Winding Up or Down?

We have continued our work at a break-neck pace, and we are exhausted: It is time to come home!

We chose not to go the Congo this weekend, because of (1) problems securing visas, and (2) the schedule of activities yet to complete before we leave.

During these final days, we will be adding in a number of social events.  So we have both lunch and diner engagements today (Saturday), a visitor Sunday afternoon (and perhaps others), a lunch meeting and a dinner engagement Monday, a class party on Tuesday, etc.  Social relationships are very important in this culture.

We feel that we have accomplished and contributed much during our time here.  But there is a real strain in working within a foreign culture. Despite the overload and workload we have endured these past two months, we have been able to maintain our equanimity (a watchword the Lord gave us) quite well this year.  For this, we thank the Lord...and you, for your prayers. 

We also thank the Lord for the privilege of service at Hope Africa University.  Another new school year began this past week.  We attended the Convocation chapel on Wednesday, in which the Rector (President) gave an exposition of the University's Mission Statement, and promulgated his vision for this rapdily growing Christian university in central Africa. About 4,000 students are now enrolled.  And two new masters programs have been launched in just the past two months: in Nursing (thanks to Darlene) and in Business (an MBA).

We are grateful.  We are blessed.

You Know It’s Getting Hot When...

You know it’s getting hot, says our friend Barb Rose, when you can’t keep your legs crossed, because the top leg keeps slipping off.

You know it’s getting “cold,” when the locals start putting on coats, scarves and hats and tell us they are freezing, because the temperature has dropped to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

You know it’s getting hot, Darlene tells me, when you have to put your Trident gum in the refrigerator to keep it from melting.

You know the humidity has reached 100%, I say, when in the middle of the day the rain breaks out in torrents.

Two Safaris Planned

The African meaning of safari is “journey.” We are planning a trip this next weekend “up country” to the University Hospital in Kibuye, about 50 miles (3 hours) from the main campus. The Nursing Administrator at Kibuye is one of Darlene’s graduate students, and would like her to consult on both the administration of the hospital and the Nursing care of patients (the average patient census is about 100). I will be going along for the adventure (although I have to be ready to preach on a moment’s notice).

The following weekend we have been invited by our friends Randy and Alice Matthewson to visit the Free Methodist hospital, nurse training institute, and church at Nundu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That’s a 6-8 hour journey across the border and south along Lake Tanganika. We did this same trip last year into the Congo, and it was indeed a safari! Randy and Alice also want us to see the land site of a future Christian University in the Congo, another three hours south of Nundu. So we are looking forward to quite a weekend, our last in Africa this winter.

Getting Acculturated

Recently, a young couple arrived at the University to teach full-time. Seyeuon is Korean and holds the Ph.D. in Nursing; Arun is from India, and holds the M.Div. degree. They met in Nairobi, Kenya where he was raised and she was serving as a missionary nurse. A lovely couple, whom we really like, they have a four-year old son, Sanjo, who is quite a rambunctious kid (I enjoy playing with him; he likes me).

Arun told us this past week, “You folk are the most acculturated to Africa of all the expats here.” We were surprised to hear that, because quite honestly: the more we learn, the more we know we have yet to learn.

We learn something new every day. But there are still many things that remain a total mystery to us.

A Gift of Tomatoes and Eggs

One of Darlene’s students visited us on Sunday afternoon. He is a Nurse who owns and manages his own clinic; he is now enrolled in the M.S. in Nursing degree program. Antoine wanted to introduce his wife and two children to us. They arrived dressed to the nines. The little boy had on a dark blue pinned striped suit, and was sporting a Mickey Mouse tie.

The family brought us several nice gifts: a bag of dried beans with six large red tomatoes, and a beautiful African woven plate and basket. When I removed the basket from the black plastic shopping bag, it seemed quite heavy. We removed the top and discovered two bags (10 each) of eggs inside!

Such simple, but thoughtful gifts!