On Saturday Scott, Kristen, David, Lily and I went to a conference in Spring Arbor, MI. It's called CAHO (Central African Health Care Organization) and is established through the Free Methodist Church. There are a few key hospitals focused through this group- Kibogora, Rwanda, Kibuye and Bujumbura, Burundi, Nundu, DRC, and oddly enough, Haiti. This was our 3rd attendance at the conference (last year we presented as we had just returned from Kibuye). It was so refreshing to go- and quite miraculous that David and Scott both had the day off! Apart from the interesting speakers and ideas about missions, we were able to network and connect with some great people. The room was filled with people (mostly over 50) who have spent their lives in Africa offering health care and Jesus to the poor. It's quite humbling and inspiring.
So this is where I get goosebumps as I introduce a group of people that are of my age group and whose story is quite profound and exciting!
So during our final days in Africa David had the opportunity to go to dinner with a group of young doctors who were scouting several countries to see where they could move their families to begin a life of teaching and practicing medicine to the poor in Africa. At the time of David's meeting- it was still in process, but he came back to the place where we were staying with eyes beaming and full of energy as he described the possibility for Kibuye. And a year later the plan is in full motion!
So... 3 families (4/6 are doctors) with 7 young children along with 2 single people are currently fundraising and chucking their possessions as they prepare to go to language school in France for a year, followed by moving to Burundi with a plan to settled down for at least a decade. In that group of doctors there is an opthamologist, general surgeon, ob/gyn, interest, med/peds doc, and an ER doc. They will be working with medical students from Hope Africa University to train them. You probably remember from previous posts that Burundi was severely damaged after the civil war- during which an entire generation of education were killed leaving Burundi left with few professionals. Training medical students (and other students) is more than a necessity- it's a must- an obligation. Currently Kibuye Hospital has about 80 beds for about 100 patients and EMI (an amazing Christian engineering group of missionaries) will be creating a plan to make it into a 300 bed hospital with room for teaching and taking care of patients.
The mcropders (a name made up of 3 of their last names) will be building a home for them to live in while a 3 additional homes are built adjacent providing a certain form of community living. There is a young teaacher who is currently raising support to come join the team and be the teacher for the missionary kids as well!
So you can read their blog or maybe I will write more later- but this is so exciting and so great I though you should all be in the know!
So some final thoughts:
When I asked the opthamologist about his chosen speciality he said he picked it knowing (as he had grown up in Togo, Africa- his dad was a general surgeon) that there is a huge need for opthamologists in developing countries. I just love that he thought first about what is needed and then said, "I'll do that" rather than doing what he wanted and hoped God could/would use it.
When David came back to our room that night in Africa and began telling me this story I got tears in my eyes and I said, "David they're so amazing. They are seriously giving it all up" (knowing that each of those families could be making around $500,00/year).
And he replied, "No, Adrienne. They're gaining it all."
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