We're still here

  We’re still here.  

It’s been over a month since my last post, so I’m thinking I’d best not even try to catch up, but instead will just pick up from here. 

Stephen joined us for his Spring Break at the end of March (which is a month long here, so eat your heart out, everyone!).  As usual, his presence with us has added plenty of laughs, challenges to live life more fully, insight and joy to our daily lives. 

Immediately upon returning home to Rwanda, he began teaching his English class again to the guys in the garage – our mechanics, gardeners and woodshop carpenters.  They love Stephen!  This time around, though, he added a beginner’s class for the newcomers, so the ones he had before could move forward and not have to re-learn what was covered in his fall break.  Additionally, in the last two weeks, he and Ruthie have begun meeting each night for English lessons and Chai (hot, sweet tea & milk) with our night guards, or Zamu’s, as they are called in Rwanda.  These guys didn’t know hardly a word of English two weeks ago.  Now, when I see them in the evening, they greet me with, “Good evening! How are you? I am (name).  I am guard.  I have on shoes.”  They always want to practice their new phrases!  J My favorite is seeing them singing, “Head, shoulders, knees and toes”, which Ruthie taught them.  Somehow seeing grown, tough men singing that song just absolutely makes my night. 

Sunday afternoon, Sam, Tim and I walked to Karambo, a town about 45 minutes away by foot.  From there, we decided to walk to Jule’s house, or Jule’s grandparents’ house.  Tim had never been, and I wanted him to check Jule’s hernia to see if it needed immediate attention.  Okay, honestly, I just wanted to go visit him!  We walked the extra mile or so to his house, bringing bread and juice along for a treat.  Each time I go, it is harder for me to leave without Jule.  I keep praying for some way to adopt this child.  There must be a way.  Please pray for him and for us.  His current situation is not ideal.

As usual, along the way, Sam attracted about sixty laughing, skipping, smiling followers.  How he draws so many children without even trying is a mystery.  I can only imagine the stories that will be told by middle aged parents to their children in about 30 years about the day the crazy Muzungu boy came walking down their road……

Here is a picture of him with a smaller crowd, at the beginning of the walk.  This group grew exponentially by the end.  

Our bunny miscarried a few weeks ago, but she is pregnant again.  I am hoping that in our last three months here, we will have our bunny project hopping along more independently.  Our desire is to raise bunnies and give them to the nutrition program at the hospital, to cook for meat for the hungry pediatric patients.  Meanwhile, the Lindig Shindig, our chicken project, is doing much better! Our ladies produce about 10 eggs per day, all of which go to the nutrition project.  Currently, one of our ladies has fallen into poor relations with her fellow egg layers, and the other hens have been picking her apart, literally.  We had to separate her, moving her into our bunny cage, which was empty because we’d found a more suitable are for our bunnies.  If they can’t let bygones be bygones when we move her back to the coop in a couple weeks, I guess she will be providing some hearty chicken dinners and chicken broth soup for the patients. 

On the medical side of life, Tim’s challenges continue to expand, and it seems he always rises to those challenges.  A 2 year old little girl was admitted two weeks ago, whose tongue was swollen so large, her mouth was forced open as wide as it could open, and there was still no room for it.  I have no idea how she could breathe or swallow anything at all.  Turns out, she has a form of lymphoma.  Tim’s been doing all he can to help this child and her parents, making me so glad once again that we can be here to try to provide some help to families such as these. 

A woman came to the hospital with the strangest fungus all over her hands and lower legs and feet - a similar fungus to one on a Congolese man a few months ago, which ended with him having his leg amputated.  I have no idea what can be done for this new patient, as her fungus is worse than the other man’s and is on all four extremities instead of just one. 

Each day a new patient arrives with something Tim has never seen before – I wonder if this is how USA doctors who work in large, inner-city ER's feel?

Hannah jogs every day all over the area, and has made so many friends along her path.  One young boy adores her and begs her to “come and visit my home” almost every day.  On the days she acquiesces, the entire family treats her like a celebrity and utterly rejoices that she has graced them with her presence.  All she really wants to do is get in a good run, but sometimes she has to stop and visit – it’s hard to say “no” to a cute 10 year old more than 5 or 6 days in a row!  We’re very proud of Hannah’s quick adaptation to our African way of life – it seems like she’s been here since the beginning.  Sometimes we forget that our oldest daughter worked at that Cracker Barrel for 6 months before joining us here! 

The other day, she spontaneously stopped on the road and taught about 50 kids who were following her how to sing that perfect (and so often used by us!) ESL song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".  The kids had so much fun, and learned the english words for HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES, TOES, EYES, EARS, MOUTH AND NOSE while they were laughing and singing and doing silly hand motions.  I caught some of it on video, but our internet is too slow to post that - maybe someday I can share it with you, as it is priceless.  

We’d appreciate your prayers for Hannah's college decision process, as final answers are due to a college by May 1.  She was accepted to every college to which she applied, and offered sizable scholarship packages to all of them as well.  But, she can only go to one school, and here we are, two weeks from Decision Day, and she still does not know which to choose.  If you could pray for her, that God would guide her heart and mind, and make His will clear for her, she would SO appreciate that!  She needs extra help, because she comes from stock (Tim and me) who aren't so great at decisions!  We tend to see every angle and side of a question, and that makes for some painfully s-l-o-w decisions sometimes.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!  But hey, at least we aren't too impulsive! 

Hannah is choosing between Baylor University, Schreiner University, Wheaton College, Taylor University, Texas Tech University and Mary Hardin Baylor.  All great schools - tough choice!  

Little Jule came to stay with us for five hours yesterday.  We continue to wish and pray that we could make him our child officially, but do not know if this can or would work.  Our hearts are breaking for this boy.  Can't really say much more, but we are thankful for an Aunt who is caring for him and whom he loves.  She is young, but willing to care for him if need be.  We may end up supporting her so she can raise him.  Only God knows right now.  

So much more to say, but I will sign off here.  We continue to be so amazed and thankful for all the support given us by our friends, and even by some of you new “internet” friends whom we have never met!  Thanks – your presence in our lives means so much to us.