Exciting event #1- The most adventurous weekend of my life! Josh and I and 5 other friends travelled to Jinja, Uganda to white water raft the Nile. This trip came about because of our good friend Joe Stone very excitedly told me before we left that we "had to do it." The combination of my own love for adventure, Joe's excitement, and the chance to have a lifetime experience were pretty much irresistible. So, the planning began. Two goals of the trip were- to do it as cheaply as possible and have a blast. This combination is what made it an adventure. We used the busing route from Kenya to Uganda, which involved a 7 hour bus ride, in a huge bus, on a little road. To say the least I was very tense about 80% of those 7 hours. The place that we rafted was definitely a hippie/ place for young people to hang out while they figure out what they want to do with our lives. Don't get me wrong it was a good establishment, just interesting. Then rafting.... WOW, crazy, huge, large, rapids that were very powerful.
Josh and I felt that power first hand. On the first rapid Josh was thrown out of the boat (along with the rest of us) but then proceeded to be pushed to the bottom, scraping and bruising his back and ankle on some very mean rocks. He came up dazed, shaken up, and hurting /bleeding a bit... but he was ok. The last rapid was my turn to feel the power. We were all thrown out of the boat again as it flipped, but this time the rapids wanted to hang on to me a little longer than I and my lungs were comfortable with. I got stuck in a "washing machine" of sorts where I got sucked back into the rapid 3x before by the grace of God it finally spit me out and let me see the light of day. I came out very shaken up, coughing, and scared.... but ok. Oh yeah, my helmet and pants got ripped off too, I hope my pants are of good use to some Ugandan out there right now. After our rafting and another "exciting" bus ride we finally returned safely with quite a story to tell.
Exciting event #2- So way back in my first or second blog I told you about how my "project" for the trip was to build the rehab dept a standing frame. In the first two weeks I brainstormed, planned and tried to recall what I had worked with at Cardinal Hill. A standing frame is used by people who have difficulty standing on their own- whether they are completely paralyzed from a spinal cord injury, partially paralyzed from a stroke or brain injury, or just have other medical conditions that make standing difficult. So the plans were turned in and on the day before we were to leave the standing frame was completed and started to be put into use. It was so exciting to see plans come together and a tool be created that will greatly benefit the rehab team. The plans were definitely from the Lord.
I had been working with a patient who had been attacked in his home and almost beaten to death. He had a brain injury and we had been working with him gradually from initiating range of motion, to holding his head up, to sitting up in a wheelchair. The entire time I was working with him I knew that the standing frame would be perfect for his condition and was hoping that it would be done in time for me to demonstrate to the team the benefits behind this therapy. The Lord fulfilled that desire. I brought David to the PT room and he stood up in the frame wonderfully! We had to help him of course, but in the time that he stood we saw him become more responsive to commands, more intentional with his actions, and even got a smile out of him.
Exciting event #3- Kijabe hospital. On Wed of our last week we packed up all our things and travelled to Kijabe hospital to meet Dr. Bransford and his wife Millie. Kijabe hospital is where many of Josh's aunt's and uncles have served as missionaries. There is a long heritage of Schuits (Josh's mom's family) there and Josh's grandparents were very good friends with Dr. and Mrs. Bransford. Rift Valley Academy- a 6-12 grade private school for missionary kids, was also on our list of things to see there. We were very impressed by facility and were able to see where Josh's mom and several of his cousins went to school. Josh had visited Kijabe hospital in '94 with his family so he had lots of reminiscing and fun memories. Dr. and Mrs. Bransford were incredible hosts and it was great to see their ministry there and the joy of the Lord in them as they continued to expand his kingdom. Dr. Bransford has been an inspiration and role model for Josh for some time now as we have been able to follow his ministry through his email updates. Josh spent one day with Dr. Bransford on the ward and OR and I spent the day with one of the therapists in the hospital and then with another one at Rift Valley Academy. It was a great time to see a different setting for a mission hospital, gain some new friends, and for Josh and I to debrief and reflect on our time in Africa as a whole before we returned to all the decisions that now need to be made.
So now we are home. We had a wonderful greeting from our great friends the Lindemann's that has been just one of the many, many, things that we have been able to praise God for and marvel at the blessings he has placed in our lives. It has been incredible to have our eyes opened to how much the Lord has given us and how he has poured so much grace on us as we have appreciated his blessings so little.
I just finished running with my good friend Leslie, and I have a day ahead of me of preparation for our big move to Vermont. The next adventure. We will be moving on May 31st. The Lord's faithfulness will continue, we are so grateful for that promise, and we plan on attempting to continue to blog about all that He is doing in our lives. So, stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment