Menu:
California Grilled Veggie Sandwiches on homemade Focaccia Bread
Mango and Strawberry fruit salad
Spinach salad with caesar dressing
We had a DELICIOUS dinner last night. Kristen and I ate early because we had to run Davida up to Auburon Hills.... so we didn't get to enjoy it together- but all seemed to enjoy this savory sandwich!
I couldn't find focaccia bread to save my life- so I just made it.
Recipe:
Ingredients
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 pinch ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 cup water
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup mozzarella
Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.
2. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
NOTE: Apparently you need to make sure your yeast is good- you do this by "prepping the yeast" You can look up instructions online.
California Grilled Veggie Sandwich:
(Once again I doubled the recipe)
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/8 cup olive oil
* 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
* 1 small zucchini, sliced
* 1 red onion, sliced
* 1 small yellow squash, sliced
* 2 (4-x6-inch) focaccia bread pieces, split horizontally
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
1. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Brush vegetables with olive oil on each side. Brush grate with oil. Place bell peppers and zucchini closest to the middle of the grill, and set onion and squash pieces around them. Cook for about 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes. The peppers may take a bit longer. Remove from grill, and set aside.
4. Spread some of the mayonnaise mixture on the cut sides of the bread, and sprinkle each one with feta cheese. Place on the grill cheese side up, and cover with lid for 2 to 3 minutes. This will warm the bread, and slightly melt the cheese. Watch carefully so the bottoms don't burn. Remove from grill, and layer with the vegetables. Enjoy as open faced grilled sandwiches.
NOTE: Our grill was covered in snow- so I just cooked the veggies in the oven- it still tasted good- but I look forward to grilling next time!!
Rating: 5/5
DELICIOUS!!!
3.11.2011
40 days of vegetarianism Day 2: Black beans and rice
Every Thursday we have potluck for the neighbors on our block. It tends to be a consistent group- and every once in awhile we convince others to join us. :) We usually have Kesha- she has 3 children Kamoni (8), Kashila (6) and Kemone (16). Her half sister, Arielle (15) joins us regularly. Also, our neighbor from across the street, Chleo comes. Chleo has a wheelchair bound daughter with cerebral palsy who joins us when she can (not very often unfortunately- they live on the 3rd floor of a house with steep stairs- so she can't come over very often). There are a few other people who join us from time to time- our block doesn't have that many people living on it. Anyway.... that's a side note!
So last night I made black beans and rice. After scooping the black beans and rice onto your plate you can add fresh salsa, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and crumpled chips. So delicious! As usual, I doubled the recipe. The original yields 10 servings. Oh and I used dried black beans. So to make enough beans for 20 people it cost me about $2- if you buy canned beans they usually sell for about $1/can which would run you about $7.42.
Kesha brought garlic bread and a garden salad oh and yellow cake with chocolate frosting! Chleo brought green beans. We had a WONDERFUL dinner!
After dinner, they all cleaned up while I put the boys down (David and Alex excused themselves for discipleship). Then we all played Catchphrase.
Having a potluck is a really easy way to gather people together. Everybody has to eat. So why not eat together?!?!
Recipe: Black beans and rice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 cups canned black beans, drained (or you can use dried beans and save a lot of money!)
Directions
In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the spices and black beans.
CONDIMENTS:
fresh salsa
sour cream
chips
cilantro
fresh guacamole
Rating: 5/5 Good, easy vegetarian dinner
No, this is not a picture of our dinner- I will start doing that though!!!
POTLUCK THURSDAY!
So last night I made black beans and rice. After scooping the black beans and rice onto your plate you can add fresh salsa, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and crumpled chips. So delicious! As usual, I doubled the recipe. The original yields 10 servings. Oh and I used dried black beans. So to make enough beans for 20 people it cost me about $2- if you buy canned beans they usually sell for about $1/can which would run you about $7.42.
Kesha brought garlic bread and a garden salad oh and yellow cake with chocolate frosting! Chleo brought green beans. We had a WONDERFUL dinner!
After dinner, they all cleaned up while I put the boys down (David and Alex excused themselves for discipleship). Then we all played Catchphrase.
Having a potluck is a really easy way to gather people together. Everybody has to eat. So why not eat together?!?!
Recipe: Black beans and rice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 cups canned black beans, drained (or you can use dried beans and save a lot of money!)
Directions
In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the spices and black beans.
CONDIMENTS:
fresh salsa
sour cream
chips
cilantro
fresh guacamole
Rating: 5/5 Good, easy vegetarian dinner
No, this is not a picture of our dinner- I will start doing that though!!!
POTLUCK THURSDAY!
3.09.2011
40 days of Vegetarianism : Day 1: Carmelized Onion Pasta
So for Lent we are giving up meat at the VDP (Van Dyke Place). Before I share my recipe and talk about out adventure into abandoning meat- I want to write about Lent.
First of all, you can read this blog for an interesting post about lent.
We have decided to give up a meat for a couple reasons. First, it is a sacrifice.... at least for me. I love meat. :) When I met David he was a vegetarian and I thought he was crazy. How could you possibly give up something so delicious? So when I want to eat meat, I can be reminded of the Lenten season and reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for me on the Cross. Secondly, most people in the world can't afford meat. Sometimes it helps to identify with the struggles of the weak and the poor. Obviously at the end of the day I am not the same as someone who can't afford meat, but it is good to remind ourselves that there are a lot of poor people who can't afford meat. It helps keep our priorities in line.
I am not really feeling the whole blogging thing- so I am might add more later.... but for now I will just post the first day's recipe. :) I doubled the recipe to feed all of us and have left overs. :)
Carmelized Onion Sauce with Noodles
Oven grilled asparagus
fresh bread
½ c. olive oil
4 to 6 large onion, thinly sliced
½ to 1 c. white wine
1 medium bunch spinach, stemmed & minced
1 c. crumbled feta cheese with herbs
¾ to 1lb pasta (I used penne)
1 c. chopped walnuts
Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add onions & sauté on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Lower heat, and continue to cook for at least another 10 minutes (you can cook on low heat for up to an hour if you like-which is what I did). Add white wine, turn heat back up to medium, & simmer uncovered about 15 minutes. At this point the sauce can be set aside until you are ready to cook the pasta. Turn the heat back on under the sauce when you are ready to cook the pasta. When the onions are hot, add the chopped greens, stir, and cook about 5 minutes. Stir in the crumbled cheese, and turn heat to low while cooking the pasta. After the cooked pasta is drained, add it to the sauce, and stir briefly in the pan before serving. Sprinkle with walnuts & parmesan.
- The Moosewood Cookbook
Rating: 5/5 DELICIOUS!
Once again, not my picture... sorry... will start doing that!
First of all, you can read this blog for an interesting post about lent.
We have decided to give up a meat for a couple reasons. First, it is a sacrifice.... at least for me. I love meat. :) When I met David he was a vegetarian and I thought he was crazy. How could you possibly give up something so delicious? So when I want to eat meat, I can be reminded of the Lenten season and reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for me on the Cross. Secondly, most people in the world can't afford meat. Sometimes it helps to identify with the struggles of the weak and the poor. Obviously at the end of the day I am not the same as someone who can't afford meat, but it is good to remind ourselves that there are a lot of poor people who can't afford meat. It helps keep our priorities in line.
I am not really feeling the whole blogging thing- so I am might add more later.... but for now I will just post the first day's recipe. :) I doubled the recipe to feed all of us and have left overs. :)
Carmelized Onion Sauce with Noodles
Oven grilled asparagus
fresh bread
½ c. olive oil
4 to 6 large onion, thinly sliced
½ to 1 c. white wine
1 medium bunch spinach, stemmed & minced
1 c. crumbled feta cheese with herbs
¾ to 1lb pasta (I used penne)
1 c. chopped walnuts
Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add onions & sauté on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Lower heat, and continue to cook for at least another 10 minutes (you can cook on low heat for up to an hour if you like-which is what I did). Add white wine, turn heat back up to medium, & simmer uncovered about 15 minutes. At this point the sauce can be set aside until you are ready to cook the pasta. Turn the heat back on under the sauce when you are ready to cook the pasta. When the onions are hot, add the chopped greens, stir, and cook about 5 minutes. Stir in the crumbled cheese, and turn heat to low while cooking the pasta. After the cooked pasta is drained, add it to the sauce, and stir briefly in the pan before serving. Sprinkle with walnuts & parmesan.
- The Moosewood Cookbook
Rating: 5/5 DELICIOUS!
Once again, not my picture... sorry... will start doing that!
Letter 7
Home sweet home.
Our trip home was fairly uneventful other than the minor problem in Bujumbura that required some negotiating, a $100 bill, and prayer. Turns out having an expired visa doesn't help you get out of Burundi! Somehow our visa was marked through 11 February- the guard didn't even realize it until after he had stamped 4 passports and was about to make his final signature- David did a lot of negotiating and finally after about 45 min. the guard accepted the $100- he said $20 for each passport + a $15 fine per passport- but David convinced him we only had a $100. Not sure if he is going to pocket the money or if it was a legitimate fine- whatever- I am safely home. The first flight stopped in Nairobi to fuel up, let off some passengers, and fill up the plane. The rest of our time was a breeze. The boys were exceptional.
Kristen picked us up and was waiting outside of customs with a sign welcoming us home! We had dinner here with the usual crew and got the boys bathed and into bed.
It's good to be home. The boys were soooo excited when they saw their room with their toys. They also are more excited about the foods they're accustomed to eating. A quick trip to Trader Joe's for a few groceries was great- I think I bought a few more "treats" than normal!
We had a dinner with 14 last night- and enjoyed many visitors throughout the day. We feel very loved.
I guess this is the end of our emails! I will use this email system to inform people of the presentation we'll be doing soon.... Thank you so much for faithfully reading our emails, praying for us, and for your kind words of encouragement. As I look back and read old emails and journals I can see God's hand upon our family- prayer after prayer was answered- even if it wasn't the way I wanted it answered I can see God's footprints.
I am going to give you all a link to the hundreds of pictures I took while in Burundi- if you come to our presentation you'll see many of them again. I tried to label many of them. Feel free to download any of them- just don't sell them- unless you're giving the money to Kibuye Hospital!! This does take humility on my part- but I know that I can only take pictures because God has given me the eyes to what is beautiful and the means to buy the equipment to capture them- they are His pictures. :) So enjoy. https://picasaweb.google.com/fotosdefamilia05/ALLBURUNDI#
The verse that really spoke to me while we were there comes from Isaiah 65 (you can read it at the end of the email.) We were talking about how the Burundians seem to really long for heaven and how often we long to stay on earth- this verse was a good reminder to me of why it is important to long for the New Earth- that even though I experience very little suffering- there are millions who do- and the hope of heaven is very calming.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD.
David
It is good to be home, sort of. I miss Africa already. There's a foot of snow on the ground in Detroit. We have been going through pictures and reflecting on our time iin Kibuye. For me our time in Kibuye was a time of learning and growth. It was an eye-opening experience. If you look at straight GDP, Burundi is the poorest country in the world, no matter who is counting. If you adjust for cost of living it ranks somwhere between 2nd and 4th poorest country. >90% of the population survives on subsistence agriculture. I know that you have heard this all before from us, but to see it is a life changing event. That's not to say it was a sad experience. I enjoyed being in Kibuye. The people there were friendly and inviting. For me, as someone who is constantly inundated with consumeristic culture it was refreshing to be in a place without internet, television, or even a store that sells more than daily necessities. But it was an experienced that revealed the extent of the need in Burundi specifically, Africa more generally and the poorest couple billion people in the world even more generally. It was also a learning experience to see the effect of war, particularly prolonged war on a country.
So I have spent a fair amount of time considering what those needs are, and in true American fashion trying to figure out how to fix the problem. The need is more than monetary. The war deprived the country of a generation of intellectual and experiential capital. When the army targeted educated Hutus, it accomplished it's goal of removing the leadership of the majority of the population. Medicine is a good example of the needs. YOu could send money to pay for medical care for every member of the population of Burundi, but that doesn't mean that they would get quality medical care. There is a shortage of doctors, of nurses, of hospitals and hospital beds, of people trained in x-ray, lab techniques, and pharmacy, of accountants to keep the hospitals open, of health education in the population to know when to seek medical care over witch doctors...
It was encouraging to see the effect of Hope Africa University. The goal of the university is: "The university seeks to send into African society Christian scholars and professionals who will be able to effectively apply economic, political, and social principles for the well being of African people!" It was started in 1999 in Kenya then moved to Bujumbura in 2003. The first medical school class entered 6 years ago and will graduate next year. HAU has quickly established itself as a premier institution in Burundi and now has over 4000 students. It has now come up against another shortage in Burundi's resource pile--qualified teachers. There is pressure to accept more students and pressure to put more and more students in a class, and the resources are stretched thinner and thinner...but a quality education depends on a thick application of resources. The great need in Burundi and elsewhere in the developing world is for qualified, trained personnel who can invest human intellectual capital.
The medical school has made a great start with two great first classes, but they are trying to create a clinical education system on the fly without doctors to teach. This was a large part of what I did when I was in Kibuye. I did a lot of teaching and modeling for the students to begin their clinical education. But what the students need is long term instruction from qualified doctors. I think to maintain a class size of fifty (which it looks like will be the class size within 4 years) with three clinical years, I think they will need (not that I have any say in what they need or what they will get) at least 20-25 qualified clinical faculty split between the clinic/hospital in Bujumbura and the hospital in Kibuye.
On my last evening in Burundi I had dinner with a group of young doctors. There were three of them out of a group of six that are working together at Tenwek hospital in Kenya on a two year stint. They decided several years ago together to invest long term in developing a hospital/medical school somewhere in Africa. And now it looks like that place is going to be Kibuye. They are tentatively set to arrive in 2 1/2 years. I was really encouraged to talk to them and see the desire to invest long term in this place. They talked confidently of securing funding to expand the hospital, bring in new equipment etc, and then seemed excited about the prospect of teaching medical students and education a new generation of doctors. In addition our friends the Dr.'s Miller, are set to head for Bujumbura to teach at the medical school and work at the new clinic starting one year from now.
Suffice to say, I saw the need in Burundi for what I am good at. So I don't know what that means. There is also a great need in the community I live in now. But I would love to return to Burundi someday--for now we'll be in Detroit for four more years as I complete my residency. But after that--there is an excitement I feel when I think about the prospect of returning to and working in Burundi, a sense of doing something constructive...a chance to build and not destroy, to invest instead of consume...
A passage I read over and over again--almost daily--while I was in Burundi was Isaiah 58...I was especially drawn to verses 6-8
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
And I think, what if the church fasted like this. What if we sacrificed our comfort and our material "blessings" and sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What if we sought out opportunities to give of ourselves? I know that personally, when reading this passage, I feel like a failure. I know that my first concern is generally my own comfort. But I want the glory of the Lord to be my rear guard. I want to be an agent of recreation. I want to be filled with the passion of the Lord for justice for the poor and oppressed.
And then I get to the promise in verses 10-12...
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
I want to see the restoration. I want to be an agent of the kingdom of God, to work towards rebuilding society as it was meant to be, to fight for justice and remove yokes. I want to be part of a body called Repairer of Broken Walls and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Anyway, we had a good time in Burundi and learned a lot. We would be happy to sit down with any of you and talk about what we learned, what we saw, what we hope. We have collected our thoughts and pictures in a journal of sorts which we would be happy to share with you if you are interested.
Love
David Adrienne Bentley and Clayton
Our trip home was fairly uneventful other than the minor problem in Bujumbura that required some negotiating, a $100 bill, and prayer. Turns out having an expired visa doesn't help you get out of Burundi! Somehow our visa was marked through 11 February- the guard didn't even realize it until after he had stamped 4 passports and was about to make his final signature- David did a lot of negotiating and finally after about 45 min. the guard accepted the $100- he said $20 for each passport + a $15 fine per passport- but David convinced him we only had a $100. Not sure if he is going to pocket the money or if it was a legitimate fine- whatever- I am safely home. The first flight stopped in Nairobi to fuel up, let off some passengers, and fill up the plane. The rest of our time was a breeze. The boys were exceptional.
Kristen picked us up and was waiting outside of customs with a sign welcoming us home! We had dinner here with the usual crew and got the boys bathed and into bed.
It's good to be home. The boys were soooo excited when they saw their room with their toys. They also are more excited about the foods they're accustomed to eating. A quick trip to Trader Joe's for a few groceries was great- I think I bought a few more "treats" than normal!
We had a dinner with 14 last night- and enjoyed many visitors throughout the day. We feel very loved.
I guess this is the end of our emails! I will use this email system to inform people of the presentation we'll be doing soon.... Thank you so much for faithfully reading our emails, praying for us, and for your kind words of encouragement. As I look back and read old emails and journals I can see God's hand upon our family- prayer after prayer was answered- even if it wasn't the way I wanted it answered I can see God's footprints.
I am going to give you all a link to the hundreds of pictures I took while in Burundi- if you come to our presentation you'll see many of them again. I tried to label many of them. Feel free to download any of them- just don't sell them- unless you're giving the money to Kibuye Hospital!! This does take humility on my part- but I know that I can only take pictures because God has given me the eyes to what is beautiful and the means to buy the equipment to capture them- they are His pictures. :) So enjoy. https://picasaweb.google.com/fotosdefamilia05/ALLBURUNDI#
The verse that really spoke to me while we were there comes from Isaiah 65 (you can read it at the end of the email.) We were talking about how the Burundians seem to really long for heaven and how often we long to stay on earth- this verse was a good reminder to me of why it is important to long for the New Earth- that even though I experience very little suffering- there are millions who do- and the hope of heaven is very calming.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD.
David
It is good to be home, sort of. I miss Africa already. There's a foot of snow on the ground in Detroit. We have been going through pictures and reflecting on our time iin Kibuye. For me our time in Kibuye was a time of learning and growth. It was an eye-opening experience. If you look at straight GDP, Burundi is the poorest country in the world, no matter who is counting. If you adjust for cost of living it ranks somwhere between 2nd and 4th poorest country. >90% of the population survives on subsistence agriculture. I know that you have heard this all before from us, but to see it is a life changing event. That's not to say it was a sad experience. I enjoyed being in Kibuye. The people there were friendly and inviting. For me, as someone who is constantly inundated with consumeristic culture it was refreshing to be in a place without internet, television, or even a store that sells more than daily necessities. But it was an experienced that revealed the extent of the need in Burundi specifically, Africa more generally and the poorest couple billion people in the world even more generally. It was also a learning experience to see the effect of war, particularly prolonged war on a country.
So I have spent a fair amount of time considering what those needs are, and in true American fashion trying to figure out how to fix the problem. The need is more than monetary. The war deprived the country of a generation of intellectual and experiential capital. When the army targeted educated Hutus, it accomplished it's goal of removing the leadership of the majority of the population. Medicine is a good example of the needs. YOu could send money to pay for medical care for every member of the population of Burundi, but that doesn't mean that they would get quality medical care. There is a shortage of doctors, of nurses, of hospitals and hospital beds, of people trained in x-ray, lab techniques, and pharmacy, of accountants to keep the hospitals open, of health education in the population to know when to seek medical care over witch doctors...
It was encouraging to see the effect of Hope Africa University. The goal of the university is: "The university seeks to send into African society Christian scholars and professionals who will be able to effectively apply economic, political, and social principles for the well being of African people!" It was started in 1999 in Kenya then moved to Bujumbura in 2003. The first medical school class entered 6 years ago and will graduate next year. HAU has quickly established itself as a premier institution in Burundi and now has over 4000 students. It has now come up against another shortage in Burundi's resource pile--qualified teachers. There is pressure to accept more students and pressure to put more and more students in a class, and the resources are stretched thinner and thinner...but a quality education depends on a thick application of resources. The great need in Burundi and elsewhere in the developing world is for qualified, trained personnel who can invest human intellectual capital.
The medical school has made a great start with two great first classes, but they are trying to create a clinical education system on the fly without doctors to teach. This was a large part of what I did when I was in Kibuye. I did a lot of teaching and modeling for the students to begin their clinical education. But what the students need is long term instruction from qualified doctors. I think to maintain a class size of fifty (which it looks like will be the class size within 4 years) with three clinical years, I think they will need (not that I have any say in what they need or what they will get) at least 20-25 qualified clinical faculty split between the clinic/hospital in Bujumbura and the hospital in Kibuye.
On my last evening in Burundi I had dinner with a group of young doctors. There were three of them out of a group of six that are working together at Tenwek hospital in Kenya on a two year stint. They decided several years ago together to invest long term in developing a hospital/medical school somewhere in Africa. And now it looks like that place is going to be Kibuye. They are tentatively set to arrive in 2 1/2 years. I was really encouraged to talk to them and see the desire to invest long term in this place. They talked confidently of securing funding to expand the hospital, bring in new equipment etc, and then seemed excited about the prospect of teaching medical students and education a new generation of doctors. In addition our friends the Dr.'s Miller, are set to head for Bujumbura to teach at the medical school and work at the new clinic starting one year from now.
Suffice to say, I saw the need in Burundi for what I am good at. So I don't know what that means. There is also a great need in the community I live in now. But I would love to return to Burundi someday--for now we'll be in Detroit for four more years as I complete my residency. But after that--there is an excitement I feel when I think about the prospect of returning to and working in Burundi, a sense of doing something constructive...a chance to build and not destroy, to invest instead of consume...
A passage I read over and over again--almost daily--while I was in Burundi was Isaiah 58...I was especially drawn to verses 6-8
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
And I think, what if the church fasted like this. What if we sacrificed our comfort and our material "blessings" and sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What if we sought out opportunities to give of ourselves? I know that personally, when reading this passage, I feel like a failure. I know that my first concern is generally my own comfort. But I want the glory of the Lord to be my rear guard. I want to be an agent of recreation. I want to be filled with the passion of the Lord for justice for the poor and oppressed.
And then I get to the promise in verses 10-12...
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
I want to see the restoration. I want to be an agent of the kingdom of God, to work towards rebuilding society as it was meant to be, to fight for justice and remove yokes. I want to be part of a body called Repairer of Broken Walls and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Anyway, we had a good time in Burundi and learned a lot. We would be happy to sit down with any of you and talk about what we learned, what we saw, what we hope. We have collected our thoughts and pictures in a journal of sorts which we would be happy to share with you if you are interested.
Love
David Adrienne Bentley and Clayton
Letter 6
Well, we have left Kibuye. Six weeks really went by fast. We are now officially on our way home. We
arrived in Bujumbura this evening, and will spend the day here tomorrow before beginning our return
voyage on Wednesday.
Bentley is slowly recovering from a bout of malaria. Towards the end of the trip he started refusing his
prophylaxis...chewing it up and spitting it out. Saturday night and Sunday he was pretty sick, but luckily I
had spent most of the previous three weeks looking at kids with malaria so I recognized the symptoms.
He's getting better now though.
It was hard to leave the hospital today. I've really enjoyed my time there. I will miss the people I got to
know. It will be interesting going back to hospitals in the states.
Adrienne here. As most of you saw on my facebook, we saw a terrible accident on our descent today- a
car had driven off the road and was stopped about 500 feet down the cliff- crazy. There really aren't many
cars up country- so I can assume it was a taxi or government vehicle. Before heading up to Kibuye I had
been told the roads are really great- well, if you mean well paved, yes, they're great. If you mean lots and
lots of curves with steep falls- then we're talking scary- although fear aside- it is unbelievable to come
down the hills- the views are spectacular and Fidele is a wonderful driver.
Bujumbura is quite different than the quiet village of Kibuye. Lots of people, lots of cars. Benefits: we now
have internet access, and there are more English speakers since we are staying at the Hope Africa
University campus. This evening we went to dinner with Wayne and Barb Vibbert (missionaries and
teachers at HAU), Wayne and Darlene McCown, and the Axelson's (spell?) from Spring Arbor, MI. The
Axelson's treated us to an amazing meal at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Bujumbura. The food
was fabulous. Even a ritzy European restaurant will serve you a 2 course meal for under $10/person.
We plan to do some shopping tomorrow and Wednesday we hope to go to Lake Tanganyika. The Viberts
have assumed responsibility for driving us around!!
We have wireless email now so feel free to write whenever. Also, to our parents- we no longer are
accessible by that phone number- so just email from now on. :)
Love,
David, Adrienne Bentley, and Clayton
Adrienne
arrived in Bujumbura this evening, and will spend the day here tomorrow before beginning our return
voyage on Wednesday.
Bentley is slowly recovering from a bout of malaria. Towards the end of the trip he started refusing his
prophylaxis...chewing it up and spitting it out. Saturday night and Sunday he was pretty sick, but luckily I
had spent most of the previous three weeks looking at kids with malaria so I recognized the symptoms.
He's getting better now though.
It was hard to leave the hospital today. I've really enjoyed my time there. I will miss the people I got to
know. It will be interesting going back to hospitals in the states.
Adrienne here. As most of you saw on my facebook, we saw a terrible accident on our descent today- a
car had driven off the road and was stopped about 500 feet down the cliff- crazy. There really aren't many
cars up country- so I can assume it was a taxi or government vehicle. Before heading up to Kibuye I had
been told the roads are really great- well, if you mean well paved, yes, they're great. If you mean lots and
lots of curves with steep falls- then we're talking scary- although fear aside- it is unbelievable to come
down the hills- the views are spectacular and Fidele is a wonderful driver.
Bujumbura is quite different than the quiet village of Kibuye. Lots of people, lots of cars. Benefits: we now
have internet access, and there are more English speakers since we are staying at the Hope Africa
University campus. This evening we went to dinner with Wayne and Barb Vibbert (missionaries and
teachers at HAU), Wayne and Darlene McCown, and the Axelson's (spell?) from Spring Arbor, MI. The
Axelson's treated us to an amazing meal at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Bujumbura. The food
was fabulous. Even a ritzy European restaurant will serve you a 2 course meal for under $10/person.
We plan to do some shopping tomorrow and Wednesday we hope to go to Lake Tanganyika. The Viberts
have assumed responsibility for driving us around!!
We have wireless email now so feel free to write whenever. Also, to our parents- we no longer are
accessible by that phone number- so just email from now on. :)
Love,
David, Adrienne Bentley, and Clayton
Adrienne
Letter 5
Since Adrienne has done most of our communicating so far I thought I should take a turn. I have
been pretty busy at the hospital. It has been a really great experience for me. I wish we could stay
longer. Iʼve enjoyed working with the medical students from Hope Africa University. There are 16 of them
and I have been doing a fair amount of teaching. I give a lecture once or twice a week on some topic that
has come up during the week, and Iʼve been helping them learn how to do a history and physical. I spent
the first half of our time taking care of the patients in the mens ward and in isolation. For the last two
weeks I have been taking care of all the pediatric patients. There are on average 30 or so patients, with
8-10 new cases per day. Iʼve also been doing a lot of work in the emergency room. I get called up there
at least 5 times a day.
" Iʼve gotten pretty good at dealing with malaria. Probably 40 % of the pediatric patients have
malaria. I also see quite a bit of typhoid, pneumonia, asthma, malnutrition, diarrhea. Then there are
broken bones, osteomyelitis, and skin infections. Iʼve had two cases of measles.
" This week was kind of a rough week for me in terms of the patients I saw. Iʼve learned that it is a
relatively common thing to go to the local traditional healer (not sure if heʼs a witch doctor or just a guy
with a pair of scissors) and have him cut off your babyʼs uvula at around 1-2 months. Iʼm not sure what
the indications are for a uvuloplasty, but I think it has something to do with how much he thinks you will
pay him to do it. Anyway, on Tuesday this week he must have somehow contaminated his scissors
because one of my patients, who was recovering nicely from pneumonia developed a raging throat
infection when his mother took him out of the hospital for a few hours to have his uvula removed. It took
me two dayvvvvvvvvvvvvzvs to figure out why he had suddenly developed a new fever. Then Saturday I
saw a patient in emergency who had had the same procedure done on Tuesday, who could barely
breathe because his throat was so swollen from infection.
" On Wednesday a 14 year old girl came into the hospital. She had fallen and hurt her wrist two
weeks before. Her whole forearm swelled up and so she went to the traditional healer who made some
marks on her arm. A week later she came to the surgeon who visits us on Saturdays and he said she had
osteosarcoma and ordered an x-ray. By the time I saw her she had had compartment syndrome for two
weeks and her hand was contracted. Dr. Rusher and I went ahead and did a fasciotomy because the
texts we read said go ahead and do it even weeks late, but her arm was full of necrotic mush. Iʼll be
surprised if she ever is able to use her hand.
" On Thursday night(actually Friday morning) I was called down to the hospital to see a 4 year old
girl whose parents had found her lying on the floor on returning from work at night. When I saw her she
was having trouble breathing. She was a diffusely hypertonic, and not really responsive. Then I went to
look in her mouth and realized that her jaw was so tightly closed her cheeks were bleeding (at one point
later after we relaxed her a little she snapped a tongue depressor in half with her teeth—lesson learned).
I got the treatment for tetanus started right away. It was amazing to see how quickly her breathing
improved after a dose of rectal diazepam. She seemed to be doing ok for the first 24 hours. The spasms
were mostly confined to her jaw. I thought maybe she had partial immunity. But then she died. It was
pretty hard for me. (Iʼve had more patients die in the last six weeks than in the whole of medical school).
" It hasnʼt been all bad though. I had a 2 year old who was severely malnourished and had
measles. He got to a point where he was so weak that he got a sacral decubitus ulcer from laying in bed.
He was so malnourished he had lost his appetite. So I took Claytonʼs formula (he doesnʼt need it
anyway) and started him on 2-3 big cups of milk a day. About three days later he started to eat porridge
and then about three days after that he started eating solid food. Now his ulcer is starting to heal and he
is eating well. He still cries every time he sees me though. Now I have a standard order set I use for
malnourished kids.
" There are a lot of needs at the hospital. A new x-ray machine and some training for the x-ray
technician would be great. The lab could use a little help. There are some tests that would be really
useful and wouldnʼt cost too much in materials or training to implement. And there is a chronic lack of
qualified staff. The nurses are stretched thin and the doctors even thinner. But they do a great job caring
for patients with the resources at hand. And there seems to be a real commitment on the part of the
church and Hope Africa University to turn Kibuye hospital into a university hospital where the medical
students can receive a quality education.
" In other news we have really enjoyed being here. We have pretty nice living arrangements with
electricity and running water and a stove. Bentley and Clayton have both had a couple bouts of
gastroenteritis, but they are doing well now. I spend most of the day sneezing…there is a lot of mold
everywhere in the air, but especially for some reason in the pediatric ward. Also life is a lot better since
we convinced Ezechiel to get us real coffee grown and roasted in Burundi instead of Nescafe.
" This is Adrienne now. Not sure what I can write after reading Davidʼs part. Can you handle all
that? I had a great week. I have been enjoying the mornings with the boys- we have developed a bit of a
“routine”- which can change any given day!! They eat breakfast right away and take their malaria
medicine- the giving of malaria medicine has changed since the beginning- I started by dissolving it in
their oatmeal which was a total fail because that pill is awful tasting. Then I moved to putting it in their first
bite of food, but too often Bentley would chew it with his food and that was problematic- and now I am
proud to say I stick that pill right on their tongues and they swallow it with a small drink of juice! Go boys!!
After breakfast we usually either color or dance around the living room. I turn up the music loud and we
have a lot of fun. Even Ezechiel will come in to dance with the boys. Thatʼs really the end of our routineanything
else goes after that! Lately Clayton has been waking up too early so I put him down for an early
nap and I go up to the hospital and visit David with Bentley strapped to my back. Oh and I found a secret
walking path that I love!! If you go behind the hospital and turn right there is a long narrow path that goes
about 5 km (Iʼm told) it winds through banana trees, up and down hills, corn fields, and gardens. It is very
peaceful. The other day I got to the top of the hill and looked out over the country side and just on the
other side was a thunderstorm- I could see the rain pouring down and I could hear the thunder- it was
amazing. The people love to see me walking with the boys. The come out of the fields and call all their
family members to come see the mzungos! They are so kind.
" I often get asked what I do or if I am in the medical profession to which I proudly respond, NO!
Although secretly sometimes I think it would be neat to be a nurse. Well, the last few days I have been
going up to the hospital and into the pediatric wards and a couple other places- I love following David and
the medical students around- itʼs fun to interact with the patients too. However, they are no longer patients
with symptoms and diagnoses- they are people with faces and names. No longer can David say, “So I
have this patient….” He now says their name or reminds me what bed theyʼre in. There is a little boy who
needs a leg amputation because of osteomyelitis- he currently is in a wheel chair and has been waiting
for an operation for about 2 weeks. He is always with a young girl who has osteomyelitis in her femur. I
love seeing their sweet little faces- they play ball with Bentley sometimes- and I gave them each a blue
teddy bear. Well, she had an operation today (I didnʼt know till later). So David comes home and tells me
a patient was prescribed a medication that she was allergic to (from another doctor)- and he was glad he
went to check on her because he changed it to the correct medication- turns out it was Diona- my heart
sank- “My Diona?” I asked. Also, I was walking around the hospital today when David went to find the little
girl with tetanus and he couldnʼt find her- one of the med students came and said she had died. I had to
walk out of the ward- it was heartbreaking. Her death probably could have been prevented, but there
arenʼt enough nurses to ensure adequate medical treatment during the night. There is a real opportunity
to minister to patients and families in the hospital. If we return to Burundi, I really want to learn Kirundi- or
have a translator- so I can pray with patients and be with them- there is a chaplain, but I think I would
enjoy doing that too (on a much smaller scale than the chaplain).
" There are days when I canʼt wait to get home and eat ice cream and go to my parks and see my
people and do my thing, but overall I really like it here. Itʼs a totally different life, but itʼs a good life. David
often pulls out the hymn book and sings to Bentley on the couch- itʼs really sweet. There is no place to
spend money here- no billboards and advertisements- I think God has really prepared us in our lives to
do this kind of thing- I think Davidʼs chill enough to handle the hospital- the lack of cleanliness and
western procedures for doing things a certain way- plus he loves teaching the students. Heʼs unbelievable
with them- I was so impressed! I love interacting with the students too. I think the medical school at Hope
Africa is such a great educational system- to produce native doctors to go out and help people here is
really going to make a difference- keep praying for them! The first class graduates in December 2012 (I
think).
" This is our last week in Kibuye. Pray for us- pray that it would be a great week filled with joy and
encouragement. Pray for David as he continues to serve his patients. Pray for us as we say good bye to
many people we have come to enjoy- A few of Davidʼs patients have been in the hospital since heʼs been
there- I think it will be difficult to leave them without finishing their care. Pray for this country. Pray for
peace in Burundi- you cannot fathom the stories we have listened to about the genocide that occurred
here…. Pray that the people would be able to forgive one another for the horrible things that happened.
Pray that people would stop putting their faith in witch doctors- they do terrible things to children. There is
a lot of that up here and I just donʼt understand. Also, please pray for Dr. Rusher as we prepare to leave.
He lost his wife to cancer about 3 years ago and I think he is really lonely. I think he really enjoys having
David around and seems to appreciate the boys and their youthfulness. Pray that he wouldnʼt feel lonely
and also for his relationship with the students to strengthen.
" We are so thankful for your prayers and your encouragement. Our time here has been
unforgettable. David has been really able to help people- and God has really been doing a good work in
our hearts. He has grown us together- allowed us to connect with other missionaries- with Burundiansand
with our children.
Love,
David, Adrienne, Benny and CREATON (turns out itʼs Creaton and not Clinton!!!!)
been pretty busy at the hospital. It has been a really great experience for me. I wish we could stay
longer. Iʼve enjoyed working with the medical students from Hope Africa University. There are 16 of them
and I have been doing a fair amount of teaching. I give a lecture once or twice a week on some topic that
has come up during the week, and Iʼve been helping them learn how to do a history and physical. I spent
the first half of our time taking care of the patients in the mens ward and in isolation. For the last two
weeks I have been taking care of all the pediatric patients. There are on average 30 or so patients, with
8-10 new cases per day. Iʼve also been doing a lot of work in the emergency room. I get called up there
at least 5 times a day.
" Iʼve gotten pretty good at dealing with malaria. Probably 40 % of the pediatric patients have
malaria. I also see quite a bit of typhoid, pneumonia, asthma, malnutrition, diarrhea. Then there are
broken bones, osteomyelitis, and skin infections. Iʼve had two cases of measles.
" This week was kind of a rough week for me in terms of the patients I saw. Iʼve learned that it is a
relatively common thing to go to the local traditional healer (not sure if heʼs a witch doctor or just a guy
with a pair of scissors) and have him cut off your babyʼs uvula at around 1-2 months. Iʼm not sure what
the indications are for a uvuloplasty, but I think it has something to do with how much he thinks you will
pay him to do it. Anyway, on Tuesday this week he must have somehow contaminated his scissors
because one of my patients, who was recovering nicely from pneumonia developed a raging throat
infection when his mother took him out of the hospital for a few hours to have his uvula removed. It took
me two dayvvvvvvvvvvvvzvs to figure out why he had suddenly developed a new fever. Then Saturday I
saw a patient in emergency who had had the same procedure done on Tuesday, who could barely
breathe because his throat was so swollen from infection.
" On Wednesday a 14 year old girl came into the hospital. She had fallen and hurt her wrist two
weeks before. Her whole forearm swelled up and so she went to the traditional healer who made some
marks on her arm. A week later she came to the surgeon who visits us on Saturdays and he said she had
osteosarcoma and ordered an x-ray. By the time I saw her she had had compartment syndrome for two
weeks and her hand was contracted. Dr. Rusher and I went ahead and did a fasciotomy because the
texts we read said go ahead and do it even weeks late, but her arm was full of necrotic mush. Iʼll be
surprised if she ever is able to use her hand.
" On Thursday night(actually Friday morning) I was called down to the hospital to see a 4 year old
girl whose parents had found her lying on the floor on returning from work at night. When I saw her she
was having trouble breathing. She was a diffusely hypertonic, and not really responsive. Then I went to
look in her mouth and realized that her jaw was so tightly closed her cheeks were bleeding (at one point
later after we relaxed her a little she snapped a tongue depressor in half with her teeth—lesson learned).
I got the treatment for tetanus started right away. It was amazing to see how quickly her breathing
improved after a dose of rectal diazepam. She seemed to be doing ok for the first 24 hours. The spasms
were mostly confined to her jaw. I thought maybe she had partial immunity. But then she died. It was
pretty hard for me. (Iʼve had more patients die in the last six weeks than in the whole of medical school).
" It hasnʼt been all bad though. I had a 2 year old who was severely malnourished and had
measles. He got to a point where he was so weak that he got a sacral decubitus ulcer from laying in bed.
He was so malnourished he had lost his appetite. So I took Claytonʼs formula (he doesnʼt need it
anyway) and started him on 2-3 big cups of milk a day. About three days later he started to eat porridge
and then about three days after that he started eating solid food. Now his ulcer is starting to heal and he
is eating well. He still cries every time he sees me though. Now I have a standard order set I use for
malnourished kids.
" There are a lot of needs at the hospital. A new x-ray machine and some training for the x-ray
technician would be great. The lab could use a little help. There are some tests that would be really
useful and wouldnʼt cost too much in materials or training to implement. And there is a chronic lack of
qualified staff. The nurses are stretched thin and the doctors even thinner. But they do a great job caring
for patients with the resources at hand. And there seems to be a real commitment on the part of the
church and Hope Africa University to turn Kibuye hospital into a university hospital where the medical
students can receive a quality education.
" In other news we have really enjoyed being here. We have pretty nice living arrangements with
electricity and running water and a stove. Bentley and Clayton have both had a couple bouts of
gastroenteritis, but they are doing well now. I spend most of the day sneezing…there is a lot of mold
everywhere in the air, but especially for some reason in the pediatric ward. Also life is a lot better since
we convinced Ezechiel to get us real coffee grown and roasted in Burundi instead of Nescafe.
" This is Adrienne now. Not sure what I can write after reading Davidʼs part. Can you handle all
that? I had a great week. I have been enjoying the mornings with the boys- we have developed a bit of a
“routine”- which can change any given day!! They eat breakfast right away and take their malaria
medicine- the giving of malaria medicine has changed since the beginning- I started by dissolving it in
their oatmeal which was a total fail because that pill is awful tasting. Then I moved to putting it in their first
bite of food, but too often Bentley would chew it with his food and that was problematic- and now I am
proud to say I stick that pill right on their tongues and they swallow it with a small drink of juice! Go boys!!
After breakfast we usually either color or dance around the living room. I turn up the music loud and we
have a lot of fun. Even Ezechiel will come in to dance with the boys. Thatʼs really the end of our routineanything
else goes after that! Lately Clayton has been waking up too early so I put him down for an early
nap and I go up to the hospital and visit David with Bentley strapped to my back. Oh and I found a secret
walking path that I love!! If you go behind the hospital and turn right there is a long narrow path that goes
about 5 km (Iʼm told) it winds through banana trees, up and down hills, corn fields, and gardens. It is very
peaceful. The other day I got to the top of the hill and looked out over the country side and just on the
other side was a thunderstorm- I could see the rain pouring down and I could hear the thunder- it was
amazing. The people love to see me walking with the boys. The come out of the fields and call all their
family members to come see the mzungos! They are so kind.
" I often get asked what I do or if I am in the medical profession to which I proudly respond, NO!
Although secretly sometimes I think it would be neat to be a nurse. Well, the last few days I have been
going up to the hospital and into the pediatric wards and a couple other places- I love following David and
the medical students around- itʼs fun to interact with the patients too. However, they are no longer patients
with symptoms and diagnoses- they are people with faces and names. No longer can David say, “So I
have this patient….” He now says their name or reminds me what bed theyʼre in. There is a little boy who
needs a leg amputation because of osteomyelitis- he currently is in a wheel chair and has been waiting
for an operation for about 2 weeks. He is always with a young girl who has osteomyelitis in her femur. I
love seeing their sweet little faces- they play ball with Bentley sometimes- and I gave them each a blue
teddy bear. Well, she had an operation today (I didnʼt know till later). So David comes home and tells me
a patient was prescribed a medication that she was allergic to (from another doctor)- and he was glad he
went to check on her because he changed it to the correct medication- turns out it was Diona- my heart
sank- “My Diona?” I asked. Also, I was walking around the hospital today when David went to find the little
girl with tetanus and he couldnʼt find her- one of the med students came and said she had died. I had to
walk out of the ward- it was heartbreaking. Her death probably could have been prevented, but there
arenʼt enough nurses to ensure adequate medical treatment during the night. There is a real opportunity
to minister to patients and families in the hospital. If we return to Burundi, I really want to learn Kirundi- or
have a translator- so I can pray with patients and be with them- there is a chaplain, but I think I would
enjoy doing that too (on a much smaller scale than the chaplain).
" There are days when I canʼt wait to get home and eat ice cream and go to my parks and see my
people and do my thing, but overall I really like it here. Itʼs a totally different life, but itʼs a good life. David
often pulls out the hymn book and sings to Bentley on the couch- itʼs really sweet. There is no place to
spend money here- no billboards and advertisements- I think God has really prepared us in our lives to
do this kind of thing- I think Davidʼs chill enough to handle the hospital- the lack of cleanliness and
western procedures for doing things a certain way- plus he loves teaching the students. Heʼs unbelievable
with them- I was so impressed! I love interacting with the students too. I think the medical school at Hope
Africa is such a great educational system- to produce native doctors to go out and help people here is
really going to make a difference- keep praying for them! The first class graduates in December 2012 (I
think).
" This is our last week in Kibuye. Pray for us- pray that it would be a great week filled with joy and
encouragement. Pray for David as he continues to serve his patients. Pray for us as we say good bye to
many people we have come to enjoy- A few of Davidʼs patients have been in the hospital since heʼs been
there- I think it will be difficult to leave them without finishing their care. Pray for this country. Pray for
peace in Burundi- you cannot fathom the stories we have listened to about the genocide that occurred
here…. Pray that the people would be able to forgive one another for the horrible things that happened.
Pray that people would stop putting their faith in witch doctors- they do terrible things to children. There is
a lot of that up here and I just donʼt understand. Also, please pray for Dr. Rusher as we prepare to leave.
He lost his wife to cancer about 3 years ago and I think he is really lonely. I think he really enjoys having
David around and seems to appreciate the boys and their youthfulness. Pray that he wouldnʼt feel lonely
and also for his relationship with the students to strengthen.
" We are so thankful for your prayers and your encouragement. Our time here has been
unforgettable. David has been really able to help people- and God has really been doing a good work in
our hearts. He has grown us together- allowed us to connect with other missionaries- with Burundiansand
with our children.
Love,
David, Adrienne, Benny and CREATON (turns out itʼs Creaton and not Clinton!!!!)
Letter 4
Greetings to you all- our dear friends and family! I am glad that you are receiving our emails and joining
us in our short journey here. Iʼve decided to send an email that only includes things that will bring joy and
gladness to your hearts! The heavy things of life can become too much to bear, and I want to make sure
that while we know there is pain and suffering, we rejoice that God is good and proclaim the GOOD things
He is doing here and in our hearts.
It has been a wonderful week here in Kibuye. The sun shines everyday and most days a short
thunderstorm rolls through the hills and cools it down. I love the sound of thunder- and the roof here is like
tin so you can hear the rain fall well. Itʼs beautiful. Weʼve discovered we can listen to BBC in English at 7
AM and 7 PM- so we have been somewhat enlightened to the things of the world. With the increase of
food prices I hear there is mayhem in Egypt and Somalians are starving because of the drought and
increase of food prices. I am so thankful that this place receives daily rain to keep the crops fruitful. Most
people grow their own food and are self sufficient.
I have discovered Kibuye is home to some really beautiful birds. In the afternoon when the boys are
sleeping I take my camera outside and Camaro and I look for birds. There is a bird with a really long red
tail- itʼs quite beautiful. The birds that drink from the poinsettias have a bright turquoise chest and are neat
to photograph. The first day I photographed the birds I showed Camaro and Boteyi the pictures and their
faces lit up with excitement. They couldnʼt believe the pictures I was able to capture! We had SO much
fun. I have never stopped to discover birds- at all. The pace of life here is so calm that I have found joy in
flowers and birds!
We had a dinner party this past week- as in we invited friends from the community! We invited John
Baptiste who works with World Relief and 2 nursing students- Alida and Anosiatte. They came for dinner
and then we watched the movie Up. At first they laughed that it was a cartoon, but I think they got into it
as it went on. It was sooo fun to have friends over. Ezechiel made a wonderful dinner and I made
snickerdoodle cookies. I love having friends. I want to tell you about the World Relief program here in
Kibuye. It is a 5 year program that has 4 facets: 1. Prevention of malaria 2. Immunizations of children 3.
Nutrition 4. Clean water …. So malaria kills a lot of people, but it can help be prevented. The mosquito
nets really can protect people from malaria. However, people are resistant to the nets for a few reasons:
1. They donʼt understand what causes malaria 2. They donʼt think the nets will actually help 3. The nets
are hot to sleep under 4. In Burundi, the man builds a home. The nets are given to the women at clinics
and then they bring them home and the men feel that it interferes with his building the home. (This may
sound ridiculous or a chauvinistic- but we all know that it is difficult to break cultural barriers- and we all
have things that we live by that are ridiculous- like buying things we canʼt afford with money we donʼt have
for people we want to impress. ! ) Immunizing children can save hundreds of lives. It is important to
teach families about each immunization and what it is preventing the child from receiving. Nutrition- the
staples here are cassava bread, beans, and rice. Children need to get green vegetables and need more
nutrition than an adult because they are growing- it is important to teach families the balance of a meal.
There is a wonderful organization here called Project Busoma. Busoma is like a porridge that has lots of
great nutrients for children. It is located right here in Kibuye next to the hospital so when a malnourished
child comes David can prescribe busoma to help! The organization is a Free Methodist organization
based out of Indiana. I think you can look it up online. The water here is really contaminated. I avoid it all
costs- unless Iʼm using soap! It is good to teach families to boil the water before they drink it- it takes a lot
of time to boil water over coals so I can understand why people donʼt want to do it, but it can really help
prevent diseases. I am so encouraged by Project Busoma and World Relief.
There have been a team of people from the US here in Burundi this past week. They stayed in Gitega, but
came to Kibuye for a couple things. Yesterday a childrenʼs pastor,Abby, from Washington came to give a
workshop for the Sunday School teachers. It is extremely difficult to get a curriculum here- the cost of
materials is too much for all the churches here in Burundi. Also, itʼs good to teach churches to be selfsufficient
and not depend on outside help when they can. So Pastor Abby came to give a workshop to
various Free Methodist churches on how to teach a Sunday School lesson with what they have. She had
a pile of sand and used things from the environment to tell Bible stories. Then she split the teachers up
into groups and had them present the lesson to the whole group- I was able to see what the teachers had
prepared while Barb (a missionary from Bujumbura) watched the boys- what a treat! So there were 4
groups I think- they told the stories of Noah and the ark, Good Samaritan, Jesus healing the sick and
feeding the 5000, and Zaccheus. So they had cloth to make a Jesus, and sticks to represent disciples,
bottle tops were sheep in the story of Noah, leaves became boats, an orange cone was cut to become
Jerusalem, etc… She talked to them about asking questions- what is the main point of the story? What is
the most important part (there are lots of important parts!) Who are you in the story? It was FABULOUS!
The teachers were so encouraged that they had things to teach Sunday school lessons with- and they
were materials they already had here! They were each given a Bible and a little notebook and a pen for
the workshop. Why do we go to such excess to communicate the story of God to children in the US when
we could communicate it more simply?
Today the whole group came to be part of Sister Connection. Sister Connection is an organization that
was founded by the daughter (Denise) of the missionaries who teach at Hope Africa University- Wayne
and Barb Vibbert- it is focused on widows. “Following over a decade of civil war, thousands of Burundians
became widows and orphans, experiencing intense trauma along the way. Literally an entire generation of
fathers and husbands lost their lives, one family at a time. On average, each widow cares for four
children. Some households have as many as 11 children many of which are orphans.” So the Sister
Connection is a sponsorship program. So for $30/month you can provide your sister in Christ with food,
medical care, household necessities, clothing, seeds for planting, and educational assistance. You
receive a profile and photo of your widowed sister, occasional letters, and the Sister connection
newsletter. One hundred percent of the $30 is given to the widow. There are additional educational
initiatives that people can help support as well- childrenʼs camp, youth camp, widowʼs national retreat,
leadership seminar- all around $30-$50 and for a 4 year degree it is $4800. You can support the workers-
So there is a social worker salary of $40/month- which trains and employs social workers- most of them
widows- monitor and support widows and projects in their area. Also, you can give any amount to go to
the administrative staff in Burundi. Finally, you can build a woman a house- For $600 you give a sistersecurity,
shelter, Dignity within the community. The homes are constructed by local builders, materials are
purchased locally, and it foster pride in the local community. You receive a certificate of appreciation, a
personal profile, and a family photo in front of the new house. Additional resources help with health care
bills and other needs. Also, the program is adding an additional feature which includes a micro
management loan- so you can loan a widow money to start a business and she begin to wean off of the
financial part of the program!
So now that you know what Sister Connection (SC) is, hereʼs a bit from my experience today:
Teresa- the local director here- invited me to attend the celebration today at the church. I arrived a bit late
and walked into to over 60 widows praising the Lord with their beautiful voices, large drum made out of an
oil barrel, and dancing. It was amazing. I was placed up front with the group from the US and my eyes
immediately filled with tears. All these women have lost their husbands and are making it on their ownthey
have been so blessed by the SC program. Many of the widows are educated as the killings began
with the intelligent of society. It was so overwhelming to be among such strong women. The service
consisted of a few women sharing their stories, the bishop from the US giving a great sermon, and
various words of gratitude from both sides. I was honored to be a part of the celebration. Then the team
came to our house for lunch. Ezechiel made a wonderful lunch. It was so great to hear more about the
organization. So it began when some women from Deniseʼs church in Phoenix wanted to help women
internationally- this small group of women began a huge initiative which impacts more than 400 widows
and their children. SC profiles 50 more women than they have sponsors for and then continue up from
there. That way they donʼt have 100 women waiting to be sponsored with no money in sight…. There are
1000 of women who could benefit from this program. Look it up: ! www.sisterconnection.org I will put
the video from today online when I get home!
So as you can see God is doing some AMAZING things in Burundi. Behind each organization is a story- a
story of a simple man or woman who obeyed Godʼs calling- whether it be educating people to help them
live longer and more healthy, or taking care of the orphaned and widowed or sharing the word of the
Lord… I am so encouraged by people who have been convicted to change something- enter in humility
knowing they really arenʼt big enough to make a difference- but know that they serve a God who is and by
faith step out and are part of change. May we all be encouraged!!!
We love you and are happy to share our joy with you!
Love,
The crazy crawfords
us in our short journey here. Iʼve decided to send an email that only includes things that will bring joy and
gladness to your hearts! The heavy things of life can become too much to bear, and I want to make sure
that while we know there is pain and suffering, we rejoice that God is good and proclaim the GOOD things
He is doing here and in our hearts.
It has been a wonderful week here in Kibuye. The sun shines everyday and most days a short
thunderstorm rolls through the hills and cools it down. I love the sound of thunder- and the roof here is like
tin so you can hear the rain fall well. Itʼs beautiful. Weʼve discovered we can listen to BBC in English at 7
AM and 7 PM- so we have been somewhat enlightened to the things of the world. With the increase of
food prices I hear there is mayhem in Egypt and Somalians are starving because of the drought and
increase of food prices. I am so thankful that this place receives daily rain to keep the crops fruitful. Most
people grow their own food and are self sufficient.
I have discovered Kibuye is home to some really beautiful birds. In the afternoon when the boys are
sleeping I take my camera outside and Camaro and I look for birds. There is a bird with a really long red
tail- itʼs quite beautiful. The birds that drink from the poinsettias have a bright turquoise chest and are neat
to photograph. The first day I photographed the birds I showed Camaro and Boteyi the pictures and their
faces lit up with excitement. They couldnʼt believe the pictures I was able to capture! We had SO much
fun. I have never stopped to discover birds- at all. The pace of life here is so calm that I have found joy in
flowers and birds!
We had a dinner party this past week- as in we invited friends from the community! We invited John
Baptiste who works with World Relief and 2 nursing students- Alida and Anosiatte. They came for dinner
and then we watched the movie Up. At first they laughed that it was a cartoon, but I think they got into it
as it went on. It was sooo fun to have friends over. Ezechiel made a wonderful dinner and I made
snickerdoodle cookies. I love having friends. I want to tell you about the World Relief program here in
Kibuye. It is a 5 year program that has 4 facets: 1. Prevention of malaria 2. Immunizations of children 3.
Nutrition 4. Clean water …. So malaria kills a lot of people, but it can help be prevented. The mosquito
nets really can protect people from malaria. However, people are resistant to the nets for a few reasons:
1. They donʼt understand what causes malaria 2. They donʼt think the nets will actually help 3. The nets
are hot to sleep under 4. In Burundi, the man builds a home. The nets are given to the women at clinics
and then they bring them home and the men feel that it interferes with his building the home. (This may
sound ridiculous or a chauvinistic- but we all know that it is difficult to break cultural barriers- and we all
have things that we live by that are ridiculous- like buying things we canʼt afford with money we donʼt have
for people we want to impress. ! ) Immunizing children can save hundreds of lives. It is important to
teach families about each immunization and what it is preventing the child from receiving. Nutrition- the
staples here are cassava bread, beans, and rice. Children need to get green vegetables and need more
nutrition than an adult because they are growing- it is important to teach families the balance of a meal.
There is a wonderful organization here called Project Busoma. Busoma is like a porridge that has lots of
great nutrients for children. It is located right here in Kibuye next to the hospital so when a malnourished
child comes David can prescribe busoma to help! The organization is a Free Methodist organization
based out of Indiana. I think you can look it up online. The water here is really contaminated. I avoid it all
costs- unless Iʼm using soap! It is good to teach families to boil the water before they drink it- it takes a lot
of time to boil water over coals so I can understand why people donʼt want to do it, but it can really help
prevent diseases. I am so encouraged by Project Busoma and World Relief.
There have been a team of people from the US here in Burundi this past week. They stayed in Gitega, but
came to Kibuye for a couple things. Yesterday a childrenʼs pastor,Abby, from Washington came to give a
workshop for the Sunday School teachers. It is extremely difficult to get a curriculum here- the cost of
materials is too much for all the churches here in Burundi. Also, itʼs good to teach churches to be selfsufficient
and not depend on outside help when they can. So Pastor Abby came to give a workshop to
various Free Methodist churches on how to teach a Sunday School lesson with what they have. She had
a pile of sand and used things from the environment to tell Bible stories. Then she split the teachers up
into groups and had them present the lesson to the whole group- I was able to see what the teachers had
prepared while Barb (a missionary from Bujumbura) watched the boys- what a treat! So there were 4
groups I think- they told the stories of Noah and the ark, Good Samaritan, Jesus healing the sick and
feeding the 5000, and Zaccheus. So they had cloth to make a Jesus, and sticks to represent disciples,
bottle tops were sheep in the story of Noah, leaves became boats, an orange cone was cut to become
Jerusalem, etc… She talked to them about asking questions- what is the main point of the story? What is
the most important part (there are lots of important parts!) Who are you in the story? It was FABULOUS!
The teachers were so encouraged that they had things to teach Sunday school lessons with- and they
were materials they already had here! They were each given a Bible and a little notebook and a pen for
the workshop. Why do we go to such excess to communicate the story of God to children in the US when
we could communicate it more simply?
Today the whole group came to be part of Sister Connection. Sister Connection is an organization that
was founded by the daughter (Denise) of the missionaries who teach at Hope Africa University- Wayne
and Barb Vibbert- it is focused on widows. “Following over a decade of civil war, thousands of Burundians
became widows and orphans, experiencing intense trauma along the way. Literally an entire generation of
fathers and husbands lost their lives, one family at a time. On average, each widow cares for four
children. Some households have as many as 11 children many of which are orphans.” So the Sister
Connection is a sponsorship program. So for $30/month you can provide your sister in Christ with food,
medical care, household necessities, clothing, seeds for planting, and educational assistance. You
receive a profile and photo of your widowed sister, occasional letters, and the Sister connection
newsletter. One hundred percent of the $30 is given to the widow. There are additional educational
initiatives that people can help support as well- childrenʼs camp, youth camp, widowʼs national retreat,
leadership seminar- all around $30-$50 and for a 4 year degree it is $4800. You can support the workers-
So there is a social worker salary of $40/month- which trains and employs social workers- most of them
widows- monitor and support widows and projects in their area. Also, you can give any amount to go to
the administrative staff in Burundi. Finally, you can build a woman a house- For $600 you give a sistersecurity,
shelter, Dignity within the community. The homes are constructed by local builders, materials are
purchased locally, and it foster pride in the local community. You receive a certificate of appreciation, a
personal profile, and a family photo in front of the new house. Additional resources help with health care
bills and other needs. Also, the program is adding an additional feature which includes a micro
management loan- so you can loan a widow money to start a business and she begin to wean off of the
financial part of the program!
So now that you know what Sister Connection (SC) is, hereʼs a bit from my experience today:
Teresa- the local director here- invited me to attend the celebration today at the church. I arrived a bit late
and walked into to over 60 widows praising the Lord with their beautiful voices, large drum made out of an
oil barrel, and dancing. It was amazing. I was placed up front with the group from the US and my eyes
immediately filled with tears. All these women have lost their husbands and are making it on their ownthey
have been so blessed by the SC program. Many of the widows are educated as the killings began
with the intelligent of society. It was so overwhelming to be among such strong women. The service
consisted of a few women sharing their stories, the bishop from the US giving a great sermon, and
various words of gratitude from both sides. I was honored to be a part of the celebration. Then the team
came to our house for lunch. Ezechiel made a wonderful lunch. It was so great to hear more about the
organization. So it began when some women from Deniseʼs church in Phoenix wanted to help women
internationally- this small group of women began a huge initiative which impacts more than 400 widows
and their children. SC profiles 50 more women than they have sponsors for and then continue up from
there. That way they donʼt have 100 women waiting to be sponsored with no money in sight…. There are
1000 of women who could benefit from this program. Look it up: ! www.sisterconnection.org I will put
the video from today online when I get home!
So as you can see God is doing some AMAZING things in Burundi. Behind each organization is a story- a
story of a simple man or woman who obeyed Godʼs calling- whether it be educating people to help them
live longer and more healthy, or taking care of the orphaned and widowed or sharing the word of the
Lord… I am so encouraged by people who have been convicted to change something- enter in humility
knowing they really arenʼt big enough to make a difference- but know that they serve a God who is and by
faith step out and are part of change. May we all be encouraged!!!
We love you and are happy to share our joy with you!
Love,
The crazy crawfords
Letter 4
Namahoro. NiʼSawa! We hope you are all doing well. Itʼs Sunday afternoon again and I thought Iʼd note
some of the major updates around here. Weʼve had an eventful week- well as eventful as you can get in
rural Africa! Iʼve started to make friends here! Alida is a student- she is 20 and graduates from secondary
school in June. Here you begin secondary school at 16 and graduate at 20. She is studying to be a
medical technician- but she can do a lot of a nurseʼs job. The school is a boarding school in Gitega, but
currently the 20 girls live in a small house across the road- they are currently serving in the hospital here.
Alida is a very bright girl with great enthusiasm. She LOVES the boys. Her English is good- she is
teaching me a lot about the culture here. She really wants to go to Hope Africa University(HAU), but the
school is $400/year for 4 years and then $3,000 for the last 3 years (the medical school is a 7 year
program which includes the undergrad course work)- and her father is a farmer. They probably make
around the average $300/year. In fact, to attend the boarding school itʼs about $30/term which she says is
VERY expensive for her family. I wish I could pay for her to attend HAU. I told her they sometimes have
scholarships for students- maybe she can look into it. I have been praying for her future- join me in
praying.
" Hereʼs a neat story about how someone was affected by generosity: The Ogdens (Dr. Frank-the
surgeon who was a missionary here on and off since the 70ʼs) paid for a young man to attend medical
school about in the 80ʼs- that man later worked as a doctor here in Kibuye (that was part of the deal as
there is such a need for doctors here). When the new president came into office the doctor was appointed
the presidentʼs personal physician and still currently works for the president. His son, Amable, is a
medical student that is here in Kibuye with us and will graduate in two years. They made a great
investment in the life of a man who was able to then create a better life for his children.
" Back to sharing about my new friends!! There are many other nursing students I enjoy being with.
The medical students are great as well. They came over last night and we played a really fun card game
all together. They are so enthusiastic and kind.
" I think the greatest thing that Iʼd like to recount from the week happened on Thursday.(Anything
you see in parentheses is Davidʼs addition!!) I was hanging out with the nursing students when Rodrigueone
of the med students said he was going to the hospital to find the key to his room (another student had
taken it) so I walked up with him. When we got there David was finishing up some work- another student,
Olivier needed to find his stethoscope and some of the students were playing with the boys so I went with
him. I have been around the hospital grounds a lot, but I hadnʼt been inside yet. As we walked down the
narrow dark hallway to go to the maternity ward I started to feel nervous- it really smelled (not that bad)
and I wasnʼt sure how people would react to my visiting. He invited me into the room where babies are
delivered- I walked in and saw the clay brick walls and floors with a metal table in the middle of the room
with stirrups coming up. Another room connects to this room where babies can be delivered as well. I
canʼt imagine what it would be like to deliver a baby in a place like that- I will never worry about the kind of
hospital I deliver a baby in again! We walked out into the hallway where a few women were lying on cots
while they labored. There were flies everywhere. Across the hall was the recovery room. Tied mosquito
nets suspend from the ceiling- and with the evening they can be untied and draped around the bed (never
used though). There were about 5 or 6 beds with new moms lying with their babies. They let me look at
their sweet children and I couldnʼt help but get teary eyed- they cannot imagine what I know to be
different. We walked into another room with about 10-13 beds. Not only were the mosquito nets
suspended from the ceiling but various beds were equipped with different fluids and antibiotics. I heard a
small whimper and Olivier asked the woman to lift up a blanket- there underneath about 5 layers of
blankets were the tiniest babies I have ever seen. Premature twins. They arenʼt latching and they have a
bad cough… like their mother. I need to pray that they make it through. (Update from a few days laterone
of the twins did not survive).There was another set of healthy twins… also a few other adults being
cared for. The hospital does not have running water and does not supply food- so just outside people are
cooking and doing laundry for their loved ones. There are no screens on the windows and it can be really
stuffy here- which is why there is smoke from the cooking and flies. Next we went down the hall to
another room of patients- same story- there was a child who was many symptoms, but they donʼt know
whatʼs wrong- and he is also HIV positive. I saw a child with tuberculosis as well. Then we went to the
menʼs ward- but there were more people than men. A small child with a femur fracture lies still in bed
sucking on some type of food next to her mother- there isnʼt a way to cast her leg- so the tiny 4 year old
will be in traction for about 4-5 weeks. For pain she gets Tylenol. Each patient that I visited was so kind
and thankful to have a visitor. Most already knew who I was- not only are we the only white people within
miles, but I take lots of walks- and the village of Kibuye is small. I was encouraged by their enthusiasm for
my small knowledge of Kirundi. I can communicate a very basic conversation and then with Olivier
translating we were all able to express ourselves. The experience in the hospital left me feeling so
overwhelmed- like sensory overload.
" David doesnʼt really tell me what itʼs like in the various hospitals he has been in- he mostly tells
me about the patients. I think heʼs been in enough third world hospitals to not be effected by the drastic
change. But I had never seen anything like this. I really wanted to share it with you all to express the
desperate need there is here. I feel like I cannot adequately describe what I saw. I hope to get pictures
one day- maybe if there is a room without patients in the next couple weeks… but currently the hospital is
full. I keep thinking about that book called “How Now Shall We Live” (I think thatʼs right!) Now that I have
seen this place I feel like I will never be the same. I never imagined a world without running water,
electricity… a place without doctors and medical supplies. Death is not to be feared, but expected. Even
among the educated and “wealthy” families- members die “young” of things like cerebral malaria. I have
been processing how I can continue to live in a way that honors the fact that our world is so unjust. If
there really are enough resources that the millions of children who die of hunger could survive, why do I
continue to buy the unnecessary? If we spent even half of what we spent on one hospital and used the
other half to supply 10 hospitals here- what kind of difference would that make? And what changes are
necessary here? Is it necessary to have running water in rural Africa? Cost effective? What kinds of
negative changes occur when westerners try to enhance a place? In Kibuye there is no fashion, no
television, no grocery stores. There is work in the fields, work in the home, and children to raise…. And
that is more than a dayʼs work….
" " On a more upbeat note we took the nursing students to Gitega yesterday. Itʼs really only
about 35 minute drive. The roads are loaded with pedestrians and bikes carrying more than I can fit in my
car! You have to honk when you drive past so they know to move over a bit! I am not gonna lie- itʼs a little
unnerving! We dropped Dr. Rusher off at the Cybercafe and went to the market. I saw lots of dead
animals covered in flies… I think I might become a vegetarian! Then we went to a small shack where I
purchased a few memento items from a kind woman. We saw the studentsʼ school and then drove back
to get Dr. Rusher. I ran in quick to check my email- I only had a couple minutes and the connection was
sooo slow… Remember the internet about 10 years ago??? Then we took the students to a restaurantbut
they were out of food- as in permanently. So we went back to the Cybercafe to eat at Antonios. I was
so relieved to see a menu with about 40 items…. Until the server said they only had one dish. Ragu
Chevre. Goat. No thanks, Iʼll take a coke! Dr. Rusher and David ate to their heartsʼ content- along with the
students- and then back to Kibuye we came.
" This morning there was a fight in church. A man with serious psychiatric problems began
punching another man and a woman was hitting him with her Bible- soon after a group of people escorted
them out of the church. I was really scared, but it was unwarranted and everything was fine after that.
" Pray for us. Pray that God would continue softening our hearts to His people. Pray for doctors to
come here- it is more than a sacrifice for them when they come from Bujumbura. Pray for the studentsmay
their hearts be softened to work in areas of need and not just the comfortable life in Bujumbura.
Olivier has expressed his desire to work in underserved areas like Kibuye- he is super quality and I think
a real leader on the horizon.
" Pray for the boys. Clayton is teething and they seem to get little bugs frequently. I think their
immune systems are getting strengthened for a longer return!! Sometimes the nights can be really long
and restless for us parents caring for sick little ones. Donʼt worry- itʼs nothing we canʼt treat.
" We love you all. Thanks for sharing in our experience. As you have read- we need your prayersand
so do the people here.
Namahoro,
David Adrienne Benny and Clinton (Yep, thatʼs how they pronounce their names!!)
some of the major updates around here. Weʼve had an eventful week- well as eventful as you can get in
rural Africa! Iʼve started to make friends here! Alida is a student- she is 20 and graduates from secondary
school in June. Here you begin secondary school at 16 and graduate at 20. She is studying to be a
medical technician- but she can do a lot of a nurseʼs job. The school is a boarding school in Gitega, but
currently the 20 girls live in a small house across the road- they are currently serving in the hospital here.
Alida is a very bright girl with great enthusiasm. She LOVES the boys. Her English is good- she is
teaching me a lot about the culture here. She really wants to go to Hope Africa University(HAU), but the
school is $400/year for 4 years and then $3,000 for the last 3 years (the medical school is a 7 year
program which includes the undergrad course work)- and her father is a farmer. They probably make
around the average $300/year. In fact, to attend the boarding school itʼs about $30/term which she says is
VERY expensive for her family. I wish I could pay for her to attend HAU. I told her they sometimes have
scholarships for students- maybe she can look into it. I have been praying for her future- join me in
praying.
" Hereʼs a neat story about how someone was affected by generosity: The Ogdens (Dr. Frank-the
surgeon who was a missionary here on and off since the 70ʼs) paid for a young man to attend medical
school about in the 80ʼs- that man later worked as a doctor here in Kibuye (that was part of the deal as
there is such a need for doctors here). When the new president came into office the doctor was appointed
the presidentʼs personal physician and still currently works for the president. His son, Amable, is a
medical student that is here in Kibuye with us and will graduate in two years. They made a great
investment in the life of a man who was able to then create a better life for his children.
" Back to sharing about my new friends!! There are many other nursing students I enjoy being with.
The medical students are great as well. They came over last night and we played a really fun card game
all together. They are so enthusiastic and kind.
" I think the greatest thing that Iʼd like to recount from the week happened on Thursday.(Anything
you see in parentheses is Davidʼs addition!!) I was hanging out with the nursing students when Rodrigueone
of the med students said he was going to the hospital to find the key to his room (another student had
taken it) so I walked up with him. When we got there David was finishing up some work- another student,
Olivier needed to find his stethoscope and some of the students were playing with the boys so I went with
him. I have been around the hospital grounds a lot, but I hadnʼt been inside yet. As we walked down the
narrow dark hallway to go to the maternity ward I started to feel nervous- it really smelled (not that bad)
and I wasnʼt sure how people would react to my visiting. He invited me into the room where babies are
delivered- I walked in and saw the clay brick walls and floors with a metal table in the middle of the room
with stirrups coming up. Another room connects to this room where babies can be delivered as well. I
canʼt imagine what it would be like to deliver a baby in a place like that- I will never worry about the kind of
hospital I deliver a baby in again! We walked out into the hallway where a few women were lying on cots
while they labored. There were flies everywhere. Across the hall was the recovery room. Tied mosquito
nets suspend from the ceiling- and with the evening they can be untied and draped around the bed (never
used though). There were about 5 or 6 beds with new moms lying with their babies. They let me look at
their sweet children and I couldnʼt help but get teary eyed- they cannot imagine what I know to be
different. We walked into another room with about 10-13 beds. Not only were the mosquito nets
suspended from the ceiling but various beds were equipped with different fluids and antibiotics. I heard a
small whimper and Olivier asked the woman to lift up a blanket- there underneath about 5 layers of
blankets were the tiniest babies I have ever seen. Premature twins. They arenʼt latching and they have a
bad cough… like their mother. I need to pray that they make it through. (Update from a few days laterone
of the twins did not survive).There was another set of healthy twins… also a few other adults being
cared for. The hospital does not have running water and does not supply food- so just outside people are
cooking and doing laundry for their loved ones. There are no screens on the windows and it can be really
stuffy here- which is why there is smoke from the cooking and flies. Next we went down the hall to
another room of patients- same story- there was a child who was many symptoms, but they donʼt know
whatʼs wrong- and he is also HIV positive. I saw a child with tuberculosis as well. Then we went to the
menʼs ward- but there were more people than men. A small child with a femur fracture lies still in bed
sucking on some type of food next to her mother- there isnʼt a way to cast her leg- so the tiny 4 year old
will be in traction for about 4-5 weeks. For pain she gets Tylenol. Each patient that I visited was so kind
and thankful to have a visitor. Most already knew who I was- not only are we the only white people within
miles, but I take lots of walks- and the village of Kibuye is small. I was encouraged by their enthusiasm for
my small knowledge of Kirundi. I can communicate a very basic conversation and then with Olivier
translating we were all able to express ourselves. The experience in the hospital left me feeling so
overwhelmed- like sensory overload.
" David doesnʼt really tell me what itʼs like in the various hospitals he has been in- he mostly tells
me about the patients. I think heʼs been in enough third world hospitals to not be effected by the drastic
change. But I had never seen anything like this. I really wanted to share it with you all to express the
desperate need there is here. I feel like I cannot adequately describe what I saw. I hope to get pictures
one day- maybe if there is a room without patients in the next couple weeks… but currently the hospital is
full. I keep thinking about that book called “How Now Shall We Live” (I think thatʼs right!) Now that I have
seen this place I feel like I will never be the same. I never imagined a world without running water,
electricity… a place without doctors and medical supplies. Death is not to be feared, but expected. Even
among the educated and “wealthy” families- members die “young” of things like cerebral malaria. I have
been processing how I can continue to live in a way that honors the fact that our world is so unjust. If
there really are enough resources that the millions of children who die of hunger could survive, why do I
continue to buy the unnecessary? If we spent even half of what we spent on one hospital and used the
other half to supply 10 hospitals here- what kind of difference would that make? And what changes are
necessary here? Is it necessary to have running water in rural Africa? Cost effective? What kinds of
negative changes occur when westerners try to enhance a place? In Kibuye there is no fashion, no
television, no grocery stores. There is work in the fields, work in the home, and children to raise…. And
that is more than a dayʼs work….
" " On a more upbeat note we took the nursing students to Gitega yesterday. Itʼs really only
about 35 minute drive. The roads are loaded with pedestrians and bikes carrying more than I can fit in my
car! You have to honk when you drive past so they know to move over a bit! I am not gonna lie- itʼs a little
unnerving! We dropped Dr. Rusher off at the Cybercafe and went to the market. I saw lots of dead
animals covered in flies… I think I might become a vegetarian! Then we went to a small shack where I
purchased a few memento items from a kind woman. We saw the studentsʼ school and then drove back
to get Dr. Rusher. I ran in quick to check my email- I only had a couple minutes and the connection was
sooo slow… Remember the internet about 10 years ago??? Then we took the students to a restaurantbut
they were out of food- as in permanently. So we went back to the Cybercafe to eat at Antonios. I was
so relieved to see a menu with about 40 items…. Until the server said they only had one dish. Ragu
Chevre. Goat. No thanks, Iʼll take a coke! Dr. Rusher and David ate to their heartsʼ content- along with the
students- and then back to Kibuye we came.
" This morning there was a fight in church. A man with serious psychiatric problems began
punching another man and a woman was hitting him with her Bible- soon after a group of people escorted
them out of the church. I was really scared, but it was unwarranted and everything was fine after that.
" Pray for us. Pray that God would continue softening our hearts to His people. Pray for doctors to
come here- it is more than a sacrifice for them when they come from Bujumbura. Pray for the studentsmay
their hearts be softened to work in areas of need and not just the comfortable life in Bujumbura.
Olivier has expressed his desire to work in underserved areas like Kibuye- he is super quality and I think
a real leader on the horizon.
" Pray for the boys. Clayton is teething and they seem to get little bugs frequently. I think their
immune systems are getting strengthened for a longer return!! Sometimes the nights can be really long
and restless for us parents caring for sick little ones. Donʼt worry- itʼs nothing we canʼt treat.
" We love you all. Thanks for sharing in our experience. As you have read- we need your prayersand
so do the people here.
Namahoro,
David Adrienne Benny and Clinton (Yep, thatʼs how they pronounce their names!!)
Letter 3
wiriwe Neza. Good afternoon! We hope you are all doing well. We are two weeks into our time here- in
some ways it feels like itʼs flown by and in other ways it feels like time is standing still. We have no contact
to the outside world- these emails are sent by a jump drive with a friend into the nearest city (1 hour
away)…. In fact, I hope you are receiving them because I have no idea of knowing!! If you want to save
some of the current events that are happening and email them to us as necessary when we return we
wonʼt be so behind…. Not that a lot happens in 6 weeks… but it would be fun to read up.
" Things are going well here. Weʼve had 3 beautiful days of bright sun. We are just south of the
equator- so when the sun is out itʼs really strong! Donʼt worry, Grandmas- the boys are wearing 50
sunblock! It has been nice getting to know the medical students. Some speak English very well. It is nice
to have them translate sometimes. The culture here is to hold one anotherʼs children and help keep them
contented. They really donʼt like a crying baby and will do everything to make him happy again. I think
they have met their match with Clayton! He is often handed back to me. I just smile. Itʼs so nice that they
like to hold the boys. They want pictures with them. They want to show their friends a picture of them with
a mzungo baby! I get yelled mzungo frequently… MZUNGO MZUNGO!! At first I was offended to be
yelled “white person, white person”- but I have since learned it is a calling of endearment!
" I have really connected with a few of the nurses. They are very sweet and fun to be with. They
love the boys and are eager to learn English. They came over last night and we had a nice time. They
have so many questions about the United States. They want to come and work there. They asked how
much a plane ticket costs- about $1000- which is more than 3 yearsʼ salary. Itʼs hard to talk about money
because you really canʼt compare the cost of things in the US to the cost of things here. In fact, when I
find a price of something here I tend to add two zeros to see what that would be like on a $30,000 salary.
So when itʼs no big deal to put 5000 francs on a phone card- thatʼs like spending $500 to them. (1200
francs is about $1- but I just do 1000 to 1). As you can see thereʼs no real good way to look at it because
itʼs just so different. The nurses like to see pictures of the United States and see where we are from. I
showed them pictures of friends and pastors in Detroit- they couldnʼt understand that Eric Russ isnʼt an
African- like a recent immigrant. They thought he had come from here- so we had to explain that his
family has probably been in the US for a couple hundred years…. But that they originally came as slaves.
The reality of our history broke my heart. When I think of the African slaves being exported to the various
countries and so many dying of diseases- the cultural differences- itʼs all very real- and very painful to
know that is our history. It took probably 10 min. to convince the girls that we have blacks in the US who
are Americans and not Africans… but once we spoke of slaves the room got quiet and everyone
understood. (A note to Eric- sorry if I inaccurately portrayed anything about your family- I was speaking
more of the collective history of African Americans in the US).
" There are 3 men who are around the majority of the day- Ezechiel is the cook and runs things
from in the house. He is a kind Christian man- the father of 5 beautiful children (1 set of twin boys!) He
and Bentley have become buddies- he is sooo sweet with him- and I REALLY appreciate the help. There
is no “baby jail” in Kibuye! Camaro hand washes any laundry and hangs it out to dry- he also “mows” the
grass by cutting it with a machete. Boteyi is in charge of the gardening and basic grounds keeping. He
has an issue with his leg and I am daily impressed with his work ethic considering the amount of pain and
inconvenience he is faced with by his leg. They all double as guards. It is so great to have them here- the
boys really like them and they keep me company.
" Dr. Rusher and David are often gone. Dr. Rusher is the only doctor here- and of course David is
close enough and can do just about everything with him- they double as teachers to the 16 medical
students. There is not enough time in the day to see every patient- Dr. Frank Ogden (surgeon) who was
a missionary who lived here for over a decade advised David and Dr. Rusher to do what they can in the
time that seems fair and to let God do the rest. It would be impossible to meet every patientʼs needs. That
is not the American way though- we see problems and we want them fixed, NOW! But if they did it the
“American way” they would eventually burn out and the boys and I would be on our own! I look at them
and I think it must take an extreme amount of faith in the Lord to trust that they are doing enough- and
that God will take care of His people. The difference in medical care here vs. any hospital in the US isnʼt
even comparable. It seems that at times a month or so will go by with no doctors in the hospital. If a
patient has an emergency they can seek a way to Gitega (1 hour away) or they can wait in a bed for a
doctor- or come back later. Dr. Rusher was surprised by the patience people have to be seen by a doctor.
They donʼt demand it, but wait in hopes of being cared for.
" The church service was 4.5 hours long on Sunday! It was a celebration week- the celebration of
baptisms, baby dedications, welcoming new members, music, etc… Four and a half hours is a long time
to keep 2 little boys happy. I ended up leaving a little early to put Clayton down- there came a point where
I couldnʼt keep him quiet- but Bentley made it through- we had help from a sweet medical student-
Ferdinand.
" I have made some friends in the house- lizards. Oh yes, lizards, lizards, lizards! I just canʼt get
used to them scurrying across the walls! I called Ezechiel in the boysʼ room today to get it out and he just
looked at me with his sweet accent and said, “Not bad,” and walked out! I guess I will have to get used to
them. In fact, even as I write this I see one on the wall. Dr. Rusher and David often remind me that they
eat insects and are good for the house…. Really!?!?!
" I feel very safe and cared for here. The people are so kind. I have less “followers” on my daily
walks as everyone is used to seeing us on a regular basis. I am learning some sentences! Abahungo
mfise babiri. I have 2 boys! I do like it here. Itʼs very beautiful and calm-although I do miss contact with
friends and family. We can see us coming here again- probably for a longer period of time. Weʼll see what
the future holds. I definitely need to learn more Kirundi or French if we do come longer! Also, coming with
another doctor and his wife (hint hint Scott and Kristen- or any of our medical friends!!) would help with
the loneliness. Perhaps even having older boys would be enough to make it a little easier!
" Thatʼs all for now! Thanks for continuing to pray for us. Pray for continued health (Clayton is
getting over bronchitis)- and that we wouldnʼt get any weird parasites! Pray that I will be able to learn
more of the language to talk with people- and that I would be a disciplined parent as I try to teach the
boys to be obedient. Pray for Dr. Rusher and David to be effective in the hospital- that they wouldnʼt take
on more burdens than they should. Also, please pray for the medical students – Dr. Rusher has them
watching a video series called The Truth Project- Hope Africa University has a statement of faith, but that
doesnʼt mean all the students are Christian. So pray for us as we seek relationships with them.
We love you all!
Amahoro,
David, Adrienne, Bentley, and Clayton.
some ways it feels like itʼs flown by and in other ways it feels like time is standing still. We have no contact
to the outside world- these emails are sent by a jump drive with a friend into the nearest city (1 hour
away)…. In fact, I hope you are receiving them because I have no idea of knowing!! If you want to save
some of the current events that are happening and email them to us as necessary when we return we
wonʼt be so behind…. Not that a lot happens in 6 weeks… but it would be fun to read up.
" Things are going well here. Weʼve had 3 beautiful days of bright sun. We are just south of the
equator- so when the sun is out itʼs really strong! Donʼt worry, Grandmas- the boys are wearing 50
sunblock! It has been nice getting to know the medical students. Some speak English very well. It is nice
to have them translate sometimes. The culture here is to hold one anotherʼs children and help keep them
contented. They really donʼt like a crying baby and will do everything to make him happy again. I think
they have met their match with Clayton! He is often handed back to me. I just smile. Itʼs so nice that they
like to hold the boys. They want pictures with them. They want to show their friends a picture of them with
a mzungo baby! I get yelled mzungo frequently… MZUNGO MZUNGO!! At first I was offended to be
yelled “white person, white person”- but I have since learned it is a calling of endearment!
" I have really connected with a few of the nurses. They are very sweet and fun to be with. They
love the boys and are eager to learn English. They came over last night and we had a nice time. They
have so many questions about the United States. They want to come and work there. They asked how
much a plane ticket costs- about $1000- which is more than 3 yearsʼ salary. Itʼs hard to talk about money
because you really canʼt compare the cost of things in the US to the cost of things here. In fact, when I
find a price of something here I tend to add two zeros to see what that would be like on a $30,000 salary.
So when itʼs no big deal to put 5000 francs on a phone card- thatʼs like spending $500 to them. (1200
francs is about $1- but I just do 1000 to 1). As you can see thereʼs no real good way to look at it because
itʼs just so different. The nurses like to see pictures of the United States and see where we are from. I
showed them pictures of friends and pastors in Detroit- they couldnʼt understand that Eric Russ isnʼt an
African- like a recent immigrant. They thought he had come from here- so we had to explain that his
family has probably been in the US for a couple hundred years…. But that they originally came as slaves.
The reality of our history broke my heart. When I think of the African slaves being exported to the various
countries and so many dying of diseases- the cultural differences- itʼs all very real- and very painful to
know that is our history. It took probably 10 min. to convince the girls that we have blacks in the US who
are Americans and not Africans… but once we spoke of slaves the room got quiet and everyone
understood. (A note to Eric- sorry if I inaccurately portrayed anything about your family- I was speaking
more of the collective history of African Americans in the US).
" There are 3 men who are around the majority of the day- Ezechiel is the cook and runs things
from in the house. He is a kind Christian man- the father of 5 beautiful children (1 set of twin boys!) He
and Bentley have become buddies- he is sooo sweet with him- and I REALLY appreciate the help. There
is no “baby jail” in Kibuye! Camaro hand washes any laundry and hangs it out to dry- he also “mows” the
grass by cutting it with a machete. Boteyi is in charge of the gardening and basic grounds keeping. He
has an issue with his leg and I am daily impressed with his work ethic considering the amount of pain and
inconvenience he is faced with by his leg. They all double as guards. It is so great to have them here- the
boys really like them and they keep me company.
" Dr. Rusher and David are often gone. Dr. Rusher is the only doctor here- and of course David is
close enough and can do just about everything with him- they double as teachers to the 16 medical
students. There is not enough time in the day to see every patient- Dr. Frank Ogden (surgeon) who was
a missionary who lived here for over a decade advised David and Dr. Rusher to do what they can in the
time that seems fair and to let God do the rest. It would be impossible to meet every patientʼs needs. That
is not the American way though- we see problems and we want them fixed, NOW! But if they did it the
“American way” they would eventually burn out and the boys and I would be on our own! I look at them
and I think it must take an extreme amount of faith in the Lord to trust that they are doing enough- and
that God will take care of His people. The difference in medical care here vs. any hospital in the US isnʼt
even comparable. It seems that at times a month or so will go by with no doctors in the hospital. If a
patient has an emergency they can seek a way to Gitega (1 hour away) or they can wait in a bed for a
doctor- or come back later. Dr. Rusher was surprised by the patience people have to be seen by a doctor.
They donʼt demand it, but wait in hopes of being cared for.
" The church service was 4.5 hours long on Sunday! It was a celebration week- the celebration of
baptisms, baby dedications, welcoming new members, music, etc… Four and a half hours is a long time
to keep 2 little boys happy. I ended up leaving a little early to put Clayton down- there came a point where
I couldnʼt keep him quiet- but Bentley made it through- we had help from a sweet medical student-
Ferdinand.
" I have made some friends in the house- lizards. Oh yes, lizards, lizards, lizards! I just canʼt get
used to them scurrying across the walls! I called Ezechiel in the boysʼ room today to get it out and he just
looked at me with his sweet accent and said, “Not bad,” and walked out! I guess I will have to get used to
them. In fact, even as I write this I see one on the wall. Dr. Rusher and David often remind me that they
eat insects and are good for the house…. Really!?!?!
" I feel very safe and cared for here. The people are so kind. I have less “followers” on my daily
walks as everyone is used to seeing us on a regular basis. I am learning some sentences! Abahungo
mfise babiri. I have 2 boys! I do like it here. Itʼs very beautiful and calm-although I do miss contact with
friends and family. We can see us coming here again- probably for a longer period of time. Weʼll see what
the future holds. I definitely need to learn more Kirundi or French if we do come longer! Also, coming with
another doctor and his wife (hint hint Scott and Kristen- or any of our medical friends!!) would help with
the loneliness. Perhaps even having older boys would be enough to make it a little easier!
" Thatʼs all for now! Thanks for continuing to pray for us. Pray for continued health (Clayton is
getting over bronchitis)- and that we wouldnʼt get any weird parasites! Pray that I will be able to learn
more of the language to talk with people- and that I would be a disciplined parent as I try to teach the
boys to be obedient. Pray for Dr. Rusher and David to be effective in the hospital- that they wouldnʼt take
on more burdens than they should. Also, please pray for the medical students – Dr. Rusher has them
watching a video series called The Truth Project- Hope Africa University has a statement of faith, but that
doesnʼt mean all the students are Christian. So pray for us as we seek relationships with them.
We love you all!
Amahoro,
David, Adrienne, Bentley, and Clayton.
Letter 2
Itʼs Sunday evening at 10:30 PM and we thought weʼd send you an email with an update! Unfortunately
we havenʼt gotten over the jet lag yet! The last couple nights we have stayed up late hoping to avoid the
1-4 AM wake up period. Pray that we can get on this time zone!!
" We arrived in Kibuye on Thursday afternoon. The drive was beautiful as we basically drove up a
mountain to 6,000 feet. The mountain was lined with farms up the sides. There were few cars on the road
as gas costs about $7.50/gallon and the average annual income is about $300. Thus, the driver had to be
cautious with all the bikes and walkers climbing up.
" Kibuye is a small village. We have running water, but I think we are the only ones in town. Even
the hospital gets water brought up from the well. Also, most people donʼt have electricity. We are living in
the poorest area I have ever been to.
" The house is nice with a beautiful garden- both flowers and vegetables and fruit. The workers
take very good care of the area. Itʼs really beautiful- the climate here is perfect for green grass, exotic
flowers, and delicious foods. We stay in the house with Dr. Rusher as well. We eat all our meals together
and usually play a game or two after the boys go to bed.
" I spend the day with the boys- we get into all kinds of mischief! I have been taking them out twice
a day for walks. As soon as we leave the gate we are quickly followed and usually capture the attention of
about 50 people who will just follow us. They laugh at Bentleyʼs glasses and stare at his stroller! I enjoy
getting out and seeing people. I am starting to learn Kirundi. Itʼs a very difficult language! If you want to
say thank you, you say: urukoze. (u-roo-ko-say). I hope to continue to learn to say more than a few
words and form some sentences!
" I was able to go to a church service this morning. It was so great. The building is plain with brick
walls and bench pews. The music was beautiful. They had Dr. Rusher and I sit up front facing everyone- a
place of honor I guess. Of course I felt super awkward, but it was important to them to sit us there! David
wasnʼt able to come because the boys have been a little sick with colds (Clayton was just getting it when
we left- and now it has been passed to us all- and of course Bentley got it a little worse). The pastor
spoke about how we should trust Godʼs will over our own. He used an example about a man who wanted
to get married, but didnʼt want to marry the woman God had chosen… he wanted a woman who was
more beautiful, and I think she ended up leaving him or did something hurtful... Anyway, I started thinking
about Godʼs will in my own life. It has always been a dream to come to Africa- and I am so thankful to be
here…. But I will say itʼs not all butterflies and roses! Itʼs at times 24 hours without water, and unstable
electricity, and extreme poverty, and diseases… itʼs not being able to communicate and at times feeling
like I donʼt have anything to offer-itʼs trusting the Lord daily for the health of our family. I donʼt share these
things because I am unhappy or to complain, I share them to express how God is working in my life. God
gave me a heart for these things… but even though he did that doesnʼt make it easy! I have been learning
how to depend on the Lord more and more. When I wake up and when I go to sleep I seek him in prayerfor
us and for those around us. The slower pace and lack of stuff is slowly ushering me into His presence
and grace. So I guess I am saying, that itʼs not as easy as I thought it would be to follow the Lord here,
but itʼs truly worth it and my faith is growing because of it… and isnʼt that what we desire?
Anyway…
I will let David tell you about the hospital now!
Thursday January 20.
Our first full week in Kibuye came to an end today. I have been really busy in the hospital. There have
been somewhere between 100-120 patients in the hospital since we got here, many of whom had never
been seen by a doctor. We started out seeing patients the nurses thought needed special attention, then
over the last few days we have made our way through the entire hospital census. There are also around
a hundred clinic patients per day that are handled for the most part by nurses. For the first few days Dr.
Rusher and I rounded together, partly so that I could get used to the types of patients here and partly
because we really only ever could find one translator at a time. I wish I could speak Kirundi…or at least
French. Currently there are no Burundian doctors at the hospital every day. Hopefully however there will
be one arriving on Monday.
On Tuesday the medical students from Hope Africa University in Kibuye arrived. There are 16 of them.
They are in their 5th year of medical school out of 7 and are having their first clinical experience now. So
for the last few days, Dr Rusher and I have been rounding separately, each with a group of medical
students. I have been tasked with teaching physical diagnosis to the students, so they will all rotate
through my team. We have teaching time in the morning and then take plenty of time on rounds to teach
various skills as well as medical knowledge about the various diseases we see. It is fun to have a group
of enthusiastic students to work with.
" Here are some of the things that have worked out well…as far as I know I have more ultrasound
training than anyone else in the hospital (not that I have a lot) and that has been really useful. I have
diagnosed a variety of conditions…placenta previa, fetal demise, twin pregnancy, and pericardial effusion.
Pretty much every day there are a few ultrasounds to do after lunch. I also figured out how to tell
estimated gestational age on the machine. We have also been able to find a number of patients who had
not been receiving proper treatment for their conditions. For example, there was a three year old girl who
had been diagnosed with malaria by the triaging nurse and wasnʼt improving on anti-malarial medicine
because she had a pneumonia. So now hopefully she will pull through. There were also a number of
patients who had been in the hospital for more than a month (as many as six months) without any
improvement or change. We have made our way around to all those patients now and are trying to come
up with plans to get them out of the hospital. Today the lab received the materials to test for HIV so now
we can test people we suspect of having it.
" Some frustrating things: No good X-rays. I never appreciated the value of a good X-ray until all I
can get are washed out images that are next to impossible to read. No plaster. In the ward Iʼve been
rounding in there are two adults and one child with tibia fractures and none of them are in casts. One has
been laying in bed for 3 weeks without any immobilization. So Iʼve immobilized them and am waiting for
the plaster which I am told has been ordered. Osteomyelitis…infection of the bone. We have 10-12
patients with chronic osteomyelitis with draining sores and various degrees of bone destruction, and the
only real care they are getting is dressing changes. We donʼt have a lot of good antibiotic choices, but
even if we did, the treatment is surgery and we donʼt have an orthopedic surgeon. The only definitive
treatment is amputation, but it is hard to accept the idea of amputating a limb for most people.
Anyway, Iʼm enjoying myself, and Iʼm learning a lot. Iʼve had to read up on a lot of diseases. I just wish I
had brought more books. I found a 20 year old edition of Harrisonʼs Internal Medicine which is serving
me fairly well.
(Adrienne again!)
Thank you for your prayers we really appreciate them. Please pray for continued health and safety for us.
Pray that I can form a relationship with some of the women medical students who are arriving this week
from Bujumbura- they all speak English and it would be nice to have a friend (other than my 2 little
companions)!!
Love you all!
Amahoro, (peace)
David, Adrienne, Bentley and Clayton
we havenʼt gotten over the jet lag yet! The last couple nights we have stayed up late hoping to avoid the
1-4 AM wake up period. Pray that we can get on this time zone!!
" We arrived in Kibuye on Thursday afternoon. The drive was beautiful as we basically drove up a
mountain to 6,000 feet. The mountain was lined with farms up the sides. There were few cars on the road
as gas costs about $7.50/gallon and the average annual income is about $300. Thus, the driver had to be
cautious with all the bikes and walkers climbing up.
" Kibuye is a small village. We have running water, but I think we are the only ones in town. Even
the hospital gets water brought up from the well. Also, most people donʼt have electricity. We are living in
the poorest area I have ever been to.
" The house is nice with a beautiful garden- both flowers and vegetables and fruit. The workers
take very good care of the area. Itʼs really beautiful- the climate here is perfect for green grass, exotic
flowers, and delicious foods. We stay in the house with Dr. Rusher as well. We eat all our meals together
and usually play a game or two after the boys go to bed.
" I spend the day with the boys- we get into all kinds of mischief! I have been taking them out twice
a day for walks. As soon as we leave the gate we are quickly followed and usually capture the attention of
about 50 people who will just follow us. They laugh at Bentleyʼs glasses and stare at his stroller! I enjoy
getting out and seeing people. I am starting to learn Kirundi. Itʼs a very difficult language! If you want to
say thank you, you say: urukoze. (u-roo-ko-say). I hope to continue to learn to say more than a few
words and form some sentences!
" I was able to go to a church service this morning. It was so great. The building is plain with brick
walls and bench pews. The music was beautiful. They had Dr. Rusher and I sit up front facing everyone- a
place of honor I guess. Of course I felt super awkward, but it was important to them to sit us there! David
wasnʼt able to come because the boys have been a little sick with colds (Clayton was just getting it when
we left- and now it has been passed to us all- and of course Bentley got it a little worse). The pastor
spoke about how we should trust Godʼs will over our own. He used an example about a man who wanted
to get married, but didnʼt want to marry the woman God had chosen… he wanted a woman who was
more beautiful, and I think she ended up leaving him or did something hurtful... Anyway, I started thinking
about Godʼs will in my own life. It has always been a dream to come to Africa- and I am so thankful to be
here…. But I will say itʼs not all butterflies and roses! Itʼs at times 24 hours without water, and unstable
electricity, and extreme poverty, and diseases… itʼs not being able to communicate and at times feeling
like I donʼt have anything to offer-itʼs trusting the Lord daily for the health of our family. I donʼt share these
things because I am unhappy or to complain, I share them to express how God is working in my life. God
gave me a heart for these things… but even though he did that doesnʼt make it easy! I have been learning
how to depend on the Lord more and more. When I wake up and when I go to sleep I seek him in prayerfor
us and for those around us. The slower pace and lack of stuff is slowly ushering me into His presence
and grace. So I guess I am saying, that itʼs not as easy as I thought it would be to follow the Lord here,
but itʼs truly worth it and my faith is growing because of it… and isnʼt that what we desire?
Anyway…
I will let David tell you about the hospital now!
Thursday January 20.
Our first full week in Kibuye came to an end today. I have been really busy in the hospital. There have
been somewhere between 100-120 patients in the hospital since we got here, many of whom had never
been seen by a doctor. We started out seeing patients the nurses thought needed special attention, then
over the last few days we have made our way through the entire hospital census. There are also around
a hundred clinic patients per day that are handled for the most part by nurses. For the first few days Dr.
Rusher and I rounded together, partly so that I could get used to the types of patients here and partly
because we really only ever could find one translator at a time. I wish I could speak Kirundi…or at least
French. Currently there are no Burundian doctors at the hospital every day. Hopefully however there will
be one arriving on Monday.
On Tuesday the medical students from Hope Africa University in Kibuye arrived. There are 16 of them.
They are in their 5th year of medical school out of 7 and are having their first clinical experience now. So
for the last few days, Dr Rusher and I have been rounding separately, each with a group of medical
students. I have been tasked with teaching physical diagnosis to the students, so they will all rotate
through my team. We have teaching time in the morning and then take plenty of time on rounds to teach
various skills as well as medical knowledge about the various diseases we see. It is fun to have a group
of enthusiastic students to work with.
" Here are some of the things that have worked out well…as far as I know I have more ultrasound
training than anyone else in the hospital (not that I have a lot) and that has been really useful. I have
diagnosed a variety of conditions…placenta previa, fetal demise, twin pregnancy, and pericardial effusion.
Pretty much every day there are a few ultrasounds to do after lunch. I also figured out how to tell
estimated gestational age on the machine. We have also been able to find a number of patients who had
not been receiving proper treatment for their conditions. For example, there was a three year old girl who
had been diagnosed with malaria by the triaging nurse and wasnʼt improving on anti-malarial medicine
because she had a pneumonia. So now hopefully she will pull through. There were also a number of
patients who had been in the hospital for more than a month (as many as six months) without any
improvement or change. We have made our way around to all those patients now and are trying to come
up with plans to get them out of the hospital. Today the lab received the materials to test for HIV so now
we can test people we suspect of having it.
" Some frustrating things: No good X-rays. I never appreciated the value of a good X-ray until all I
can get are washed out images that are next to impossible to read. No plaster. In the ward Iʼve been
rounding in there are two adults and one child with tibia fractures and none of them are in casts. One has
been laying in bed for 3 weeks without any immobilization. So Iʼve immobilized them and am waiting for
the plaster which I am told has been ordered. Osteomyelitis…infection of the bone. We have 10-12
patients with chronic osteomyelitis with draining sores and various degrees of bone destruction, and the
only real care they are getting is dressing changes. We donʼt have a lot of good antibiotic choices, but
even if we did, the treatment is surgery and we donʼt have an orthopedic surgeon. The only definitive
treatment is amputation, but it is hard to accept the idea of amputating a limb for most people.
Anyway, Iʼm enjoying myself, and Iʼm learning a lot. Iʼve had to read up on a lot of diseases. I just wish I
had brought more books. I found a 20 year old edition of Harrisonʼs Internal Medicine which is serving
me fairly well.
(Adrienne again!)
Thank you for your prayers we really appreciate them. Please pray for continued health and safety for us.
Pray that I can form a relationship with some of the women medical students who are arriving this week
from Bujumbura- they all speak English and it would be nice to have a friend (other than my 2 little
companions)!!
Love you all!
Amahoro, (peace)
David, Adrienne, Bentley and Clayton
Arrival in Burundi
We have arrived! Safe in Burundi, staying at Hope Africa University for the night- which is in Bumjumbura- about 15 min. from the airport. The trip went great. We thought we were going to be stranded in Washington DC, and sat on the runway for about an hour and a half, but we made it out despite the snow. Clayton and Bentley successfully slept most of the way to Brussels, despite the little girl kicking the back of Clayton's seat and screaming at her parents. The last three hours on the plane to Bujumbura were tough, but we made it. I leaned forward in my seat so I could be the first one in our family in the Southern Hemisphere...When we arrived here there were lots of people waiting to greet us, including the bishop!. Thanks to great ticket agent help we managed to have four seats instead of three the whole way, so Clayton and Bentley each had a "bed". And all our luggage arrived in one piece. It's hot here. Tomorrow we head up country to Kibuye and gain about 3000 feet in elevation so the weather should be nice and comfortable this time tomorrow. They even had beds waiting for us, freshly made...with mosquito nets! Good thing because I forgot to pack my mosquito net.
Adrienne here! Just thought I'd add to David's email...The boys are already asleep and we're gonna shower and get to bed!
So we arrived to Bumjumbura in one of those huge planes- with 8 rows(not as big as our European flight, but still really really big!) Well, the airport is one terminal. So you walk down the stairs of the plane and you're standing right next to this huge huge plane on a runway that's totally empty from other planes! Then we just all walk inside go through customs- which first of all there is no "inside" everything is outside with some sort of barrier indicating it's separate from the "outside" then the customs is a round desk with 2 men reading and stamping passports- Then you walk by the desk and grab your luggage and they all go through one machine. It's crazy. It's like the airport lit up for our flight and then the aircraft took off once we were all checked in with bags, so presumably it'll "shut down" now.
It smells amazing here. I can't describe it. Clean I guess. We really didn't see many cars- mostly people walking. The roads were mostly dirt, I can't remember seeing pavement, maybe at the airport!
We had these cute little bananas as a snack. They're about 1/3 of the size of our bananas!
I can't wait to see Burundi in the daylight.
Praise the Lord the boys were AMAZING and we didn't have any issues- other than a few delayed flights...
We love you guys!
Adrienne
Adrienne here! Just thought I'd add to David's email...The boys are already asleep and we're gonna shower and get to bed!
So we arrived to Bumjumbura in one of those huge planes- with 8 rows(not as big as our European flight, but still really really big!) Well, the airport is one terminal. So you walk down the stairs of the plane and you're standing right next to this huge huge plane on a runway that's totally empty from other planes! Then we just all walk inside go through customs- which first of all there is no "inside" everything is outside with some sort of barrier indicating it's separate from the "outside" then the customs is a round desk with 2 men reading and stamping passports- Then you walk by the desk and grab your luggage and they all go through one machine. It's crazy. It's like the airport lit up for our flight and then the aircraft took off once we were all checked in with bags, so presumably it'll "shut down" now.
It smells amazing here. I can't describe it. Clean I guess. We really didn't see many cars- mostly people walking. The roads were mostly dirt, I can't remember seeing pavement, maybe at the airport!
We had these cute little bananas as a snack. They're about 1/3 of the size of our bananas!
I can't wait to see Burundi in the daylight.
Praise the Lord the boys were AMAZING and we didn't have any issues- other than a few delayed flights...
We love you guys!
Adrienne
1.09.2011
loving the rejected
As I was driving home from Ann Arbor yesterday God laid this idea on my heart. I was at a baby shower for David's cousin, Nan, and was able to spend time with some dear friends. My good friend, mentor, role model, RuthAnn was sharing some things with me during the party that will help introduce this post. So we recently had a situation with the new house where a lawyer was needed- RuthAnn's husband, Kyle, teaches law at the UofM so we contacted him to see if he could help with our situation. He was able to connect us with a great lawyer who did give us some initial help. Anyway, he knows Detroit and knows the location of the new house to be in an "interesting" spot and shared some of his nervousness with Kyle- then Kyle was sharing how we are going to Burundi for 6 weeks- and then he said something about how not only do we have hearts to serve over seas in areas with very limited medical care, but when we come back we go to live in a dangerous part of our own country- where there is a great need for medical care. I am NOT saying this to praise ourselves or for you to praise- it's only an entry into the post!
So I was thinking about what RuthAnn was saying on my drive. I was thinking about all the things that we are passionate about and the things God has put on our hearts.... A few images came to my mind as I was driving... Bentley, friends in Detroit, and what I think I might see while in Burundi. I began to think about how Bentley is a rejected one. He isn't rejected as individual most days (although I do get crazy comments and questions!)- but his syndrome is rejected. 90% of Americans don't want to have a child with Down syndrome-- so I think it's safe to say he's a rejected one.
Next, Detroit. Detroit is a rejected city. It's a rejected city historically- all the whites leaving in the famously quoted, "white flight". Today most living in surrounding suburbs think we are crazy for living in the inner city- even around the country- but those living in a close proximity seem to have a stronger negative reaction- and mostly people I don't know but meet at the park or when I'm out. It's rejected by skilled workers- I get that there aren't a lot of jobs- but we DO have a need better social workers and teachers... and leaders in general. Usually when someone makes it out of Detroit for college and does well they don't return- and who can blame them- but think what an incredible influence a native Detroit person can have vs. people who move in!
Finally, Burundi. Burundi is a country that is in really bad shape because of decades of a civil war between the Hutus and Tutsis- yep, just like Rwanda, but a longer lasting war. Burundi doesn't have anything to offer the tourist- so most don't go- even all the beautiful national parks have been shut down for 10 years- I think.
God has brought these three places for me to love today only by HIS grace and HIS development of my heart. Bentley is a GIFT- I did nothing to receive a child with Down syndrome- All I ever did was follow the Lord's leading to love this beautiful child, and because we have Bentley I have become ultra passionate about children with Down syndrome and have developed a desire to advocate for their rights in school and to simply be given life.
The Lord led us to Detroit. He shut the door to stay in Tucson. It was our only option. We fled from Detroit for 18 months (which turned out OK because we do have a great group of friends in Ann Arbor- but we still fled). When God made it obvious that we needed to flee no more and come to the place He had called us- we went- and here we are. Upon arriving in Detroit, 2 years ago, all the issues of this city began piling up on my heart. I would never have realized the injustices and pain inflicted upon and occurring in this city if I hadn't come here. Once again, nothing I did- but what God has been revealing to me.
God gave me a heart for Rwanda 7 years ago when we went to see Hotel Rwanda on a date in the theater in Phoenix. I didn't want to leave the movie theater. I was sobbing. I had no idea this had happened- and it was that week that the genocide was declared in Darfur- and I just kept thinking- it's happening somewhere else. It has been a dream of mine to go Rwanda to be among the hurting- not that I can offer anything or do anything- but that I can face the pain and see the reality of sin and experience something beyond the superficial. It's not Rwanda that I get to see, but Burundi- a place right next door- with similar pains and histories. It's the place God is leading us.
I think it's good to stop every so often and reflect on what God is leading you into. For what things has he give you a heart for?
I think God has called us- all believers- to love the rejected. It's easy to love the glamorous things the world offers- but to love the rejected ones is really hard. First of all, it's really painful when you become so passionate about something that most people don't want to be part of. It breaks my heart when I know people who would terminate their baby if it had DS (yes, I have been told that). It breaks my heart that I can't get more people to come help us in Detroit- because I am PASSIONATE about seeing God change this city. And it breaks my heart that Burundi is in the state it's in- and there's not really much we can do- for sooo many reasons. It's also hard to love the rejected ones because it is a totally different course than most people go- so a lot of times I feel alone- or crazy- or both! As Christians this is our only opportunity to love and care for the rejected ones because when we go to heaven- there won't be any rejected or broken or poor! This is our chance to share that love that has been given us through Christ.
So stop and reflect today- who are the rejected ones that God has put on your heart to love and CARE for? Don't just be passionate about that- but ask God to lead you into action to care. It might be college students- or foster children- or immigrants- or someone with a handicap- or ....???? How can you share the love of Christ with that person or place?
I'll end with one of my FAVORITE verses from 1 Corinthians 1:
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d]
May we continue to be a body of believers who love and serve....
So I was thinking about what RuthAnn was saying on my drive. I was thinking about all the things that we are passionate about and the things God has put on our hearts.... A few images came to my mind as I was driving... Bentley, friends in Detroit, and what I think I might see while in Burundi. I began to think about how Bentley is a rejected one. He isn't rejected as individual most days (although I do get crazy comments and questions!)- but his syndrome is rejected. 90% of Americans don't want to have a child with Down syndrome-- so I think it's safe to say he's a rejected one.
Next, Detroit. Detroit is a rejected city. It's a rejected city historically- all the whites leaving in the famously quoted, "white flight". Today most living in surrounding suburbs think we are crazy for living in the inner city- even around the country- but those living in a close proximity seem to have a stronger negative reaction- and mostly people I don't know but meet at the park or when I'm out. It's rejected by skilled workers- I get that there aren't a lot of jobs- but we DO have a need better social workers and teachers... and leaders in general. Usually when someone makes it out of Detroit for college and does well they don't return- and who can blame them- but think what an incredible influence a native Detroit person can have vs. people who move in!
Finally, Burundi. Burundi is a country that is in really bad shape because of decades of a civil war between the Hutus and Tutsis- yep, just like Rwanda, but a longer lasting war. Burundi doesn't have anything to offer the tourist- so most don't go- even all the beautiful national parks have been shut down for 10 years- I think.
God has brought these three places for me to love today only by HIS grace and HIS development of my heart. Bentley is a GIFT- I did nothing to receive a child with Down syndrome- All I ever did was follow the Lord's leading to love this beautiful child, and because we have Bentley I have become ultra passionate about children with Down syndrome and have developed a desire to advocate for their rights in school and to simply be given life.
The Lord led us to Detroit. He shut the door to stay in Tucson. It was our only option. We fled from Detroit for 18 months (which turned out OK because we do have a great group of friends in Ann Arbor- but we still fled). When God made it obvious that we needed to flee no more and come to the place He had called us- we went- and here we are. Upon arriving in Detroit, 2 years ago, all the issues of this city began piling up on my heart. I would never have realized the injustices and pain inflicted upon and occurring in this city if I hadn't come here. Once again, nothing I did- but what God has been revealing to me.
God gave me a heart for Rwanda 7 years ago when we went to see Hotel Rwanda on a date in the theater in Phoenix. I didn't want to leave the movie theater. I was sobbing. I had no idea this had happened- and it was that week that the genocide was declared in Darfur- and I just kept thinking- it's happening somewhere else. It has been a dream of mine to go Rwanda to be among the hurting- not that I can offer anything or do anything- but that I can face the pain and see the reality of sin and experience something beyond the superficial. It's not Rwanda that I get to see, but Burundi- a place right next door- with similar pains and histories. It's the place God is leading us.
I think it's good to stop every so often and reflect on what God is leading you into. For what things has he give you a heart for?
I think God has called us- all believers- to love the rejected. It's easy to love the glamorous things the world offers- but to love the rejected ones is really hard. First of all, it's really painful when you become so passionate about something that most people don't want to be part of. It breaks my heart when I know people who would terminate their baby if it had DS (yes, I have been told that). It breaks my heart that I can't get more people to come help us in Detroit- because I am PASSIONATE about seeing God change this city. And it breaks my heart that Burundi is in the state it's in- and there's not really much we can do- for sooo many reasons. It's also hard to love the rejected ones because it is a totally different course than most people go- so a lot of times I feel alone- or crazy- or both! As Christians this is our only opportunity to love and care for the rejected ones because when we go to heaven- there won't be any rejected or broken or poor! This is our chance to share that love that has been given us through Christ.
So stop and reflect today- who are the rejected ones that God has put on your heart to love and CARE for? Don't just be passionate about that- but ask God to lead you into action to care. It might be college students- or foster children- or immigrants- or someone with a handicap- or ....???? How can you share the love of Christ with that person or place?
I'll end with one of my FAVORITE verses from 1 Corinthians 1:
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d]
May we continue to be a body of believers who love and serve....
1.05.2011
3 focuses
We leave for Burundi on Tuesday... I can't believe it! I am getting really excited. I will try to keep my blog updated with our preparations. :) I don't think we are going to have much internet access while in Kibuye, so I won't be updating as much as I had hoped.
I have decided to have 3 focuses while in Burundi that you can be praying for me in accomplishing:
1. Spending time with the boys. I would really like to train them in listening, playing nicely together, and giving them adequate attention.
2. Strengthening my knowledge of what it means to be a children's ministry leader. I bought 2 books from Amazon about children's ministry leadership and I am really hoping to learn more so that I can lead the ministry in better ways.
Book 1
Book 2
If you have any other reading suggestions please share them with me!
3. Learning more about what it means to open a preschool. I am not sure if I blogged about this earlier, but we I am seriously looking into opening a preschool. Bentley will start in the fall and there aren't any preschools in our zip code that he could attend. Also, children in the inner city need to be educated earlier by some type of system. I bought a book over break called, Whatever it Takes about the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, NY.
If you are interested in any level of educating children in the inner city this book is for you! I am really looking forward to reading this book again and I printed off pages of information about the program, as well as, other preschools to learn from.
Join me in praying for these specific things over the next couple weeks!
I have decided to have 3 focuses while in Burundi that you can be praying for me in accomplishing:
1. Spending time with the boys. I would really like to train them in listening, playing nicely together, and giving them adequate attention.
2. Strengthening my knowledge of what it means to be a children's ministry leader. I bought 2 books from Amazon about children's ministry leadership and I am really hoping to learn more so that I can lead the ministry in better ways.
Book 1
Book 2
If you have any other reading suggestions please share them with me!
3. Learning more about what it means to open a preschool. I am not sure if I blogged about this earlier, but we I am seriously looking into opening a preschool. Bentley will start in the fall and there aren't any preschools in our zip code that he could attend. Also, children in the inner city need to be educated earlier by some type of system. I bought a book over break called, Whatever it Takes about the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, NY.
If you are interested in any level of educating children in the inner city this book is for you! I am really looking forward to reading this book again and I printed off pages of information about the program, as well as, other preschools to learn from.
Join me in praying for these specific things over the next couple weeks!
12.19.2010
college buddies
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no bad options.
David is officially done with interviews!!! We can all exhale..... well sort of. :) In March we will found out exactly where we will spend the next 4 years. At this point, David has decided to rank DMC (Detroit) 1st and Banner Health (Phoenix) 2nd. They are both dual residency programs in internal medicine and pediatrics. I really don't care which program he goes to. I love the idea of staying in Detroit-we have our friends and church. But I also love the idea of going back to Arizona- even if it is Phoenix!!
Continue to pray for us as we await the official "match day"! Pray God would prepare our hearts for either city.
For now, I'm enjoying our time in the desert with family.
Continue to pray for us as we await the official "match day"! Pray God would prepare our hearts for either city.
For now, I'm enjoying our time in the desert with family.
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12.01.2010
fiji water
So I was just listening to NPR on that water from Fiji. You know what im talking about- the cut square water bottles that say FIJI. Turns out the water really is from Fiji. 53% of people from Fiji don't have access to clean drinking water, but we can got to any vender and buy it ourselves. The good news is the company offers solid job training and employment. Ok, but 53% of their people dont have clean water. If we are so rich that we can get the water bottled andbrought across the world to drink maybe the company should charge us double and get those 53% of people some water. This kind of thing breaksmy heart... it really does.
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on Denver
David and I had a wonderful time in Denver. We arrived on Tuesday morning at 7 AM and the boys were exhausted! We drove to David's aunt and uncle's home and the boys (and I!) took a nap. Then we drove down to Colorado Springs and went to this amazing zoo!. David and Bentley fed the giraffes while Clayton and I pet the giraffes like they were horses. It was so great!!! We hurried through the zoo because we didn't have a lot of time and it was COLD!
Then we went to a beautiful resort just down the mountain called the Broadmoor. We had fabulous dinner in a room that was designed to be like a garden filled with large trees, beautiful plants, flowers, and flowing water. It was serene.
Wednesday David had his interview and I took the boys to play at the Cherry Creek Mall. The mall didn't even open until 10 AM, but we arrived at 9:50 and there were already about 25 children climbing and running all over. Moms dressed in their knee high boots pushed their boutique strollers while holding a fashionable bag and hot beverage. Their attempt to look amazing didn't go unnoticed, but I did feel exhausted for them. The boys did have a wonderful time playing with the other children. I couldn't help but notice the whispers and stares at Bentley. In upwardly mobile and educated places his Down syndrome does not go unnoticed. I definitely wanted to outfit him in a shirt that shared his diagnosis so people would stop staring and just know! I'm certainly not uncomfortable with Bentley and his diagnosis, but I don't like the awkward feeling that comes when people stare. I usually combat it by engaging people and then sharing it when the time is right... but there are some people I just don't want to engage.
Wednesday evening I had the delight of driving out to my brother's new apartment and meeting his girlfriend. Keaton is almost 18 and has received his certificate of completion from high school. He's going to a special school in Denver that will certify him as a personal trainer. It was great to spend time with them.
Thursday we had a delicious Thanksgiving in Colorado Springs. David's cousin, Todd, lives there with his wife, Jenny, and 3 children (under the age of 3!!) Elijah-Hannah- and Elizabeth.
Friday we went snow shoeing in the mountains- sooo fun!
Unfortunately I got food poisoning Friday night- so Saturday was horrible! I am thankful for such wonderful husband who took both boys on the plane and let me sleep.
Then we went to a beautiful resort just down the mountain called the Broadmoor. We had fabulous dinner in a room that was designed to be like a garden filled with large trees, beautiful plants, flowers, and flowing water. It was serene.
Wednesday David had his interview and I took the boys to play at the Cherry Creek Mall. The mall didn't even open until 10 AM, but we arrived at 9:50 and there were already about 25 children climbing and running all over. Moms dressed in their knee high boots pushed their boutique strollers while holding a fashionable bag and hot beverage. Their attempt to look amazing didn't go unnoticed, but I did feel exhausted for them. The boys did have a wonderful time playing with the other children. I couldn't help but notice the whispers and stares at Bentley. In upwardly mobile and educated places his Down syndrome does not go unnoticed. I definitely wanted to outfit him in a shirt that shared his diagnosis so people would stop staring and just know! I'm certainly not uncomfortable with Bentley and his diagnosis, but I don't like the awkward feeling that comes when people stare. I usually combat it by engaging people and then sharing it when the time is right... but there are some people I just don't want to engage.
Wednesday evening I had the delight of driving out to my brother's new apartment and meeting his girlfriend. Keaton is almost 18 and has received his certificate of completion from high school. He's going to a special school in Denver that will certify him as a personal trainer. It was great to spend time with them.
Thursday we had a delicious Thanksgiving in Colorado Springs. David's cousin, Todd, lives there with his wife, Jenny, and 3 children (under the age of 3!!) Elijah-Hannah- and Elizabeth.
Friday we went snow shoeing in the mountains- sooo fun!
Unfortunately I got food poisoning Friday night- so Saturday was horrible! I am thankful for such wonderful husband who took both boys on the plane and let me sleep.
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