The Banks

Logan and Julie are old team friends from our first days in Kenya in 2010.  Logan is a full-scope family doc that will be able to serve on the Adult, Pediatric, and Maternity wards, and also comes with five years of residency teaching experience.  We're delighted that their family is going to come out to Burundi to round out our team. 

Find out more about them at www.TheBanksOffshore.com

The Faders (CK)

Caleb, Krista, Liam, Gavin, and Baby Boy #3

Caleb: is a civil engineer (and younger brother of a certain Kibuye surgeon) who spends his days working alongside local engineers, architects, and tradesmen to build and renovate the hospital and surrounding residential areas. 

Krista: is a nurse practitioner who is busy raising the boys and serving part time at the hospital in Burundi’s first chemotherapy program for pediatric patients with retinoblastoma (eye cancer). 

Liam: is an active little boy who loves being outside and playing with other kids.

Gavin: is a sweet toddler who keeps us all on our toes with his never-ending curiosity.

Baby Boy #3: is busy growing and planning his arrival sometime at the end of March 2018.

The Baskins

Darrell is a retina surgeon and Becky is a super-mom.  They are planning to move to Burundi in 2016 after finishing French language school.  We look forward to welcoming the Baskin Brigade to Kibuye.

The Thiessen Family

We are the Thiessen Family

Jesh and Julie knew of each other since childhood but reconnected over coffee and discovered a shared passion for missions. Julie had previously taught primary school in Burundi and Jesh had previously travelled to the Dominican Republic and Myanmar on short-term missions trips. They connected with Jason Fader at the Global Missions Health Conference in 2014 and felt God's desire for them to work towards joining the Kibuye team shortly after. After completing language training in Albertville, France they will join the Kibuye team in June 2018. 

Jesh is a Canadian trained General Surgeon with a background in Electronic Engineering Technology and manufacturing. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, he completed medical school at the University of Calgary and his General Surgery Residency at Queens University in Ontario. While not passionate about food, he does appreciate ice cream and a good steak. He enjoys fixing almost anything. He may have convinced his bride to watch the Lord of Rings Extended Edition on their honeymoon! 

Julie loves hospitality, cooking and being a mother. She has travelled to India and Burundi, teaching in both countries. She is definitely more passionate about food then Jesh, and looks forward to embracing the challenge of cooking and making a home. She has had a long held desire to work overseas, and has been a support to her husband through the many years of schooling. She does not feel the need to watch Lord of the Rings (extended edition) ever again. 

Kaden surprised his parents by arriving early while we were out of town in British Columbia. He loves to build, read and spend time outdoors. He prides himself in keeping all our devices fully charged at all times.

Seija was born in the Northwest Territories in Northern Canada. She loves princesses, cheese, and chocolate, and has been known to beat her parents at games like "Settlers" and "Quirkle".

Kai is the newest member of the family born in Ontario during Jesh's surgical residency. He enjoys things like crackers and bottles of milk at all hours of night. Despite wanting to socialize while all other creatures are sleeping, he is adored by us all.

For more information check out thiessensburundi.blogspot.com

Kayla Hedin

Kayla grew up in Lansing, Michigan, and graduated from Spring Arbor University with a degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in reading and teaching English as a second language. Although Kayla has wanted to be a teacher for almost as long as she can remember, teaching outside the U.S. was not always on her radar.

Her interest in teaching abroad was sparked in high school and was quickly ignited after spending the summer of 2015 in Japan helping teach English at a kindergarten. The following year, she became friends with a fellow Spring Arbor student who had family roots in Burundi. After talking with this friend and her family about Burundi and the team in Kibuye, Burundi seemed to be written on her heart. Kayla joined the team in Kibuye in April of 2018 to teach at Kibuye Hope Academy for a two-year term.

The Nimmons

Scott and Lindsay are joining the Serge Kibuye team as teachers for the burgeoning number of team members’ children. In 2003, Lindsay was working as a studio manager for Olan Mills Family Portrait Studio when she was asked to train the new guy (Scott). One year and one day after that training began, Scott and Lindsay married. They have enjoyed living and working in a variety of places, including Shippensburg, PA, Dublin, Ireland, and most recently Williamsburg, VA. Together, they worked on a number of projects, most notably including their own photography business, teaching humanities at both primary and secondary levels, and initiating a program of urban arts outreach. They now anticipate serving together in Kibuye as God expands the reach of the ministry in Burundi. 

Information on supporting the Nimmons can be found by clicking here.

The Watts

The Watts family came to Kibuye via the Serge team in Bujumbura, where George was helping with teaching and academic leadership at Hope Africa University before they were forced to leave due to the ongoing violence (“Fantastic evacuation. 4-stars. Highly recommended”). The peaceful, green, quiet freedom of Kibuye is a dream come true for the kids, and a great fit for the whole family. 

Originally from a small town on the Canadian prairies (where they met in Jr. high) - George & Susan got married, then moved to Kazakstan for a year - teaching english, working with orphanages, & developing children material. They finished undergrad, then moved to France for George’s graduate studies where Jonah was born. Then back to Canada where George was a professor at King’s University and Matea and Micah were born. Then back to France for doctoral studies and skiing, where Alma was born. 

Susan is a mother-of-four extraordinaire, sometimes homeschooling, and always the hostess with the mostest. 

George is working with hospital administration at Kibuye, putting into practice his doctoral studies on resource-constrained environments. 

George

Born: Meadow Lake, Canada (a tiny farming town way up in Northern Saskatchewan)

Likes: travelling, running, skiing, reading & writing

Dislikes: being cold

Susan

Born: Saskatoon, Canada

Likes: good food (making & eating), reading

Dislikes: flying

Jonah

Born: Grenoble, France

Likes: reading, skiing (oops…sorry about that), computer-y things

Dislikes: ketamine

Matea

Born: Edmonton, Canada

Likes: hanging upside down, doing life at top-speed, taking care of the little kids

Dislikes: using her 'inside voice’ 

Micah

Born: Edmonton, Canada

Likes: Lego, Star Wars, Star Wars Lego, tree climbing, hiking, memorizing things

Dislikes: wearing shoes

Alma

Born: Grenoble, France

Likes: saying crazy things, making us laugh, playing in the mud

Dislikes: eating bananas 

Their family blog can be found at: www.pardonourfrench.com

Erica Ause

 (Bio coming soon!)

Past Travels and Tales

-Some of Eric's stories from rural Zambia (Mukinge Hospital) as a 4th year medical student in 2005 can be found here.

-From the McLaughlin's September 2007 sojourn in Bangladesh (Malumghat Hospital) as residents, feel free to read about Bangla-Lunch, Outpatient Translational Adventures, and the now-humorous exploits known as Roach Wars. The whole of their blogs from the month can be found here.

-Jason's story post on his Liberia trip in fall 2008 is here.

-John's trip to Nepal with the Himalayan Eye Project in 2009 is here.

Media That Informs Us

A short list of books and movies that at least some of us found enlightening, inspiring, or at least thought-provoking:

Books:

Africa:
Strength in What Remains, by Tracy Kidder (Burundi)
From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi, by Ambassador Robert Kruger

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)

What is the What? by Dave Eggers (South Sudan)

A Distant Grief, by F. Kefa Sempangi (Uganda)

Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton (South Africa)

There is No Me Without You, by Melissa Fay Greene
Africa Friends and Money Matters, by David Maranz
The Fate of Africa, by Meredith Martin
Out of the Jaws of the Lion, by Homer Dowdy (Congo)
Into Africa: the Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone, by Martin Dugard

Theology:

Don't Waste your Life, by John Piper

Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright

Generous Justice, by Tim Keller
Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, by Tim Keller
A Sacred Sorrow, by Michael Card
A Praying Life, by Paul Miller
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, by Marva Dawn
Invitation to Silence and Solitude, by Ruth Haley Barton

Missions:

Eternity in Their Hearts, by Don Richardson

Peace Child, by Don Richardson

Let the Nations Be Glad, by John Piper
Miracle at Tenwek, by Gregg Lewis
Missions and Money, by Jonathan Bonk
Teaching Cross-Culturally, by Judith and Sherwood Lingenfelter
Third Culture Kids, by Pollock and Van Reken
Bruchko, by Bruce Olsen

Medicine/Aid/Development:

The End of Poverty, by Jeffery Sachs

Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder
Pathologies of Power, by Paul Farmer

The White Man's Burden, by William Easterly

Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond

When Helping Hurts, by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett

Better, by Atul Gawande
Wit, by Margarent Edson

Children's Books:
We All Went on Safari, by Laurie Krebs
For You Are a Kenyan Child, by Kelly Cunnane
Greedy Zebra, by Mwenye Hadithi
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, by Verna Aardema
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, by Verna Aardema

Miscellaneous:
The Wycliffe Cookbook
The More With Less Cookbook
The Sonship Course, by Serge/World Harvest Mission

The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom

Music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, especially Paul Simon's "Graceland"
Fluenz Français language learning tools
Petit Futé Burundi (the only good guide book on Burundi, albeit in French)
Article: "As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God" by Matthew Parris The Times, click here

Movies:
The Mission
Invisible Children
The Devil Came on Horseback
Amazing Grace
Yesterday
Blood Diamond
War Dance

The Ghost and the Darkness

The Constant Gardener

Hotel Rwanda

The Lion King (we'd be lying to say it didn't inform us)

Recommended but Minimal Relevancy to Africa:

Toto's "Africa"

The Gods Must Be Crazy (I and II)

David Wilcox's "Johnny's Camaro"

The Tawny, Scrawny Lion, by Tengreen
The board game "Pandemic"

The awesome action sequence in Madagascar at the beginning of "Casino Royale"