring as well. You all contributed over $75,000 to that fund in the month of December, which is amazing! If you'd still like to give, <a href="https://give.serge.org/donate/kibuye-nutrition-program-burundi" target="_blank">here is the link.</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOltLVYCmZPv7iXVFmcYYjiMxoRomJy6ot1WmxG4yJsfeS7zYBSI64eGK8knEH_JBwXXoLq_EwO2oovjiHWbk5xgrEvxzB_P-Ib1cD9aW97SO_wKUUTSAuITkPXmXRKO-9SidqT0248dfdat_NLNHDVOOBtrDYitHtQ2rFZeRiB-dHnzCiVV4JSxTyP17/s1080/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.41%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="788" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOltLVYCmZPv7iXVFmcYYjiMxoRomJy6ot1WmxG4yJsfeS7zYBSI64eGK8knEH_JBwXXoLq_EwO2oovjiHWbk5xgrEvxzB_P-Ib1cD9aW97SO_wKUUTSAuITkPXmXRKO-9SidqT0248dfdat_NLNHDVOOBtrDYitHtQ2rFZeRiB-dHnzCiVV4JSxTyP17/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.41%20(1).jpeg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burundi looked good in this report from November, with only a few regions being "stressed." This might change in the next report. Also, as you can see much of the region is in crisis, sometimes due to war in addition to natural factors.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZmAIdQrKOsFwQL1SFxqg6IV_87aAtGM2T9Y0WPt5y7L7lc18PLT_L1TbICXkNNmm_tmfQ_uVnoIyFUfRP5WGxJ6tRyXub79As_vtL30juJYjdETzZQ1meIMlwnmkZ0WX3tOo2AocyA5uWpMf9aR_9ky3TZGz076pwMuF1gW7bcIScq912ZaUH9L-RVdH/s1024/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.42.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZmAIdQrKOsFwQL1SFxqg6IV_87aAtGM2T9Y0WPt5y7L7lc18PLT_L1TbICXkNNmm_tmfQ_uVnoIyFUfRP5WGxJ6tRyXub79As_vtL30juJYjdETzZQ1meIMlwnmkZ0WX3tOo2AocyA5uWpMf9aR_9ky3TZGz076pwMuF1gW7bcIScq912ZaUH9L-RVdH/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2013.53.42.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-80867960002026419672023-12-23T03:48:00.001-05:002023-12-23T03:48:40.313-05:00On the Eve of Christmas<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (from Eric, adapted from our family Christmas newsletter)</span></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Exodus 36:7: The materials were sufficient for them to do all the work. There was more than enough.</span> </p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">I read this obscure verse this morning. It is describing how the people of Israel gave so much of their personal belongings to make the furnishings of the tabernacle that the craftsmen in charge told them to stop. “There was more than enough.”</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Do you hear that provision? It hits my heart like a feast. We’ve known some times like that in 2023. We have seen our medical school flush again with graduates after several years of dryness. We have seen busy schedules align so that we can sign a new 5-year contract with our Burundian partners in good faith of what God will do in the future. We have seen patients healed and funds provided and small steps made towards better care given in the name of Jesus. We have celebrated together with our team what God has done in 10 years here. What have you experienced where it felt like “more than enough”?</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">But maybe those words sound less like a feast and more like a taunt. Where was the provision last week when we fought hard for a young man with kidney failure, only to have him die suddenly the day after (what we thought was) a successful discharge? Burundians’ crops are flooded this year, heralding a season of exceptional hunger. We didn’t see our daughter for 3 months while she started school in Kenya. Meanwhile, we’re covering extra classes for our boys because we don’t have enough teachers to help us this year. Where have you felt like “there was more than enough” just doesn’t measure up to reality?</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Then I think about Christmas. I think about 400 years of biblical silence followed by a nearly unmarked birth in a stable in a small town. In fact, it was the most extravagant, overflowing, lavish gift ever, the epitome of “more than enough”. That was the reality, but in many ways, it didn’t feel like it.</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Here on the equator, the sun rises year-round about 6 am. About 15 minutes before that, when it’s still dark, scores of birds wake and sing to greet the day that is not quite here yet.</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The sky is dark, but the air is full of song.</span></b></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">It’s beautiful, and it’s every morning for us. It is glory mixed with darkness, but it lets us know that the day is at hand. It’s a good reminder for both the moments where we feel God’s provision as well as the times when it feels so absent.</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The night of Jesus’s birth, angels sang God’s glory. The sky was dark. The air was full of song. This seems to be characteristic of God. Often in joy, often in sorrow, but always looking forward to his coming.</p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Baskerville; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">We pray grace to you this season to be able to hold on to this promise in both the ebbs and the flows that you experience.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFyaFeV4472NkNZnVah3xluKCoZ0Up62gm6hrxG9GQuppVizvQnFIT39brii1sFtsh8rJw_ABzyNco_gYvLrfOPb3pnmnK0KrWcUlKPbIhb7umi6JujzmQBnjW6UDNRB8bXQMZnp0vQwBrp-Y1szSddm0qe29MYDX0jhyCIqVGcR9hwrpqVW4xIHSMimpy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4480" data-original-width="6720" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFyaFeV4472NkNZnVah3xluKCoZ0Up62gm6hrxG9GQuppVizvQnFIT39brii1sFtsh8rJw_ABzyNco_gYvLrfOPb3pnmnK0KrWcUlKPbIhb7umi6JujzmQBnjW6UDNRB8bXQMZnp0vQwBrp-Y1szSddm0qe29MYDX0jhyCIqVGcR9hwrpqVW4xIHSMimpy=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-52179091776423090522023-11-30T08:35:00.001-05:002023-11-30T08:35:50.665-05:00VIPs<p> <i>By Alyssa</i></p><p>As one of the most developed hospitals in a small country, we get our share of VIPs, and there is always a tension at to how much time and energy to spend on them versus the rest of the patients. My sense is that this is a challenge in lots of places but especially for mission hospitals in developing countries where the goals of medical excellence, compassionate care for the poor, quality education for trainees, and financial sustainability can sometimes seem impossible to pursue simultaneously. </p><p>Kibuye Hope Hospital's vision is to: </p><p>"Develop a university hospital of excellence where the love of God is manifested to his creatures."</p><p>Our mission is:</p><p>"To glorify God through quality physical and spiritual care accessible to all and through the training of healthcare professionals and disciples of Jesus Christ."</p><p>I'd like to share about a few patients I saw yesterday who aren't particularly prominent by the world's standards but who I hope experienced the love of God at our hospital. I would love for them to walk away from this place after receiving quality healthcare by compassionate healthcare workers with the sense that they are seen and known as Very Important People in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN82HGaTdCO_-yTDLQhaZJTWWvMaC3Q9cnqC_ny4ozWmDj6hB2dYTSPeemNggm1wvveUPlB7jiGKoZ3m14-SkSGHURW9fnycoDQJXKs8232D1fSQE-Q0-sBwOdD1iPGJ3yWOk_lEbXysFH7pvBVniPptS49DsrUhltVtPddNwWDaLA3yyRtgExASdvHI/s4032/IMG_2855.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN82HGaTdCO_-yTDLQhaZJTWWvMaC3Q9cnqC_ny4ozWmDj6hB2dYTSPeemNggm1wvveUPlB7jiGKoZ3m14-SkSGHURW9fnycoDQJXKs8232D1fSQE-Q0-sBwOdD1iPGJ3yWOk_lEbXysFH7pvBVniPptS49DsrUhltVtPddNwWDaLA3yyRtgExASdvHI/s320/IMG_2855.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>1) Mama D (pictured above with one of our nurses, picture taken with permission). This mama is so faithful to care for her little girl through so many heartbreaking challenges over the last few months. She has been in and out of the hospital multiple times and has often stayed for weeks at a time due to complications from probable tetanus. Her mother faithfully keeps every appointment, feeds her and give her meds through an NG tube (and amazingly, the little girl is not losing weight or malnourished), and is attuned to every new symptom that means she needs to bring her back to the hospital. We had the chance to encourage Mama D yesterday that she is doing such a great job in caring for her daughter, and she just beamed. She and her husband display great faith in praying for their daughter and not despairing despite the myriad of challenges their little one faces. </p><p>2) "Isaac" is a 13-year-old boy who came to his follow-up appointment in peds clinic yesterday for cyanotic congenital heart disease. When they checked his oxygen level in triage, they were so concerned that they sent him to the emergency room instead of clinic. But then they came to find me and I explained that his oxygen levels are always that low. Sure enough, Isaac entered my clinic walking and talking normally a few minutes later despite his oxygen saturation of 65%. Isaac is one of the oldest patients I have seen here with cyanotic congenital heart disease (probably Tetralogy of Fallot for the medical folks). He's actually still attending school and can walk short distances around the hill where he lives. It's difficult to decide what medicines to treat him with because the medical literature generally assumes patients with this condition had surgery to repair it as infants. He's currently taking three heart meds and seems to be relatively stable, so we refilled the prescriptions and gave him a follow-up appointment in three months. </p><p>3) "Emmy" is the 7th child in her family and there were complications with her birth. She was resuscitated for a prolonged period of time and that resulted in neurologic complications. Now she is 2-years-old but doesn't walk or talk or even sit up on her own. This is unfortunately a very common story here. Her mom brought her to peds clinic to see if we could help with her development. Emmy smiles and seems aware of her environment but has very little muscle tone. We gave her a referral to a center nearby that provides physical therapy, but there's not a lot else we can do for her. We did explain that she is a beloved child of God, and her mom readily agreed! </p><p>4) Mama A brought her son to the hospital because of a huge tumor in his eye. She heard that there was a center here that could treat this condition, so she traveled from quite far away with her son and his little brother. The boy has now been hospitalized in the malnutrition service for over a month. Unfortunately the cancer (retinoblastoma) was very advanced and already metastatic when they arrived. We have given chemotherapy with the goal of palliative care (to shrink the size of the tumor and decrease his pain), but the boy is still not well enough to eat or drink or talk. He will likely go home tomorrow to continue palliative care. I hope the mother leaves with the sense that she did everything she could for her child and that there is no shame or curse associated with the condition he has. I will miss greeting her and the little brother each day. </p><p>5) "Arthur" is a 4-year-old boy with epilepsy who came to clinic for follow up. Thankfully his seizures are well controlled on treatment. He has only had one seizure in the last year. He has some developmental delay as well, but he is making good progress. His mother is pleased with how he's doing. We refilled the medication and gave him a follow-up appointment for early next year. </p><p>We want to keep growing and improving in the level of care we can provide for all the patients at Kibuye Hope Hospital. And yet as some of these stories show, we can't always provide physical healing for them given the resources available in our setting. But no matter what medicines or treatments are available, we desire that the love of God be manifested to all the patients along with their family members. Our specific pediatric vision includes the phrase "welcoming children, families, staff, and students as Jesus welcomes us." Please pray that this vision will be realized more and more in this beautiful corner of the world. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11L4OTU4sbyMSSBhyphenhyphenhKOlwUsQGs-5J1w-lO-NNwqyUjLWbp9eIzDLPVWUhnPgYaq1y3P45b3sUmSkSl42YBPX_Bs25AYeUqqUg7hiFFqlczgjhWFt0lzfimjTbjsZvdKUZc32GaHOhve2LT_TiRD1ZMSH8xhlbx2LJ24ZeBGy5VutviKKLVBjCpx6v00/s4032/IMG_2838.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11L4OTU4sbyMSSBhyphenhyphenhKOlwUsQGs-5J1w-lO-NNwqyUjLWbp9eIzDLPVWUhnPgYaq1y3P45b3sUmSkSl42YBPX_Bs25AYeUqqUg7hiFFqlczgjhWFt0lzfimjTbjsZvdKUZc32GaHOhve2LT_TiRD1ZMSH8xhlbx2LJ24ZeBGy5VutviKKLVBjCpx6v00/s320/IMG_2838.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TEbKG70kXrvueCTaD5PAvM-bNN02kCq0v3XU-ALlVP14HV9_Uq-X0722R11o5T3kesz1_-yUivVY_SuZp599HfGJOQWaIMe5kborafOGNmFoDY-KHpBHmT0csqXE6p5YohA3y6RTOc2atKDk4J645_P2comvfKPX_KjGsx7oQO6w5IuJX8d0YOA8HEY/s1024/ea405f65-683e-4cee-9743-57bbca8700f1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TEbKG70kXrvueCTaD5PAvM-bNN02kCq0v3XU-ALlVP14HV9_Uq-X0722R11o5T3kesz1_-yUivVY_SuZp599HfGJOQWaIMe5kborafOGNmFoDY-KHpBHmT0csqXE6p5YohA3y6RTOc2atKDk4J645_P2comvfKPX_KjGsx7oQO6w5IuJX8d0YOA8HEY/s320/ea405f65-683e-4cee-9743-57bbca8700f1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16367404515113318289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-2940144262988405862023-11-22T09:52:00.001-05:002023-11-22T09:54:49.165-05:00Making Virtual a Reality<p>While a good understanding of anatomy is important for the practice of medicine, it's foundational for the practice of surgery. Knowing the relationships between structures can be the difference between curing the patient and causing irreparable harm. Because of its foundational nature, in the U.S. anatomy and physiology is one of the courses taught early in medical school. Around 90% of U.S. medical schools include cadaver dissection as a part of their curriculum.[1] Even as the pedagogy for medical education is transitioning to a flipped classroom model, the importance of in person time studying cadaveric anatomy is not lost on educators. In fact, according to anatomy course directors, one of the most common weaknesses in anatomy curriculum was insufficient dissection time, a problem which was only exacerbated by COVID. [1] </p><p>There are many factors that prevent us from maintaining and using an anatomy lab as a part of our medical curriculum here in Burundi. Both the formaldehyde and refrigeration options for preserving cadavers are very expensive. Then comes the practicalities of maintaining constant electrical supply or the safe handling and disposing of large quantities of hazardous chemicals. All this says nothing of the cultural and ethical implications of obtaining cadavers on a regular basis...</p><p>So, what are we to do? </p><p>Well, 11% of U.S. medical schools also utilize virtual software to enhance, and in some cases replace, the cadaver dissection portion of their anatomy courses. In the post COVID era, a full 23% more plan to incorporate Virtual Reality in their anatomy curricula. [1] While the data is a little old at this point, a 2015 meta-analysis of the educational effectiveness of 3D visualization technologies in teaching anatomy showed that it 1) improved factual knowledge, 2) improved spatial knowledge acquisition, and 3) improved user (aka student) satisfaction as compared to all teaching methods. [2]</p><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P4hA28mRaXjP3gWGag8ay211t2NH8jJ2kjxbkXrN6jtHrUTEpuxnVl45ooPQc2TBGNIR835mdYEtQx8nJa7D0wZ8waoP3jCnbOJel3WmGWRaiEe0b4Pait2W7Y75B6233ibyJlos2SkjEanRoyv1WvlOp4RaHfNHL5Qd30mCefYHh5d3W1qFou4LBic/s4032/IMG_9057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P4hA28mRaXjP3gWGag8ay211t2NH8jJ2kjxbkXrN6jtHrUTEpuxnVl45ooPQc2TBGNIR835mdYEtQx8nJa7D0wZ8waoP3jCnbOJel3WmGWRaiEe0b4Pait2W7Y75B6233ibyJlos2SkjEanRoyv1WvlOp4RaHfNHL5Qd30mCefYHh5d3W1qFou4LBic/w400-h300/IMG_9057.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkZ5PXLkr23Tqq5iAqVgBwbSp6GZLQ5u8_hlSqDuJK99C3dgz8O78Ni0gmbWIqQmDCbdz81gpf_z14tSmo_X8QVgDLgk8ngWVPEq0VrwfUx7mj6TVdcPEFZSi5ImqHpLIOf-wJDaUV1n0dQBbLuy1kinRKx_avKmXVnC9vnzZ92E2gkGcPpzqZsAA-AY/s4032/IMG_9058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkZ5PXLkr23Tqq5iAqVgBwbSp6GZLQ5u8_hlSqDuJK99C3dgz8O78Ni0gmbWIqQmDCbdz81gpf_z14tSmo_X8QVgDLgk8ngWVPEq0VrwfUx7mj6TVdcPEFZSi5ImqHpLIOf-wJDaUV1n0dQBbLuy1kinRKx_avKmXVnC9vnzZ92E2gkGcPpzqZsAA-AY/w400-h300/IMG_9058.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Visiting resident Yves Yankunze having some one-on-one teaching time. We had recently discussed hiatal hernias, so I was pointing out the relationship between the esophagus, vagus nerve, diaphragmatic hiatus and aorta/aortic hiatus.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q7BhOcnh-vJT-BatVN6tT30goX0yjHiiJnESHDgKh17KjmqijFnWsG16my-G-_Pshewa9XdJRdDYiXZTwAisfqswiCb9-piP1Qml0l0U24El50o-sZ2z0D1ciHkOdTvPHqoljcRwv2NULCMz7PajW8G5SM_1M2Uuz-7OXZ2niWNMb4LvsIONhPqIztA/s4032/IMG_9059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q7BhOcnh-vJT-BatVN6tT30goX0yjHiiJnESHDgKh17KjmqijFnWsG16my-G-_Pshewa9XdJRdDYiXZTwAisfqswiCb9-piP1Qml0l0U24El50o-sZ2z0D1ciHkOdTvPHqoljcRwv2NULCMz7PajW8G5SM_1M2Uuz-7OXZ2niWNMb4LvsIONhPqIztA/w400-h300/IMG_9059.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghd1eMndcItLEtP2Iojw1i8IrKd6AJLyakBFE7PXWC3wGlve1gPfeSxG71n2sR1MIT6F6sy2niaErRYSddUM4t-AUgz16p0J8LAwcuq2KocpW0A5SdYt526dtvxHD_ykAkHu1iuSvo9tTKXsfvCuGlYXYhKWKmR361seSFQZTQhhLUIx4k9_NCmpbHKy4/s4032/IMG_9060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghd1eMndcItLEtP2Iojw1i8IrKd6AJLyakBFE7PXWC3wGlve1gPfeSxG71n2sR1MIT6F6sy2niaErRYSddUM4t-AUgz16p0J8LAwcuq2KocpW0A5SdYt526dtvxHD_ykAkHu1iuSvo9tTKXsfvCuGlYXYhKWKmR361seSFQZTQhhLUIx4k9_NCmpbHKy4/w400-h300/IMG_9060.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Since I had the headset and anatomic models ready to go in our (mostly) unused OR 1, I was able to have an impromptu teaching session for the nurse anesthetist students rotating at our hospital. It was a chance to show them the relationship between the upper airway, the trachea and the esophagus. A critical understanding for successful and safe intubation of patients. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrmPbMFSO2Kv4CX8f4Df-uS3ofIdnDVMY3t-lLcJN1cO6_uSThbY1_BIltSVK41urb-cCqUaOgQTPesLU_RyDLjMjwXpr09xJopcUkUqCDYQ2tJPzIm9eRNaMwSFaAFf7N9rpTS1zmRVXihfSkYBGqfmaK-_X0S2v5OT90en0sEJhlIdEo26erSXeVTU/s4032/IMG_9093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrmPbMFSO2Kv4CX8f4Df-uS3ofIdnDVMY3t-lLcJN1cO6_uSThbY1_BIltSVK41urb-cCqUaOgQTPesLU_RyDLjMjwXpr09xJopcUkUqCDYQ2tJPzIm9eRNaMwSFaAFf7N9rpTS1zmRVXihfSkYBGqfmaK-_X0S2v5OT90en0sEJhlIdEo26erSXeVTU/w400-h300/IMG_9093.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyoO8IAgEGj5VXDe68L3lh2_p3KNPcKh-E7nGm5rhwmsgSRdESlppm_y72nmQPq0g3Qeq18QITScue4HZRBd4c5fRVeScXPPxlILUNAToOA9qj4qwvBlW4WaM-gtxgMNsUnwMSZcgVRZtyWN6Y3S9nxfQ62EPjw1W_eEDrgwJx0W5Ng_izYIYG5ituPo/s4032/IMG_9094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyoO8IAgEGj5VXDe68L3lh2_p3KNPcKh-E7nGm5rhwmsgSRdESlppm_y72nmQPq0g3Qeq18QITScue4HZRBd4c5fRVeScXPPxlILUNAToOA9qj4qwvBlW4WaM-gtxgMNsUnwMSZcgVRZtyWN6Y3S9nxfQ62EPjw1W_eEDrgwJx0W5Ng_izYIYG5ituPo/w300-h400/IMG_9094.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When set up in the classroom, other residents are able to follow along with the teaching as I guide the student wearing the headset toward the relevant and important anatomy.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOJE_n5Ozo4m3SDGL6dFIBvjjj7PeRa-CpZSqydm5GN6Oy3uNPJHTle4tUXgnd_ffYr3Pq07G8jeRArJ_IStndCTGtyhYvwgrBTUnQ7AhEZm2PSiw83zwjaai5x2-bvhi0o2pbMNvy7Oi-1UzGV68jZn8Q3xSRgzZiEQjnaLUgK3Yi_zFRzqeWk3W8xE/s3840/A1C353F3-C650-4EEA-9457-225B0A5095EC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOJE_n5Ozo4m3SDGL6dFIBvjjj7PeRa-CpZSqydm5GN6Oy3uNPJHTle4tUXgnd_ffYr3Pq07G8jeRArJ_IStndCTGtyhYvwgrBTUnQ7AhEZm2PSiw83zwjaai5x2-bvhi0o2pbMNvy7Oi-1UzGV68jZn8Q3xSRgzZiEQjnaLUgK3Yi_zFRzqeWk3W8xE/w225-h400/A1C353F3-C650-4EEA-9457-225B0A5095EC.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">After a few back-and-forth emails, the medical director for </span><a href="https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/innovation/virtual-reality/stanford-virtual-heart" style="text-align: center;">The Standford Virtual Heart</a><span style="text-align: center;"> program graciously provided me with a copy of the software. So after we finished our chapter on congenital heart defects, our residents had a chance to explore the defects and their associated flow patterns and murmurs in virtual reality.</span></p><p>For now, I'm focusing this virtual experience on our current batch of surgical residents. Their need for recalling and understanding anatomy is the most pressing. But the trial run has been well received and quite helpful. I'm excited about the possibility of significantly expanding our use of VR into the anatomy course taught at Hope Africa University. </p><p>Afterall, it's hard to build a solid house without a solid foundation...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[1] Shin M, Prasad A, Sabo G, Macnow ASR, Sheth NP, Cross MB, Premkumar A. Anatomy education in US Medical Schools: before, during, and beyond COVID-19. BMC Med Educ. 2022 Feb 16;22(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03177-1. PMID: 35172819; PMCID: PMC8851737.</p><p>[2] Yammine K, Violato C. A meta-analysis of the educational effectiveness of three-dimensional visualization technologies in teaching anatomy. Anat Sci Educ. 2015 Nov-Dec;8(6):525-38. doi: 10.1002/ase.1510. Epub 2014 Dec 31. PMID: 25557582.</p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16011516217397534202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-88691816536377792492023-10-29T14:44:00.000-04:002023-10-29T14:44:08.215-04:00Neonatology part 2<p><i>by Jenn Harling</i></p><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMv2G_fZgElhZOVS496IOSvQq7Yvsb6dds5HPiG9bXxj7-3c7cWk7IrQgWFXrihXdhIF3WEak2KSln_-KgHLT5MjZF6cOt3iGSyVl0E_lVMW35CuDZkNv2jVBA-yRrLMr-fVEXUfyiUT4iR_cEfm3WQmcYX6bzpEqqeQuiiW_7ohRXtduUCDUVnHon-R9/s1600/KMC%20Mama%20Announcement%20-%202023.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMv2G_fZgElhZOVS496IOSvQq7Yvsb6dds5HPiG9bXxj7-3c7cWk7IrQgWFXrihXdhIF3WEak2KSln_-KgHLT5MjZF6cOt3iGSyVl0E_lVMW35CuDZkNv2jVBA-yRrLMr-fVEXUfyiUT4iR_cEfm3WQmcYX6bzpEqqeQuiiW_7ohRXtduUCDUVnHon-R9/s320/KMC%20Mama%20Announcement%20-%202023.jpeg" width="136" /></a></div></i><p></p><p>In February I wrote a <a href="https://mccropders.blogspot.com/2023/02/neonatology.html" target="_blank">blog</a> describing what our neonatal unit looked like in our new pediatric building into which we moved at the end of 2021. I mentioned in that blog that I had attended a neonatal conference a few months prior (Oct 2022). I had the lovely opportunity to attend that conference again this year. This is not an ordinary neonatal conference, but rather one to bring together those who care for and treat neonates in Africa. I'll state the obvious in case it's needed - taking care of neonates in LMICs (Low and Middle Income Countries) in Africa is not the same as practicing neonatology in HICs (High Income Countries). This conference focuses on educating and training as well as sharing up-to-date information regarding neonatal care around the world, and also (and possibly more importantly) innovative ways to treat neonates when all the technology and resources are not available. </p><p>Not only is there a huge opportunity to learn, it's also a place to network and make connections as well aso talk to others who are also trying to find innovative solutions to challenges faced in a low-resource setting. I've met numerous people who are in similar settings and it is so helpful - "oh, do you have this challenge too? this is how we navigate this situation without _____ (insert resource that may not be available in LMICs like blood cultures, electrolytes, intubation, ventilators, IV pumps, arm boards, paging system, caffeine...). </p><p>I have left this conference each year thinking "there is SO much to do at our hospital to improve the care we provide..." but then I looked back and realized we have already started the process!</p><p>Below are a few things that changed in our unit after attending last year's conference:</p><p>-Trying to keep a cadre of nurses in the unit who do not rotate out.</p><p>-Hand hygeine </p><p>-Keeping a particular generalist doctor mostly in the unit when a specialist was not available to round.</p><p>-Updated feeding protocol with fortification of breastmilk</p><p>-Transfusion protocol to know when to transfuse neonates</p><p>-New neonatal ward manual in French being written</p><p>-more kangaroo mother care (skin to skin care), with hopes to increase even more this year</p><p>-humidification of oxygen</p><p>-patient tracking white board</p><p>-updated fluids management protocol</p><p>-hats for every baby in the unit</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year I hope to expand bubble CPAP and medical air and blenders amongst many other improvement projects. My hope is to write another blog next year to tell you all the things God has allowed us to accomplish! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EzSVshq_Q_AcXWAehGjET-HoGJZeSRolUxlbKmbBCyYiCpDpdoct5K7Rh4yGza1L3Z8NrKal2DyXgCergmh2xyPs2n_1ysj0XcVhoS95FwP8RFTMZwzxPJ22DYp-PeOuaiXwBFTPNuKp15BfA_9algywyS1X44Q4jWZ49ej3TAA7f8W8fl8ww0yqJnLT/s4032/IMG_7158.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EzSVshq_Q_AcXWAehGjET-HoGJZeSRolUxlbKmbBCyYiCpDpdoct5K7Rh4yGza1L3Z8NrKal2DyXgCergmh2xyPs2n_1ysj0XcVhoS95FwP8RFTMZwzxPJ22DYp-PeOuaiXwBFTPNuKp15BfA_9algywyS1X44Q4jWZ49ej3TAA7f8W8fl8ww0yqJnLT/s320/IMG_7158.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is hand hygeine signage all over the unit now</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryq8LmkGJ5TVdbnx1x5hTceHP4wCXmA_BxEwtwo9W864VbOAEiG_HEATNIdBcB99l21K2UH8kZcamcknY87t0QGakSJ2HuUq0FdNhUsauh_ZYHKbjzF9lnGdX18he0ClelH_4Fd-EqIr_WV-x2i5olqd_rZnYqbjJGcmZr-J7592TEzZAcCykc_vrNs0I/s3088/IMG_8329.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryq8LmkGJ5TVdbnx1x5hTceHP4wCXmA_BxEwtwo9W864VbOAEiG_HEATNIdBcB99l21K2UH8kZcamcknY87t0QGakSJ2HuUq0FdNhUsauh_ZYHKbjzF9lnGdX18he0ClelH_4Fd-EqIr_WV-x2i5olqd_rZnYqbjJGcmZr-J7592TEzZAcCykc_vrNs0I/s320/IMG_8329.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a steady supply / stock of hand sanitizer in the pharmacy now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_buU3hbvMtetF_agJYnnMqr7An83zoTzXiwewJPJWO0Qe4riXy-hH1eip0GhrKA4E4dI7voBgthCESrfh4JDWPZ_4r_yCRO7WmxeHY7VK0Y317PlbQy5yPuKeL1jUEt7ncKhbEmKz4UTML-LUg9IkxYeF82sC5L4QF9wryjw8iZViGDjFZhYc_fRuBcd/s4032/IMG_7704.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_buU3hbvMtetF_agJYnnMqr7An83zoTzXiwewJPJWO0Qe4riXy-hH1eip0GhrKA4E4dI7voBgthCESrfh4JDWPZ_4r_yCRO7WmxeHY7VK0Y317PlbQy5yPuKeL1jUEt7ncKhbEmKz4UTML-LUg9IkxYeF82sC5L4QF9wryjw8iZViGDjFZhYc_fRuBcd/s320/IMG_7704.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Patient tracking board </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0AnBxbBzWWHliwjylETpMMnAKWL5x7J3uCcK-64HL0QEfdzJS-vNFQp6WKq8bntGMGEMys4kcfpoPRFSfIkiz0DTTnQZeSTwqMFt0ft0EaQ9DNtK2pdrf7V2fBz9H0Kz4Xf8Ha1i6Crjyqhx1fu9yIlihnsVo8mJ8UmdRM51EdCBRMnHuqTWPIecC4DD/s4032/IMG_1045.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0AnBxbBzWWHliwjylETpMMnAKWL5x7J3uCcK-64HL0QEfdzJS-vNFQp6WKq8bntGMGEMys4kcfpoPRFSfIkiz0DTTnQZeSTwqMFt0ft0EaQ9DNtK2pdrf7V2fBz9H0Kz4Xf8Ha1i6Crjyqhx1fu9yIlihnsVo8mJ8UmdRM51EdCBRMnHuqTWPIecC4DD/s320/IMG_1045.HEIC" width="320" /></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of our nurses washing his hands before touching the baby on the warmer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennifer Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294021793143925721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-91310613532824415722023-10-04T05:31:00.001-04:002023-10-04T05:31:00.141-04:00COTW: Postpartum Complication<p> by Rachel</p><p>Well, we often see strange and bizarre cases at Kibuye, that has not changed! But it's been awhile since we've posted our old blog standby of Case of the Week. FAIR WARNING that if you are squeamish about medical things, this might be a post to skip. But for all the rest of you, I'm curious if you can figure out the problem. Also, we could use some advice on how to best fix this patient, so contact me after if you have ideas.</p><p>This lady came to the maternity service about 4-5 days after a spontaneous vaginal delivery of her 3rd child at a different hospital. She had no previous medical or surgical history (no previous C-sections). She was transferred to us with a suspected small bowel obstruction, with some nausea and vomiting, but was passing gas and stool. Bleeding was minimal. She had not passed urine for several days. She had a low grade fever but otherwise vital signs were normal. Her belly was significantly tender and distended. Hemoglobin was normal with a very mild leukocytosis. </p><p>Now, this presentation is not terribly uncommon after C/S. Many women are transferred to us with peritonitis after a C/S done at an outside hospital, and they end up with frank pus in the abdomen and usually a necrotic uterine incision that needs debridement. This all causes an ileus, not an obstruction. We see this at least once a month. But, this lady had not had a C/S. Also not uncommon is a diagnosis of uterine rupture after vaginal birth, due to trauma or fundal pressure given during second stage of labor. But, this lady didn't seem to have the classic signs of uterine rupture. No bleeding, no fluid wave in the belly, and a normal hemoglobin.</p><p>On ultrasound, nothing was visible due to a massive amount of gas in the pelvis. So, we ordered an abdominal X-ray. And saw this:</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR0PD_T_VsCZ2GGbibMUOQfADvkgjOVrPLoJw8mogYl25GAFxL9prL5PZiVRSSF02h_BBzaJ6pWT-7t4-MlCNCpPX8YbTjF_XDQEunyg0U6LdCHGwBuod-aCuMdx0yn87e3F9vfNJ87xmbVE9gCLQbrCXmGyEXLraOtyAjtATKKmTzrwFt5TuybpgakJu/s1024/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-09-24%20at%209.17.50%20AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR0PD_T_VsCZ2GGbibMUOQfADvkgjOVrPLoJw8mogYl25GAFxL9prL5PZiVRSSF02h_BBzaJ6pWT-7t4-MlCNCpPX8YbTjF_XDQEunyg0U6LdCHGwBuod-aCuMdx0yn87e3F9vfNJ87xmbVE9gCLQbrCXmGyEXLraOtyAjtATKKmTzrwFt5TuybpgakJu/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-09-24%20at%209.17.50%20AM.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I know that it's not a great image (and remember we have no CT scans here) but that's a giant collection of air/gas in her bladder, and in real life we could see a very tiny amount of free air under the diaphragm. So, we placed a Foley catheter and got out a large amount of gas and around 600cc of cloudy urine. Strange. She was started on antibiotics for a UTI and improved significantly within 24 hours of placing the Foley. We discussed with surgery the need for an ex-lap, but given the patient's significant improvement decided to send her home with the foley for 7 days, and then have it removed at the first hospital.</p><p>She came back two weeks later. After the Foley had been removed, her pain had returned and continued to increase. She was unable to pass urine, and once we replaced the catheter, cloudy yellow urine came out, but the pain did not improve. She was taken to the OR, where the surgeons found this:</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y5_5Zg9m7A5i3l2lkVHN_vCZu7I6K8-qg_SB2eTQpoAzCSMoY62jkrMFYLcmYggqUV4YAxuvf-U11j2WLHp3HbrNVftHMpZf7snkMxH5lo8cmaRCtqGG88-cVSRLNo5dy3T7mFl-_ogH4YR1DHZqCNQuioigxG6v9imoDNQ2yOlj9t4uY5XUqOqFOaYO/s1024/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-09-24%20at%209.17.19%20AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y5_5Zg9m7A5i3l2lkVHN_vCZu7I6K8-qg_SB2eTQpoAzCSMoY62jkrMFYLcmYggqUV4YAxuvf-U11j2WLHp3HbrNVftHMpZf7snkMxH5lo8cmaRCtqGG88-cVSRLNo5dy3T7mFl-_ogH4YR1DHZqCNQuioigxG6v9imoDNQ2yOlj9t4uY5XUqOqFOaYO/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-09-24%20at%209.17.19%20AM.jpeg" width="240" /></a></p><p>You can see her urethra with the foley in place. The small tubes on either side are her ureters. But the bladder was just a necrotic pile of mush. Best as we can figure, during her delivery her bladder had ruptured (??), but the uterus remained intact. Given the late diagnosis, the bladder was not repaired immediately, and perhaps developed an infection, but regardless all bladder tissue died. She's currently hospitalized with drains and a foley catheter, but there's no awesome urologist to send a case like this to, to create an artificial bladder. Any ideas? </p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-34464353142048145512023-09-29T12:04:00.005-04:002023-09-30T05:40:00.494-04:00We Never Stop Learning<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(from Eric)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Roughly thirteen years ago this month, Rachel and Maggie and I visited <a href="https://mccropders.blogspot.com/2010/09/burundi.html">Burundi for the first time</a>. This was the first trip of our team to Burundi and the one that led to all the others, I guess. We were welcomed generously by the leadership of Hope Africa University. We spent five days in country, mostly in Bujumbura, only visiting Kibuye for a half-day. We learned about the country and the work of HAU, in particular their medical school which was seeking faculty members like ourselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Walking around the main campus of HAU in Bujumbura, I ducked into a classroom, and I looked at the blackboard. Though I didn't speak French and didn't know then (as I do know) what the French acronym "OAP" meant, I caught a few words:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bleomycin. Cardiopathy. Swan-Ganz catheter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzC_nkPhwLDNRKsAdBg-QzU9MfaC-63fceEhpRdo8GQRZl3G-pFPPjsSxuzHFgeMNB-GnTxtsKaLlfxgVzczyBaJaWkgfHMex8XTRJR-YW5-x88M79sl6JEXOVjvo5iD1FprH4_PEKuGWRa72yiHJBOWFksjlHg83ZobNLKXTZvku9nnx9g-yvUQOG-1vd" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzC_nkPhwLDNRKsAdBg-QzU9MfaC-63fceEhpRdo8GQRZl3G-pFPPjsSxuzHFgeMNB-GnTxtsKaLlfxgVzczyBaJaWkgfHMex8XTRJR-YW5-x88M79sl6JEXOVjvo5iD1FprH4_PEKuGWRa72yiHJBOWFksjlHg83ZobNLKXTZvku9nnx9g-yvUQOG-1vd=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br />Why snap this photo? Well, without going into the medical details, I was both astonished and amused that in the middle of Bujumbura, on an old blackboard, students were being taught about relatively obscure treatments and invasive techniques that I was pretty such weren't available anywhere in the country. And years later, I can say that I was right: they're not available and possibly never were.<p></p><p>After years of medical school and residency in the US, and with about a year of African medicine (in Kenya) under my belt at that time, I had learned so much. We were looking forward to working in African medical education, and this blackboard struck me as the epitome of what we were going to better. We weren't going to teach archaic and inapplicable ideas to our students. We could do so much more.</p><p>***</p><p>Over the years, I have been surprised again and again by things I didn't understand. I remember the day years ago in the NICU at Kibuye when I realized that no one had any idea how to use the scale to weigh the babies. Weight gain in premature babies is truly a vital sign, fundamental to guiding what the doctor should do for the baby. I saw them randomly moving the weights of the balance around, and thought "what have I been doing for the past month?" (Obviously, the NICU has developed by leaps and bounds in the many years since I rounded there.)</p><p>Just yesterday, I was working on a small hospital project with some personnel and was again bowled over by my misplaced assumptions. In this case, I thought a certain person would certainly understand some particularly fundamental medical concepts. Nope. So I walked up and met with him for a while, trying to find out exactly where he was at, because it certainly wasn't what I had thought.</p><p>Fourteen years after moving to Africa, and I keep getting surprised at what I mis-guess or misunderstand. Each time, I learn a little more, but there is always something else that pulls the rug out from under me. Something else that I didn't understand and therefore I wasn't really engaging the situation correctly.</p><p>***</p><p>Today, I walked home from the hospital after some late afternoon teaching to our post-graduate interns on bleeding disorders. It had been fun. A new challenge to try and discuss a relatively complicated subject in an effective way, somehow reaching out across the void between me and them to connect.</p><p>I thought back to the Swan-Ganz catheter blackboard of 2010. Even now, I don't want to teach like that. I still believe we can do much, much better. But thirteen years later, I would say that sometimes there are reasons to teach things that are beyond the technology available around us. Sometimes students want to know, or maybe it's coming soon. Sometimes I find that a certain point may not be clinically relevant to them, but it can help illustrate a physiology concept in a useful way, so I try to use it to a different end. In other words, I think my approach to this question is more nuanced now.</p><p>I'm tempted to look back at my "one-year-in-African-medicine" self in 2010 and think that I didn't know anything then. But that's actually quite unfair. After years of training to become a physician attending, and a year in Kenya, I actually knew a lot. I had learned and learned and had my paradigms upturned and readjusted again and again. </p><p>It's just that I didn't realize how many more times I would keep learning. I didn't know how beyond one mountain there would always be another mountain. How I would just continue to be surprised and made to feel like I was back in month one over and over again.</p><p>It would be folly not to take this recollection and flip it forward. I suppose I will continue to be surprised. I wonder what I will know in five years that I understand more incompletely now. I think I can legitimately say that I've learned a lot, about medicine, about a totally different environment, about how to go about effecting needed change. But I'm also learning just how much more I have to learn.</p><p>***</p><p>PS. on a somewhat related note, Glory Guy's father Bobby has a healthcare business podcast and interviewed me over the summer. <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minute-healthbizcast/id1508387290">Click here</a> for about 15 minutes of us chatting about how experiences here have shaped my lens on healthcare.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minute-healthbizcast/id1508387290" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="650" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiE6r0U6NarmXUaHNfa1rxqoMKkzQo0RuZ63Ow6pkgk2TGj1n4wtYF8-uLOL7Z8ZK3KHl3hz6teUnkFOZW8cGGLbyzAmGfaRE5nn9zbXeIKWpmzQyIwThf62guSMRyv4MlJh3EwwBiBY3oEKLKvJB6Wf0HMWwCkLQKUqUntxzN7OIUF9Ep74bKtV6XX3sKy" width="242" /></a></div><p></p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-5226960280649278442023-09-24T05:07:00.002-04:002023-09-24T05:07:37.451-04:00Taken Away My Shameby Rachel <div><br /></div><div>Every Monday I have OB-GYN clinic at the hospital. It usually runs from 9a-5p and I see sometimes over 40 patients. The pathology is variable, but the type of women that come to see me is also quite variable. Sometimes it’s a little hunched over old widow, wearing no shoes and a dirty wrap, coming to see me for her uterine prolapse. Sometimes it’s a fancy looking woman with well done hair and perfume, accompanied by her husband holding car keys and a giant stack of medical tests, seeking help for infertility. I see farmers and teachers, nurses and business women. They come from Kibuye, Gitega, Bujumbura, and even sometimes Tanzania. Young and old, rich and poor. All seeking the hope of healing in some way or another. That last piece can be hard to remember in the crush of the day, with a long line of patients and a large stack of charts waiting. Trying to get through the day, skipping lunch, going as quickly as I can...but trying to remember the humanity of each person and their own brokenness in some form or fashion. That they need hope. </div><div><br /></div><div>One such patient came to see me about nine months ago. She was actually a nurse, a maternity nurse no less, at a different hospital. Her first pregnancy had ended in disaster: she went into labor at term with a healthy baby but her baby's heartbeat had started to look distressed. They performed a C/S for her, but her baby died just after birth. This is sadly not an uncommon scenario, but for it to happen to someone whose profession is to deliver healthy babies...a double blow. There is a falsehood that I probably subscribe to at some level as well, that a better job or more financial resources somehow guarantees a certain outcome in health and in life. This is not always true. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, she was pregnant again, now just 5 months after her first loss. I placed the ultrasound on her belly and we were both surprised to see not one but two heartbeats: twins. This is usually joyful news, but does cause a bit more apprehension for the obstetrician! Her risk of another loss due to miscarriage or fetal death was somewhat higher, so we made plans to follow the pregnancy more closely, having her come back for follow-up visits every 4-6 weeks. And I can say that the rest of the pregnancy was wholly unremarkable. I wasn't even the one to follow her for the most part, my generalist colleagues being fully capable to perform her ultrasounds and follow the babies' growth. Her C/S was scheduled at 37 weeks' gestation. I don't even do very many C/S any more, because there are so many well trained doctors working at Kibuye these days, but that morning I happened to walk into the OR before the day had even started, and she was already on the OR table, prepped and ready to go. So I scrubbed in, said a prayer, and began the surgery. </div><div><br /></div><div>First, a girl. I held her up over the drape for the mom to see her and announced, "Bukuru!" The traditional Kirundi name of an older twin. The baby girl screamed her lungs out, and the mom began sobbing. Then, a boy. "Butoyi!" The younger twin. I likewise help him over the drape and the mom sobbed harder. It was, like the pregnancy, an unremarkable C/S. But as I closed up the layers and dressed her incision, a song that we sometimes sing in church came to my mind. "My beautifier, you've taken away my shame, you've taken away my pain. You've made my life so beautiful." And I couldn't help but think about how this pregnancy HAD taken away shame for my patient. Shame of feeling like she had done something wrong, that despite her profession she couldn't save her first baby. Cultural shame of not yet being a mother. These two babies HAD taken away the pain of childlessness and the loss of her first baby. Maybe not completely, as cases like this are intense joy mixed with intense pain, but healing has begun. The loss of her first baby will always linger, but redemption is now happening. Life is being made more beautiful for the loss and the pain and the joy and the new life. And I'm glad that God allowed me to be a part of it.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ2_V7LVqvhhSTcnKYJMbmladjgu8_6fAKbMn1f-zQp0HvfGNukjjPswINWdAKl7veCqS6PbqikpPwDAAZTfLHlSYcARs8l_ZzRVqtFqV_MXKK6q3c5iPbtJivNB8Gi9b1dM1ZK8rJYjePEzorTUjOobUOc5GzTf3RVZ_j_6ExOWzwCkkPQY6nDwHrR3i/s2016/image0.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ2_V7LVqvhhSTcnKYJMbmladjgu8_6fAKbMn1f-zQp0HvfGNukjjPswINWdAKl7veCqS6PbqikpPwDAAZTfLHlSYcARs8l_ZzRVqtFqV_MXKK6q3c5iPbtJivNB8Gi9b1dM1ZK8rJYjePEzorTUjOobUOc5GzTf3RVZ_j_6ExOWzwCkkPQY6nDwHrR3i/s320/image0.jpeg" /></a></div></div>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-1568731745620518952023-08-21T06:33:00.010-04:002023-08-21T14:35:30.156-04:00Shopping <p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(by Michelle Wendler) </span></p><p>Here's a glimpse into what shopping in one of the country's largest "malls" looks like.</p><p>You first need to navigate a 40 min drive from Kibuye to Gitega. The road is challenging in many ways, from livestock, to pedestrians, and many bikes. And everyone trying to avoid the many potholes and other cars and motorcycles on the road. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/svbrlZnyRys" width="320" youtube-src-id="svbrlZnyRys"></iframe></div><p>Here are some pictures I've taken of people transporting along the roads:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-dKuXAN2yhK8muIqWa2d8FUGuSuLgGpJoMpzg-k0scp9XZ3McP2FiVAzoCa8qTO8Izw7xM9-gBHijJX204HC991uZGEaSCaJ4t_AtG0nXXACnln9mXPKPSiH_aI_DP5x1AF984rXPs4vK2NNhWRmUdDsEmfhGRdbEEuPbTznsSlzQR_9BMp53j-kfSY/s280/IMG_8002.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="280" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-dKuXAN2yhK8muIqWa2d8FUGuSuLgGpJoMpzg-k0scp9XZ3McP2FiVAzoCa8qTO8Izw7xM9-gBHijJX204HC991uZGEaSCaJ4t_AtG0nXXACnln9mXPKPSiH_aI_DP5x1AF984rXPs4vK2NNhWRmUdDsEmfhGRdbEEuPbTznsSlzQR_9BMp53j-kfSY/w429-h242/IMG_8002.JPG" width="429" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja20WIH_ZwablUKvf-Dbn6cWiGmRGKTi4_ej6TeWjFanNHIhFWCSgfGiW9j4AohU_Ep1JWQdKQ_6fwAdQcIyLrIQw1rNXN4-zlVlyDsGrgWYyZgvI9lSciLQh06s1wlvDxLJbzkrijJahwEKAqugR7dY4gICnq4pdbdOFHgpG8PJqmtvVSAOznctB8v9A/s273/IMG_7998.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="261" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja20WIH_ZwablUKvf-Dbn6cWiGmRGKTi4_ej6TeWjFanNHIhFWCSgfGiW9j4AohU_Ep1JWQdKQ_6fwAdQcIyLrIQw1rNXN4-zlVlyDsGrgWYyZgvI9lSciLQh06s1wlvDxLJbzkrijJahwEKAqugR7dY4gICnq4pdbdOFHgpG8PJqmtvVSAOznctB8v9A/w418-h437/IMG_7998.JPG" width="418" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Once arrived the "on foot" part of the adventure begins. There is no "parking lot" here. You can park along the road or in front of a little roadside shop and walk to the mall. Crossing the streets is always fun, with cars, bikes, pedestrians in a mishmash trying to avoid each other. Many horns honking, people yelling, frantic running when the right moment comes. If you are a white person, you can expect to hear many people yelling "muzungu!!" because it's so rare to see one here. I've actually never seen another muzungu in the market. </p><p>Along the main road is the fabric district with many little shops selling bolts of African fabric and many people sewing using pedal sewing machines. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimt82m3GgzAhxISCHgklzY3sQlggxy239fB3sy0QB8FJEurdAIt5gMdqIQFydDXUQ27uv03ZmxMsZYL7-uiXcfw7i8VEkt60suQwaf9hgD5lTXlRzbZepGPfTRgN9BEOUCX2lEqeECACUj9ESErzwL3pHn96ly2m-NS-bfA59t1mTHj-fKser7zRpRwdY/s280/IMG_7999.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="280" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimt82m3GgzAhxISCHgklzY3sQlggxy239fB3sy0QB8FJEurdAIt5gMdqIQFydDXUQ27uv03ZmxMsZYL7-uiXcfw7i8VEkt60suQwaf9hgD5lTXlRzbZepGPfTRgN9BEOUCX2lEqeECACUj9ESErzwL3pHn96ly2m-NS-bfA59t1mTHj-fKser7zRpRwdY/w443-h250/IMG_7999.JPG" width="443" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlMoZUpOvMSt2MUNF5KZZtecc4E48yI0qY8IhNFwFzWrX1puFu5N7eicPvUATL9X3EmXbqnY-YWnzgxcFkBMJNqJJ443ZprOZ42vIQPWIEZ7xENWyoqTUQBwat8K4ux5fx4uvj2Ghml25HDGcQT0wFv4GCxGdjDg4nKPRjFssaiWFe4HYJGWZHnCgwgo/s280/IMG_8001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="280" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlMoZUpOvMSt2MUNF5KZZtecc4E48yI0qY8IhNFwFzWrX1puFu5N7eicPvUATL9X3EmXbqnY-YWnzgxcFkBMJNqJJ443ZprOZ42vIQPWIEZ7xENWyoqTUQBwat8K4ux5fx4uvj2Ghml25HDGcQT0wFv4GCxGdjDg4nKPRjFssaiWFe4HYJGWZHnCgwgo/w448-h253/IMG_8001.JPG" width="448" /></a></div><p>Upon entering the mall there are many ground level little booths where people are selling many things, like shoes, beans, rice, metal objects, fabric, etc. Most of the clothing items are not new, but are second hand. The shoes are washed to look pretty good though. And the prices are right. A pair of kids shoes will cost around 20,000 fbu with is around $5. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mMCIBQJOS0I" width="320" youtube-src-id="mMCIBQJOS0I"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Once in a while you might have to dive out of the way of someone transporting fresh meat to the meat shop. Fresh meat is usually a freshly butchered cow skewered on a pole and being carried by two men as blood drips on the ground. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mYWZ5mkCTTQZUR_p4sV4EMhRpQ8AXgCTQXI3ikZ8Ll-3TjfArUVpf6BjSi2oP2TN2tPItI96kcUuTZcUujnF9_XSdjAG_17O5vdztdvUjEgd3mpLRbW0PPzEbmQQd00VhMsISeZj7r4CTC43tgmZPqJoL4qK-tbhqYITYI1QnFBB3B49Wrsd9LjRfto/s4032/IMG_4925.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="553" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mYWZ5mkCTTQZUR_p4sV4EMhRpQ8AXgCTQXI3ikZ8Ll-3TjfArUVpf6BjSi2oP2TN2tPItI96kcUuTZcUujnF9_XSdjAG_17O5vdztdvUjEgd3mpLRbW0PPzEbmQQd00VhMsISeZj7r4CTC43tgmZPqJoL4qK-tbhqYITYI1QnFBB3B49Wrsd9LjRfto/w415-h553/IMG_4925.HEIC" width="415" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>If you are looking for clothing you climb stars to the second story of a two story building. I've often wondered the journey of each item of clothing. I've seen an item with a Marshalls clearance tag, then a thrift store tag. They ship these clothing items in large bundles tied in twine to Africa from all over the world. The 2nd hand items that couldn't find a home elsewhere are welcome here. Sometimes there are piles on the floor to look through, or neat piles folded on tables. Sometimes you can find shops that actually hang things with homemade hangers. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC3TGnMYwd_x0OleonOI9ij_Ahg9owKYZLrmAWZNXxGKlXisTNjRPpLVrO6G_jMYuKP9bTRaZrOxw-9JjFRE4k4RZByVpvuZsSHc2fcvcAdD8dX9knGAjTbrBEv0FKST4UzH8HpXwGrq3IMHAFBpJSr-FKuQfTKTePnUorVoLaLi3YF5spyvVSfD-E4o/s4032/IMG_7992.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC3TGnMYwd_x0OleonOI9ij_Ahg9owKYZLrmAWZNXxGKlXisTNjRPpLVrO6G_jMYuKP9bTRaZrOxw-9JjFRE4k4RZByVpvuZsSHc2fcvcAdD8dX9knGAjTbrBEv0FKST4UzH8HpXwGrq3IMHAFBpJSr-FKuQfTKTePnUorVoLaLi3YF5spyvVSfD-E4o/w526-h351/IMG_7992.HEIC" width="526" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Bartering is the name of the game. People will be yelling one price while the shop owner is trying to get a higher. I've found that I always need to go with a local who knows the actual price that things should cost...otherwise I'll pay 10x the correct amount. </p><p>Another thing to get used to how they will try to draw you into their shops. Sometimes they will grab your hand and pull you in. But seeing kids and babies everywhere is something I enjoy. This is a culture that loves family and kids. The little ones will often stare at my because it might be the first time they will have seen a white person. </p><p>The vegetable market is outdoor but covered and is situated along the street. I love the colors in this part of the market. Thankfully I don't have to come all this way to buy our perishable items because we pay a local to come and do a large purchase for our team once a week. Such a gift, especially with gas prices and availability being so problematic. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FFiS32SftGM" width="320" youtube-src-id="FFiS32SftGM"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle Wendlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498137188351461721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-31446759826151749832023-08-15T11:38:00.003-04:002023-08-15T11:38:41.017-04:00Malaria, Mystery and Mitigation<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (from Eric)</span></i></p><p>One of the obvious differences in practicing medicine in Africa versus the USA is that there are diseases that you have to master here that you wouldn't know how to treat had you not come. Foremost among these is malaria. Despite a few locally acquired cases <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/new_info/2023/malaria_florida.html">in Florida and Texas</a> this past summer, malaria is basically unheard of in the United States. At the end of medical school in the US, I had learned some about the disease, but only really on a theoretical level. I had forgotten most of what I learned, and certainly had no practical experience.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmLEW14fu6bhlSQJIpwLiqrMK7BL5tryNABLginOGwGaIZkrTncWzNlfbOTaYsBjqq2MdgUzSza8ydIZHabojli36n0H2G1PXHvNAVcs7SnJclqwCpjQ0NbfU3t90y9GLSO4DKOIp6rzuj9I-_bmDpqA_eaxAQBoXDDD7EIl11INJSH7Sh0FThK2zrcM40" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="1610" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmLEW14fu6bhlSQJIpwLiqrMK7BL5tryNABLginOGwGaIZkrTncWzNlfbOTaYsBjqq2MdgUzSza8ydIZHabojli36n0H2G1PXHvNAVcs7SnJclqwCpjQ0NbfU3t90y9GLSO4DKOIp6rzuj9I-_bmDpqA_eaxAQBoXDDD7EIl11INJSH7Sh0FThK2zrcM40" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malaria parasite infecting a red blood cell</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>But on a worldwide level, this disease is huge. There were about 250 million cases last year, with over 600,000 deaths, and 95% of them are in Sub-saharan Africa. Malaria is transmitted by mosquitos that infect the blood, and it can cause lots of different complications in the brain, in the lungs, in the kidneys, in the spleen, etc.<p></p><p>Here in Burundi, for many years, malaria was my number one diagnosis. As in, more than 50% of my patients were admitted with some severe complication of malaria such as kidney failure, severe anemia, or a deep coma. Many of them died, but because of good treatments that are available, most of them could live and their recoveries were sometimes quite dramatic (and very gratifying!). It's a complicated disease, and so it was probably the disease that I spent the most time teaching my medical students about.</p><p>Malaria is around all year, but it is also highly seasonal. I think it was 2017 and 2018 that Burundi declared back-to-back epidemics (with 2019 numbers being quite high but no epidemic officially announced). The number of cases was more than 80% of the total population. Most everyone was getting malaria. Many people got it multiple times in the same season. Then, starting in 2020, the epidemic rates seemed to be decreasing.</p><p>Enter 2023: This year, we have had virtually no malaria.</p><p>We are now at the end of the would-be "malaria season" and yet the numbers never rose. Less than 1% of our tests are positive. I have no malaria patients on my service, and because of the significant contribution this disease makes to hospital census, for the first time since our team arrived, instead of a steady rise in patients numbers, hospitalizations are actually down.<br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDjwOXr5xjcwFdI1DKQI64M37wcHu3mmC2z1KHoUwsiV7vhdG5wuy-1NuAuI1Rc35bUbiljahKGg0cIfIZr7iDBFeT8aBABvfBBiDTWAfV2O9brvCPZuamLpXML3I5A-nJGBOHQep9zC0UiZeKhLTmQWvKaR7KGhmuLJ_0cttFCY5_AXChu-96VP17FbF1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="766" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDjwOXr5xjcwFdI1DKQI64M37wcHu3mmC2z1KHoUwsiV7vhdG5wuy-1NuAuI1Rc35bUbiljahKGg0cIfIZr7iDBFeT8aBABvfBBiDTWAfV2O9brvCPZuamLpXML3I5A-nJGBOHQep9zC0UiZeKhLTmQWvKaR7KGhmuLJ_0cttFCY5_AXChu-96VP17FbF1" width="273" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kibuye's head lab tech performing malaria microscopy</td></tr></tbody></table><br />What happened? Good question. There are very effective malaria prevention strategies, including indoor residual spraying and distribution of insecticide treated bed nets. There is a national malaria program that is hard at work, but as far as I know, they were hard at work even when Burundi was suffering repetitive epidemics. <i>Médecins Sans Frontières </i>(i.e. "Doctors without Borders") provided a great service to our hospital for a couple years, paying for treatment of all patients hospitalized for severe forms of the disease. But it seems hard to understand how that effort would result in so much prevention.</p><p>Christianity refers to an idea called "common grace". This is a characteristic action of God, who sends rain and sun on everyone, the evil and the good, the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Across the country, Burundi has experienced common grace in the reduction of malaria this year. Long may it last.</p><p>It strikes me that this situation demonstrates two characteristics of common grace. First, it is mysterious. Why did this happen? Is there a direct cause? Nothing leaps to the eye. But understanding something is not a prerequisite for being thankful for it. Second, it is easy to overlook. Being thankful for the <i>absence</i> of something is not what any of us are good for. Something amazing has happened to Burundian health this year, yet we are all prone to overlook it because it is something amazing that did <i>not </i>happen. It gives me pause to think what other grace in my life might be mysterious or invisible enough for me to overlook it.</p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-65686127443832695282023-07-06T03:28:00.000-04:002023-07-06T03:28:04.920-04:00Water Security at Kibuye<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(By Caleb)</span></p><p>In university my studies focused mainly around Water Resources Engineering. Surprisingly, in my current role here at Kibuye, I do not get to put my degree to use very often, strictly speaking. However, over this last year, a very generous gift from a friend of the team has enabled us to make a concentrated effort to increase both the quality and quantity of water available at the hospital. </p><p>Despite our best efforts over the last 10 years the hospital continued to experience periodic water outages. As you can imagine, the lack of water affected the ability of the hospital to function at just about every level. With the construction of new ferro-cement water tanks, new pipelines, some new controls and a new disinfection system, I hope that our water woes will mostly be behind us!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLuQ0ZN6c213HtgQlcnUkrgM9Z42DD1BLh-llpx3a4zuuk7j7mMhEbhYamgGFSqIXAYiITRuc9Pgv3Wb8b4yRTUQtkocQsu4giQVcZipfwaSb0-kxi8lxeGIY_cXcqHxwR5sjuYfAOILYG_fN6WFhI4dv633rTRMe_zoe0nKRrcQsh8g-N-db0-2xCwWax" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLuQ0ZN6c213HtgQlcnUkrgM9Z42DD1BLh-llpx3a4zuuk7j7mMhEbhYamgGFSqIXAYiITRuc9Pgv3Wb8b4yRTUQtkocQsu4giQVcZipfwaSb0-kxi8lxeGIY_cXcqHxwR5sjuYfAOILYG_fN6WFhI4dv633rTRMe_zoe0nKRrcQsh8g-N-db0-2xCwWax=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planning out the location for these new tanks and a pump house. There is space for five tanks, but we started with 3. Each tank can hold 100,000 liters.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHt22jyI7dVCb-mfD9uY7I_vy0fMK9LTusjhJs8wDKdOvQ9moVI6SFF1h3LTW3nSMNCRJyQMH3agDyB7QcDyfBkLbR4aFig3fTQBbIBcp0z3bduoJYzi2INnOf_pbG7eQ7n-SZ3cRZXomDXZl5f3fj7p7uWNbvRscy4kr4s6Fw2KdX6kZVHPWHDbBHjTJv" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHt22jyI7dVCb-mfD9uY7I_vy0fMK9LTusjhJs8wDKdOvQ9moVI6SFF1h3LTW3nSMNCRJyQMH3agDyB7QcDyfBkLbR4aFig3fTQBbIBcp0z3bduoJYzi2INnOf_pbG7eQ7n-SZ3cRZXomDXZl5f3fj7p7uWNbvRscy4kr4s6Fw2KdX6kZVHPWHDbBHjTJv=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting out. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHt22jyI7dVCb-mfD9uY7I_vy0fMK9LTusjhJs8wDKdOvQ9moVI6SFF1h3LTW3nSMNCRJyQMH3agDyB7QcDyfBkLbR4aFig3fTQBbIBcp0z3bduoJYzi2INnOf_pbG7eQ7n-SZ3cRZXomDXZl5f3fj7p7uWNbvRscy4kr4s6Fw2KdX6kZVHPWHDbBHjTJv" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFaKogtjXeaP0Bm0o4CYuJcuHxYGlbRprxYJS9kJXtwE7DqX2r3OOjiz4NXBVrojcN1TY5o0qkIN_XPh-iwkP_Rf9vz2GsDmcgfnytKsOILB7RH8YtMCEQR-k4AZvoEOY5R3zaf_PRzDyedYWjYL2QiiGK9T_1vMTiCAIf_1tp6qRjRIk3R3a51dHNcfsX=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laying the foundation.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnufLAO6N9oZ6mZz4AeDuG9nLtEZDqGPG9TgKRACrOSQF45ptZFiJop8FnfmHKrNgtSpFb8KCChyA9DWebkQumX9Juxua1qnqR31ZsxiMSIROWOCBxVNwAEdhexDqdIEiXTMhl0L6XNsETQ1Xg9y50cSxrIvWrQLNLXMw4SLjgreVbuAEtPlqz4KfPDYzx" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnufLAO6N9oZ6mZz4AeDuG9nLtEZDqGPG9TgKRACrOSQF45ptZFiJop8FnfmHKrNgtSpFb8KCChyA9DWebkQumX9Juxua1qnqR31ZsxiMSIROWOCBxVNwAEdhexDqdIEiXTMhl0L6XNsETQ1Xg9y50cSxrIvWrQLNLXMw4SLjgreVbuAEtPlqz4KfPDYzx=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning to lay the reinforcement and starting to construct the small pump house in the background.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO_BqfVjwNMY7VPuop2PFgTI1TeHcxZAKEEGDEmiqrq2y-OHehUz8zdB7huRrvauCfA3E9WMowH-7Yg5SYSoKLnMWAEShxW_UdFJlfSuk2IB_GWI8vucuHw2MtfcGox30gDelYzKTgZD4Ox2m2jVyCUasISZm_VhzphM0dP2OcfTReWwod6NXemzTuiLn2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO_BqfVjwNMY7VPuop2PFgTI1TeHcxZAKEEGDEmiqrq2y-OHehUz8zdB7huRrvauCfA3E9WMowH-7Yg5SYSoKLnMWAEShxW_UdFJlfSuk2IB_GWI8vucuHw2MtfcGox30gDelYzKTgZD4Ox2m2jVyCUasISZm_VhzphM0dP2OcfTReWwod6NXemzTuiLn2=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the ground slabs poured, they begin to tie the reinforcement of the walls.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGde30lo-ZBpxhHF6BUtKBRVBbp556cJhOz8MeUG9yC3yUb85Gdmlut1g-EHK6ZnDGPAcufqnX94QW_9UKCQeo7vyyITfb2wZPXNPm5f2xwHsFueiBFb3mFB5u5wAyIt0nxY5-j7XaIC4k2lvXqF_OLUngsJSAZ9pfs-Lx-gRFDTVmnAQsfvYrtQND47Zh" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGde30lo-ZBpxhHF6BUtKBRVBbp556cJhOz8MeUG9yC3yUb85Gdmlut1g-EHK6ZnDGPAcufqnX94QW_9UKCQeo7vyyITfb2wZPXNPm5f2xwHsFueiBFb3mFB5u5wAyIt0nxY5-j7XaIC4k2lvXqF_OLUngsJSAZ9pfs-Lx-gRFDTVmnAQsfvYrtQND47Zh=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the reinforcement cages finished, the plastering begins. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsnFZQE2FTEyDps291CkDPfa5ktEjWXyMbPuGf57anqsG6KKjW2Era98efZE90ZKSdVlUb7xMGgzyn42lsaljEF7_4atcJGpiEoiddDOO9gL6bSxsgqnc9cjndjNt154d9fqsNAUIxLENms_iHlZsyKkSFmrmlyTxuQs8Mi1ObyVGip7MFRzNtTA7MEsWd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsnFZQE2FTEyDps291CkDPfa5ktEjWXyMbPuGf57anqsG6KKjW2Era98efZE90ZKSdVlUb7xMGgzyn42lsaljEF7_4atcJGpiEoiddDOO9gL6bSxsgqnc9cjndjNt154d9fqsNAUIxLENms_iHlZsyKkSFmrmlyTxuQs8Mi1ObyVGip7MFRzNtTA7MEsWd=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two tanks complete and curing under hessian coffee sacks. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFcZuRUB1OvRoO6yYmPYpBVLUogyUo1eBd8hrBVjxM8RlB36qmhzPY0VFBR9KOXPWwrY8Cs1pXMAu3TjYCYe2oIJaZgRYkkhHG2rgEt4EfWrPO2CndwuENQPP91vn-Iai2kRNFI67il7-usFQxnv1xyiSs4CdKOAPA3sNmbN-lxLYSXA1Fw_omCH4CXWoZ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFcZuRUB1OvRoO6yYmPYpBVLUogyUo1eBd8hrBVjxM8RlB36qmhzPY0VFBR9KOXPWwrY8Cs1pXMAu3TjYCYe2oIJaZgRYkkhHG2rgEt4EfWrPO2CndwuENQPP91vn-Iai2kRNFI67il7-usFQxnv1xyiSs4CdKOAPA3sNmbN-lxLYSXA1Fw_omCH4CXWoZ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing the plastering on the inside. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvMwZJxydrED70m2kRH7S8th26QR8JMoGqEM4vHF9YnUBit9_PImH88biZm0nWYnrCkMldTLfSt9L_QRVw7oQs5GApqN3Qf6sjp4Y9yFr0CUMs9iqQh8OgSq3rXwXRSWgNsQDWeEVfu7X2U7lnlADPN59GdPEI-nwQDLefVa_cGTwZqK13-TIRmRaQbNVx" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvMwZJxydrED70m2kRH7S8th26QR8JMoGqEM4vHF9YnUBit9_PImH88biZm0nWYnrCkMldTLfSt9L_QRVw7oQs5GApqN3Qf6sjp4Y9yFr0CUMs9iqQh8OgSq3rXwXRSWgNsQDWeEVfu7X2U7lnlADPN59GdPEI-nwQDLefVa_cGTwZqK13-TIRmRaQbNVx=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A visit from a local inspector. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmQ9isFEmBaB5yOQPs9bpQ4HhWFT_NlWl6Ov-gxPyVnq7D1KGxgCwP80RZX8S0_JQBAOGU3or1QOUwkR6shCLNEQ6IgAKo2hvbRQ-iCi5LI31tMyKJVXDV3bswjT6eJ1frJ7Yyqy00NeJuUHPvvaBE3OgQVsm89ZmP7KP6ZkPgXhu0o7qbvvXS_3uU9sIB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmQ9isFEmBaB5yOQPs9bpQ4HhWFT_NlWl6Ov-gxPyVnq7D1KGxgCwP80RZX8S0_JQBAOGU3or1QOUwkR6shCLNEQ6IgAKo2hvbRQ-iCi5LI31tMyKJVXDV3bswjT6eJ1frJ7Yyqy00NeJuUHPvvaBE3OgQVsm89ZmP7KP6ZkPgXhu0o7qbvvXS_3uU9sIB=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After close review, final approval received! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHTJJiXVlQaYJ-2oemh4UpXqaNRR-OBJrOqkxGjLk2Cv5iY8H9pH2Wid0J5MOhN6Us3xo6TRF9iJOzCyTSdm76G6L6ex3kIVmb9atGWqHi7B0GCQHeRkMsmKMmNQwyCBmCpaF4cAyZ-PIbTxWuI8YYZKfIVXPDsO_HmuSTwDmWYF2UNxaQYyMPUb49G2ax" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHTJJiXVlQaYJ-2oemh4UpXqaNRR-OBJrOqkxGjLk2Cv5iY8H9pH2Wid0J5MOhN6Us3xo6TRF9iJOzCyTSdm76G6L6ex3kIVmb9atGWqHi7B0GCQHeRkMsmKMmNQwyCBmCpaF4cAyZ-PIbTxWuI8YYZKfIVXPDsO_HmuSTwDmWYF2UNxaQYyMPUb49G2ax=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanks complete! Only awaiting paint after curing. The hospital's water storage used to be a mere 60,000 liters. Now with these tanks we have 360,000 liters. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPZH0Bh9cK9r9QA1bcdnbNXA_bleRh92gu4QKDkXuPKhjnJWew7YUAal6egOnzt1qXOJHRN_yZyni1vm9-p42NuwVWfL--GFZgKzsnQkhvnRhWr3s9NGJnZNqcyJrwYYJBASEXHKOKRvzy8pxRYqAJH9ppRxwdHw8NsDW8vNvxp7DMM4o641Wv2VK5iVrz" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPZH0Bh9cK9r9QA1bcdnbNXA_bleRh92gu4QKDkXuPKhjnJWew7YUAal6egOnzt1qXOJHRN_yZyni1vm9-p42NuwVWfL--GFZgKzsnQkhvnRhWr3s9NGJnZNqcyJrwYYJBASEXHKOKRvzy8pxRYqAJH9ppRxwdHw8NsDW8vNvxp7DMM4o641Wv2VK5iVrz=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More curious inspectors checking on the filling process. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjC3P1D0B2iMpvqZkjPXBB0JkO2-sEsOHG6tXK8zvJjGr3KrODV5JM0NYZVlUV0bdY1w6j6He3UUeyJrD5AbI2aAx3lMdI53xqYl1KVj7DISOB4SQJSD5DvhKszWkPTxDqKgHIcE7_x7PaO3ZB7y9jDqwhz_G1pFdJZJVC9d59dXV0Jey7QBpedqKcYT37L" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjC3P1D0B2iMpvqZkjPXBB0JkO2-sEsOHG6tXK8zvJjGr3KrODV5JM0NYZVlUV0bdY1w6j6He3UUeyJrD5AbI2aAx3lMdI53xqYl1KVj7DISOB4SQJSD5DvhKszWkPTxDqKgHIcE7_x7PaO3ZB7y9jDqwhz_G1pFdJZJVC9d59dXV0Jey7QBpedqKcYT37L=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is our new Ultraviolet disinfection system. Recent water quality testing showed that we can now drink the water straight from the tap! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKDqPK61w-scKr2jC7gZN0si5SgivZ23h_U9Lsupi0RV2FiVP7S1clS6xG7n8wornz-mG6YBu8YndQc9nzo1BAGeUmDuCMDgpmSBBcGX_rhYNQkRtCI7kmxHR1DNh5NqxQnAhSUhaQDG3hYSUGjwAh8IbsjL3O8Su-6dgHfgLkFcd2rZ5axnUP2OV7oXFh"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Caleb Faderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13953280686064946115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-16662600706445062102023-06-29T12:32:00.006-04:002023-06-29T12:33:43.055-04:00Article from Eric at MereOrthodoxy<p> Hi everyone. I recently had an article published at MereOrthodoxy.com on the subject of Lamenting and Rejoicing at the Same Time. I'm glad for a chance to share it in that venue, and <a href="https://mereorthodoxy.com/mourning-and-rejoicing-simultaneously">here is the link</a> for any of you that would also like to read it.</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvrJ17j4SlM8BQ7a0PUV9pa1E5RN6the3QMqDcJbklKfwxvOoHXkSCL34GvJ_zTEFc-hfENZ31lHRIK-9kwycRtbBVRZmyljZFulQJRz8sqUFp2hzYhONEXHK7ofcAgG1sVbCIPHVuyda5tdt6vRX4qFke2B-0-HciwfQNO4Veit8BoJwajTnLXWJy21t/s2074/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-29%20at%2011.30.27%20AM.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="2074" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvrJ17j4SlM8BQ7a0PUV9pa1E5RN6the3QMqDcJbklKfwxvOoHXkSCL34GvJ_zTEFc-hfENZ31lHRIK-9kwycRtbBVRZmyljZFulQJRz8sqUFp2hzYhONEXHK7ofcAgG1sVbCIPHVuyda5tdt6vRX4qFke2B-0-HciwfQNO4Veit8BoJwajTnLXWJy21t/w400-h239/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-29%20at%2011.30.27%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(image just a screen shot. Click the link above to read)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-52727848686347215652023-06-18T04:17:00.001-04:002023-06-18T04:17:25.458-04:00When I'm not treating children...<p><i>by Jenn</i></p><p>Before moving to Burundi, I would say I had a black thumb and knew nothing about animals. If I had read a book in the past 10 years, it was likely about the developing fetus, NOT how animals develop. </p><p>Three and a half years after moving here though, I can say that I have become a budding gardener, and have successfully watched the process of chicks hatching. I phrase the latter that way, because it's truly magnificent how LITTLE I contributed to the process of chicks hatching. </p><p>Maybe not all of you know, but about a year ago, just after arriving back from home assignment, I had a hen house constructed and brought home some cute 3-month old pullets. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tj0rSfNC3X2oCTA9Mx5BQp4w15o5ylahZWlpRUEeznnGpfa89OKXypJm8LmgAa9OsRl8iAHFZeaDyY-sA8aJIAZjh7-Ug7x1lDooz_dhkSFUW_Qv_RSRE3zunZuIazwKh2x6jm9sUpHh4x_xEsSJdhezWk4iS62qa1ozu0WJSupsEsXXINBZOQDgSg/s2532/IMG_99EFC14E644D-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2532" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tj0rSfNC3X2oCTA9Mx5BQp4w15o5ylahZWlpRUEeznnGpfa89OKXypJm8LmgAa9OsRl8iAHFZeaDyY-sA8aJIAZjh7-Ug7x1lDooz_dhkSFUW_Qv_RSRE3zunZuIazwKh2x6jm9sUpHh4x_xEsSJdhezWk4iS62qa1ozu0WJSupsEsXXINBZOQDgSg/s320/IMG_99EFC14E644D-1.jpeg" width="148" /></a></div><br />Eight to be excact. But in a few short weeks, we realized that in fact we had one cockrel. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9D_D1BUTov4ASlg1E5EqZbfmm-shvyEag6x_H1dftuUfBn9ACcK7FOkS9Ywap8PhRlVkV5rEfE9awBEq12RVhJ4wKDlKUycR091hES3-yRtyOHKOHtCHzCUKon545rgUyWdx93kJVAM9pyLs4zg15A5T9ehYZPRj41arlWVu5hVrWvKUYv6vbc3-Pw/s4032/IMG_6229.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9D_D1BUTov4ASlg1E5EqZbfmm-shvyEag6x_H1dftuUfBn9ACcK7FOkS9Ywap8PhRlVkV5rEfE9awBEq12RVhJ4wKDlKUycR091hES3-yRtyOHKOHtCHzCUKon545rgUyWdx93kJVAM9pyLs4zg15A5T9ehYZPRj41arlWVu5hVrWvKUYv6vbc3-Pw/s320/IMG_6229.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Two terms I learned at that time : <b>pullet</b> - a young female chicken who will grow into a hen. C<b>ockrel </b>- a young male chicken who will grow into a rooster. The girls named him Handsome. </p><p>Sadly, he became too lound and so he .... well, let's just say he's not around anymore...</p><p>The seven ladies grew like weeds and started producing eggs around 5-6 months of age. Which is pretty typical. Good job ladies. We have been enjoying lovely eggs for the past year. They produce 4-7 eggs/day. </p><p>One day a few months ago, I noticed one hen having some odd behavior. She was not leaving the coop and sat on all of the eggs all of the time. She would leave the coop maybe once to eat, drink, and poop, but otherwise didn't move much. I wondered if she was getting sick, but then a lightbulb went of... she's brooding! </p><p>Another term I learned - <b>brooding</b> - when a hen spends most of her days and nights sitting on the eggs in order that they may hatch. She wanted to be a momma. </p><p>This is great IF you have fertilized eggs and want chicks. I didn't think I had time or bandwith at the time so I tried to break her habits. Note, she does not lay eggs when she's broody, so we weren't getting any from her during this time. I gently took her off the nest multiple times a day and encouraged her to NOT brood, but to no avail. </p><p>Enter Issac. </p><p>A teammate was gifted a rooster one sunny Friday afternoon and he asked if he could "store" his rooster in our coop until....well, let's just say the plan was to have him go to the same place Handsome went...</p><p>I said sure, and another lightbulb went off. CHICKS!</p><p>I won't go into details, but suffice it to say all of the ladies produced fertilized eggs for at least 10 days, some for two weeks! </p><p>Another thing I learned - <b>the momma hen actually doesn't produce fertilized eggs.</b> Well, maybe <i>she</i> was fertilized, but she wasn't producing egs... therefore no fertilized <i>eggs</i>. She was already in broody mode, so her little hen body had stopped producing eggs when she went into "I want to be a momma" mode. </p><p>How do I know they were fertile? Well, I did a lot of reading (because - see first paragraph - I had NO idea what I was doing) and realized you could look in the yolk for a white dot with concentric circles starting to form. So that's what I did. Here's an example of one of the eggs I cracked 24 hours after Issac's arrival.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfnjI35C81_7V1-jibSOlzMxl37_Jtnt7j02PNVrE_j4QRLrm1C0mbOnPi8YJTN00gOa7nLhYz8m7DFeKYN0tjQNmfAF79DlznGLrYpXrEU-GA7NP0ynuK1e6XGXC2Ybjax51HCsthEhPqTQH7UnQ34qRaKt8HvxEqwb547Xu8W5A80gRIA9P0aebDQ/s4032/IMG_9401.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfnjI35C81_7V1-jibSOlzMxl37_Jtnt7j02PNVrE_j4QRLrm1C0mbOnPi8YJTN00gOa7nLhYz8m7DFeKYN0tjQNmfAF79DlznGLrYpXrEU-GA7NP0ynuK1e6XGXC2Ybjax51HCsthEhPqTQH7UnQ34qRaKt8HvxEqwb547Xu8W5A80gRIA9P0aebDQ/s320/IMG_9401.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>You'll see a tiny white dot - the egg is fertilized!</i></p><p>Since the ladies produce tons of eggs, and the momma can't sit on dozens, I marked some with a sharpie and let her continue to sit on those, while collecting and eathing the others that the other ladies were laying. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Li1wB6-70JyTALu6AUgY-BTKapHAvTHm9x6LggCI2bYBcs0lc3pS5k3NTOQoc9Ydku61PvF2jX2m-V0F4J1-J_xeTtJ6BnKe0divbQbrAYanzLGx8HweXEv7aWabL6vuEXoR3s7m9Q9auSEXcLJ60qYUGlMb1YIEtWqar_dSHpLLD37qmvBFFUE87Q/s4032/IMG_9404.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Li1wB6-70JyTALu6AUgY-BTKapHAvTHm9x6LggCI2bYBcs0lc3pS5k3NTOQoc9Ydku61PvF2jX2m-V0F4J1-J_xeTtJ6BnKe0divbQbrAYanzLGx8HweXEv7aWabL6vuEXoR3s7m9Q9auSEXcLJ60qYUGlMb1YIEtWqar_dSHpLLD37qmvBFFUE87Q/s320/IMG_9404.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>Something else I learned, you CAN eat fertilized eggs. They don't develop unless they are incubated. </p><p>I also read about candeling - an essential step to see if your eggs are developing, or if she is just sitting on eggs that will become rotten. I didn't get a good picture of me doing it, but here's what candeling an egg each step of the way should look like.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2LUX9DSz8pRF1vMH7fVF89V-Z9xWGElIlsHQv_gomtCOv7kbx0nWp6AE1gEAHP7id3ZEZddHLMGmvBE8ebhkywDvaiq71TxdZP216TRmru2JtBOEc5BE5cU2dJc-zdq4tH6Oe0umNrcdtuEu3V6Q-D1CxOOqBhsZtlU2Qm53MwSCmR-82mmmgVXVFw/s2532/IMG_9412.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2532" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2LUX9DSz8pRF1vMH7fVF89V-Z9xWGElIlsHQv_gomtCOv7kbx0nWp6AE1gEAHP7id3ZEZddHLMGmvBE8ebhkywDvaiq71TxdZP216TRmru2JtBOEc5BE5cU2dJc-zdq4tH6Oe0umNrcdtuEu3V6Q-D1CxOOqBhsZtlU2Qm53MwSCmR-82mmmgVXVFw/s320/IMG_9412.PNG" width="148" /></a></div><p>Also - clearly I need more experience in this... see later in the story. </p><p><b>Twenty-one days went by </b>(that's how long... or SHORT it takes for a chick to go from the picture you see above to a fully developed chick that can stand, eat, and drink just after it hatches! God's design is amazing!)</p><p>I let the momma incubate her eggs in the coop becuase I really didn't have another place to put her. Not ideal, but it worked. </p><p>The first chick <b>"pipped"</b> (made the first crack in the shell) one morning but when I came back it looked like the other ladies had started to peck at the chick in its egg. Not good - they will attack it and kill it. So I moved the momma, the hatching chick (who I didn't think was going to make it) into a bin and put the bin in our half bathroom with a space heater. Well, the chick made it! And was named Cookie. Then another one hatched the day after! They huddled under their momma and they were SO cute. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoemHqTYlnOUzX7I_v277wOpBhvrJ08pbVVx_ViSbOay5HQ2iVGVYr6tyP0hekyZFMRNZifk88A4HPyECbE1j8wfil1k6eeAMIEzCgCRogqDDDaftqVT-CwAv0AVp9RjwKfqiDiT6rhPpO3alG27-VQi2eSOHe4QIxEKiEiHkMLV04kTDCfMg5mGObKA/s4032/IMG_9558.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoemHqTYlnOUzX7I_v277wOpBhvrJ08pbVVx_ViSbOay5HQ2iVGVYr6tyP0hekyZFMRNZifk88A4HPyECbE1j8wfil1k6eeAMIEzCgCRogqDDDaftqVT-CwAv0AVp9RjwKfqiDiT6rhPpO3alG27-VQi2eSOHe4QIxEKiEiHkMLV04kTDCfMg5mGObKA/s320/IMG_9558.HEIC" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKsPaWZ93R0x7zUabETK6eJlqHvMkLENeF3vPUdgHhV-hxDIhyknomss3MOgQhED46fxENRryhZMLudQWBTg-QBfWqWlt-pbcKE46PbolhhHhd-MJcuIAi8oeXs1xPvug_bFq3urO0RuNMjjxcPsa06VON99Mz82iMdVuefH0kpWxnFKPyKRIapZwkg/s4032/IMG_9563.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKsPaWZ93R0x7zUabETK6eJlqHvMkLENeF3vPUdgHhV-hxDIhyknomss3MOgQhED46fxENRryhZMLudQWBTg-QBfWqWlt-pbcKE46PbolhhHhd-MJcuIAi8oeXs1xPvug_bFq3urO0RuNMjjxcPsa06VON99Mz82iMdVuefH0kpWxnFKPyKRIapZwkg/s320/IMG_9563.HEIC" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToTTvgvHwYxD6eDYjP2XLFR3GIYK8c7QFhrPytqujL-YuNJjMB9m58WHdn0JvKor7eZAiQB7PfIhIQXq-QUgyKqg0tmD4Mp-mZnhvZGDtubueaIoDhnqDEhtQ8-FPNtAcJg9bTT5oAmf0PgJ_JTzMYJcBt7Ofm_y4NjGFD5Rzs80Fi8u_m43hePOhaQ/s4032/IMG_9567.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToTTvgvHwYxD6eDYjP2XLFR3GIYK8c7QFhrPytqujL-YuNJjMB9m58WHdn0JvKor7eZAiQB7PfIhIQXq-QUgyKqg0tmD4Mp-mZnhvZGDtubueaIoDhnqDEhtQ8-FPNtAcJg9bTT5oAmf0PgJ_JTzMYJcBt7Ofm_y4NjGFD5Rzs80Fi8u_m43hePOhaQ/s320/IMG_9567.HEIC" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdUsDFrbjwnpJrc8gVPXB984leBGh3fl3dnaGhTxnv8K0lS-0lt5YcanQZ4aUkQYR9t7n0E7mf7SOhH173RoOMUBE1YAoTJ0_gTHcJ6zS0_ZdJuFi9nhvTwksv7zruKyVNQSWzbyVDqAHDhvn_BsLSSUw5wDF5H9lY9Scytfg1W-qs4qKPR737HWnDQ/s4032/IMG_9592.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdUsDFrbjwnpJrc8gVPXB984leBGh3fl3dnaGhTxnv8K0lS-0lt5YcanQZ4aUkQYR9t7n0E7mf7SOhH173RoOMUBE1YAoTJ0_gTHcJ6zS0_ZdJuFi9nhvTwksv7zruKyVNQSWzbyVDqAHDhvn_BsLSSUw5wDF5H9lY9Scytfg1W-qs4qKPR737HWnDQ/s320/IMG_9592.HEIC" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwYsBbjnHUrSZVUnShC1BxAf9cdBMiw9RFEcLr82hlLlJAmCVGSfgIc24Vs-qs08pvIFv7l5C0lb8KHPQZ016sugN9Duo9FwMjwADxu-JA8GcPSiWYq7NIw3n3S2QLhLD1PCghgpJLIFNcfDBy4oajA5_qZhyA8137A0UAzvsB-u7pciQnnkslkxT_Q/s3088/IMG_9586.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwYsBbjnHUrSZVUnShC1BxAf9cdBMiw9RFEcLr82hlLlJAmCVGSfgIc24Vs-qs08pvIFv7l5C0lb8KHPQZ016sugN9Duo9FwMjwADxu-JA8GcPSiWYq7NIw3n3S2QLhLD1PCghgpJLIFNcfDBy4oajA5_qZhyA8137A0UAzvsB-u7pciQnnkslkxT_Q/s320/IMG_9586.HEIC" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FJRLyIw5J6XdUpau8oaDDYh2LZ-EmWVMBVEHtXKyE6UjXNyChDYM6J0hvKGMhZ41aNWtrCU2t94AmBuHy-GaVXkjVuy6cElNcr8E7PqZd6CSo2ychZDFOONFfusJyfyZtdEmntGK-QqmXVsm4MRi8XxyGrO2VCAZqprd2HX2Ze7NF-ZwvkL7ka0klQ/s4032/IMG_9587.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FJRLyIw5J6XdUpau8oaDDYh2LZ-EmWVMBVEHtXKyE6UjXNyChDYM6J0hvKGMhZ41aNWtrCU2t94AmBuHy-GaVXkjVuy6cElNcr8E7PqZd6CSo2ychZDFOONFfusJyfyZtdEmntGK-QqmXVsm4MRi8XxyGrO2VCAZqprd2HX2Ze7NF-ZwvkL7ka0klQ/s320/IMG_9587.HEIC" width="320" /></a></p><p>The first 5 chicks that hatched did really well and are still growing! Two other chicks hatched but they didn't survive, and three of the eggs didn't develop (hence my need for improving my candling skills. Despite the brief sadness of the two not surviving, we were thankful for the 5 that made it! </p><p>Once there were no more eggs to sit on, the momma hen was getting quite restless, standing up in the bin and trying to get out. So we moved them to the back portch. That lasted for a few days until they all started escaping the enclosure. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToiJDPll18ELgzLF2n9fWEESzS8R1BvLneWM_Un5KFcfo5lDiyawduVm9XBwpXl-5LBfVXgq5511Vo8yo9l-n-c4__1fjuf29MpgJo80La6RVd9nf528g1bS_pjjl4q3OCLug_mBOsjBEfXGH_cHe03bFdZXuPrnPZYc452CGfMalspq64qR5wUlrVQ/s4032/IMG_9621.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToiJDPll18ELgzLF2n9fWEESzS8R1BvLneWM_Un5KFcfo5lDiyawduVm9XBwpXl-5LBfVXgq5511Vo8yo9l-n-c4__1fjuf29MpgJo80La6RVd9nf528g1bS_pjjl4q3OCLug_mBOsjBEfXGH_cHe03bFdZXuPrnPZYc452CGfMalspq64qR5wUlrVQ/s320/IMG_9621.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuE0BMezsCtsnltGVioz3nYQGSvfSdOCzOruspZxNlDMUCUxTh3BqwePksNpbEh7n2YSgE0zJYkpiGQJ9tnSyYY2ws68gQmVAbsOTCy2Jy7p6WRVVDGWW1KGmlPIdZb0ofofggBuyIF-xhnRc9YoWaeIH8wD9c0ZsvizLZMOFHbABe2-nbMFdaSIG5w/s4032/IMG_9623.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuE0BMezsCtsnltGVioz3nYQGSvfSdOCzOruspZxNlDMUCUxTh3BqwePksNpbEh7n2YSgE0zJYkpiGQJ9tnSyYY2ws68gQmVAbsOTCy2Jy7p6WRVVDGWW1KGmlPIdZb0ofofggBuyIF-xhnRc9YoWaeIH8wD9c0ZsvizLZMOFHbABe2-nbMFdaSIG5w/s320/IMG_9623.HEIC" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX-jjr5nBaUxJNiJzrBHcoTPgu9JDVV79ySx1GKh_nIOmL8HGJlsHFIPoWfihTVXPdtkdMcHf2r4OAwoVjm-hOxASgOif4Q5SPUyjsV0DX0Iwli-5vsVsUOB0VReT30JDglftIaKH0QvpaUtqIiif5i4fzxu1Xx92-OAZfTXXiOqf2yVPtgox-gdSIg/s4032/IMG_9624.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX-jjr5nBaUxJNiJzrBHcoTPgu9JDVV79ySx1GKh_nIOmL8HGJlsHFIPoWfihTVXPdtkdMcHf2r4OAwoVjm-hOxASgOif4Q5SPUyjsV0DX0Iwli-5vsVsUOB0VReT30JDglftIaKH0QvpaUtqIiif5i4fzxu1Xx92-OAZfTXXiOqf2yVPtgox-gdSIg/w295-h222/IMG_9624.HEIC" width="295" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_jWeA053hfvIfLXofAkdUle0M8PZjDPpFrSots0T8YDCnnXQykSo32Viw9f_Av1m0hnv-WtobtUC30-hpqSope8sFgY3JLkax09noULgqOm2fOJ1oQXzFDSVpUmAjr6HQILXOYvPHL2RJJHs8nmD-cpOvpPrEWsQ4BXuLQUq9IMDQWleN-akoix0aA/s4032/IMG_9619.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_jWeA053hfvIfLXofAkdUle0M8PZjDPpFrSots0T8YDCnnXQykSo32Viw9f_Av1m0hnv-WtobtUC30-hpqSope8sFgY3JLkax09noULgqOm2fOJ1oQXzFDSVpUmAjr6HQILXOYvPHL2RJJHs8nmD-cpOvpPrEWsQ4BXuLQUq9IMDQWleN-akoix0aA/s320/IMG_9619.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-myUcTAXaIG9I0rxrXm021vulX0dHED8KHy-uvTCBHfDyGggmwxLqJBqYE7EbqV4DUNNPyiENvejsgQOyaY8lEMUtCShwouw9-nCP2Och_rllB6T_fsFoi0z85iCOCU1SiPaeoizY5nGsw4zQa6TcpmTEDLRar7DEcD9PZApfZegEYnDYWM1es7rBQ/s4032/IMG_9617.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-myUcTAXaIG9I0rxrXm021vulX0dHED8KHy-uvTCBHfDyGggmwxLqJBqYE7EbqV4DUNNPyiENvejsgQOyaY8lEMUtCShwouw9-nCP2Och_rllB6T_fsFoi0z85iCOCU1SiPaeoizY5nGsw4zQa6TcpmTEDLRar7DEcD9PZApfZegEYnDYWM1es7rBQ/s320/IMG_9617.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We decided to put the momma back outside where she could eat, drink, poop, scratch, and move about on her own terms. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>And the chicks went back into the bin in the bathroom with the space heater. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCa2ufAeEu6Rzf93CbtQFHcG7j9Ve-AKy27mTFkGFUsl-nkmLvo91jAEEZ0fo4VwxC0612UiS64TCVLHKu89oFW1S5SiJU1puaXUh3FCTdONMN_-pHNtdxyynE7i1SRw5pBpJLQAoJDpC8EZfUAb91M8j0ROLmTjkZFE7q9OOGLi-8HDKwz81wN8-aqA/s4032/IMG_9797.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCa2ufAeEu6Rzf93CbtQFHcG7j9Ve-AKy27mTFkGFUsl-nkmLvo91jAEEZ0fo4VwxC0612UiS64TCVLHKu89oFW1S5SiJU1puaXUh3FCTdONMN_-pHNtdxyynE7i1SRw5pBpJLQAoJDpC8EZfUAb91M8j0ROLmTjkZFE7q9OOGLi-8HDKwz81wN8-aqA/s320/IMG_9797.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>They too started to get a little restless, and so we created a little enclosure inside the chicken run so that they could have their own outside space. Not pictured, but we created a little slatted door/gate so that they coudl get in and out of this little corner but the bit ladies could not. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXEmMlLmlza11Pm0LEpO1xSjjemvBVfhfzT9PVxMKOFRfgg8xviEdZ_GXvwGR4bLRV8XmfR9Z-MpsZRqwKb-RvbaS6oQhN79mhe0Cy_GtOcg5Ca_LNZWF4rmbBnIkb9CHx3e9KPppBg-yXYvm6qBtpQ0D5Qvn9OHTUslor00WolTSXyGkZmS7owEFrw/s4032/IMG_9835.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXEmMlLmlza11Pm0LEpO1xSjjemvBVfhfzT9PVxMKOFRfgg8xviEdZ_GXvwGR4bLRV8XmfR9Z-MpsZRqwKb-RvbaS6oQhN79mhe0Cy_GtOcg5Ca_LNZWF4rmbBnIkb9CHx3e9KPppBg-yXYvm6qBtpQ0D5Qvn9OHTUslor00WolTSXyGkZmS7owEFrw/s320/IMG_9835.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;">They are super happy outisde! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv3eOBU8fIx-BQps-BkNaJaC0kQCe116rnGRPsIbVc2BU010Qqigct4wi_dZ-wrETnnOGDEq7SGOJ_daQmx4P6gJZwTqOaZQK-DMF0S1IMuI9j06OBw1fd1ZzzDviDkBKEL9UUXAg8IeeNqT_73KvEfzjGYY9Cg7Q0HOQbmKDZ7qKc_kNglGnn8IJ7g/s4032/IMG_9851.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv3eOBU8fIx-BQps-BkNaJaC0kQCe116rnGRPsIbVc2BU010Qqigct4wi_dZ-wrETnnOGDEq7SGOJ_daQmx4P6gJZwTqOaZQK-DMF0S1IMuI9j06OBw1fd1ZzzDviDkBKEL9UUXAg8IeeNqT_73KvEfzjGYY9Cg7Q0HOQbmKDZ7qKc_kNglGnn8IJ7g/s320/IMG_9851.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>They still come in at night and sleep in the bin. </div><div><br /></div><div>Amelia, Madelyn, and Mark have LOVED this experience, and I have learned a lot on the way. And let's be honest, I've loved it too! </div><div><br /></div><div>Touch base in a few weeks... maybe then we will know if they are cockrels or pullets! (We're hoping for 5 girls!) <br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Jennifer Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294021793143925721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-75241200128309058282023-05-28T10:06:00.000-04:002023-05-28T10:06:03.432-04:00KHA Graduation - So Long, Farewell<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK1Np19CUnzFRORuRHXh0rOaZsGOKPpG4FHgYfzBbfFh6Uuaik9Ko-WMIEDuLw1pcjiINDMf8K1-gqccHvi5DKFvmDreZLRRr0s_Rvm8cqKFaS-OiLsZoiNgfA3r7gUXpQXQoQqMO2DBZcb54y_tNQkDXdt1OHD1g7rFrNkEUI2Rc3N5P4QXs2-FUR" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK1Np19CUnzFRORuRHXh0rOaZsGOKPpG4FHgYfzBbfFh6Uuaik9Ko-WMIEDuLw1pcjiINDMf8K1-gqccHvi5DKFvmDreZLRRr0s_Rvm8cqKFaS-OiLsZoiNgfA3r7gUXpQXQoQqMO2DBZcb54y_tNQkDXdt1OHD1g7rFrNkEUI2Rc3N5P4QXs2-FUR=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2023 Kibuye Hope Academy Graduates</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This weekend marked another milestone for our lives here at Kibuye. We graduated another class of 8th graders from Kibuye Hope Academy. Our graduates were Liam Banks and Maggie McLaughlin. This year was unique because it was the first time we graduated a student who has done every year of her education at KHA. Maggie was a kindergartener the first year KHA officially began. Liam’s first year at Kibuye was his 2nd grade year. And here we are, many years later with two 14 year olds! For both the McLaughlins and us (the Banks), these are our oldest and first to graduate Middle School. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-2USeSIeCUBZLdvCCaNtIdIGlk5OpEW8kdxKJ5sOyjLeJSP_BvP3i7i692a6whsWlmRUDIO0vsl6yl-sJ6Z1TeM50fUSxu0Rceoy4WzGzOlYeZ50CFhdkQki5I_1ldgqyEEDGQpFlfsRECs3xMNud81W7HNp-TGFFFKkXgek0LyxBHvMyL8IsjPq4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-2USeSIeCUBZLdvCCaNtIdIGlk5OpEW8kdxKJ5sOyjLeJSP_BvP3i7i692a6whsWlmRUDIO0vsl6yl-sJ6Z1TeM50fUSxu0Rceoy4WzGzOlYeZ50CFhdkQki5I_1ldgqyEEDGQpFlfsRECs3xMNud81W7HNp-TGFFFKkXgek0LyxBHvMyL8IsjPq4=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge-Tg8oz6JnhxYZYaqSfyO7ZSmpzln3uOMMLwDWcvlUhPwJXZh0atoFtahjPqYbvqwomvEWzv7XP6V1AjMpd33b_S87M3HCn3P9oCQ7rLRTNDE0rF5xAFy6pSSMfoXODTlpb67ATxQJ_Q_BDKvnD7bUTGRhBpkX6xULdEmtyNzWm782-HkuQACcnUb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge-Tg8oz6JnhxYZYaqSfyO7ZSmpzln3uOMMLwDWcvlUhPwJXZh0atoFtahjPqYbvqwomvEWzv7XP6V1AjMpd33b_S87M3HCn3P9oCQ7rLRTNDE0rF5xAFy6pSSMfoXODTlpb67ATxQJ_Q_BDKvnD7bUTGRhBpkX6xULdEmtyNzWm782-HkuQACcnUb=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBdUnGTDdHcPwDFtGrq2eNxng75HMvWAxXd8imiz1YS4pU3tdvCKYcO26GfZ2ufiyGyk6l5lggNOpu_R-NxK96nVgmtzu9TnmPT-2MPYmQhJsd6wFMPGt-KhbERXXJXKdApTnam9khnHNLlkNeKn77HVseN1_jqEzRt0R_Ro7LJ-v6C4jRD4NH0ory" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBdUnGTDdHcPwDFtGrq2eNxng75HMvWAxXd8imiz1YS4pU3tdvCKYcO26GfZ2ufiyGyk6l5lggNOpu_R-NxK96nVgmtzu9TnmPT-2MPYmQhJsd6wFMPGt-KhbERXXJXKdApTnam9khnHNLlkNeKn77HVseN1_jqEzRt0R_Ro7LJ-v6C4jRD4NH0ory=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoRwArvd85D8ZjqWmjASaLdKNGqAATes0lzMp5XzVnVV_Wz_KUAymCh2SlYmJvxdPiw2BdbfBzuZ79Unb8fGIYWLOdRD3P9CXksDa4Uj2ykAZdAgrT6Os6tczJI9weaLvoU9yoQaX3xwUIQM8PXHVq-niuaid6Vs4a5xEKcE1vIRdXQ0CGQ7H4eXXC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoRwArvd85D8ZjqWmjASaLdKNGqAATes0lzMp5XzVnVV_Wz_KUAymCh2SlYmJvxdPiw2BdbfBzuZ79Unb8fGIYWLOdRD3P9CXksDa4Uj2ykAZdAgrT6Os6tczJI9weaLvoU9yoQaX3xwUIQM8PXHVq-niuaid6Vs4a5xEKcE1vIRdXQ0CGQ7H4eXXC=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br />Our whole team gathered together and the school was transformed into the stage for the afternoon. Liam and Maggie entered to Pomp & Circumstance wearing graduation caps homemade from cardboard and local Burundian fabric. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYV8BMQKW5BPHTHvvsuC-DYDKcZbCHyYHhorsMwHS3cMfzjtOu4dd80CVvA9cp_PW7_oJaB4wd6EnE96H_ZCBx2isDpvFX--WKx_u3rKB1nNdlpqZ02pjbW2PV9kzocOLRYEILV_zP0P4j-PXVfgYA_dg-V4YgETg2yVsbkrtqLaezlqrG4SO0KWa2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYV8BMQKW5BPHTHvvsuC-DYDKcZbCHyYHhorsMwHS3cMfzjtOu4dd80CVvA9cp_PW7_oJaB4wd6EnE96H_ZCBx2isDpvFX--WKx_u3rKB1nNdlpqZ02pjbW2PV9kzocOLRYEILV_zP0P4j-PXVfgYA_dg-V4YgETg2yVsbkrtqLaezlqrG4SO0KWa2=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Glory Guy, our Middle School teacher, served as Master of Ceremonies and dazzled us all with a colorful speech walking the graduates through all the books they have read in Middle School and the life lessons gleaned from each book.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhb53SVckkSecp-08XstXwfT9TCqsJMUPlUzZtLYlBXv-TGQqVi3cTGJtXSsRNnasMXLyCyXfGMlR_BVWrQPJla3Ee-pXKsi40KmjOks7GWq0h3_veZdqztX5yDdDoeMCd8ewDdjtQyrPtbe_Xq-f4_j7tJ3pGT65qcD7wO6kcEX2InlW-YH3Oq19Y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3311" data-original-width="2059" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhb53SVckkSecp-08XstXwfT9TCqsJMUPlUzZtLYlBXv-TGQqVi3cTGJtXSsRNnasMXLyCyXfGMlR_BVWrQPJla3Ee-pXKsi40KmjOks7GWq0h3_veZdqztX5yDdDoeMCd8ewDdjtQyrPtbe_Xq-f4_j7tJ3pGT65qcD7wO6kcEX2InlW-YH3Oq19Y=w248-h400" width="248" /></a></div><br />The four Middle Schoolers (Liam, Maggie, Ben McLaughlin, and Zeke Banks) treated us to a performance of Do Re Mi from the musical, The Sound of Music. I've been their music teacher for 7 years, and have really enjoyed seeing them grow as musicians and singers. Great job guys – you nailed it!<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="padding: 75% 0px 0px; position: relative;"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/830975850?h=99f8f6bed2&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" title="Do, Re, Mi"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Both Liam and Maggie gave speeches that were thoughtful, insightful, and even funny. The younger generation of Kibuye kids has been blessed by these two older ones who have taught them, played with them, and set a good example as diligent students. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgqCku8i1HDbojowWabuKE-Xn25RVdeu53QgqFrBlBQ4Nuue3VMmXFpfRZq4K-m0pLpCewaUz75NLCi9tpJOMdQ3u_As6kG6PRxLRTWUvrbKZxyMX4DMLC1fsNfGEGz1_WociO9jns3z1sQTDVSzzIQVZH7wWV0CuN2XyWBN74Suae7NHGyiyz9EZ4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3520" data-original-width="1980" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgqCku8i1HDbojowWabuKE-Xn25RVdeu53QgqFrBlBQ4Nuue3VMmXFpfRZq4K-m0pLpCewaUz75NLCi9tpJOMdQ3u_As6kG6PRxLRTWUvrbKZxyMX4DMLC1fsNfGEGz1_WociO9jns3z1sQTDVSzzIQVZH7wWV0CuN2XyWBN74Suae7NHGyiyz9EZ4=w225-h400" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiR6df9Jz7F9dtiLFWaMwzamyWbl3QeXbKoC1DwlZk13ZyGdj4CvJbXJG3jzxN6q7SmDHftsP-I4UjSWJRJG_qXVu5z-sFZnD78K_kQv8xVxmNI64m15LyA_8X16Kri4Hve5Nggy3oPSwJOKMaVS-y9-qqNKxWOIJsXp2JEmUy342VqqnzUyACqcaeI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3520" data-original-width="1980" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiR6df9Jz7F9dtiLFWaMwzamyWbl3QeXbKoC1DwlZk13ZyGdj4CvJbXJG3jzxN6q7SmDHftsP-I4UjSWJRJG_qXVu5z-sFZnD78K_kQv8xVxmNI64m15LyA_8X16Kri4Hve5Nggy3oPSwJOKMaVS-y9-qqNKxWOIJsXp2JEmUy342VqqnzUyACqcaeI=w225-h400" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>Our three teachers – Glory, Erica, and Jenny – joined together to present them with their diplomas and be the first to congratulate them. Liam and Maggie were excited to officially move the tassel and be declared graduates of Kibuye Hope Academy!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3PDL1t2-nba0S7LxuWurJzIxQdi6Aa0Z-DKekmDNTscoDuys5wKal1eOs7-p6w6Gj05xaa6OF33_ba660NNK9N8f8YuaW_sy63hBYiNjW-TQvcHppQECLacMxIkq5Xf8B7g0mqVaMnDdp8G-iH6JCZlwWuehOz8Fp38oLCAADUzEGcYDpTTpqsW2a" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3PDL1t2-nba0S7LxuWurJzIxQdi6Aa0Z-DKekmDNTscoDuys5wKal1eOs7-p6w6Gj05xaa6OF33_ba660NNK9N8f8YuaW_sy63hBYiNjW-TQvcHppQECLacMxIkq5Xf8B7g0mqVaMnDdp8G-iH6JCZlwWuehOz8Fp38oLCAADUzEGcYDpTTpqsW2a=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br />One advantage to our life here at Kibuye is the closeness of our teammates. In many ways we function as a very big family. The kids even call the adults Aunt & Uncle. So it was very fitting for the dads to join the graduates and pray a blessing over them on behalf of all the Aunts and Uncle on the team.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMJKYVpuRzHO1uULswYwoyWsgjGVG5DLylFY38VDGf6E9iQAoc0n6yjsTDr0CycyY8V0DitI5zDADTGFP-smpH3tDWC8nPtXeAjltj2fSbxfBLIGXDQXh6PmWW-eXymJ-dJfWEHLRtX9n0rKmkZuKXeVKTmIXZKCYNFhpNMoVyGu6Lx5Yjsk4KrCxH" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMJKYVpuRzHO1uULswYwoyWsgjGVG5DLylFY38VDGf6E9iQAoc0n6yjsTDr0CycyY8V0DitI5zDADTGFP-smpH3tDWC8nPtXeAjltj2fSbxfBLIGXDQXh6PmWW-eXymJ-dJfWEHLRtX9n0rKmkZuKXeVKTmIXZKCYNFhpNMoVyGu6Lx5Yjsk4KrCxH=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May the Lord bless you and keep you...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p>After a big thank you to our wonderful teachers, the entire school gave an amazing performance of So Long, Farewell. It was a perfect way to end our graduation, saying goodbye to our teachers who have finished their term with Serge, and goodbye to Liam and Maggie as they will go off to RVA in Kenya next year. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="padding: 56.25% 0px 0px; position: relative;"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/830974705?h=31f0ff1ec5&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" title="So Long, Farewell"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><p></p><p><br /></p><p>We know the Lord has great things for KHA next year and the years to come. But for now, it was nice to pause and praise Him for this year, this season, these teachers, and these kids. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtkhnIYsK9uv9Mzm4egY4pRmWpgROVPLF2I3DZGhqjGiB7MbKT_Ls9TeWRCQEePSJeyWAngSh9G2emA30yl9P9mGLoWCYGvvZlwKO2JbPGCBPcmpYZTCaxUIN0Rv8X_5BHd-t5Xo0Bj6dY9v1WP-xvBZ4vmQWUTtiFlm__npyEBxkhOyiQO-yusLvv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtkhnIYsK9uv9Mzm4egY4pRmWpgROVPLF2I3DZGhqjGiB7MbKT_Ls9TeWRCQEePSJeyWAngSh9G2emA30yl9P9mGLoWCYGvvZlwKO2JbPGCBPcmpYZTCaxUIN0Rv8X_5BHd-t5Xo0Bj6dY9v1WP-xvBZ4vmQWUTtiFlm__npyEBxkhOyiQO-yusLvv=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIYRfZZD_hPNR95mU1L3L9Sv4t01NilCWieg0nrZYuLkjYHKNy8eifCjqU1oJQYyTaM8R3HVYGMi-0sOT8waO0uFV9ze_KzK3aloFVd5iDJ8modwkHlyd0AvEKZo29YmC7h6YHI4NHepcD2AP8A0Ng1EbUCBXWcy26SVeYcZdy0d_zoU6ilTVKPXZj" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIYRfZZD_hPNR95mU1L3L9Sv4t01NilCWieg0nrZYuLkjYHKNy8eifCjqU1oJQYyTaM8R3HVYGMi-0sOT8waO0uFV9ze_KzK3aloFVd5iDJ8modwkHlyd0AvEKZo29YmC7h6YHI4NHepcD2AP8A0Ng1EbUCBXWcy26SVeYcZdy0d_zoU6ilTVKPXZj=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aunt Eunice bringing some California flair to the event!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmDV4ZJBntws8vrpDpZuM-y0UjytVdOeJIQEel_-1LVFknGbDDG7BivlG9pLi1QAjyJrBMlle8_HIZKzbmL6dTOKMD459AqQeR4BEJQNyLhXNiw5MCSUvMfc6zzxBbQ1XHbMi8tt76KDKITG88FMU855ZJhFNhDRhwU3LJTTu9GajUOXM1TACR35-d" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmDV4ZJBntws8vrpDpZuM-y0UjytVdOeJIQEel_-1LVFknGbDDG7BivlG9pLi1QAjyJrBMlle8_HIZKzbmL6dTOKMD459AqQeR4BEJQNyLhXNiw5MCSUvMfc6zzxBbQ1XHbMi8tt76KDKITG88FMU855ZJhFNhDRhwU3LJTTu9GajUOXM1TACR35-d=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A trip down memory lane with photos of these kids through the years</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSdjfArY0v1vJJYFaMG4T7yBAg5TZ6UcMffSgThPOajyTeGXEAfA3DuMOHG82FOJVJU3ATxws63NgLtO_3XRQIfocswx6Hzc8QMYIioCfy7V8AB0Mlmo7wcsqU-EAhwqszTN0SQLGQdnECv9n_kKcdyJcY8hZOCPVOTNzWp4ffhsmUQMWSOra1bOyg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSdjfArY0v1vJJYFaMG4T7yBAg5TZ6UcMffSgThPOajyTeGXEAfA3DuMOHG82FOJVJU3ATxws63NgLtO_3XRQIfocswx6Hzc8QMYIioCfy7V8AB0Mlmo7wcsqU-EAhwqszTN0SQLGQdnECv9n_kKcdyJcY8hZOCPVOTNzWp4ffhsmUQMWSOra1bOyg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBUt4KmLktxYXiXyCH6gZiKq3gzDNsUNadUQwnZ-0cdFQ2818JanBxfF8vsnMriExackcGvTCa5kEW8kdErqlnVRov83GKL7s1ZzMTHqaveCtvMw8MBzTOsFPjyLdzteoYQDEFTCwv2WdOXqC4qyMf-Vrq7nYd-naee7uUVNl48iIRujFD50IFU4DM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBUt4KmLktxYXiXyCH6gZiKq3gzDNsUNadUQwnZ-0cdFQ2818JanBxfF8vsnMriExackcGvTCa5kEW8kdErqlnVRov83GKL7s1ZzMTHqaveCtvMw8MBzTOsFPjyLdzteoYQDEFTCwv2WdOXqC4qyMf-Vrq7nYd-naee7uUVNl48iIRujFD50IFU4DM=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Banks Off Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755316070368500788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-59471698441016976622023-05-23T23:51:00.003-04:002023-05-23T23:55:37.143-04:00Woodworking - Kibuye Style<p> <i>By Jason</i></p><p>A number of people on our team enjoy woodworking among their hobbies. Wood here comes very roughly cut, and usually half the duration of any project is just getting things flat and straight. The following project was no exception.</p><p>When the Cropseys built their house 10 years ago, a massive eucalyptus tree was growing in the middle of the plot where the house was going. I'm sure John tried to convince Jess to keep the tree and build a tree house in the middle of their new home, but alas, it came down. John did save the root and made a table from it, but it was so heavy that it was nearly immovable.</p><p>After the Cropseys moved, I asked John if I could try making something with the wood, and he agreed. So we towed it up to the workshop, closer to the tools:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwjPxXsGuTBYGD7aNwsjerUUd2F2YnNhAsAY2JaqiTZDP8Ptpj_IXKvtT4uXWs2o1stu8IV5P0AzSA9xlnASw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxNd4KZh7BXpuYbNLtgcBVV8g4pd4ix46B65XJjPFRJ89X7iAgXdoU3_rOnonb-ueJGl0e6MVxnR8V3il_82Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>I wanted to slice it like bread and make a coffee table. I thought the process would provide some exercise as well. We located a massive saw from a previous attempt at cutting wood, and we tried our hand at slicing the stump.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzyZT8RYVeLjFATLrsk1nUwupy_CFzL_jwuRIW5CCMKNuM2qLRh11StIQAekfpVBLaeHEuT7t-HUdGjJB9o4A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p></p><p>Many hours and sore muscles later, it was clear that this was going to need more expertise (Eucalyptus is HARD), so we contacted the local woodcutters, and they came and worked for 3 days and produced three slices of the stump. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslrU_iJlNuXuMkeJgVPd7jpSIroxpSo7dj7Op0yKU4YOpLLTwUN_M84yw97sDrDS_RTum450W36aQSGizkBv0KPbN6Yktew7UaI2EUyOeNmLXH7vyDMK8Hre3Nvtp-SybMi-Ncw5xphAms7gqUeoouubYNVS7gTDOXc_ce3KUKCWk5QbZG1NIQWpJ/s1470/Men%20cutting.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1470" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslrU_iJlNuXuMkeJgVPd7jpSIroxpSo7dj7Op0yKU4YOpLLTwUN_M84yw97sDrDS_RTum450W36aQSGizkBv0KPbN6Yktew7UaI2EUyOeNmLXH7vyDMK8Hre3Nvtp-SybMi-Ncw5xphAms7gqUeoouubYNVS7gTDOXc_ce3KUKCWk5QbZG1NIQWpJ/w527-h257/Men%20cutting.jpg" width="527" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I offered them our saw as payment, since theirs was nearly gone from years of use (as you can see in the picture), and they were overjoyed at the prospect (it was worth more than they asked for in payment), and I was pretty sure we were never going to be buff enough to make use of it. Win-win.</p><p>After wrestling the piece of stump into the shop, I started the long process of flattening it and making it smooth. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm3_IAObHV1AvBjS2wDYcWJC3xYRwq1RLhsZ5tJJweOr_0C4vOtHzVDHe5R9WW3eC6u-OiXyYxunp0_qi4I_brlphLMKBU65KUffnjhahCEnaO51O8D394JuN9glBaiZKh6Cmr9Kz4T745-TCKGSQH47PlJeedOFYlLwlKeyZuax5rzPcPbDI5gEb/s1470/Skill%20saw%20flattening%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1470" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm3_IAObHV1AvBjS2wDYcWJC3xYRwq1RLhsZ5tJJweOr_0C4vOtHzVDHe5R9WW3eC6u-OiXyYxunp0_qi4I_brlphLMKBU65KUffnjhahCEnaO51O8D394JuN9glBaiZKh6Cmr9Kz4T745-TCKGSQH47PlJeedOFYlLwlKeyZuax5rzPcPbDI5gEb/w400-h196/Skill%20saw%20flattening%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuLISthlfei_fXNVy3JS08h8J4-YQpn916ZW9w53Vv1vbl2tInN-rkwh7VIJ7yBK1Z_vrJB_eKvuXbM3u2KVZuvaF2nwv7YEWnIf8FEcatmZ4e1UFPjadAEj78nwZP_gR6LME_Jk0wzsZ3eY81yBBCdGPxKhbFuxXfGU51kcRjqSUi63Pf5QHJ7Qg/s1080/Full%20router.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="525" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuLISthlfei_fXNVy3JS08h8J4-YQpn916ZW9w53Vv1vbl2tInN-rkwh7VIJ7yBK1Z_vrJB_eKvuXbM3u2KVZuvaF2nwv7YEWnIf8FEcatmZ4e1UFPjadAEj78nwZP_gR6LME_Jk0wzsZ3eY81yBBCdGPxKhbFuxXfGU51kcRjqSUi63Pf5QHJ7Qg/w195-h400/Full%20router.jpg" width="195" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd597XSxMt5svABwpSEpu8rdXeIN2-wWAfRj_LN7DLLI_VqyKalGYYqcbaJdO2FMOakhbChDU6fOwaMMB49b7exSnDBgiTB7BObbYWqxApXqu2QkVbIxJ-ic8jrcyshcJe7oI5O30pPH3P8sR0OC2Vajk_x8TP7vHGUpBKhqKRGpUoFOzF1vpd_hch/s1080/Partial%20router.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="1080" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd597XSxMt5svABwpSEpu8rdXeIN2-wWAfRj_LN7DLLI_VqyKalGYYqcbaJdO2FMOakhbChDU6fOwaMMB49b7exSnDBgiTB7BObbYWqxApXqu2QkVbIxJ-ic8jrcyshcJe7oI5O30pPH3P8sR0OC2Vajk_x8TP7vHGUpBKhqKRGpUoFOzF1vpd_hch/w400-h195/Partial%20router.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAu24h3CLxd5xTWXuZFuF8YlYMocmtMxU6GsBYuuS7QPUb6D3RdJwFrGVleeuJqEImyZsA_Dl9p5pgxmZLMFHKxZR597qf64QgUAc4LBSa2kpbDnPX0Kcm3NZHjLD7h1NQ0ZyzEUwInY_rRLa5-1tbWfwXErm0dMdF-tX6YL8Rmq0zN2lkrb4c7qL/s1080/Bowtie.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="607" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAu24h3CLxd5xTWXuZFuF8YlYMocmtMxU6GsBYuuS7QPUb6D3RdJwFrGVleeuJqEImyZsA_Dl9p5pgxmZLMFHKxZR597qf64QgUAc4LBSa2kpbDnPX0Kcm3NZHjLD7h1NQ0ZyzEUwInY_rRLa5-1tbWfwXErm0dMdF-tX6YL8Rmq0zN2lkrb4c7qL/w225-h400/Bowtie.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I inlayed some "bowties" to keep the cracks from extending and filled in some of the deeper crevases with epoxy, before finishing it with a number of coats of varnish</span><span style="text-align: left;">, and then made a base out of eucalyptus.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> It currently sits happily in our living room, adding lots of character, and now I am looking forward to seeing what the other 2 slices could become.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibehjVc3CIDsniTXFnqJF_JSlahLf5CppbrQaLzex8fz5QMj89CNRv8MUx74dN1NdpCYCjHo3IK6wHtHgAAMdEVTo1waWaEOcBbQUQdhyx9iNwLn5ygkTgg2N_N9pa26iRA2nLplumhWlDtbS02bhnpBVXa0FqNyEsbMhMBGrYzAC-0Y-P8fm3OsTK/s1470/Final%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1470" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibehjVc3CIDsniTXFnqJF_JSlahLf5CppbrQaLzex8fz5QMj89CNRv8MUx74dN1NdpCYCjHo3IK6wHtHgAAMdEVTo1waWaEOcBbQUQdhyx9iNwLn5ygkTgg2N_N9pa26iRA2nLplumhWlDtbS02bhnpBVXa0FqNyEsbMhMBGrYzAC-0Y-P8fm3OsTK/w400-h195/Final%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUu119AvxWZ613rKW18Cw4jQ6WNP42KmD4jXWLK8FN6F0ubkw2hEtlXjdR6UkpjBcJXR52ZvpaLTRTjfSooewMp_t-mlZyejctIHeqoon3Hy-3Dde8TneYiyMyXXweojPYegdFWsQvcODyJAoZZJnvh0CwFmShTCy92LQYTWFscXEqBQycYJ_as3C/s833/Final%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUu119AvxWZ613rKW18Cw4jQ6WNP42KmD4jXWLK8FN6F0ubkw2hEtlXjdR6UkpjBcJXR52ZvpaLTRTjfSooewMp_t-mlZyejctIHeqoon3Hy-3Dde8TneYiyMyXXweojPYegdFWsQvcODyJAoZZJnvh0CwFmShTCy92LQYTWFscXEqBQycYJ_as3C/s16000/Final%202.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Jason and Heather Faderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01372217123538142951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-12878726915442452522023-05-18T11:43:00.007-04:002023-05-18T11:51:18.725-04:00Kibuye Weekend<p> <i>By Alyssa </i></p><p><i>(Feel free to scroll down to just look at pictures!)</i></p><p>It's my turn to write the team blog post and I thought about maybe writing about the 153 kids we saw in sickle cell clinic earlier this month or our process to revamp that clinic and make it more manageable for everyone or about other hospital-related cases, but I instead decided to focus this time on a "normal" Kibuye weekend. Ok, maybe this last weekend wasn't exactly normal, but do we really know what normal is here? I love our life, community, and beautiful surroundings in rural Burundi - and our version of "routine" - but I definitely don't struggle with boredom - always something going on! So here's a snapshot of a Kibuye weekend:</p><p>Friday at 5pm:</p><p>Nearly the whole team showed up to support Aunt Michelle (who in a prior life was a concert pianist) and her 5 piano students as they performed a piano recital. They all did such an amazing job and were well cheered and celebrated! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8qpWxYTzbXXiw8z0z60KW9B8okvIIydl0oBN6dtPGmMHkZ-mb03fDrSOjzqAI8QKZpqg6w8k4p8UDytck5B70R5WhxV6OxGaDeCvuQzJulY7pr_UZykvET5RoDIZqTktF3-WlfkYbaqOgAseKqsdX79c9wq33COHeBGL-4_SOtdXw814SZK7pMqp/s640/IMG_1060.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8qpWxYTzbXXiw8z0z60KW9B8okvIIydl0oBN6dtPGmMHkZ-mb03fDrSOjzqAI8QKZpqg6w8k4p8UDytck5B70R5WhxV6OxGaDeCvuQzJulY7pr_UZykvET5RoDIZqTktF3-WlfkYbaqOgAseKqsdX79c9wq33COHeBGL-4_SOtdXw814SZK7pMqp/s320/IMG_1060.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Friday evening: </p><p>After dinner, the adults gathered to begin a mini-team retreat time together. This nice thing about living so close together is that the little kids go to bed and then the big kids/teens babysit so the adults can have evening meetings! Lindsay Kimball, one of the leaders from Serge's Executive Leadership Team, came to visit us in Burundi over the past week, and she was so encouraging to us all both in leading the retreat time and in meeting with everyone over meals, walks, and coffee to listen, care, and pray for us. </p><p>During the Friday evening session, we discussed Jesus feeding the 5,000 from Mark 6 from both the perspective of the disciples and the perspective of Jesus. The story begins with the disciples wanting to tell Jesus about all they had done and taught but being interrupted over and over and not even having time to eat. Jesus calls them to a desolate place by themselves to rest. But a great crowd meets them there - and Jesus has compassion on them although it seems that the disciples really just want to send them all away. And then there's the part of the story when they realize it's impossible to feed all the people and they only have 5 loaves and 2 fish and Jesus feeds everyone. "And they all ate and were satisfied." </p><p>We reflected on times when it feels like more is being asked of us than we have to give (like the busy sickle cell clinic!) and when our plans for good rhythms and rest have been interrupted. And we talked about how we often wait so long to look for Jesus' presence, care, and help, and we forget to deeply rely on him until we realize that we actually don't have the resources to do the work. We don't have any more than 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to take care of a great crowd. But Jesus longs to bring both rest and satisfaction - usually in a different way than we expect! Jesus somehow fully satisfied the deepest needs of the disciples - and the crowd - in the midst of the chaos. He compassionately showed them their desperate and needy state and then he provided. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4vA7qtrUoK-x4Z4NaQ4q0xQhFmeLxbtr-55Nj5vvwdbAjA2B1A6poIPt0ivO1oMg8_SGuphEogtwpZG1JTZBXuIDCKhBYtUB7CAMLrVCsTALzOLtFux_HU6LOJ20MAEpXridaBmekZhnXCMtrbUgj6le1VfufOzKNpI6bAAViBGl7NpsxkvnfwSM/s640/IMG_1088.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4vA7qtrUoK-x4Z4NaQ4q0xQhFmeLxbtr-55Nj5vvwdbAjA2B1A6poIPt0ivO1oMg8_SGuphEogtwpZG1JTZBXuIDCKhBYtUB7CAMLrVCsTALzOLtFux_HU6LOJ20MAEpXridaBmekZhnXCMtrbUgj6le1VfufOzKNpI6bAAViBGl7NpsxkvnfwSM/s320/IMG_1088.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1A8UhlMEWecYWUgcrJ7-K9ds_xTI6I9Cstrr2Z2TeN8IHjSjsDwLYKoDYYWkqxMICdc9YX_JNexf4ehVPyCjr6Dexs-0G0w41McCuAKt0-OA7wLQrDB4TbVrlHvzcySaTb_aEnSH0qk6c2mKr_jE5NW9h4q41pOttm_-QgY2Bd2WiUNYQN1f9-uV/s640/81e4a0a7-12ad-4b17-b631-028c0e58b481.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1A8UhlMEWecYWUgcrJ7-K9ds_xTI6I9Cstrr2Z2TeN8IHjSjsDwLYKoDYYWkqxMICdc9YX_JNexf4ehVPyCjr6Dexs-0G0w41McCuAKt0-OA7wLQrDB4TbVrlHvzcySaTb_aEnSH0qk6c2mKr_jE5NW9h4q41pOttm_-QgY2Bd2WiUNYQN1f9-uV/s320/81e4a0a7-12ad-4b17-b631-028c0e58b481.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He even provided green grass for them to sit on - easy to imagine at the end of rainy season in Beautiful Burundi!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Saturday morning:</p><p>We continued the retreat by moving on to the next passage in Mark 6 where Jesus walks on the water. The disciples are straining at the oars all night long - for hours and hours in the darkness. They see what they think is a ghost and they are terrified! </p><p>Logan shared a story of a time when he was walking to the hospital at night when the power was out and he forgot a flashlight - across the field in the picture above but in utter darkness. And then he heard footsteps in the night. So terrifying - until the person quietly said "Amahoro." Amahoro is a Kirundi greeting that means "peace" - similar to shalom. What a relief to hear that quiet peaceful greeting in the night! Similar to the disciples who Jesus brought peace and courage to in the night instead of straining at the oars and abject fear. </p><p>In our private devotional time, small group time, and large group time, we reflected on and discussed the applications of these passages to our lives here in Burundi. So often we feel like we are surrounded by overwhelming need - whether needs of patients, students, our families, or the community around us - and we feel like it's too much and we don't have the resources (either time, energy, or physical resources) to do it all. But we keep straining at the oars - trying harder, seeking to be more productive or efficient, hoping to help all the people and finish all the work. But Jesus reminds us that he sees us, he cares, and we desperately need him. He will ultimately satisfy our every need and calm every storm, and he cares about our hearts in the meantime - whether in the middle of the darkness alone or surrounded by crowds in a desolate place. And he also meets us in our labors in community and longs for us to remind each other to look up and see him. </p><p>I don't love seeing or remembering my own weakness, insufficiency, and incapacity to do all the things, but this retreat time was helpful for remembering that when I do see those lacks in myself, that's actually a good thing! Jesus shows me compassion and brings himself to my heart in showing me my need for him. Desperation drives prayer as Rose Marie Miller (founder of Serge with her husband Jack) likes to remind us! We would appreciate your prayers for continuing to remember these things as a team. </p><p>"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10</p><p>Saturday afternoon: </p><p>Maybe we're lacking for some entertainment around here, but the construction team has been working on taking down an enormous eucalyptus tree over the last couple weeks - climbing up into the highest branches and cutting them off one by one, guiding the falling of the branches with ropes and physics - and it has been fascinating to watch the process. On Saturday it was time for the final step - bringing the remaining tree down into the garden and not into the school or houses nearby! There was definitely some drama as the tree rocked back and forth and they kept axing it at the base - towards the school and away from the school - and I wondered about my own house at one point, too! A team vehicle was used for leverage and pulling - until the rope snapped! We watched from a safe distance and cheered in three languages as the process unfolded over the course of an hour or so - better than Netflix! And in the end the entire tree came down completely with man-power - not a single chainsaw in sight! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R3_m174rFRw" width="320" youtube-src-id="R3_m174rFRw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xkA0M4AFF0M" width="320" youtube-src-id="xkA0M4AFF0M"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z3avumxqRaE" width="320" youtube-src-id="Z3avumxqRaE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N9msMKwqVU0" width="320" youtube-src-id="N9msMKwqVU0"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGPneWCMl9bUfw0F24rMGTtFS_JAUhnh4osznG6EHB_Likn_6LRcesmsjhnxwMpMZJdXoSz9Y9g5TAh87oVM_ma2xEQO_XTpA4kp99c9S-e1C87oI9HFKEmJdDR991OM-eqX-KFtYbqv8DjoZdykwxZAdcm0F8BGJErP5c0AxlZqVwCmdOYv9BekZ/s640/f5d5c3c8-196e-4af8-bb4f-227c08f1d88d.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGPneWCMl9bUfw0F24rMGTtFS_JAUhnh4osznG6EHB_Likn_6LRcesmsjhnxwMpMZJdXoSz9Y9g5TAh87oVM_ma2xEQO_XTpA4kp99c9S-e1C87oI9HFKEmJdDR991OM-eqX-KFtYbqv8DjoZdykwxZAdcm0F8BGJErP5c0AxlZqVwCmdOYv9BekZ/s320/f5d5c3c8-196e-4af8-bb4f-227c08f1d88d.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then everyone wanted their picture on the conquered tree! <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Saturday evening: </div><div><br /></div><div>We had family worship followed by a team dinner. Not easy to feed nearly 50 people, but Rachel thoughtfully ordered special American groceries for Lindsay to bring out and prepared a grand feast for us all. Everyone especially enjoyed the desserts! In a setting where we make everything from scratch, desserts that come in a box are a special treat! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzz28v_LCiv48GjkCmwuJb4_adkWs8M5ZpPHUYdGDusF2ZxCS_cN1PtWVTC2GpsNsy_rmfgARNSsmAavqypyrtmbLY_Zk307kV3C2SVB2hwJfSUdJBQ5lX8PWhpxyPbPBDKO34RUBmO2cKF8C3J0hQJVpakwji8BU51wACkwaVS9z7niDez76Vsimw/s640/96e6e923-1727-4c47-b052-c54569e43632.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="640" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzz28v_LCiv48GjkCmwuJb4_adkWs8M5ZpPHUYdGDusF2ZxCS_cN1PtWVTC2GpsNsy_rmfgARNSsmAavqypyrtmbLY_Zk307kV3C2SVB2hwJfSUdJBQ5lX8PWhpxyPbPBDKO34RUBmO2cKF8C3J0hQJVpakwji8BU51wACkwaVS9z7niDez76Vsimw/w640-h317/96e6e923-1727-4c47-b052-c54569e43632.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Sunday: <div><br /></div><div>We celebrated with two Burundian friends who had new babies - apropos for Mother's Day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV-xVEbbms8zfNSGs0p92dZWC0lBF1SfwAnSNMKFNTBNL8halXnVU-bacDGTsFnsB-rytIUqsafGCZb6ZrbMbE7fL35z4oeC_k_sNyiGv-HG4q14xWPR7YuUduIZ5hum9yuVt76bjABKKiNRTiwsH-qy1as_9mf3jIohJMxK891Xcq--huI2qJX9V/s640/8daf9c3c-a540-4537-b399-5389a617b699.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV-xVEbbms8zfNSGs0p92dZWC0lBF1SfwAnSNMKFNTBNL8halXnVU-bacDGTsFnsB-rytIUqsafGCZb6ZrbMbE7fL35z4oeC_k_sNyiGv-HG4q14xWPR7YuUduIZ5hum9yuVt76bjABKKiNRTiwsH-qy1as_9mf3jIohJMxK891Xcq--huI2qJX9V/s320/8daf9c3c-a540-4537-b399-5389a617b699.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQA9X_-XtALfL2vhQFMZCgqn8ZsaAXZtpc3eh7hhv0ZHzvFxdSuxcejUztaXgkmcEMk77m-cFQQD_C2jYK67C9C_qKM_Fb5TmsuVML6Rs75C7tIJH5JZiPlgV-b2jxFSDsOpRmIPvNh9KOEWC38D9pO8QpmjC6vkohYWnLl_UtbKWBQWeDZjxZPmi/s640/f2a617a5-91f4-4bc5-9c5d-4d5e416110d2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQA9X_-XtALfL2vhQFMZCgqn8ZsaAXZtpc3eh7hhv0ZHzvFxdSuxcejUztaXgkmcEMk77m-cFQQD_C2jYK67C9C_qKM_Fb5TmsuVML6Rs75C7tIJH5JZiPlgV-b2jxFSDsOpRmIPvNh9KOEWC38D9pO8QpmjC6vkohYWnLl_UtbKWBQWeDZjxZPmi/s320/f2a617a5-91f4-4bc5-9c5d-4d5e416110d2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicM-Hww6lsQHWAZTImkv9PRRQfwuPR4qH8LCa0Ts_SUaATN2Am7oiDU-oZWHjPPTRFQCglywtxs5F19NQMDAO1h5H_2oRoKUPVbDETqOoApIwGMp05siWeiicVMV11ofkOjPaYM2vqFBCX2WIfsQ9ZEZVwEWLs1vDglkBxIwnzL191hqgstV2HgV1b/s640/A5815315-1408-4080-8AED-CD0919BAADEE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicM-Hww6lsQHWAZTImkv9PRRQfwuPR4qH8LCa0Ts_SUaATN2Am7oiDU-oZWHjPPTRFQCglywtxs5F19NQMDAO1h5H_2oRoKUPVbDETqOoApIwGMp05siWeiicVMV11ofkOjPaYM2vqFBCX2WIfsQ9ZEZVwEWLs1vDglkBxIwnzL191hqgstV2HgV1b/s320/A5815315-1408-4080-8AED-CD0919BAADEE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K-1st grade art class made flowers for their moms</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And several of us went to the nearby waterfalls to hike and enjoy the beauty there:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCl0BZ8aD8x4BB2xpYeL8mzXy8okAK607aQadbiTU4OZW205afymEjSLGjPRcKusUUqoG4-5IjhHUWhduEVdoXYykcO05fruVpiWS8ekGRbZ_YZSJaixZf86PmMOpdep9dFUpo82HPbo3VnntyyLdVUzZOVJjmpeICmLTboAtpLoa4qJwaQ-HyqnUX/s640/IMG_1085.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCl0BZ8aD8x4BB2xpYeL8mzXy8okAK607aQadbiTU4OZW205afymEjSLGjPRcKusUUqoG4-5IjhHUWhduEVdoXYykcO05fruVpiWS8ekGRbZ_YZSJaixZf86PmMOpdep9dFUpo82HPbo3VnntyyLdVUzZOVJjmpeICmLTboAtpLoa4qJwaQ-HyqnUX/s320/IMG_1085.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfF3fRh11UfmPQ3YfqcySZnqCF_vI3A3v2AC8fgHRQ7cTqznQyHubd4PWkmuKSZIbE47qBzvU_uJgZouoqDgbPnEtYclZXrbKnSS45drYoAH2x9Ud1NdEkZUcNynOkOBYZFBl8FetPoLFP_wrNNBvbOSLb0HlDXAlbFhPCgZB_vSyQIznWy9osgOAz/s640/IMG_1102.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfF3fRh11UfmPQ3YfqcySZnqCF_vI3A3v2AC8fgHRQ7cTqznQyHubd4PWkmuKSZIbE47qBzvU_uJgZouoqDgbPnEtYclZXrbKnSS45drYoAH2x9Ud1NdEkZUcNynOkOBYZFBl8FetPoLFP_wrNNBvbOSLb0HlDXAlbFhPCgZB_vSyQIznWy9osgOAz/s320/IMG_1102.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnIk1vq_1AjADBIkMZWx8nbojqr5_vpNxNeH7um1WRfP9RvTAOd25us081Ls5UtNaCubOuy_aBBc_I1oKlZ5iaYw260kkDKXblTE9Vgq6KlWkwexlDdy2jBVSWEj2CkCWzv8cFuzxN-UtBtgBXMWnr6Dwt4G8Al1q5bMaHMkhdrnWo6gHCheBy5JV/s640/IMG_1116.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnIk1vq_1AjADBIkMZWx8nbojqr5_vpNxNeH7um1WRfP9RvTAOd25us081Ls5UtNaCubOuy_aBBc_I1oKlZ5iaYw260kkDKXblTE9Vgq6KlWkwexlDdy2jBVSWEj2CkCWzv8cFuzxN-UtBtgBXMWnr6Dwt4G8Al1q5bMaHMkhdrnWo6gHCheBy5JV/s320/IMG_1116.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRteiIZKfWyr2vvxY4O8vaSY-AhRuGFlst5SFccDoXD_M9iLbf-vq0WimrGp4qJ6eRJQCUv0LHTjsQ1eAd3QxKsOBAZYJrp5Ivn_QfOdLHMZzorm2voKkUB3veHsNs34WA8jE92XjnETzBm1ti-e9adQm_ZhEroxXdjonwXvcfsaWnUL-hFkRMH_39/s640/IMG_1120.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRteiIZKfWyr2vvxY4O8vaSY-AhRuGFlst5SFccDoXD_M9iLbf-vq0WimrGp4qJ6eRJQCUv0LHTjsQ1eAd3QxKsOBAZYJrp5Ivn_QfOdLHMZzorm2voKkUB3veHsNs34WA8jE92XjnETzBm1ti-e9adQm_ZhEroxXdjonwXvcfsaWnUL-hFkRMH_39/s320/IMG_1120.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T304sAHisuY" width="320" youtube-src-id="T304sAHisuY"></iframe></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PMGXxP3uqfJMoVj_IL-9XkzHTDcahKJxpHGgemeER7h9bsUFZ4iaH1S7GLdrzECQaoxT2tUCYypnLroZmiqkxBRnGemXCAPGj-m8r-TB6Gka-9mJFTA_98R393lDDJ6OwPEsHWXNUHR2L99A-cOt86KVDk-pLroioKgs2d3Du87lCKUK0lfXYO-i/s640/IMG_1117.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PMGXxP3uqfJMoVj_IL-9XkzHTDcahKJxpHGgemeER7h9bsUFZ4iaH1S7GLdrzECQaoxT2tUCYypnLroZmiqkxBRnGemXCAPGj-m8r-TB6Gka-9mJFTA_98R393lDDJ6OwPEsHWXNUHR2L99A-cOt86KVDk-pLroioKgs2d3Du87lCKUK0lfXYO-i/s320/IMG_1117.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Official description of the falls: "</span>5 cascading waterfalls, a cave, an impressive biodiversity, a beautiful landscape, an arial bridge and a very welcoming population will fill you with joy." <br />Lovely! <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>And then on to Monday morning where cute patients greet me and you can tell the kids are in school by the bicycle parking lot! <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AQ0jvbkIMyVqdz8BbENL19jBSUKR1g79HyhfK0Sg6zYxHaB3gu5mVHVr6C1SJWcDTDuxoIT5GBY6GJKPTT13lbuuufet-GmoOi2YB2TE7Pw8Sm_2yrPFRq3HIpUqN7jeEiGiZ2f-P8ZV5O6QIkDg3Epo94lf6HdwqA9SGODijvKtqejk14Ur0x7i/s640/IMG_1131.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AQ0jvbkIMyVqdz8BbENL19jBSUKR1g79HyhfK0Sg6zYxHaB3gu5mVHVr6C1SJWcDTDuxoIT5GBY6GJKPTT13lbuuufet-GmoOi2YB2TE7Pw8Sm_2yrPFRq3HIpUqN7jeEiGiZ2f-P8ZV5O6QIkDg3Epo94lf6HdwqA9SGODijvKtqejk14Ur0x7i/s320/IMG_1131.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMMAufFmlvfWmIOfNc44iKTFJgO0JA2aJQU6rt313TKI5HiJWY2J_yqJrJrLQT5uzYXONIuMz37y3kJjsuzEQFjb_SfuaLyU2Znyim-cT9fIE24WFM13mbWGM1AWl4tCxw3Z8KGBHGfYTncydjvj6DNo-xiveakIpkwDp4aA4JLEECMYVowB8dS1x/s640/IMG_1134.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMMAufFmlvfWmIOfNc44iKTFJgO0JA2aJQU6rt313TKI5HiJWY2J_yqJrJrLQT5uzYXONIuMz37y3kJjsuzEQFjb_SfuaLyU2Znyim-cT9fIE24WFM13mbWGM1AWl4tCxw3Z8KGBHGfYTncydjvj6DNo-xiveakIpkwDp4aA4JLEECMYVowB8dS1x/s320/IMG_1134.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRfpl2MnoG7hV48U7Tm1MaBbvGRwVkMMc0Y2Vu0hU8z2JniwkyCclETMQqaCah_6C-waKNHz4EUwBXewzOtrXbVRJy_w0_xEfRxI-h3S2YQZm0nGk101pgHAQIp9OgghYQJL5smwxkWx0yP5--sJkTcUfBwwIXTr5BpAsIoSq9rUvykMs3CMZ1Fdl/s640/IMG_1139.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRfpl2MnoG7hV48U7Tm1MaBbvGRwVkMMc0Y2Vu0hU8z2JniwkyCclETMQqaCah_6C-waKNHz4EUwBXewzOtrXbVRJy_w0_xEfRxI-h3S2YQZm0nGk101pgHAQIp9OgghYQJL5smwxkWx0yP5--sJkTcUfBwwIXTr5BpAsIoSq9rUvykMs3CMZ1Fdl/s320/IMG_1139.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KlIoZVgkNgI" width="320" youtube-src-id="KlIoZVgkNgI"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hospital chapel Monday morning reminding us: Hallelujah; He heals the sick; He raises the dead; He is alive forever; He never changes; He will do miracles; God will do it again!</div><br /><div>Thanks for following along on our weekend! </div><div><br /><div><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p></div></div></div><br /><br />Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16367404515113318289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-90069161513064764692023-04-30T05:40:00.000-04:002023-04-30T05:40:27.463-04:00Archaeology Learning Experience Day(<i>By Erica Ause)</i>
<br /><br />For those of you who do not know, once a month the school does something called a Learning Experience Day. On these days, we get the whole student body together to learn a topic outside of the curriculum. In the past we have done water filtration, solar power, mushrooms, astronomy, the eye, construction, and much more. This month we learned about archaeology. The students started out with a visit to a virtual archaeology museum and then did their own exploration of how archaeologists use what they discover and know about the time to try and understand the purposes behind what they find. Following this, they went outside and dug in the garden and the sandbox to find the objects previously hidden there. They found things like candles, broken pottery, napkin holders, pieces of trash, bottle caps, and many other random household object.
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<br /><br />Next, the kids got to try their hands at making their own pottery. We used homemade clay, taught them the age old method of starting with a snake and winding it up to make the cup, bowl, plate, or whatever else one might want to make.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0Not3zWWoCWvQBL8tCpie_5wZmpYZyyldVrGHq9KUH8qjsQa27jX7wTggteZk0181Uu8snc8W4FJSOz4937ynTRnxfkQ28jC2I6gOK4cdPCjUZE_j5WCsTt8lKnpHAGEuXOrcwah1Gda5mu02li1WyCt1UNDe4kVGwCMkqDTEO06dhIkH9ht7CEA/s4032/PXL_20230421_095404973.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0Not3zWWoCWvQBL8tCpie_5wZmpYZyyldVrGHq9KUH8qjsQa27jX7wTggteZk0181Uu8snc8W4FJSOz4937ynTRnxfkQ28jC2I6gOK4cdPCjUZE_j5WCsTt8lKnpHAGEuXOrcwah1Gda5mu02li1WyCt1UNDe4kVGwCMkqDTEO06dhIkH9ht7CEA/s320/PXL_20230421_095404973.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0oNPHJ-5VqOeQfdOm-Lk2FYvTdDDRPiv2biMEEx4UV8rWk3S10g9wt8R31bXV6pu8xcAHcosu0ypQVEDufKL_Nnq4n_OH-psMjvaYaS_FalboRS1zltDWmapDuqHf0jrii6nga93M6SqxRZdzk6vJTvH2g4gWukizNetVu8PpZUkkFXKc2ILC5vk/s4032/PXL_20230421_095421405.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0oNPHJ-5VqOeQfdOm-Lk2FYvTdDDRPiv2biMEEx4UV8rWk3S10g9wt8R31bXV6pu8xcAHcosu0ypQVEDufKL_Nnq4n_OH-psMjvaYaS_FalboRS1zltDWmapDuqHf0jrii6nga93M6SqxRZdzk6vJTvH2g4gWukizNetVu8PpZUkkFXKc2ILC5vk/s320/PXL_20230421_095421405.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcT6l4XIs7fZUU6BMzV9oyBgsv1miX4fyznzgykVQB2IXXvh2CcXEAb2Brv_cThSpqiTRaQwetvlBWDlgWc0c6Sd66T7jRMKq5AwcmRs--AhDFIb1md6wE_I0khI0Hlbuke9y4J4krTKjpiiRm9zxplRK6fPUI_u-qxBcpaDhhZ1khnARRof_n1ILJ/s4032/PXL_20230421_095427748.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcT6l4XIs7fZUU6BMzV9oyBgsv1miX4fyznzgykVQB2IXXvh2CcXEAb2Brv_cThSpqiTRaQwetvlBWDlgWc0c6Sd66T7jRMKq5AwcmRs--AhDFIb1md6wE_I0khI0Hlbuke9y4J4krTKjpiiRm9zxplRK6fPUI_u-qxBcpaDhhZ1khnARRof_n1ILJ/s320/PXL_20230421_095427748.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJAdS7xNJFo99x7n8NmZQa3I5qdKqPofFddvUg50p9R1OzDnFtUw0Y7hP8wF2-hLHkwDRo4mcWoFMv1NPCbDrcWBpyg0gipl_ZwxJjZLa0dFSnzVAspwdy1E1aJtsUqbLA-EwG0ltPo3LXEhTNH4Ypmlw_v_rmmzdKMb7xcFpvPr9Lw0UNgDUsrYX/s4032/PXL_20230421_095430328.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJAdS7xNJFo99x7n8NmZQa3I5qdKqPofFddvUg50p9R1OzDnFtUw0Y7hP8wF2-hLHkwDRo4mcWoFMv1NPCbDrcWBpyg0gipl_ZwxJjZLa0dFSnzVAspwdy1E1aJtsUqbLA-EwG0ltPo3LXEhTNH4Ypmlw_v_rmmzdKMb7xcFpvPr9Lw0UNgDUsrYX/s320/PXL_20230421_095430328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Following this activity, we headed up to the village where the Batwa people live. This group of people is known for the pottery that they make. See the pictures below of the final products they produce.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqMFhvpdB7S5WTzD1BPwkSWkvjv3iQhCix4qqMCsHJeNKVC8tyL7ao4vZvpn7VfmKQtah3dR5-wdYO1TJWvwm-GkHuP65VuDhGndFhHq3bUDKMVT6JY4WvU-ef1uFt_NLhAWKJpuCIGm3iUWaVLC1V9ZHxXtcu5-TN9HvZyjztPhmZSekSMh156jP/s1024/IMG-20230429-WA0003.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqMFhvpdB7S5WTzD1BPwkSWkvjv3iQhCix4qqMCsHJeNKVC8tyL7ao4vZvpn7VfmKQtah3dR5-wdYO1TJWvwm-GkHuP65VuDhGndFhHq3bUDKMVT6JY4WvU-ef1uFt_NLhAWKJpuCIGm3iUWaVLC1V9ZHxXtcu5-TN9HvZyjztPhmZSekSMh156jP/s320/IMG-20230429-WA0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before the pots are fired</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDPIkg-PPAGzkPiCXjRIOwV1vNIQa3FB9w_-WkIXBX8TP-HPkwplK5dVyQVrPycTPP4_86BODOonYhW-oTfIs420-VvEmGWzNf1kaKYHY_3j8lA1uHKVcgd9b4ctvdAlOp0s-b8UvDRzN1yd6hwI2df6O-o9N6vAhRF1ltCeQG7mMQzWoukP1jFL_/s1334/IMG-20230429-WA0009.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDPIkg-PPAGzkPiCXjRIOwV1vNIQa3FB9w_-WkIXBX8TP-HPkwplK5dVyQVrPycTPP4_86BODOonYhW-oTfIs420-VvEmGWzNf1kaKYHY_3j8lA1uHKVcgd9b4ctvdAlOp0s-b8UvDRzN1yd6hwI2df6O-o9N6vAhRF1ltCeQG7mMQzWoukP1jFL_/s400/IMG-20230429-WA0009.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After they are fired </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
As we watched the potters at work, the kids and adults alike were amazed at their ability to make almost perfect pots using only their hands, old bits of broken pottery, and cloth, in less than 10 minutes each. We were even more blown away given that we had just experienced how hard it actually is to make anything out of clay! I think the pictures say more than my words can, so please see the images and videos below of these talented women at work.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='322' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz0PBqLPnlhNSRsMC7VazAe0tGZco1OTgud80JnrXU5_dwEI5gPiYevp92-dFzefuFw2UXKkdSmKRbNvggcrw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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After they made the pots, they showed us how they fired them. First they got some brush, caught it on fire, and put it inside each pot to cook that part. Once the insides were done, they put the pots on top of the huge fire pit, there more brush on top to create a kind of oven and let the outsides of the pots cook until they were done. For me, the most amazing aspect of this part was how they not only knew the correct amount of time to have the pots in the fire, but they knew the right amount of brush to put on the fire pit so they would be surrounded by flames for the known amount of time. Again, pictures are better than my words, so please enjoy the ones posted below.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_l-w9rmxJWWKYI4BIKTyaaZmq-4hsQ16pFWuPs_GcYF6vilRaaDIeXCdadX4LX-Y7u4ED33QQEusZGvvcfe1NsSsI8g3wcIY_33KaT_PJAMH9o4oCOvEamApSZ6quyIOScsM3hFydZo3arlP91gDnStqVVkxh4Mwe_LI-1Wuw6vXawU5JIFAe1PR/s4032/PXL_20230421_123209281.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_l-w9rmxJWWKYI4BIKTyaaZmq-4hsQ16pFWuPs_GcYF6vilRaaDIeXCdadX4LX-Y7u4ED33QQEusZGvvcfe1NsSsI8g3wcIY_33KaT_PJAMH9o4oCOvEamApSZ6quyIOScsM3hFydZo3arlP91gDnStqVVkxh4Mwe_LI-1Wuw6vXawU5JIFAe1PR/w323-h430/PXL_20230421_123209281.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="323" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqHlH8-SYa5kt577-TOJ3RzU9m7-iQcNRHb1KvhcAPLMrJNxIFxBSbmZa0c3Khzgc1wTC1ExGGvJernrZXZG64D8WQENTp97ayZLc7e9XG9nO_op69j3subzE_2SeKsfXBDUI_iC7E81HZLX9UcSGhH0Ya0NKcU5JaQm_hQ8ubW_eqr0e6Zj6AnfF/s4032/PXL_20230421_123519928.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqHlH8-SYa5kt577-TOJ3RzU9m7-iQcNRHb1KvhcAPLMrJNxIFxBSbmZa0c3Khzgc1wTC1ExGGvJernrZXZG64D8WQENTp97ayZLc7e9XG9nO_op69j3subzE_2SeKsfXBDUI_iC7E81HZLX9UcSGhH0Ya0NKcU5JaQm_hQ8ubW_eqr0e6Zj6AnfF/w332-h442/PXL_20230421_123519928.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzx1EIGMspd7bKp-75lRePb5sOgUIbHQoKnNFSnf3-42_jF63CDlhsHGLTzWGGC1GoTB0akHzIfTGvxi3yKqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><br />
Thankfully, they let us buy some of their pots before we headed back home, and got in a picture with us.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnm48mtaWRzXYorS0DEXIpFSraKCLhd6vDwVlSzjOt21hOQJhwEvGSTinZXeHSBy1fVm1VfumdsQfyC76erdFi-ggeBbE69JakaLA0y7G0V_2MTH5ixVgXg-O8nWLHVRUzQP2VFdn6m5yLK8qzO62xonGqDbODZcZSsksIqFzv6weM1mbQgdtFoKY/s1024/IMG-20230421-WA0018.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnm48mtaWRzXYorS0DEXIpFSraKCLhd6vDwVlSzjOt21hOQJhwEvGSTinZXeHSBy1fVm1VfumdsQfyC76erdFi-ggeBbE69JakaLA0y7G0V_2MTH5ixVgXg-O8nWLHVRUzQP2VFdn6m5yLK8qzO62xonGqDbODZcZSsksIqFzv6weM1mbQgdtFoKY/w442-h331/IMG-20230421-WA0018.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br />
I don’t have a picture of this, but some of the pots have a design on the top that looks like a bunch of little dots all over it. In order to make this design, they take a bit of a banana leaf stalk, braid it over itself, and then use that to roll the design on. The women also told us that they can also make this tool out of pieces of their metal roofs.
Erica Ausehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10618893687661255227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-24465781525682562422023-03-27T02:37:00.120-04:002023-03-27T02:37:00.212-04:00Lessons Learnt from a Kibuye Stove<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> (from Eric)</i></span></p><p>Back in 2012, when we were packing up our first container to ship to Burundi for our team, we though it would be good to invest in some high quality appliances, not knowing what would be available in country. We found a vendor that sold 220v/50hz appliances for overseas military families, and bought fridges, microwaves, and washing machines. We also bought stoves, mostly gas (knowing that electricity could often be out), but some electric (knowing gas tanks could be hard to find sometimes).</p><p>We're still using those appliances. The fridge...well, the fridge would be a whole other story. But I was reflecting on the story of the stove this morning and I thought I'd share the saga, both as a glimpse of daily Burundian life as well as a microcosm for our life work here.</p><p><u>Part the First: Insulation and Open Flames</u></p><p>One of the first problems with the stove had to do with the drawer that opens beneath the oven. Since it is a gas stove, this is the broiler (not an extra storage space like the electric ovens I grew up with). One of the bolts was too tight or warped or something. This made it hard to open, and the extra force required to open it, over time, loosened other bolts. These loosened bolts ripped the door in half, exposing sheets of yellow insulation. Maybe that's not that big of deal next to a big open burner, but it made me uncomfortable. We tried a lot of little fixes without success.</p><p>One day, pondering the broken apparatus, I realized that a couple of well-placed bolts directly through the metal casing could solve the problem. Only I didn't know how to drill through metal. I tried it out with a metal bit from the team workshop, but with no success. I went and found Jason. He showed me the right drill bits to use, and generally pointed me in the right direction. The resulting fix (see yellow arrow below for the externally visible part) has been durable for several years now, and our pizzas are the better for it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL2bt4hQJJ7lBHWUxiJCuvy0kpVv0GUmkoWrJsTF2WvCfKS9JXJlTw_kwj7XXTdBWjHn71nMQmhnXSGYgapwgZUvIcntnoWQ5LEde4aNcZXgqlrz30FYxsI9dL6L_DMiFD_2buykpzQHzwDurO79QVMG9gS3Ga2zedA8d_8GTqv6-kNX47rmJxkVQRg/s2100/IMG_1107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1575" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL2bt4hQJJ7lBHWUxiJCuvy0kpVv0GUmkoWrJsTF2WvCfKS9JXJlTw_kwj7XXTdBWjHn71nMQmhnXSGYgapwgZUvIcntnoWQ5LEde4aNcZXgqlrz30FYxsI9dL6L_DMiFD_2buykpzQHzwDurO79QVMG9gS3Ga2zedA8d_8GTqv6-kNX47rmJxkVQRg/s320/IMG_1107.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Lesson the First:</u> Things fall apart, and there aren't a lot of professionals to call. This means that we are called to stretch ourselves, and do new things. Thankfully our teammates have a diversity of talents and can help guide us. And sometimes, it works out really well.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Part the Second: Electric Ignitions and Omar the Canadian Muslim Missionary</u></div><div><br /></div>Around the same time as the above story, our electric ignition stopped working. The little "battery level" light stopped working, and a new battery didn't solve it. I pulled the stove out from the wall, took off the back, and traced the wiring through the whole stove. It all seemed to point to a box in the back. I wasn't sure what to do.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdDWlRHIRlIik_boA0dKOU2m5nZghEAeHjN19H7__qZ25BhWNsCVyaprUeR8uK_Unl_BOYHRoEVZCUOXTZO9B2qNjLJ74egSfNZgh4CovNNrKfjc5WyN9NHtK3arCkx7gmF79fFNpENorg5320vAR_0fqvZvQwm-U2m-uvkOgm8AnR6YL6_CTaP-n0Q/s4032/IMG_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdDWlRHIRlIik_boA0dKOU2m5nZghEAeHjN19H7__qZ25BhWNsCVyaprUeR8uK_Unl_BOYHRoEVZCUOXTZO9B2qNjLJ74egSfNZgh4CovNNrKfjc5WyN9NHtK3arCkx7gmF79fFNpENorg5320vAR_0fqvZvQwm-U2m-uvkOgm8AnR6YL6_CTaP-n0Q/s320/IMG_1110.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>At that time, our team had encountered Omar. Omar grew up in an ethnically Indian community in Zambia, then moved to Canada. He became a very talented A/C repairman and then studied Islamic theology in England prior to moving to Burundi to work with the Islamic community in Bujumbura. He maintained a job repairing air-conditioners (and other appliances) to support his family. He came up to Kibuye to repair some things, and we had become friends. In fact, during the heart of the Covid pandemic, his family moved up to nearby Gitega in order to have Rachel deliver their baby. To say thanks to the team, they had a big Halal feast of some really awesome grilled meat.</div><div><br /></div><div>We asked Omar to take a look at the electric ignition. His diagnosis: no easy way to repair that here in Burundi. So we use matches to light the stove. No big deal. Lighting the oven below is a different story, with many episodes of dropping my match as the flames come rushing towards my face. Rachel's a lot better at lighting the oven than me, so that's her job if she's around.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Lesson the Second</u>: We get creative in our attempts to fix things. We examine all the possibilities, and sometimes it's still broken. That's just how it is for now. It's not great, but we limp on.<br /><div><br /></div><div><u>Part the Third: New Burners of Unknown Provenance</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>While Omar was checking out our stove, he looked at the burners. He expressed his concern at their corrosion and build-up. We said that we had also noted them burning a bit akimbo sometimes. What do we do? Omar said they needed to replaced, and that he could order them from a guy he knew. Okay.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMmFMXx-QuwS7mJOJvote00x8PuntfGLwAznnXjdB2WVWB2hIqCFkZJPp8lYGRxtl9qg7zHCcKWU0JpupuKh8r9bGIbh4ytbbFZafdvyqtj2YECZG85BtXFU-NWkjqehR5rxLov_sG8tH0YKuKkouumyjgb9Gsd7FLf4doHtdrWX1bQVBcOIhGO3Ytw/s4032/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMmFMXx-QuwS7mJOJvote00x8PuntfGLwAznnXjdB2WVWB2hIqCFkZJPp8lYGRxtl9qg7zHCcKWU0JpupuKh8r9bGIbh4ytbbFZafdvyqtj2YECZG85BtXFU-NWkjqehR5rxLov_sG8tH0YKuKkouumyjgb9Gsd7FLf4doHtdrWX1bQVBcOIhGO3Ytw/s320/IMG_1108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We left for the US for several months in 2021. We came back and heard that Omar and his family had returned to Toronto. We were sad to not get to say good-bye. We completely forgot about the burners. Most of them worked pretty well. Good enough (see Part the Second).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday, I came home and found brand new shiny burners in our stove! They burn like the brand new stove that they are. Rachel, what happened!? It seems that, after over 2 years, Omar's friend came through with his order, and they were sent to Kibuye with some other stuff, already paid for, apparently.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4wAWdEDg0ta-HOcGg9A-YF3OEhKgbzTrHrvpnrP_kBqryAaaJcDWjUte6lr7_QrsDcO6VCqzdVIkcVIf59k4nukZlBMr3j5SGp9vO0dbxoZ2r3sWW3RhFc7IQ8M2fG5rYnZjThJoRLzsxfOJytaZ5jJTDtkL9INjFE9FlILE2m3YkjA3OUGJ4ho4Ag/s2281/IMG_1109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="2281" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4wAWdEDg0ta-HOcGg9A-YF3OEhKgbzTrHrvpnrP_kBqryAaaJcDWjUte6lr7_QrsDcO6VCqzdVIkcVIf59k4nukZlBMr3j5SGp9vO0dbxoZ2r3sWW3RhFc7IQ8M2fG5rYnZjThJoRLzsxfOJytaZ5jJTDtkL9INjFE9FlILE2m3YkjA3OUGJ4ho4Ag/s320/IMG_1109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><u>Lesson the Third:</u> Sometimes broken things stay that way for a long time, despite all our efforts. We might even forget about the possibility of improvement. Then, all of a sudden, after years of dormancy, an unexpected solution comes about, reminding us that the world around us is a swirling sea of everyday grace.</div></div>The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-41235253812324286302023-03-23T05:40:00.000-04:002023-03-23T05:40:48.011-04:00The Pleasing Aroma (International Women's Day)<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Julie Banks</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOELSI5I0PO7KBCUbcs8q2okCq4dcjwy8bsv5fCiHgsDZYM1pABO22hT-FA6NmKygBvAPA_7DSnpxxQT-uxn3nz2lTx5YJ9Q_5Nb0KYCNNY2puS8ktha5XBOB3wfVq9buxGzNYSQyrJ-kKfog_MzmECDO5C00BUsUAWKrdjZGo2MtQQQAzHBwcM32l" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOELSI5I0PO7KBCUbcs8q2okCq4dcjwy8bsv5fCiHgsDZYM1pABO22hT-FA6NmKygBvAPA_7DSnpxxQT-uxn3nz2lTx5YJ9Q_5Nb0KYCNNY2puS8ktha5XBOB3wfVq9buxGzNYSQyrJ-kKfog_MzmECDO5C00BUsUAWKrdjZGo2MtQQQAzHBwcM32l=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4TIvQeCmGRK5-LeJCp0bHo93DnRO_ymn7Gi39zSVKxFPFHn9lpwYGqgFEbWFj6WgGDf4i6Ss5eKR8BNucKC-UnzX5S_2KNBpWb0HaJlYj5Z1sN0YmmYUzaghNTQPbgVqH5kNdLM4PtLGV3MHaHbm5ner22pfEb7xhgR6WYiXhIRy0hsK8cT5_gN3R" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4TIvQeCmGRK5-LeJCp0bHo93DnRO_ymn7Gi39zSVKxFPFHn9lpwYGqgFEbWFj6WgGDf4i6Ss5eKR8BNucKC-UnzX5S_2KNBpWb0HaJlYj5Z1sN0YmmYUzaghNTQPbgVqH5kNdLM4PtLGV3MHaHbm5ner22pfEb7xhgR6WYiXhIRy0hsK8cT5_gN3R=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>International Women’s Day is an enthusiastically celebrated day here in Burundi. On March 8th, women come together in their individual communities and share a Fanta, a meal, and some laughs. We join in the festivities with the hospital staff each year, which is so fun. </p><p></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj4I-EcudAiJyYQQNw4prTbK_KeSeQ23n233gHGGOD1-pUVAR_mlqQdXICfOSBIZrY_5b7IjIb2MniBZP1MCwl3M6QMEHB3ehPNPYDkLhftWuizSMpa42vZG8rUzcKSQodx5BeQj0IX8kl2I-vH_-530m-RnwzogZPSirl0ICk3UlzSZl6Kjk5ZVm-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj4I-EcudAiJyYQQNw4prTbK_KeSeQ23n233gHGGOD1-pUVAR_mlqQdXICfOSBIZrY_5b7IjIb2MniBZP1MCwl3M6QMEHB3ehPNPYDkLhftWuizSMpa42vZG8rUzcKSQodx5BeQj0IX8kl2I-vH_-530m-RnwzogZPSirl0ICk3UlzSZl6Kjk5ZVm-=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div></div><p>One particular way Burundian women celebrate Women’s Day is by making dresses and skirts from the same fabric. I wrote about it last year, so feel free to read <a href="https://mccropders.blogspot.com/2022/03/matchy-matchy.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">that blog</a> for more fun details on the matching dresses! </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsZlZ57YTKbojDO3w2Ayq0caZS3FTxpB2IRt-pZnWHdTQoqeW_uICa57pBIA5s8ffNEhCJqwxXxbj2Io4T0kjLDh8XPrgiAeBXoNvhphrAI4I9j3BkKZbZhRn96cldXUJ-_gEWkabs65muTPbmn55RMQP7eEZ6ybNvAOH3lrA3WeDPimZFJH7R5XDU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsZlZ57YTKbojDO3w2Ayq0caZS3FTxpB2IRt-pZnWHdTQoqeW_uICa57pBIA5s8ffNEhCJqwxXxbj2Io4T0kjLDh8XPrgiAeBXoNvhphrAI4I9j3BkKZbZhRn96cldXUJ-_gEWkabs65muTPbmn55RMQP7eEZ6ybNvAOH3lrA3WeDPimZFJH7R5XDU=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEpweOQvBzxlmiEfzS7l4SmlZj37VItbDrHfqv_pXluKfNhqHb-jDgZ6Flu-A605mybk2OJkVpneImo2B1lPRxFvIg7lyfMjrqTwmZy-6MXzNwTV4VLFt2mm_IkMR82IvT6aUw-_KqZd-01i3mAXeGVil62rm4fI1newwmc3DbVcLSaaPrpsyKSwOF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEpweOQvBzxlmiEfzS7l4SmlZj37VItbDrHfqv_pXluKfNhqHb-jDgZ6Flu-A605mybk2OJkVpneImo2B1lPRxFvIg7lyfMjrqTwmZy-6MXzNwTV4VLFt2mm_IkMR82IvT6aUw-_KqZd-01i3mAXeGVil62rm4fI1newwmc3DbVcLSaaPrpsyKSwOF=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div>This year we gathered at the hospital canteen, shared a meal, and celebrated not only women’s rights in Burundi, but also the way God has uniquely designed women with a purpose in His kingdom.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG8Dk3PIiMElMGXCp5lJnF8cuq-LQKui8pK5IeMXajOvUOj39_0AcxNp_Jb81Kd5A_7_vp3Gm4hkDN6pUspEVPiYL90wyUSAKpcsx4bNeTpevRlF7ZDeP0f_5ua4BLSho_RD9NwDtsLDvBlLORlDhcOQf8yVdtGO_L5Y6PNoON8ma-0RQk7vlh4B32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG8Dk3PIiMElMGXCp5lJnF8cuq-LQKui8pK5IeMXajOvUOj39_0AcxNp_Jb81Kd5A_7_vp3Gm4hkDN6pUspEVPiYL90wyUSAKpcsx4bNeTpevRlF7ZDeP0f_5ua4BLSho_RD9NwDtsLDvBlLORlDhcOQf8yVdtGO_L5Y6PNoON8ma-0RQk7vlh4B32=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvzHIhteWWb0fLemuZPNycLyDINXSX-f_IZnAmhs9en2z_g-vIw5uweGYDqhT1hvO_CA7tbJnv_1ASflePnErqFh4aiejGYl07ss9FWAfAZbHrhr-o5JwzVphLihURMAHuw-YRF3YkIYrH-pnygwCy4ElIfjMsGQasTE0dJIu-TpKzF_oTFYG8O3AE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvzHIhteWWb0fLemuZPNycLyDINXSX-f_IZnAmhs9en2z_g-vIw5uweGYDqhT1hvO_CA7tbJnv_1ASflePnErqFh4aiejGYl07ss9FWAfAZbHrhr-o5JwzVphLihURMAHuw-YRF3YkIYrH-pnygwCy4ElIfjMsGQasTE0dJIu-TpKzF_oTFYG8O3AE=w300-h400" width="300" /></a><p></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiE-sgS07248xe5pZMxWAkvBzJLKmEvx68aH-5OrPc4clPFpwqtnhhWhi6NV6e7nX_PjaV-w6Bds7NyB2cE89TcYk1XjiMTOqkQn31hwcv4PArm_7encwfa_oQG7AcfMzPo7SKEu2P0yycuEmnz9f25n6YL0bLheNIkqFznjobf8BAN90HixeDLoXte=w300-h400" width="300" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiE-sgS07248xe5pZMxWAkvBzJLKmEvx68aH-5OrPc4clPFpwqtnhhWhi6NV6e7nX_PjaV-w6Bds7NyB2cE89TcYk1XjiMTOqkQn31hwcv4PArm_7encwfa_oQG7AcfMzPo7SKEu2P0yycuEmnz9f25n6YL0bLheNIkqFznjobf8BAN90HixeDLoXte" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiE-sgS07248xe5pZMxWAkvBzJLKmEvx68aH-5OrPc4clPFpwqtnhhWhi6NV6e7nX_PjaV-w6Bds7NyB2cE89TcYk1XjiMTOqkQn31hwcv4PArm_7encwfa_oQG7AcfMzPo7SKEu2P0yycuEmnz9f25n6YL0bLheNIkqFznjobf8BAN90HixeDLoXte" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><p>I shared the story of how Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus) poured oil on Jesus’ head and feet and wiped the run-off oil with her hair. When she poured this oil it signaled to Jesus that she understood who he was, and what he was going to do. This was an anointing of Jesus, the King. The perfumed oil was also reserved for burial, and she understood that he was going to die for them. While some men balked at the idea of “wasting” this expensive perfume, Jesus praised her and promised that her story would be included any time the Gospel was preached. The Bible says that when she poured out this perfume, the fragrance filled the whole house. The whole house smelled like Jesus, the King. And when Mary wiped the perfume with her hair, his fragrance was now on her, a part of her. Her hair was right under her nose, so she carried this aroma with her as a reminder that she is part of Him, and He is a part of her. And anywhere she went, she carried this fragrance of Jesus the Savior King with her.</p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsuVoT39lA_QlNTKllxdFB0OqjGkzEd10nmxwcbWsBm09aY_CqxjJl6Qa_u9gRVf_jaKoyvP_csZ_lBLrlVWq4MameJ_znQLu8rnHr-VSWjZ9q_z2RxWlmGfiCrrM4RwqFEm4RnfxbzkD-3l_MhWC_WuO3wYIW-gGR5QZazFgcmJ2XVYG6bBTr_L-g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsuVoT39lA_QlNTKllxdFB0OqjGkzEd10nmxwcbWsBm09aY_CqxjJl6Qa_u9gRVf_jaKoyvP_csZ_lBLrlVWq4MameJ_znQLu8rnHr-VSWjZ9q_z2RxWlmGfiCrrM4RwqFEm4RnfxbzkD-3l_MhWC_WuO3wYIW-gGR5QZazFgcmJ2XVYG6bBTr_L-g=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></p><p>I encouraged the women that as daughters of the King, we carry this fragrance with us. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says that Christ “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” To remind them that we are to God this beautiful aroma, I let them use my perfume at the end of the party. We wrapped up the afternoon with dancing, singing, and passing around perfume!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjvFo_abV7E9BuUMV_ZVKcsZ0BqHfDCyp8YAhZMph8RYOpTxrBe9Uq34xM7bDPi1DCc97MsIYFi0ULxW8atPhha-QXQu9jkf_4LjI-e0YxRtFqXDLEs40UVAUq_eSx5e577XVm2UPLs_oRDbultl3znYUditICPCqAybmUW0wkELhE08s_6iueoAgx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjvFo_abV7E9BuUMV_ZVKcsZ0BqHfDCyp8YAhZMph8RYOpTxrBe9Uq34xM7bDPi1DCc97MsIYFi0ULxW8atPhha-QXQu9jkf_4LjI-e0YxRtFqXDLEs40UVAUq_eSx5e577XVm2UPLs_oRDbultl3znYUditICPCqAybmUW0wkELhE08s_6iueoAgx=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Burundian women are amazing, strong, and beautiful. Thank you for your continued prayer and support for these ladies.</p><div><br /></div>Banks Off Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755316070368500788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-767575735304045872023-03-16T05:52:00.001-04:002023-03-16T05:52:53.944-04:00Zigama Mama, final productby Rachel
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2aO0YhD1hhp71vaVrWxUAmvcwZgJ6ARPfYeQ0HqQ8bXWtZZdYAqyx5K4P0rYvrGsBcXwrhgFCBstgDjjj2BdhvhfJT1YGQLxHyRLLOSxO9JhLhG1KkXnVUnAA894jg9DF9noYcfSRIXwd84vLc0Zg75ILwnbcKxZ-RovyQbQt06MjdP_-lIOlTU2kA/s1352/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-11%20at%2010.57.15%20AM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2aO0YhD1hhp71vaVrWxUAmvcwZgJ6ARPfYeQ0HqQ8bXWtZZdYAqyx5K4P0rYvrGsBcXwrhgFCBstgDjjj2BdhvhfJT1YGQLxHyRLLOSxO9JhLhG1KkXnVUnAA894jg9DF9noYcfSRIXwd84vLc0Zg75ILwnbcKxZ-RovyQbQt06MjdP_-lIOlTU2kA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-11%20at%2010.57.15%20AM.png"/></a></div>Eric and I have really appreciated everyone's support for our research/quality improvement project at Kibuye these past few years. Many of you remember the other blog posts that I wrote to introduce the progam (<a href="https://mccropders.blogspot.com/2019/07/zigama-mama.html">here</a> and <a href="https://mccropders.blogspot.com/2019/10/zm-part-ii-into-community.html">here</a>).
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Well, as of February 28, 2023, our journal article was finally accepted for publication in the "Frontiers in Global Womens Health" journal. You can read the article <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2023.1053541/full?&utm_source=Email_to_ae_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e2_editor&utm_campaign=Email_publication&journalName=Frontiers_in_Global_Women%27s_Health&id=1053541">here</a>. Even if you can't read all the medical lingo/jargon, the heart of the paper is this: There are a lot of barriers to good health care in Burundi. One of the ones that we could identify and fix was lack of good counseling for women who needed to deliver by Cesarean section, for one reason or another. We offered free ultrasounds as an incentive for these women to come in to meet with me (or another doctor) and provided education on risks as well as a scheduled date to come for a Cesarean section if it was indicated. The goal was to reduce emergency Cesarean sections that could have otherwise been avoided...and, it worked!
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The other beautiful thing about this project, and one that is not listed in the article, is how the project has continued on (even after the study period ended). Even now, three years after the program "ended," we've continued to find funding for free ultrasounds, and our number of scheduled Cesarean sections remains high. Perhaps my favorite part is how the generalist physicians have taken up the mantle, so to speak, and now provide almost 100% of the ultrasounds, counseling, decision making, and scheduling for these women. I am involved almost not at all, unless a second opinion is necessary. Simple, sustainable care to improve outcomes and decrease mortality. Fitting that the article was published just a week before International Women's Day. I pray not only the our progam at Kibuye continues, but that other hospitals around the country will be able to replicate the program and improve outcomes for many other women in different regions.
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And finally, a big thank you to our former intern Matt Nagy for being the impetus and the driving force behind publishing our study and findings. He is one of the smartest people I know and we are grateful for his wisdom and expertise (far beyond his years!).The Drs. McLaughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08718125736406924171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-58369935887543050202023-03-11T07:30:00.004-05:002023-03-11T14:17:09.449-05:00Beautiful Burundi<p> <span style="font-size: x-small;">by Michelle Wendler</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some candid photos of everyday life, and a few interesting facts along the way. Enjoy!</span> </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJe-2ZlBHYvjdwLAx9d5kC6GF3uyDArVqK2FauVLeqVVWaLVSURL9n5OC9bOZcKLsD6OSC35SaPmM9HrwmxhtlvmtvKSwwH40RTuvj4HupzEScPfrrovuuoCdjSJLI0RK1fKfZwUCpNECWsqIBtCuc1NdhWTLJCsl1_2dvaw4EfoZA4fK87UPer1O/s1576/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.04.19%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="1230" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJe-2ZlBHYvjdwLAx9d5kC6GF3uyDArVqK2FauVLeqVVWaLVSURL9n5OC9bOZcKLsD6OSC35SaPmM9HrwmxhtlvmtvKSwwH40RTuvj4HupzEScPfrrovuuoCdjSJLI0RK1fKfZwUCpNECWsqIBtCuc1NdhWTLJCsl1_2dvaw4EfoZA4fK87UPer1O/w313-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.04.19%20AM.png" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bringing home the bean harvest.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr54aLzMe0jSKqFPhktekgq_yKHnVvm44xd97wMf7h-D19RJzRo_alEdsEjCYMQAq92ohvfm79dWqP-RfLjF4-tVpQEdMLBXMLaA3B5-_CdhD67hrmfkkEl3a62PkBrn4GdkfLp03QvNYMVTHGSk8pZjOTgknU0EWAHymNt5ziEi--jBfFII8ty7I/s806/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.00.28%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="806" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr54aLzMe0jSKqFPhktekgq_yKHnVvm44xd97wMf7h-D19RJzRo_alEdsEjCYMQAq92ohvfm79dWqP-RfLjF4-tVpQEdMLBXMLaA3B5-_CdhD67hrmfkkEl3a62PkBrn4GdkfLp03QvNYMVTHGSk8pZjOTgknU0EWAHymNt5ziEi--jBfFII8ty7I/w400-h195/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.00.28%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Vegetable market.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1hnATcsRtwoqkApv8kYG2Y7ChZEH-2rnPkDSCBV76zRMiuAkR-Y-XSi0wcnF3TU6LdmQCADc6r4JefLPm0ue0jO7a5AWD0sp_wTrbXx98LCES4Wnjlb3hgqENQY5PA0au7j0jaQH6DEJh1YPfQGlGS_EXPLD5l36q-M3q2SrSCZ8_DGLbRtU8Cub/s402/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.00.39%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1hnATcsRtwoqkApv8kYG2Y7ChZEH-2rnPkDSCBV76zRMiuAkR-Y-XSi0wcnF3TU6LdmQCADc6r4JefLPm0ue0jO7a5AWD0sp_wTrbXx98LCES4Wnjlb3hgqENQY5PA0au7j0jaQH6DEJh1YPfQGlGS_EXPLD5l36q-M3q2SrSCZ8_DGLbRtU8Cub/w313-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.00.39%20AM.png" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Banana transport.<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX50NYpNPQ96gt-3Zpqm75sJm8DnkTf2zX_04VCOfBJ-uB8ZYmILwDBe8l-V5BW7H2keyYsyeis9Cs-upzgb51SkBYZsxwYD6cgBmB2bcrk1-D2t6NJIYkkyHIl9idNzGXB8VNcdgyJ-XivkU_yGZhljSSLoHQwFO0qltkWEl2byA2cgLyA5d0Vut/s562/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.00.59%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="562" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX50NYpNPQ96gt-3Zpqm75sJm8DnkTf2zX_04VCOfBJ-uB8ZYmILwDBe8l-V5BW7H2keyYsyeis9Cs-upzgb51SkBYZsxwYD6cgBmB2bcrk1-D2t6NJIYkkyHIl9idNzGXB8VNcdgyJ-XivkU_yGZhljSSLoHQwFO0qltkWEl2byA2cgLyA5d0Vut/w400-h275/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.00.59%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sewing the good old fashioned way without electricity. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGCNBC9drPkpgy2AHUPPDJvrn0zRAPIJf6VPPx6gNq6mC_Bd4xBE1nIU0XhOjovpvnEFTfhH2gOuVp-jh_Z-R-3VJ69fH58r86vsPDuWF86S0rTpioYKB5-jdYXI_NUNZCHNV_rfv6uheFErwbBiuw5pLirvH6GAzvPWTHN_kjb1wJbnmpNaGn2lA/s1370/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.01.40%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1370" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGCNBC9drPkpgy2AHUPPDJvrn0zRAPIJf6VPPx6gNq6mC_Bd4xBE1nIU0XhOjovpvnEFTfhH2gOuVp-jh_Z-R-3VJ69fH58r86vsPDuWF86S0rTpioYKB5-jdYXI_NUNZCHNV_rfv6uheFErwbBiuw5pLirvH6GAzvPWTHN_kjb1wJbnmpNaGn2lA/w400-h294/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.01.40%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicken transport.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_kkq9TlGuxqBhHZg8KDqNSkSNW750Sbobmp_8lTc_Hxwe9AD5yOIU2trwyfnhaBqFrI9y6FOwKxdVQ5kHuGsp9E_zh_L2pkMl3f0rW6hFUSzHruQKPd3typevs3dbSj9NLJXNl13HYAo1Td5FcgC2XlasyVumSwy1DXpJ_yqt5m_5vfGCB5uvXs5/s1866/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.03.05%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1866" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_kkq9TlGuxqBhHZg8KDqNSkSNW750Sbobmp_8lTc_Hxwe9AD5yOIU2trwyfnhaBqFrI9y6FOwKxdVQ5kHuGsp9E_zh_L2pkMl3f0rW6hFUSzHruQKPd3typevs3dbSj9NLJXNl13HYAo1Td5FcgC2XlasyVumSwy1DXpJ_yqt5m_5vfGCB5uvXs5/w400-h226/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.03.05%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">School time!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYT8Fvcz_r5qjnHmRZ7HPe4PuPKVJoE96q0SmiXnFb0Zrw7lI5oPErlbcxwpUO4i_QoyunbkuhJpz7CKZBimmwy2o7vCtFdsXRAfYgR3_ruMID6wT_FS966dhuL_Th0A96Z-dLlEK9L6ZXlU5mfgjKqVxNzpzlty2V1wgWcAUvID4v1367RZYQk3A7/s1884/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.03.26%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1884" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYT8Fvcz_r5qjnHmRZ7HPe4PuPKVJoE96q0SmiXnFb0Zrw7lI5oPErlbcxwpUO4i_QoyunbkuhJpz7CKZBimmwy2o7vCtFdsXRAfYgR3_ruMID6wT_FS966dhuL_Th0A96Z-dLlEK9L6ZXlU5mfgjKqVxNzpzlty2V1wgWcAUvID4v1367RZYQk3A7/w400-h225/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.03.26%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RtlBonhmQ77wuV2_rcI7B4BSSU8wtbJGwK7gd3VPjXnDzSa0vAs_MbmRKm_IbX7lpBF4XCpa8WMxzcMFeVpwUw9hvXEjCG2Ln2Nc_UcQ1ESy3MgAs9ITMbiw-9HrBWrLjE9aJ0ijsxGRQwv0nj6WoNxhDqa-mrpTjvHr75xEU1-MalXIttD-I76Q/s1404/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.04.33%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="1134" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RtlBonhmQ77wuV2_rcI7B4BSSU8wtbJGwK7gd3VPjXnDzSa0vAs_MbmRKm_IbX7lpBF4XCpa8WMxzcMFeVpwUw9hvXEjCG2Ln2Nc_UcQ1ESy3MgAs9ITMbiw-9HrBWrLjE9aJ0ijsxGRQwv0nj6WoNxhDqa-mrpTjvHr75xEU1-MalXIttD-I76Q/w323-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.04.33%20AM.png" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An ancient artifact I found at Kibuye buried underground. Well not too ancient, just maybe around 60 years old, to when the first missionaries lived here. It's part of a kerosene powered refrigerator.. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBJ0T0khdLA5CI8Nx90w6j-7Lh2TtFtughmsXFq_yqtOwDkenobWrfCR12mvrurOzo6pbLbj6ILhNi5b4sLW9H8lghbmmZFh8pjV88txlkixs2yAWry8fymT0tebxYcKsCXKe06s3S1IBG2VeT2Qk9isz_EiX_-e_DH_ShrjA8pJMPf6H3OWSgVpD/s1874/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.05.26%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="1874" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBJ0T0khdLA5CI8Nx90w6j-7Lh2TtFtughmsXFq_yqtOwDkenobWrfCR12mvrurOzo6pbLbj6ILhNi5b4sLW9H8lghbmmZFh8pjV88txlkixs2yAWry8fymT0tebxYcKsCXKe06s3S1IBG2VeT2Qk9isz_EiX_-e_DH_ShrjA8pJMPf6H3OWSgVpD/w400-h293/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.05.26%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Termite wings on the door step.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYh4YSyMiDmcLlDOsrTSMKuxTdNskMQs814yqvpN9sJAcVMXHxPQY48iO7QOFPGdF87EwzsWagsolu6u6CqX2uBxVPSvo9nBZVEW2tgJDJSLAHInPm7idvXB3--o-i_5n7PzeePGfPp-lchXCAnQYLJSlX1oz6Nj1fuFI6mYZGvYWEboYjVICZjLz/s828/image_6487327-9.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="828" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYh4YSyMiDmcLlDOsrTSMKuxTdNskMQs814yqvpN9sJAcVMXHxPQY48iO7QOFPGdF87EwzsWagsolu6u6CqX2uBxVPSvo9nBZVEW2tgJDJSLAHInPm7idvXB3--o-i_5n7PzeePGfPp-lchXCAnQYLJSlX1oz6Nj1fuFI6mYZGvYWEboYjVICZjLz/w400-h361/image_6487327-9.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Local kids having fun.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl230q76uKX9oqEpItm65PcrD4iPk7nd2cltiNr7ZYDkE3U-UKmkNuObguJwISdHkBG1giKl-f3IxMrfTYhthzU8VKy8t2kOi0aMpGGEIOfbKlg0qNKUGFw4qv1A2SE8NwFelqfGj6t_hobqglp8g2jIfNKN_WtMF17mh05kOxng3TIrh4trjSt82N/s1022/image_6487327-10.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl230q76uKX9oqEpItm65PcrD4iPk7nd2cltiNr7ZYDkE3U-UKmkNuObguJwISdHkBG1giKl-f3IxMrfTYhthzU8VKy8t2kOi0aMpGGEIOfbKlg0qNKUGFw4qv1A2SE8NwFelqfGj6t_hobqglp8g2jIfNKN_WtMF17mh05kOxng3TIrh4trjSt82N/w324-h400/image_6487327-10.JPG" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Babysitting starts very early here. As early as 5 years old kids start to help care for the younger ones</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RSQ5wnigRl6vtvvSvzf4MxKWHNoPvqZd40xuCA1c7VR9yhBRyACxQTWvCm9YSh9sfNck967SJdBua4pXuH5DyCtYglE4dIttrpMSdSuO1BbUzF0VBpsdQ0wdVW5hnRJWdbHKmZasnWaWIRgWGohT9z7nppsd87la1ZKSgJm3Aw03lP9AqRByEtMH/s828/image_6487327-12.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="828" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RSQ5wnigRl6vtvvSvzf4MxKWHNoPvqZd40xuCA1c7VR9yhBRyACxQTWvCm9YSh9sfNck967SJdBua4pXuH5DyCtYglE4dIttrpMSdSuO1BbUzF0VBpsdQ0wdVW5hnRJWdbHKmZasnWaWIRgWGohT9z7nppsd87la1ZKSgJm3Aw03lP9AqRByEtMH/w400-h388/image_6487327-12.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mr. Ezechiel, a man who works for us and has become like family.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLgPmZkJXQsfgPElPHdgraloJ_zwcCcgyy0p9tF6JGfT4bJl6P0a-5gERbiL1blZov_VQOmEzMxZzhXuV4DJnxCQrtIEIIsoqVypguQGIkFMeyNRY2Qu8s9rI18SEbvol-kltdQz62l6o1rYJOBTitd7Z8-D8NZJMAabuNuuRyDF2IGXcmGSpX2vk/s828/image_6487327-13.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="828" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLgPmZkJXQsfgPElPHdgraloJ_zwcCcgyy0p9tF6JGfT4bJl6P0a-5gERbiL1blZov_VQOmEzMxZzhXuV4DJnxCQrtIEIIsoqVypguQGIkFMeyNRY2Qu8s9rI18SEbvol-kltdQz62l6o1rYJOBTitd7Z8-D8NZJMAabuNuuRyDF2IGXcmGSpX2vk/w400-h293/image_6487327-13.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Morning sunrise overlooking Kibuye valley.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmCeulFf-lXNcxHn-wwXyo5uT0HKb3HKNsGb_CRH1qPoRkZpD9L5gog4IfudysocuA1Z7CKRIqHuaHkR1_jsMOVCr09X3TSj4Xg6dhV-Ryw7MWto7W-muhc7iSMisGruRi6uOS9FNWaHZ8eZQRSWkPAuZ9reagfUgXtFkuLA9rDson_JhC7i73u4d/s4032/image_50429697.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmCeulFf-lXNcxHn-wwXyo5uT0HKb3HKNsGb_CRH1qPoRkZpD9L5gog4IfudysocuA1Z7CKRIqHuaHkR1_jsMOVCr09X3TSj4Xg6dhV-Ryw7MWto7W-muhc7iSMisGruRi6uOS9FNWaHZ8eZQRSWkPAuZ9reagfUgXtFkuLA9rDson_JhC7i73u4d/w400-h300/image_50429697.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lake Tanganyika, the 2nd largest and 2nd deepest lake in the world.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmuS5SLd-EvC0p5pUOFEl2Z3rMxGi-gxCt3CVE1OefU_QHvpZj0Ix4dGod7IewUma07uXkot3YFjjsz9A13HnXnSDY5R3F8CAYz7KEXjMHm3f1IrwERxsz_bg8Vvf-LOp0jPDRZjL07aCVLZ-AWokIePQkoVopF11SrZkTG9bictgiswYgS3THH-J/s4032/image_50588161.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmuS5SLd-EvC0p5pUOFEl2Z3rMxGi-gxCt3CVE1OefU_QHvpZj0Ix4dGod7IewUma07uXkot3YFjjsz9A13HnXnSDY5R3F8CAYz7KEXjMHm3f1IrwERxsz_bg8Vvf-LOp0jPDRZjL07aCVLZ-AWokIePQkoVopF11SrZkTG9bictgiswYgS3THH-J/w400-h300/image_50588161.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fishermen on Lake Tanganyika.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QJuw9spPSWSk7jB4nyoA42BJfhPFW1KP7_hd0WqUixAsaeD17rzPhi5i3a-inrUKbnrcqdnx168gpEEIc6YVB9jnQ-itMQeOIP0hpCvyV6HI8vMFRlBu9EUGwvc-RpqoiH1sZjcUAvUkixVSxIexdXpEl2-2AjhRY0wj7lF0Y5nJkaEdaSVdXMgW/s1548/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.03%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1548" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QJuw9spPSWSk7jB4nyoA42BJfhPFW1KP7_hd0WqUixAsaeD17rzPhi5i3a-inrUKbnrcqdnx168gpEEIc6YVB9jnQ-itMQeOIP0hpCvyV6HI8vMFRlBu9EUGwvc-RpqoiH1sZjcUAvUkixVSxIexdXpEl2-2AjhRY0wj7lF0Y5nJkaEdaSVdXMgW/w400-h383/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.03%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The house where Betty Ellen Cox lived, right outside our front gate! She was one of the first missionaries to come to Burundi. You can read her biography called "Simply Following"which is still sold on Amazon</span>. </td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEr7nLtGko1E95-Bs8o-aZddPfcF8N7ma01M8D0TTvhlYh-acu0ppWbF-qphTeUxG0nR9pbaca4nuctrO-r0HDdtg1b6LEtMiAsC8oHIjxQb40WXQqD3GxAa5Z1wgrb7hK1YsIboEeQ9PJ3T4N0LJrjb7rYMz-AYpFz_lrJPExWFk0OC8Vg6TjR7H/s1646/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.13%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="1646" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEr7nLtGko1E95-Bs8o-aZddPfcF8N7ma01M8D0TTvhlYh-acu0ppWbF-qphTeUxG0nR9pbaca4nuctrO-r0HDdtg1b6LEtMiAsC8oHIjxQb40WXQqD3GxAa5Z1wgrb7hK1YsIboEeQ9PJ3T4N0LJrjb7rYMz-AYpFz_lrJPExWFk0OC8Vg6TjR7H/w400-h329/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.13%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Take our picture!"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNic4N_xJmRrEtMeaea_yJgVJJEqTEkY7N3BF9g32MHn6pkCR7oaVeRS8wsZdRE_mO8xevEqNE88ME8bDnpl84dxkH8p8qsR_rPgMMj4DPdQGeUkFIq6XKmk0jnLvuGngO3xxSwvbgUAajWxAIr7xZ4chfdPcKoCxc-Ugay_K1HxvBkyYkD8EcfSw/s1558/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.36%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="1296" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNic4N_xJmRrEtMeaea_yJgVJJEqTEkY7N3BF9g32MHn6pkCR7oaVeRS8wsZdRE_mO8xevEqNE88ME8bDnpl84dxkH8p8qsR_rPgMMj4DPdQGeUkFIq6XKmk0jnLvuGngO3xxSwvbgUAajWxAIr7xZ4chfdPcKoCxc-Ugay_K1HxvBkyYkD8EcfSw/w333-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.36%20AM.png" width="333" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSXtjX3AGYv3FtPviH-ZZahq1Ue_9EP7o2Gj3Tbr7vCL63-GU-y4PniC3hVAbRa33_k5sR8lUNnOhTgDLaOcfJYYS0qUOihD2g696yb_kh2-lQN1b3R85ZErlvRORj3qLAwkEe1H18pWjY9hWGshd9RAI7rxj9gkXDpjL4AcrIl5-KIozpLmEkiAg/s1574/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.46%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="1244" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSXtjX3AGYv3FtPviH-ZZahq1Ue_9EP7o2Gj3Tbr7vCL63-GU-y4PniC3hVAbRa33_k5sR8lUNnOhTgDLaOcfJYYS0qUOihD2g696yb_kh2-lQN1b3R85ZErlvRORj3qLAwkEe1H18pWjY9hWGshd9RAI7rxj9gkXDpjL4AcrIl5-KIozpLmEkiAg/w316-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.46%20AM.png" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Found this on a trail...as is. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATivToCHyqSHBF5SsZjKoN6kn-15UZEkdy8spjAmgAqOdQVat_CLWNvqeRpGel5oypR-bJuwzUKKopvckE_cN3wL3UN_z82FCIFh9hylfZNIQHFrEYfI1j6pHLSuwnSz-q0-9ObFNQk_ByNRr_jx4eMyEan5tO6o9i3MTlPTBCBEGTD3KCk7fm9v1/s1866/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.57%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1866" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATivToCHyqSHBF5SsZjKoN6kn-15UZEkdy8spjAmgAqOdQVat_CLWNvqeRpGel5oypR-bJuwzUKKopvckE_cN3wL3UN_z82FCIFh9hylfZNIQHFrEYfI1j6pHLSuwnSz-q0-9ObFNQk_ByNRr_jx4eMyEan5tO6o9i3MTlPTBCBEGTD3KCk7fm9v1/w400-h300/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.10.57%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An oil painting I did of a house in our village. The sunset brought out such beautiful colors.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwNmlSJ7eC4KCPX-drdxMGjtNshCbM1POSKQPic_ecG6Z1XIaU4Ho7LzcNQOSiXEgn_6MwauCKGdDJ28EIe-bt5DNgDvx_wGLjzL5bA5cdUOkRVKxYFbRan5q3pBrgPuV3QQQ-t0UMsEGkOspTYg3Hccw_l97FW05EID4YRbC9xFE3rl2gt2D5rlu/s1566/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.11.45%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="1108" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwNmlSJ7eC4KCPX-drdxMGjtNshCbM1POSKQPic_ecG6Z1XIaU4Ho7LzcNQOSiXEgn_6MwauCKGdDJ28EIe-bt5DNgDvx_wGLjzL5bA5cdUOkRVKxYFbRan5q3pBrgPuV3QQQ-t0UMsEGkOspTYg3Hccw_l97FW05EID4YRbC9xFE3rl2gt2D5rlu/w283-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.11.45%20AM.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Homemade toys are the best!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixUa98_IKYpfeOIpA0n5NDsRXwD5vjYWa0jObH_jIdqEXf8j0RfQ-YDllZVpqvGTjExJgltrKQTD-t3musMgow8axdh4nY6jp2gU9OwN98U6lPqIVWIfcmSFttjjOAgQKqg8XF_3VKML_vlMg66N14rro1lQkGrLN-AHQF7ZHHkEDKluNSQBUz3p4/s1011/image_6487327-15.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixUa98_IKYpfeOIpA0n5NDsRXwD5vjYWa0jObH_jIdqEXf8j0RfQ-YDllZVpqvGTjExJgltrKQTD-t3musMgow8axdh4nY6jp2gU9OwN98U6lPqIVWIfcmSFttjjOAgQKqg8XF_3VKML_vlMg66N14rro1lQkGrLN-AHQF7ZHHkEDKluNSQBUz3p4/w328-h400/image_6487327-15.JPG" width="328" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6B6ADCKViX4ooynVp_cqW1A3Be5qQTOoTcWL7foSEbt8lk_S0nxguH-kTbLfF-UZnF5iUT4YuSr02awJMPYSv_gki8AFfVuqiNFTns7uAuwF_VfP_rDvIH3lpKfuhQTY8QMTP044MtckuXNKq13DlMlTvgF4q5xWhkieoBCumnaB7tkGMzgCmWBpS/s828/image_6487327-14.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="828" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6B6ADCKViX4ooynVp_cqW1A3Be5qQTOoTcWL7foSEbt8lk_S0nxguH-kTbLfF-UZnF5iUT4YuSr02awJMPYSv_gki8AFfVuqiNFTns7uAuwF_VfP_rDvIH3lpKfuhQTY8QMTP044MtckuXNKq13DlMlTvgF4q5xWhkieoBCumnaB7tkGMzgCmWBpS/w400-h296/image_6487327-14.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRp_564a3_y-KfJUzTg0BeqXLPYAjtRPUY2Yu9RxiCoT6Rmo5ERg8Fj_CenCoWoiJwQUv1iv6ZHwd7IcVbGcWsnyb2hzzB8ywZaUt855piE-XBvO5GNZQBPRjunknxWIVa9IUKmdNPuV1M3kNQ3wOzFcPBUsQqtoeUew3ZfxeCDH-evh2oWnK6xWl/s1720/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.12.05%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1720" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRp_564a3_y-KfJUzTg0BeqXLPYAjtRPUY2Yu9RxiCoT6Rmo5ERg8Fj_CenCoWoiJwQUv1iv6ZHwd7IcVbGcWsnyb2hzzB8ywZaUt855piE-XBvO5GNZQBPRjunknxWIVa9IUKmdNPuV1M3kNQ3wOzFcPBUsQqtoeUew3ZfxeCDH-evh2oWnK6xWl/w400-h304/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.12.05%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Coming home from the field.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqGeU5aCMxGycYW3daZbDX5LufEh2gM6dswRwsmeVtDYjdEgqFO4QioqlQLeAcdqv-t-xRwf59ox4GFvO5oepwkFnF3edcR0dMtx7lY9YIYM9KedClvWI25I94B8AtsqSPdJGKqYJgqgRhBLlXrQsc-OMVPTR6shlbJJA1dc3_mU5blqKYYLWpmk4/s1498/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.12.39%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1434" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqGeU5aCMxGycYW3daZbDX5LufEh2gM6dswRwsmeVtDYjdEgqFO4QioqlQLeAcdqv-t-xRwf59ox4GFvO5oepwkFnF3edcR0dMtx7lY9YIYM9KedClvWI25I94B8AtsqSPdJGKqYJgqgRhBLlXrQsc-OMVPTR6shlbJJA1dc3_mU5blqKYYLWpmk4/w383-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.12.39%20AM.png" width="383" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eWXLVuOx0eNAulv2IuRSavZD8lT-hTFI97va_IR_4VIAF9AOoJWbG4fgN43U4u4MwUp_3wX_ByePhGA2LjNOyYw1SD-Jn47_7BkYbioL3oOExuL8IA94yaRqW7znJ3XmW_3gfJCTQhY218u0Cf_ybbn8sY3lcTjr3mWYs44vda02WscFY32V5oQM/s1830/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.12.54%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1830" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eWXLVuOx0eNAulv2IuRSavZD8lT-hTFI97va_IR_4VIAF9AOoJWbG4fgN43U4u4MwUp_3wX_ByePhGA2LjNOyYw1SD-Jn47_7BkYbioL3oOExuL8IA94yaRqW7znJ3XmW_3gfJCTQhY218u0Cf_ybbn8sY3lcTjr3mWYs44vda02WscFY32V5oQM/w400-h300/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.12.54%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The brick making process. They form the bricks out of the mud, then stack them into kilns and fire them in place.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmEhK55mQbt2y7dJSL_kNFA5tU-dOXl9TgaHU3czySD-HPmBv8zF84Ihd0sUGvaI9IhDEai6tWcRTEChDJkpdop_w3tgW8WZ2Wikc8VUhzY4Vl1mdzduZXAaYbQTHb3290eLp7Kr3zqsGvcTQQ9bQWQP-k5gydg4P4rVN3DC5pDspY2a_DanTarbM/s2050/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.13.49%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="2050" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmEhK55mQbt2y7dJSL_kNFA5tU-dOXl9TgaHU3czySD-HPmBv8zF84Ihd0sUGvaI9IhDEai6tWcRTEChDJkpdop_w3tgW8WZ2Wikc8VUhzY4Vl1mdzduZXAaYbQTHb3290eLp7Kr3zqsGvcTQQ9bQWQP-k5gydg4P4rVN3DC5pDspY2a_DanTarbM/w400-h289/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.13.49%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I love the beautiful colors.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2ZjCd1Vm1eoNka0ORDB2ueir58yulYOU1vRX-KFM28oUwiKgNOodVx8txso98W_wbzfUFGY--eAk-5sy-NCkI300JAmqeYhc4ilwY62eIdNJy-SuXPKdt5901YsE4fDEEAof-k1OkU_xvbs0kZGXBtK9gJAv-roTWKu8GlKhkPoT2UNjGQDVhKV3/s1566/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.14.01%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="1252" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2ZjCd1Vm1eoNka0ORDB2ueir58yulYOU1vRX-KFM28oUwiKgNOodVx8txso98W_wbzfUFGY--eAk-5sy-NCkI300JAmqeYhc4ilwY62eIdNJy-SuXPKdt5901YsE4fDEEAof-k1OkU_xvbs0kZGXBtK9gJAv-roTWKu8GlKhkPoT2UNjGQDVhKV3/w320-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.14.01%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Came to church wearing her Sunday best. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPJPwl-t8TRtf1kb8CNtYbz7RR5_nVeytjQR9esHikhN4GHcMPUaKjeAJTd8XaUD0x4lRKvuPr0Tsx1XRtdIzBIJxPa9LJeyxowsR_L25RtfcSMsRWtvwxSYGZVWGHELFG_CjYudffQ8vapPftNCgzC6ul-h9yNHa1h1K5FVj2SrbGf-VOnO6nm-L/s2100/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.14.16%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="2100" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPJPwl-t8TRtf1kb8CNtYbz7RR5_nVeytjQR9esHikhN4GHcMPUaKjeAJTd8XaUD0x4lRKvuPr0Tsx1XRtdIzBIJxPa9LJeyxowsR_L25RtfcSMsRWtvwxSYGZVWGHELFG_CjYudffQ8vapPftNCgzC6ul-h9yNHa1h1K5FVj2SrbGf-VOnO6nm-L/w400-h209/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.14.16%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Morning fog.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrhPXXopVBTla7nMwE1tC7G_MRDLb_tdbeyBgb0cCnjOaBN8U1niyO9eKsY6wcEwU7f5rW-nboXGqPp1YrM0WYa5GzLLswcbtJUHqlKJCdjq40W1MPWNtTcc1Sa9e225Vk14x3feKUfJAvccUkRgaPHPHmus7_DZFDr_tpiTJjOFpTCnjllBkCDpK/s1542/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.13.09%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="1486" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrhPXXopVBTla7nMwE1tC7G_MRDLb_tdbeyBgb0cCnjOaBN8U1niyO9eKsY6wcEwU7f5rW-nboXGqPp1YrM0WYa5GzLLswcbtJUHqlKJCdjq40W1MPWNtTcc1Sa9e225Vk14x3feKUfJAvccUkRgaPHPHmus7_DZFDr_tpiTJjOFpTCnjllBkCDpK/w385-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-23%20at%2010.13.09%20AM.png" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunset behind the church.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Michelle Wendlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498137188351461721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954090281646983139.post-7053854916367107492023-03-01T12:47:00.000-05:002023-03-01T12:47:02.479-05:00Teaching English<br>
<i>(By Erica Ause)</i>
<br><br>Outside of my role as teacher for the team’s children, I am also an English teacher for a few groups of people who work at the hospital. This role has been a huge blessing to me, and one of the things I look forward to most each week. It has helped me make some dear friendships and given me an opportunity to peek into the Burundian culture. One group I teach are the medical students. This is open for any and all students who want to give their Monday night to English. The class ranges from about 2 to 15 students depending on the other things they have going on like exams, being on-call, or classes. For some, this is a chance to practice English simply out of interest. For others, it is vital as they have chosen to write and defend their theses in English. This is not an easy feat, but for those would like to study in another country, a competence in English is just short of necessary. This is the most relaxed class I have because I never know who will show up! One day, we had only two students, both of whom I know well. So instead of studying English we played ping pong in the student center for an hour, speaking only English of course. Another time we had so many that we split into two groups and worked on two different skills based on level. This class is full of students around my age who show me their passion for those who live in rural Burundi. They love their patients and teach me about the differences between life in the city and life here in Kibuye. They have also taught me cultural things I would not learn otherwise, like how people date and how to throw a party. <br><br>
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Another class I teach is a group of hospital staff. These four men are learning English to either be accepted into a master’s programs abroad, find jobs dealing in international relations, or for the sake of their role at the hospital. This class gives me some insight into the generation that already has children, and who grew up and work in rural Burundi. This is a different outlook on the world, and one that I am blessed to be privy to. From them I have learned how one shows respect to different people (for example, the students are always the ones who erase the board, never the teacher), when it is appropriate to ask a question in class and when to stay silent.<br><br>
The third group is the most structured, and time sensitive class. The four men I teach are a part of the PAACS (PanAfrican Academy of Christian Surgeons) residency program that has recently started here in Kibuye. PAACS is an English based program, so although these four speak Kirundi and French at the hospital, all their conferences and tests are in English. This class is half me teaching English, and half me learning more about surgery than I will ever need to know as we review from their 2-inch-thick textbook. We do practice tests, presentations, language lessons, and a lot of speaking. One day, before they headed to a PAACS conference in Kenya, I turned my house into a "restaurant" to allow them to practice the vocabulary needed for that setting. I asked them to provide some of the foods they often eat, but which I had never tried. The wife of one of the residents brought supplies to our kitchen and taught me how to make the dishes. We made Ugali which is like a ball of dough made from hot water and casava flour as well as Ndagala, a small fried fish cooked in oil and lemon. We then enjoyed the meal around the table, and it was delicious. It was a wonderful time spent together, using conversational and restaurant vocabulary, learning about each other’s cultures around food, hearing stories about their childhoods, and discussing some of their fears and excitement for their trip to Kenya.
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One thing I know for sure is that the best way to learn language is through speaking about anything and everything. This means that “English class” can range from a lesson to a dinner together. I just love when language learning and friendship overlap. Spending time with all these students has been one of the most fulfilling parts of life here, and I am so grateful for the relationships I have made through it.
Erica Ausehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10618893687661255227noreply@blogger.com0