Outdated Updates

Let me first apologize for being so out of touch the past few months.  It has been a bit rough for us as we passed our one year anniversary of having left home at the end of August.  We have since been in a place of realizing what life as a foreign missionary is really like, after all the novelty and excitement wears off.  We are at a point of evaluating what we've been able to accomplish in the time we've been here, and looking ahead to the next two years, trying to make sure we finish what we've set out to do.  It's easy to outline the physical improvements to the program, the buildings, etc.  However, we are having a harder time quantifying the spiritual impact we are trying to have.  We find ourselves so regularly wrapped up in the day to day administration and physical needs that often come up in "emergency" situations with the kids and staff, that it seems the spiritual needs are the ones less well attended to.  We are trying to find ways to be more intentional about seeing to the spiritual needs of the children and staff at the Home in the coming months and years.  

A few of our personal family updates:

*A few months before Ethan was supposed to start boarding school at Rift Valley Academy, he asked me, “Mom, how are we going to pay for this?”  I told him, “Honestly, I don’t know.  But it seems clear to us that this is where God wants you to be, so we will have to wait for Him to show us how He’s going to pay for it.”  At that exact moment, my phone beeped to alert me to a new email.  It was from an amazingly generous couple, letting us know that they were going to pay for Ethan’s schooling!  Not only is God’s provision overwhelming, but His timing is impeccable.  Ethan will surely forever remember that precise moment when God confirmed His plan through His provision.  Ethan started school 6 weeks ago and loves it.  He has made friends from all over the world; has academically flourished with the transition from a low-structured homeschool to a highly structured and rigorous academic setting; and has developed a love for bunson burners.  

*Ellie has just celebrated her 12th birthday.  She got braces on 6 weeks ago and is already sporting a straighter smile, despite having recently popped a bracket off by eating forbidden popcorn.  Her orthodontist is 6 hours away, next door to Ethan’s school.  We will now be traveling there once a month for brace adjustments and visits with Ethan.  

*Mei (like the rest of us) is greatly enjoying having Betsy Ingalls, a friend from the States who recently graduated from High School, living with us until December.  Betsy brought with her a fine collection of new books for the children at our children’s home.  She is working on starting a library program for the kids, encouraging a love for reading and teaching them how to properly care for books.  In town this week, both Betsy and Mei were approached by Kenyan boys looking for “girlfriends”.  Later that day, Mei complained, “At least Betsy’s boy had a job.  Mine was just a street kid!”

*Tomorrow, we will say goodbye to our new friend, Ted Chen who is a reporter and co-anchor for NBC news in Los Angeles.  Ted has been with us for 5 days, working on a story that will air in November to raise awareness of the plight of orphans in Kenya.  We have greatly enjoyed getting to know him, and watching him fall in love with the children here.  

*Next month, Jason’s parents, aunt, and two of our nieces will come for a 3 week visit!  We are very excited to spend time with family around the holidays (they arrive the day before Thanksgiving) and soak up some of what we’ve been missing for so long now.  

32 Maggots Delivered via C-Section!!

Penned June 6, 2011, Monday, 8:00 pm

Sounds like a headline out of the National Inquirer, but alas...no.  Welcome to my world.  6 days ago I noticed multiple “bug bites” around my torso.  They were itchy and in an odd location, but I didn’t pay them much attention as we were in the middle of moving to our new house.  However, over the next 4 days, more appeared and they gradually grew in size and tenderness.  I got out my Village Medical Manual from the bush medicine class that Jason and I took last summer.  All my symptoms fit with a diagnosis of Cutaneous Myiasis, except that multiple people had told us it doesn’t occur in the Kitale area.  

Myiasis occurs when a tumbu fly lays eggs in damp laundry hanging outside on the clothesline.  If the laundry is not ironed, the eggs survive and then hatch when the clothes are worn.  The larvae then burrow into your body and develop into maggots there.  Apparently this rogue Mother Fly chose my shirt and some of my “unmentionables” as a suitable place to lay her eggs.  I can now say from personal experience that having maggots in your body feels like tiny razors twisting around as they bore into and gnaw away at your flesh.  Nothing like a little All Natural Liposuction to remind you that you are in a developing country, just in case you get too comfortable and forget.  

We looked at the CDC website and read that sometimes you can “coax” them out by putting butter or raw bacon over the entry hole.  So, last night I slept covered in butter, an interesting experience in itself.  Sadly, this did not work so now I am in a hospital in Eldoret, 2 hours from home, waiting for surgical removal of them all in the morning.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was sent to a dermatologist.  She asked what was wrong, so I told her I thought I had myiasis.  She asked, “What is that?”  When I explained, she said, “I’ve never even heard of that.  You should not do so much reading to give yourself such ideas.”  I think that is the point where I broke down sobbing.  Jason made a few more phone calls and we found another doctor that we thought could help me.  We waited 3 hours to see her only to discover that she is a gynecologist!  I guess all the round bellies in the waiting area should have tipped us off.  And I guess we need to practice our Swahili. 

Shortly after that, Jason was able to find a surgeon who would see me.  He took one look at my red, lumpy back and confirmed the diagnosis.  He had me immediately admitted and gave me antibiotics and a (semi-effective) pain killer.  He was unable to find an available anesthesiologist for tonight, so my surgery to remove all these suckers is scheduled for the morning.  Jason is at a hotel for the night, and I am in a private hospital room trying to focus on the things I am thankful for.   

I am thankful for Dr. Perklea, the surgeon, who doesn’t just think I am a crazy mzungu makin’ stuff up.  

I am thankful for anesthesia because I’m a wimp and I don’t think I could handle the removal with just a local.  

I am thankful for the wonderful ladies who taught us so much at our bush medicine class:  Becky Overlin, Sandy Sjogren, and Dottie Tankersly. 

I am thankful for my husband who has been an amazing advocate for me, and who still loves me even though “with maggots and all” was not specifically mentioned in our wedding vows.  

I am thankful that my kids have not gotten this. 

I am thankful I have money so I could hire two ladies to come to my house and iron EVERY piece of clothing, sheets, towels, etc. that we own.  

I’m thankful for our friends, the Biemecks, who are caring for our children while we are away.  

I’m thankful that we can pay for my treatment because we’ve heard that if you don’t pay your hospital bills in Kenya, they throw you in jail.  

I’m thankful that this is not a life-threatening situation. 

I’m thankful that we now know how to prevent this in the future (guess we’ll be finding money in the budget to hire a house helper after all, to do all the ironing!).  

I’m thankful that the hospital didn’t serve ugali and sukuma for dinner, because if surgery doesn’t go well tomorrow, that would be a bummer of a last meal!  (Instead, I got mashed potatoes with hamburger gravy, which was quite tasty.  And apparently the hospital is trying to prevent goiter in their patients because they brought me a cup full of salt to season my already over-salted meal).  

I’m thankful for the many prayers that have gone up on my behalf.  

And mostly, I’m thankful for my Heavenly Father, the Great Physician, who hears those prayers and heals us, outside and in.  

Epilogue:  Penned June 7, 2011, Tuesday, 4:00 pm

I’m writing this maggot-free!  

The last few hours before surgery were the worst.  The pain upped about 10 notches from the previous day, as though the little monsters knew they were about to die, so began viciously eating me alive in order to save themselves.  It felt like someone was repeatedly jabbing me with a Makita drill.  I survived with Jason holding my hand, praying over me, and by thanking God for everything I could possibly think of.  It’s a good thing I wasn’t born a Masai Warrior, as my mother would have had to club me over the head for bringing shame upon the family with all my wailing.  Finally, at 11:00 a.m., they took me in for surgery.  The surgeon apologized it was so late, but they had just finished removing a large goiter from a man who obviously hadn’t eaten enough hospital food.  

It took the surgeon two and a half hours to remove 32 maggots, and happily I don’t remember any of it.  The surgeon presented me with a vial of the largest critters as a Kenyan souvenir.  An experience I’d rather forget, thank you very much, but I’ll take the vial home to show Ethan.  To be honest, they were a little disappointing in size for all the pain they caused.  

As much as I'd like to forget this whole experience, there is one memory I will forever cherish.  At one point, in the middle of the worst of the pain, as I was thanking God that this hadn't happened to one of my children, I realized that this is what the Fruit of the Spirit is all about.  My circumstances did not dictate joyfulness or thankfulness, yet I had both.  I was given just a small glimpse of what Paul experienced in prison when he realized he had learned to be content in all circumstances and that he could do "all things through Christ who gave him the strength he needed."  That glimpse was a gift, a moment of direct communion with God, of resting in His presence, and a gift I wouldn't trade for anything.    

God Has His Own Plans...

Just wanted to let everyone know that God has a plan, and when we wait on His plans, we will find that they are much better than our own!  

Two months ago, we had started looking for a new house, not sure how long it would take to find one that would suit us.  At the time, we only knew of 3 houses available in our area, so out of the three we picked the best one that we could afford.  It was the right size but was quite a fixer.  Jason never had a peace about it, but we figured, we are missionaries now... We can't be so choosy, we need to be willing to sacrifice our comforts, etc.  The current tenant was supposed to move out the last week of May, which was perfect timing for us since we wanted to stay in our current place as long as possible to help out the missionaries who normally live here but are on furlough.  So we signed the lease so we'd be sure to have a place when the time came for us to move in June.  

Last week, the tenant was supposed to have moved out, so we went to see if we could take measurements for curtains and figure out how much paint we'd need to buy to paint it.  Well, the tenant had not moved out according to schedule and didn't seem so anxious to leave either, so we could feel our plan slipping down the drain.  As is usual for Amy, she began to panic and worry.  We imagined the worst, so started looking for another place.  

We were told by a friend about a place just down the road from us that has been vacant for over a year.  I'm not sure how we missed this one when we were looking two months ago.  We went to look at it and fell in love.  It is quite a bit smaller than what we have grown accustomed to back in the States, and even here in our borrowed house.  But, it is a very well built, and well maintained home that Jason the Architect felt great about.  It is immaculately clean, and has been completely repainted on the inside, even down to the insides of the closets and cupboards!  It is on a HUGE compound, maybe about 3 acres (?), one acre which is a fully fenced plot in the back suitable for farming.  This appealed to us greatly because we have been trying to figure out how to rent  another plot for the Children's Home so we could grow more of our own food.  

The only problem (there had to be at least one to make the story more exciting, right?) was the price.  The owner was asking quite a bit more than we could afford.  We had already adjusted our budget significantly just to be able to make the payment on the fixer house, as we grossly under-budgeted for housing when we were fund raising.   Anyway, we told the owner the highest amount we could afford, which was 25% less than what he was asking.  He said he would consider negotiating and would discuss it with his wife.  The next morning, we spoke with him again and he said he could only come down about 12%.  We told him we'd have to say no for now and keep looking.  

We went back to see the landlord of the first house, and the tenant had finally moved out the previous day, so the house was vacant and we could still move in according to our contract.  We went back to look at it, and found it in even worse shape than it had been when we saw it last.  The gazebo in the back had completely collapsed, there were new water stains on the ceiling from the rains we've been having, and we noticed "hot" wires (wrapped in plastic grocery bags) sticking out of some of the walls that we hadn't seen before. Ugh.  We couldn't stand the thought of moving in there any longer.  We went back to the landlord and asked to be excused from the lease we had signed since the property was not in the same condition it had been when we signed.  He agreed without any argument!  We were so thankful for his graciousness. 

We started to pray about how we could get into the other house.  All of a sudden, "cleaning lady" popped into my head.  We had budgeted for a cleaning lady, nearly the same amount that was the difference we needed to make the rent.  I told Jason, "I can clean!  I have been cleaning my own house my whole life!  Let's do without the cleaning lady!"  We called the owner back and offered what we could now without a cleaning lady, AND we offered to keep the old, decrepit guard dog who lives on the property that he was going to need to find a new home for.  He agreed!  So, now we have FOUR dogs, a beautiful house, a separate guest house for anyone who wants to come visit (Consider this your invitation!), and did I mention the fruit trees????  We will have avocados, mangoes, guava, bananas, gooseberries, and macadamia nuts!!  More than we can possibly eat, so the children at the Home will benefit as well.  What can we say?  God's plans are so much better than ours.  

We are packing today and will move in tomorrow.  It will take us a few days to get our internet up and running, so we will be offline, but will send more photos as soon as we can.  God is good, all the time!  And yes, I have asked forgiveness for my worrying and complaining.  I'm learning :-)  

Blessings to you all, and thank you so much for your prayers!! 

Counting the Costs

I am finding it hard to write this blog, because it means reliving the past few weeks in my head.  Honestly, I’d much rather forget them.  I prefer to write about the positive experiences we are having here.  For example, in April when the schools were on break, Ellie, Mei, and I hosted three special events for the girls at our Children’s Home.  As we made Easter cupcakes, we discussed the difference between Physical Hunger and Spiritual Hunger, and learned that Jesus is the True Bread of Life.  As we painted toenails, we talked about God’s goodness and how we can have “beautiful feet” by bringing news of God’s goodness to others.  And as we made jewelry from our handmade paper beads, we talked about beauty that fades versus beauty that is everlasting.  These are the days that keep me going here.  But in reality, those days are few and far between.

The last few weeks have been a reminder of the fact that we can’t do any of these things without God’s strength.  We are learning more about the fruit of the Spirit and how it is only through God that we can love the people who lie and try to manipulate us; find joy when our kids are persecuted; rest in peace when our work life is churning in chaos; have patience when the day before we are supposed to move, we still don’t know where we are moving to; make good decisions when we feel so clueless about how to proceed; be kind to people who continually ask more of us without showing gratitude for what has already been accomplished;  show gentleness when we really just want to scream; have faith when we wonder why God brought us here in the first place; and show self-control  when it is so tempting to complain and give up.  

We have been struggling through multiple difficult situations involving our work at the Children’s Home, Bahati Primary School, and the Home-Based Care program.  But by far, the most stressful situation has been that of adequately schooling our own children.  In mid-March, Amy realized she could not continue to homeschool without ending up in a psychiatric hospital;  partly because of all the other work piling up on her plate, and partly because Ethan’s 8th grade curriculum was requiring too much preparation and brain energy on the part of the teacher.  So, after much consideration, and discussion with another missionary family in the same position (the Biemecks), we and the Biemecks decided to enroll our kids together in a private Catholic school here in Kitale.  It is one of the best schools locally, and even ranks well by national standards.  We knew it would be much different than American schools, so we made sure to ask many questions of the Head Mistress before enrolling.  One of our main concerns was the manner in which they discipline children, and the Head Mistress gave all the “right” answers, so we went forward.  

After the first day of school, Ethan reported, “My teacher beat two of the kids in my class with a stick.”  Then Ellie said, “Well, three kids got beat in my class!”  Immediately, we were back in the Head Mistress’s office asking for clarification on the definition of “corporal punishment”, because we had previously been assured that it was not school policy.  The Head Mistress explained that “caning” (as beating a student with a stick is properly called) is indeed a form of corporal punishment, but was only practiced “when a student’s parent requested physical discipline for their child.”  Again, we were reassured that it was not the school’s policy, and that our children would never be touched.  We were not feeling totally satisfied, but felt we needed to give it a longer trial.

Over the next two weeks, we revisited the Head Mistress several times as reports came in from our children.  One day, in Ellie’s class, a little girl had not done her art drawing as well as the teacher would have liked, so he made her lie down on her stomach and beat her across the back until she cried.  Another day, Mei reported that 6 children in her class had been beaten for calling her “China” and pretending to speak Chinese at her.  Then we found out that Howie Biemeck, our missionary friend who was in Ellie’s class, was threatened by a teacher for standing up to stretch without asking permission.  The teacher raised the stick at him and told him that he would let it pass this time, but next time he would be caned.  

In my mind, a threat is meant to be followed through on, so I no longer felt sure that my own children would not be touched.  This time when we visited the Head Mistress, she began to back peddle and change her definition of corporal punishment, “Corporal punishment means actually injuring a child as a way of disciplining them.”  It was made clear to the Head Mistress by both our family, and the Biemecks, that if any of our children were threatened or touched again, we would be withdrawing them and requiring a refund.  

We lasted two more days.  That Friday, Ellie and Howie came home and reported that they had gone to computer class and the teacher wasn’t there yet (not uncommon).  So, as any good and well behaved student would, they each sat down in a seat to wait for class to begin.  The teacher eventually entered from the back of the class and before saying a word to our children, hit them both across the back of the shoulders with a stick and told them they did not have his permission to sit down.  

This is the way Kenyan children are raised.  They are not nurtured and guided.  They are beaten into submission, and even if they are not being disobedient or disrespectful, they are sometimes beaten just to remind them that should not even consider being disobedient or disrespectful.  

We are thus back to home schooling.  Amy’s one saving grace is that we just found out that Ethan has been accepted to begin 9th grade in September at Rift Valley Academy, a prestigious private school started by American missionaries, and adhering to American standards.  Our relief over getting the acceptance email was accompanied with tears, for RVA is 6 hours away, and is a boarding school.  We never thought we would consider this for our children.  When we agreed to go where God was leading, we did not know all that we were agreeing to.  I guess it’s that way with all significant decisions:  marriage, having babies....if we knew all that those decisions would entail, we might not ever make them.  But we do, and we persevere through the difficult times, and in the end we see that the best things in life are costly.             

Celebrations

Shortly after we arrived in Kitale, I began reviewing files of the children at the home to better understand their histories and circumstances.  One day, as I was reviewing files, I noticed one of our girls was having a birthday that very day.   A few files later, I realized another of our girls had had a birthday the day earlier.  

I pulled each of the girls aside to wish them a Happy Birthday, and each stared at me blankly, not knowing it was her birthday or that it was of any significance.  I explained to each of them that a birthday is the anniversary of the day they were born, and a day to celebrate their lives.  

I then shared Psalm 139 with them, assuring them that God created them in a wonderfully complex and special way and knows everything about them.  “You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!” (v. 16-17) 

I read to them Ephesian 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago,” and explained that they are each a work of art so beautiful and valuable to God.  

Then we read Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”   I told the girls that they were each uniquely designed for a special plan and purpose that God had in mind when He formed them.

As I shared these thoughts, the girls began to melt into the floor with delight.  They both shyly tried to hide their dimpled smiles from me, almost afraid to consider that they  might actually be beautiful, or precious, or valuable.  I could see they desperately wanted to believe they could be more than just “orphans”, yet these seemed such strange and foreign concepts to them.

That day it occurred to me that one of our biggest goals here is to teach these beautiful children that they are precious and valuable; their births were not an “accident.”  It would be a tragedy for these children to grow up thinking their identities are defined only by their circumstances.  As I read through files, I routinely came across words such as “abandoned”, “defiled”, “abused”, “rejected”.  While these words are true and will necessarily impact the emotional, spiritual, and social growth of our children, they do not have to be the words that determine who they ARE.  They do not have to grow up as victims, always depending on someone else to pull them out of the ditch where they were “abandoned naked in the middle of a rain storm” (to quote one of our files).  They have intrinsic VALUE and WORTH and can give back to the world to make it a better place. 

This month we started a new tradition of “Celebrations”.  Each child has been given a Celebration Day.  For some, it is the day of their birth.  For others, who don’t have a recorded birthday, it is the day they joined our family at the home.  Our hope is that by celebrating the life of each child in our home, they will begin to understand they are truly worth celebrating!

Sleeping a Week in Someone Else's Bed

Sometimes there are so many things on my mind and in my heart that I don’t know how to organize them in order to share them, hence the reason I haven’t blogged in quite some time.    We’ve been in Kitale for two months now, and are continually learning of greater needs here among the people of Kitale.  I’m planning to share a series of stories over the next month about life on this side of the planet.  I will begin by sharing about our first personal experience with malaria. 

  

Apparently, mosquitos go for the “sweet ones” and so two weeks ago, Amy became the first of the Beagles to join the Malaria Club.  Fortunately it was a mild case, easily diagnosed and treated, but it raised our awareness of what the nationals face when malaria bites.  For Amy, the malaria caused severe stomach pain and regular trips to the bathroom, resulting in a weight loss of 4 pounds over a 3-day period.  For those unable to get medical attention, the consequences are much more dire.  

Despite our regular precautions of a living in a secure dwelling, and the daily use of intact mosquito nets, it didn’t take long for us to experience this common disease.  While Amy’s diagnosis and treatment cost us only $7.50, this represents approximately 11% of the average monthly income of a Kenyan family. Couple this with the fact that most Kenyan families have 3 or more children to support, do not live in a secure dwelling,  and do not have intact mosquito nets, and it is easy to understand why malaria is considered one of the planet’s deadliest diseases, killing an African child every 45 seconds.  

At our Children’s Home, one of the most common reasons for a visit to the doctor is malaria.  The children at our home have mosquito nets, however many of them need to be replaced because of holes and tears.  In addition, we recently learned that most of our children prefer to sleep on the floor rather than in their bunks, because of the extremely poor condition of their mattresses.  Rather than feel the wooden slats of the bed frame through the deteriorating mattresses, they throw their mattresses on the cement floor so at least there is flat surface under the bed.  This means they are not sleeping under their nets, and are therefore at a much higher risk of contracting malaria on a regular basis.  

Because of staffing issues, Jason has spent the last week sleeping in one of these bunks at the children’s home.  He has now personally experienced the discomfort, sleep deprivation, and itching that our children there endure every night.  Watching Jason try to function at a reasonable level with so little restful sleep for only one week, has given us a much better understanding of why so many of our children are also doing poorly in school.  

The children at our children’s home are supported by sponsorships provided through Christian Relief Fund.  Each sponsored child receives approximately $32.20 per month of the $35/month sponsorship cost.  Even with this generous support, all of our children at the home are living below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day.  The $32 per month that each child receives covers food, hygiene supplies, one outfit including shoes every year, and primary school costs.  Not covered in the monthly CRF sponsorship amount are secondary school expenses for older children past grade 8, or periodic larger expenses such as new mattresses, bedding, and mosquito nets.    Also not covered are the operating expenses of the home itself, such as staff salaries, utilities, and building maintenance.  The Children’s Home currently depends on donations beyond the CRF sponsorships to cover these costs.  

 The cost for a decent foam mattress that is expected to last 2-3 years with a new blanket, sheet set, mosquito net, and a board to go under the mattress to reduce uneven wear is approximately $47.  We have 53 kids at the Home, meaning we will need nearly $2500 to cover the cost for all the kids to be able to get a good night’s sleep in a mosquito-safe bed for the next couple of years.      

     

We know that so many of you already sponsor children, or support us in the work we are doing here.  We cannot thank you enough for your generosity.  If you would like to help us provide additional support for these children in the form of a safe and sound night’s sleep, please click on the Mattress link at the top of the sidebar to donate to this project.  Life here can certainly be overwhelming at times, but we are also learning that when we are totally out of resources, whether it be time, money, or energy (or all three!), God shows up with His abundant supply.  May He bless you as you consider helping these precious children.