Time flies when you're having firsts....

Where did the week go?  That was the question that I was asking myself starting Thursday. This past week was full of more learning, new experiences, and demonstrations of how the Lord is at work. 

 The majority of the week I worked at the hospital, where it seemed that each day I was doing something new. Monday, I helped the team apply three hip spica casts to children. Wednesday, I cut off my first cast and trimmed another. Thursday, I helped place traction pins into a patient. Friday, I took out my first set of sutures, turned in my plans for the standing frame to be built for the hospital, and introduced plastic wrap to their wound care technique to enable a form of moist dressing. Another first that has been a huge blessing is being able to work so closely with Josh. When he is not in the operating room, he is on the ortho ward, where a large percentage of my day is spent. It is great that we have been able to work as a team in this capacity and encourage each other.

On Tuesday I met the 7^th place finisher in the ’97 Boston Marathon, made a lot of babies cry, and rode a passenger van over dune buggy trails for 2 hours. All of these things were accomplished on my Community Health outing. I have been interested in public health and figured that this would be a good way to investigate that interest a bit further. So, on Tuesday morning a group of about seven of us (5 Kenyan, 2 American) headed out in the Land Rover….. until it broke down about a tenth of a mile up the road. So we came back to Tenwek and waited about an hour until we could get the Tenwek passenger van. We eventually left and headed toward the villages that were expecting us that day.

I am very impressed by the organization and effectiveness of the Community Health team. They visit a different set of villages each day and then return one month later on the same day of the week. The clinics administer vaccinations to babies and expectant mothers, Depo shots, free HIV testing to expectant mothers, education on how to not spread HIV through delivery, antenatal/perinatal examinations,  and post delivery check ups.  The mothers are educated on when to come back to receive the needed treatment for themselves and their children. Many mothers walk for several hours to make it to these clinics.

So, if you haven’t guessed it already, my “firsts” experience for Tuesday was giving immunizations! After watching a few times, Edward, the nurse who was with me at this clinic handed me the needle and bottle and said “you try.” I tried to play it as cool as possible and then successfully gave my first shot. I learned the difference in subcutaneous vs. intramuscular and got the approval from Edward on my shot skills. I gave several babies vaccinations and of course they started wailing.

As we were leaving the clinic I noticed  a large group of school children standing near the entrance waiting for us to come out. Edward said they were purely trying to catch a glimpse of the muzungu (white person). In fact a group of about 20 of them walked a quarter mile with us down the road  just out of curiosity. On the drive home I was sitting in the front with the window down and I would here “Muzu…..” followed by several screams and little children turning to look at our van. Edward explained that it might have been the first time several of them had ever seen a white person. Yes, I felt like a celebrity.

  Each day this past week I have been greeted with Gideon’s beautiful smile and excited eyes.  He now tries to race me in his wheelchair every time I pass him in the hospital. He will reach for my hand for the traditional shake as a greeting, but then he holds on, feeling of each finger and not wanting to let go.  He definitely has  a new light in his eyes and I only wonder what the Lord is doing in his life. His father asked me for a Bible for him this past week. I was thrilled to be able to get him one in Kipsigis, his own language. I have seen him in the chapel several times watching the Jesus Film with some other children. Even though a language barrier exists I can still see that the Lord is working in him in some way. This urges me to pray all the more for him and his unknown future. He continues to have disabilities and a father who will eventually die of HIV/AIDS, leaving him an orphan. I take great peace in the knowledge that our Lord is sovereign over everything, especially things such as these. Gideon was discharged last week but remains at the hospital because his father has been unable to pay the bill (much different than the U.S.). His father explained that relatives would come soon with money so they would be able to return home, but in the meantime he was sure to tell me to “come see your child.”

 

 

The land of maple syrup and ski slopes

Vermont. I've heard many rumors about the place. Some say to avoid it like the plague, that that the mosquitoes are worse than in a Florida swamp, and the people are so liberal that no Christian could emerge unscathed. Others say that it is a paradise, that the maple syrup drips from the trees, that it's the birthplace of Ben & Jerry's, and that snowshoeing is the preferred work commute. Of all of the places on our list for residency, this one was the most controversial, the most unusual, the most adventurous, and probably the most faith-building.

Regardless of what we think we thought, the Lord is taking us up North for the next five years. Wowzers. I already am feeling a bit chilly just thinking about it. And Jessica and I are pumped. Now to be honest, the initial shock of hearing that news landed heavily, like the weight of an unexpected glacier just dropped into our lives. This was compounded by the fact that Jessica and I were separated and could not discuss things together except in small phone chats. But now the Lord has thawed that temporary burden and we greatly anticipate this new chapter of our lives.

We would ask for your prayer. There are specific things that we are lifting before the Lord's throne before our move to Vermont:
1) For a good church.
2) For good friends.
3) For a good house.
Thanks so much to all of our family and friends for your love and support for us.

Past the potholes

I think my joints are still sore after spending the last four days bumping and rattling along the potholed roads of western Kenya.  And I can't imagine how our poor van must feel.

I had joined a couple of the missionary doctors from Tenwek, Dr. Dan Galat and Dr. Dan Hayward, and didn't really know what I was getting into.  About five hours down the road we reached our first destination - the 3rd annual national conference of the Kenyan Orthopedics Association in Eldoret.  Eldoret is the third biggest city in Kenya with, oh, I don't know, around 500,000 people.  When a mzungu (white person) stops their car in a public street, they are sure to be swarmed with little children or poor tea salesmen or bugs.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Ortho conference, and learned a lot about infantile system of orthopedic training in Kenya.   The first year of graduating orthopedic surgeons have not yet completed residency.  Dr. Galat, the orthopod that I'm learning from at Tenwek, took an active role in this conference by giving a lecture and by helping critique the outline of the conference.  

We stopped by the Nakumatt (one of two 24 hr Walmartish stores in all of Kenya) and among other things bought 120 liters of hyperpasteurized milk (it does not spoil even in really hot vans after 3 days of bumpy roads).  The missionaries go through that stuff pretty fast with their families.   After stocking up, we trekked on toward our second goal.

The potholes finally ended at the village of Kapsowar, another 2 hours beyond Eldoret.  Perched up on top of a 7500 foot ridge, Kapsowar is home to another small missions hospital run by AIM (Africa Inland Mission).  We had planned to visit in hopes of encouraging the missionaries there, to learn from their system, and to strengthen ties between it and Tenwek.  Surprisingly, only one American family lived at Kapsowar (as opposed to Tenwek, where there are dozens of families and frequent visitors) and they were awesome people.  My first impression of Dr. Bill Rhodes came from walking into the "Theatre" (the British way to say Operating Room) and seeing his backward Colorado University surgical cap and surgical loupes whip around from the table to stare at us.  His impressive graying handlebar mustache puffed a bit as he hollered "Hey guys!" and then spun back to suturing his patient's severed ear.  That pretty much typified this man - completely eccentric, entirely genuine, totally focused, and passionately in love with Jesus.  

The time we spent with the Rhodes family was the highlight of this first week out here in Kenya.  They graciously shared their long story with us (it took over two hours) which catalogued how God brought a delinquent high school boy (Bill) and a straight-laced mormon girl (Laura) together on a path to the hills of highland Kenya.  It was a great story that ended a bit after midnight (at which point we went to bed - and he went up to his weight room and lifted).  The unique nature of their story entranced me; the intimacy of their family unit struck me;  the sovereignty of our God baffled me.  Two phrases that Bill mentioned became the themes of our chat.  "Shed the excess," he said, and "I just want to alleviate a little bit of suffering in some corner of the world in the name of Jesus".  Bill and Laura are remarkable people that the Lord has uniquely equipped to be out on a spiritual island having died to all that the world can offer him.  And I think they were two of the most content people I have ever met.  

After enjoying a great breakfast on Saturday morning with the Rhodes family, the two Dans and I bounced our way down the 6.5 hours back to our waiting wives.  

The transition to Tenwek is going very well. This is the end of our first full week and each day has gotten better concerning communication with the staff, learning cultural norms, and not being so concerned by the way others view me- but rather being more concerned by how well I am loving the people around me.

 We are on the meal schedule here which means one or two meals a day are prepared for us at different homes of missionaries or at the guesthouse. This has been a great opportunity for fellowship and learning the ins and outs of Tenwek. When speaking to one of the nationals who works at the hospital she was telling me how important it is for me to share my faith with  my patients because they know we are missionaries. This made me realize what a unique place we are in, one in which people come here knowing that we believe “We treat, Jesus heals” and they are banking on that. Prayer is greatly encouraged even if they do not understand a word of it.

I have had a full week at Tenwek, where Josh, on the other hand, was invited to go to an Orthopedic Conference in El Doret  on our second day here. So we have not seen each other since Wednesday morning. They should be returning at any moment, but I have heard that they are having to take another route home which will delay them.  As soon as he gets back and settles in I am sure that he will blog about his first week and the match.

I have officially been given my homework for my time here. I will be designing and having the hospital build a standing frame for the rehab dept.  My time at Cardinal Hill gave me the experience to be able to accomplish this task and I am very glad I get to share the knowledge with Tenwek. On Monday I will turn in the plans to the workers and they will start welding. We will problem solve as we go!

I have always wondered if I would like to work with pediatrics in physical therapy. I have known that it is very useful in the mission field. Well, now I know that yes, I do like pediatrics. The pediatric ward here at Tenwek is a room with beds with about 1.5 ft between them and the child and their parent sleeping on a single size mattress. These children need to play and physical therapy is an avenue for that.

 I would like to introduce you to Gideon. Gideon was hit by a truck, got caught in the truck, and was drug for half a mile 3 weeks ago. He suffered a crushed ankle and a minor brain injury resulting in R hemiparesis.  His mother has passed away from HIV/AIDS and his father is currently HIV +. Gideon does not have HIV. When I first saw him on rounds he kept the cover over his head and drew away as the physician tried to examine him. He was very, very scared, and traumatized- rightly so. I asked Solomon the next day if I could start working with him. He said sure! We started with some simple exercises and then started walking in the parallel bars. He was very scared at first but soon we finally saw a smile come across his face for the first time since his accident his father said. I visit Gideon several times a day to work on him with gait (he advanced quickly to a walker), balance, strengthening, and coordination. He continues to have R sided weakness but it is continually improving. His gait has dramatically been improved by the help of an orthotic. Gideon is a child who, in the states, would go to intense rehab for several weeks to continue to progress his functional ability, but here in Kenya, he goes home early next week. Families cannot afford to spend weeks upon weeks in the hospital. Although I could work with him a lot longer and see great results, I can also see that this young man is determined and will get plenty of exercise at home, as there is no X-box or even play area, he will get more exercise living the normal life of a Kenyan than most of us do in the states with our gym memberships. He will come back in a couple weeks for us to check his progress and give him any equipment needed (if available). Everyone has watched him progress over the past week not only physically but emotionally as well. He now wears a smile full of hope. 

We are here!

So we are here! I don't know how many times I have said to myself, we're here, we are really here...wow!
So we have already figured out that so much is going to happen and we are going to learn so much each day that our hope with this blog is to give you just a glimpse of what we are experiencing here.
So, here's a quick recap:
-Flights were great, luggage arrived, no complaints.
-Patrick and Daniel picked us up at the airport where we were immediately pulled over by the airport police for having a cracked windscreen. Then we had to pull off the road and wait at the airport gate and wait for a receipt. Then we had to pull over at the gas station to change a flat tire. Then we finally arrived at Mayfield guest house and slept very soundly that night.
-The next morning we ate breakfast with a group of missionaries where we definitely realized that this guesthouse is a launchpad for amazing things that the Lord does in Africa. We also met Marilyn Newman, wife of deceased Arnie Newman, good friends of Josh's grandparents and parents. They even stayed in Josh's house in PA at one point! We also realized that the mission community is a small world, but a very exciting one.
-Patrick drove us to Tenwek and it has felt non-stop up to this point. We moved into our guesthouse, took a tour of the hospital, learned cooking tricks, like how to strain the worms out of the drinking water, and how to pastuerize fresh cows milk for the best chai ever. Then we went to Dr. Carol Spears' home for dinner where we dined with several other missionaries and had a wonderful evening and meal. Then we checked our email....
- Josh matched!!! We don't know where but we know it is ortho!
-So we dove in today. We rounded on ortho this morning then Josh headed to the operating room with Dr. Dan Galat and I headed to start PT with Solomon. It has definitely been a learning experience. One lesson being- diving in may have been the wrong speed for me. I probably should have just waded in very slowly, or just stood in the shallow end and gotten used to the water for a while. I only say that because, combined with being tired from not getting much sleep last night because of our messed up circadian rhythms, it made adjustment difficult. But hey, Josh keeps reminding me, it has only been one day! We are learning how much we have to rely on the Lord for our value, not trying to prove ourselves here. I am also learning how praying for humility is much easier than actually receiving it. The Lord is going to teach us so much while we are here and we are so excited because we know that means we will draw closer to him. Continue to pray for our adjustment here and truly serve and love well!

Runway clear for takeoff...

Our toothbrushes are packed, our camera batteries are charged, our tax forms are in the mailbox, and we are ready to head off on our two-month venture. In roughly three hours, Jessica and I will be departing Lexington on our way to Tenwek Hospital in western Kenya.

The route looks like this - Lexington - Detroit - Amsterdam - Nairobi - Tenwek. If all goes swimmingly, we should be rolling up to Tenwek a few hours before your alarm clock rings Monday morning. We would request your prayer for a safe trip.

The anticipation has been building now for a long time, and the Lord has overcome many hurdles for us to be leaving today. After all, this trip has been in the planning stages for over 14 months. Just this past week, I floundered through my last med school exam (it's finished!) and Jess discharged her last therapy patient.

The great testimony that we share is of your unfathomable love and support for us during this time. Jess and I have been struck with the amazing depth of friendships that God has given us. We have been completely humbled by friends such as you. Thank you already for loaning suitcases, for watering our (struggling) plants, for lending good books, for gathering medical supplies, for collecting our mail, for offering hundreds of words of encouragement, for generously giving, and for earnestly praying. The blessings are too many to count - everything from extra meals to extra hugs. Thank you so much for making the Body of Christ so beautiful.

I guess I have to have a first entry at some point...

     So this is my first post to this thing called a blog. I don't know what I think about this concept. Usually when I sit down to write my thoughts, it's in the form of a journal entry, and usually I do not want other people to read my journal entries. So with that said, I hope you bear with me as I transition to this new world of blogging. I am not sure who will have the most entries,  Josh or I. I tend to just "write", Josh tends to write very well, creatively, and poetically, which means it takes him a bit longer, but it also means it is higher quality, I suggest you savor his entries. Feel free to enjoy mine as well, just know that they may have been submitted in a quicker fashion :). If there are any mistakes in grammer, spelling, (oh, this thing has a spell check, it told me I spelled grammar wrong) or intelligibility just blame it on my southeastern KY roots, remember I'm a mountain girl at heart. With that said, I am very much looking forward to sharing what is happening in the J Carters' lives with you. There is some exciting stuff up ahead! 

 

Here is the rough schedule of events for those interested:

March 7th- Connect the Docs- The UK Medical and Dental Students are hosting an event to attempt to connect the Christian Physicians and Dentists in Lexington, KY to CMDA and develop mentoring relationships with the students so that they will better learn how to live as a follower of Christ in their profession. Josh has been given the honor to MC this event. 

March 14th- We leave for Kenya!!!!! We are leaving to serve at Tenwek hospital in Bomet, Kenya for two months. Josh will be working with the MDs and I will be working in the Physio dept. www.tenwek.org

March 19th- We find out the Match! Finally we will know where we will spending the next 5 years of our lives. It will also be where we need to find a house in the first couple of weeks after we return from Kenya. 

May 9th- We return from Kenya. 

May 16th- Josh graduates and gains a MD behind his name!

June 1st- We will be in the process of moving to our new home/city/season of life!

Of course, we plan on sharing the exciting details of each of these events here on this blog as often as possible and w/ pics. Feel free to pray for us during this eventful time and check back often for updates!