A Night To Remember



Dr. Caleb King with Ambassador Koran and wife



Last night we had a special celebration to honor the outstanding accomplishments of some of our friends here in Rwanda, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of our time here, for a variety of reasons.  One friend, Caleb King, is a pediatric gastroenterologist who has worked in Rwanda with his wife (Louise, one of our Family Medicine faculty members) for the past 10 years – the first 8 of which were in a small district hospital with no electricity and far from the paved road.  In his quest to bring electricity to his small hospital, he was told it would be easier if he were to build a power plant for the entire district, and that the Rwandan power grid would purchase the power he generated.  So, over the past two years, he has done that – forming a power company, constructing a small reservoir, and installing a special low-flow generator.  He flipped the switch to turn on the power flow just two weeks ago. 



Mimi and Jolli - just voted one of the 25 top women achievers
in Africa



Another friend, Jolli, is a Rwandan woman who put her 8 younger siblings through university by working as a laboratory technician, but in the past several years has been working with poor farmers in the rural areas with the Ministry of Agriculture to improve their crop variety and yields.  She manages project funds totaling hundreds of millions of dollars each year, but has maintained her humble spirit and open generosity.  Just last week she was voted by the readership of the Guardian newspaper of England as one of the 25 top women achievers of Africa – the only woman chosen from Rwanda.  You can read more about her at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2013/mar/08/top-25-african-women-interactive?CMP=SOCNETTXT6967. 

Tables ready for the celebration in our garden

Since Mimi loves both celebrations and a party, she took the opportunity of hosting the first concert of a newly formed 7 member classical ensemble to invite their families and others to share in the celebrations – doctors from other rural hospitals, agricultural specialists.  Because these celebrations involved some American expertise, we invited the U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, Donald Koran and his wife Cynthia, who also came.  Many of the 35 guests brought dishes for the dinner, Mimi made a series of wonderful desserts, and together we ate at tables spread across our lawn under the stars.  Of course, African reality was also part of this – a brief thunderstorm just as the dinner was being readied delayed the dinner by about 20 minutes as everything was brought back inside for a bit, and a power outage created a 10 minute unplanned intermission during the classical music concert, but also gave a chance to enjoy the multiple stars that were visible after the thunderstorm. 

After dinner, the entertainment began with a recitation (by memory) of one of Shakespeare’s sonnets by Lydia, the 8 year old daughter of Caleb and Louise King, after a discussion of the difference between a sonnet and a common poem (“the sonnet is composed in iambic pentameter with the emphasis on the last words of the first two lines…”).  After hearing from our two honorees and congratulating them for their service to Rwanda, the ensemble treated us to a wonderful collection of classical music with a variety of styles and presentations (violin and cello solos, string quartets, duets with piano accompaniment, etc.), with our veranda as the stage.  The air was cool, the sky was completely clear and full of stars, and the atmosphere was enchanting.  The evening was capped off by tucking into bed three different couples who had come from outside the city, and who spent the night and breakfast the next day with us.  Mimi loves a full house!

The next morning, as Cal cooked breakfast (really, just flipped the pancakes!) for the overnight guests, Mimi spent the morning at the church we attend in Kigali to speak at a morning retreat for the women of the church.  Over 60 women came, and loved Mimi’s thoughts on beauty and a holy life, and their time together – one of the first for these ladies in several years.  We are now resting and reflecting, and thanking our Lord for giving us the privilege of being so involved in the lives of so many people here.

Mimi Assaulted by Drunk Gorilla!

Well, after much deliberation, Mimi found a traveling companion and decided to visit the famous Rwandan gorillas this week.  We spent the night near the national park, and while Cal met with doctors at the local hospital, Mimi and her friend Robin trekked into the Virunga National Park with a tracker and two burly Rwandan porters to help steady them on the trail.  After about an hour of hiking on muddy, slippery trails entirely uphill (climbing one of the several volcanoes in the area), they met up with a family group of gorillas.  One of the young males had been heard thumping his chest for at least 15 minutes before the group arrived, and he was still going.  They found that he was busy eating in a thicket of bamboo, which the guide explained has a modest alcohol content if eaten in large quantities!  One tracker bravely entered the thicket to try to flush him out, and the sounds of a scuffle began - the gorilla did not take kindly to having his brew and breakfast disturbed!  When he did emerge, he went straight for the small group of interested tourists, running right up to Mimi and pushing her aside with a rough, hairy paw.  He brushed her face in the process, leaving a small abrasion, and Mimi would have fallen had it not been for the steadying hand of the kindly Rwandan porter, who had never left her side.  Mimi was assured that the skin of her cheek "was not broken".  The belligerent gorilla was definitely a bit unsteady as he wobbled off. 

Once the excitement had died down, Mimi and her friends watched for another 45 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed the small slice of family life - playful 4 month old babies, tolerant nursing mothers, a watchful and totally intimidating alpha male silverback, and assorted others.  On the way back down the slippery trail, John, the porter helping Mimi, held her hand in his huge one the entire way, almost hand-carrying her down the trail.  At one point, during a pause, he seemed to be reluctant to start up again, and Mimi finally realized it was because she was standing on his foot, which he was willing to tolerate until she caught on!  On arriving at the car, she insisted on paying him twice the going price, because he had not only carried her backpack, but her also.  He was most delighted, and even more so when Mimi opened her pack and pulled out a full lunch she had packed for all the porters!  It was a wonderful day, although probably never to be repeated.

Life in Baghdad – First 2 days

I have been wanted to return to Iraq for years, ever since I began some very interrupted training of doctors there in basic family medicine.  The chance came with an invitation from a former colleague in Jordan who is now working with a USAID supported project in primary health care in Iraq.  The deal was sweetened by the additional knowledge that I would also be working with one of the doctors who had been in the first group of physician trainees in Baghdad in 2003; now working to reach his fellow physicians. 

I arrived in Baghdad 2 days ago, after a series of flights from Rwanda which included an unexpected business class seat on Emirates Airlines from Dubai to Baghdad  (where even the coach seats are considered by many to be first class)!   I was met by several security guards, who fitted me with an old style flak jacket and took me to the USAID project compound in an armoured Toyota, complete with chase car and armed guards.  The section of road from the airport into town used to be called “Death Alley” because of the trees lining the road for several miles behind which insurgents would hide to attack passing vehicles – these trees are now gone and replaced by an 8 ft. high concrete barrier fence for most of the length of the highway.

The USAID compound is outside of the green zone, and home to 6 US projects, of which ours is the only health project.  It is heavily fortified with concrete barriers on both side of the 4 streets that are enclosed, which gives it a very austere look very different from the homes and guest houses protected by the barriers.  There are machine gun toting security personnel everywhere, and the compound dining room must be the only restaurant in the area with a special rack for storing the guns while the personnel eat!  Although the guards obviously mean tough business, they are invariably polite and gentle with old folks like me!

I was assigned a hotel-style room in a guest house with a shared bathroom, right next to the bank of generators that run when the city power is out, which in these two days has been about 60% of the time.  It is easy to get used to, especially when the alternative is run-down computer batteries and dark nights.  I have an identifying badge that must be worn at all times, attended a security briefing on emergency evacuation plans today, and must sign in a logbook before I retire for the evening.  Last night, I forgot, and received a phone call at 9 PM very respectfully reminding me that I had not yet signed!

Everyone in the projects both lives and works at the compound – yesterday we hosted several local consultant physicians and officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Health who had to be cleared at the compound and meet in a project conference room.  Fortunately, it seemed like no big deal to them, and we had a great workshop on the teaching of management of high blood pressure to local general practitioners.  They were knowledgeable, funny, flexible, and engaged – an ideal environment for consensus.  I only wish that I could meet with them on their turf and in their environment, but that will not be the case. 

So, I am very protected, especially with the peace that can only come from a good and Heavenly Father.  The might of multiple firearms reminds us all of the uncertainties of life in this country, and I find myself often wondering  how bad it really is on the outside, where millions of Iraqis live and work with nothing more than the lock on their front door.  Right now, my world consists of approximately 4 city blocks, with one restaurant/dining room, a workout room, a bar, a sleeping room, and an office room.  I must confess that I am glad that I can get back to the green hills of Rwanda, and to Mimi, in about 2 weeks!

Harmony

Yesterday while we were in church, a choir came from an area near Congo to join in our worship. The music was so similar to that of my childhood, and I again noticed that they seem to have multiple levels of harmony.

This is so gorgeous to me.  When we as a congregation sang the Christmas carol, "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful", to my delight the choir sang with us on the choruses.  We were singing along and the choir joined in adding a new, previously unfamiliar harmonies.  They did not change our song, but filled it with depth, texture and a richer beauty.   I find the same to be so true in our lives here.  The Rwandans with whom we live have supplemented, enriched, blended and “harmonized” with our lives, taking what we have in common and adding to it a more resonant meaning.  They have allowed their children to hug us, they have helped us carry our loads, and they are anxious to please us with the right kind of fruit from the market.  Their way is so willing and free, and each time it reminds me of their harmony with us.  No language is necessary - they simply bathe each interaction with deeper meaning.  And I love the Rwandans for it.

Mimi

Wonderful Relationships in Rwanda

Mimi and I returned to Rwanda on Oct. 23 from 6 weeks in the U.S. – very refreshed and ready to get back in the saddle.  It was a great time of sharing the lives of our children and grandchildren – now divided between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Colorado Springs, Colo.  We tried to keep the conferences and speaking to a minimum to be able to spend more time with family and friends; Mimi had one ladies retreat over a weekend, and Cal had about three presentations at the medical schools in Denver, but that was it.  We entered Rwanda with 6 pieces of luggage for the two of us – some new clothes to accommodate our weight loss, lots of chocolate chips and other food items not available here, a rechargeable drill and bits for orthopedic surgery in one of the district hospitals, and a bunch of soccer balls donated by a friend who knew how much they meant to the young village boys here!

You may have noticed on Facebook that while we were in the U.S., another 2 couples from our church family, Dan and Rochelle Van Ryn and Jim and Carol Matthews, were taking our place in Rwanda.  We spent a full day listening to their stories when we returned – stories of taking in Rwandans and expats alike, stories of amazing survival during the genocide, and stories of tragedy, like a young boy suffering from the consequences of severe burns on his face and chest several years earlier.  We came back to a house that was squeaky clean, with new lights installed in the kitchen, everything working beautifully, and a very contented household staff.  We could not express enough gratitude for their sacrificial work while we were gone!

As the Van Ryns and Matthews have commented, the intensity and pace of relationships here is almost dizzying.  Just a few highlights:

-        We just finished hosting a visiting Danish Family Physician for a week, who was very interested in setting up a program in Denmark to recruit Danish family physicians to help with the teaching here.  He was delighted with absolutely everything, encouraged us unceasingly, and generally won over everyone with whom he met.  We have no idea where this will lead, but his enthusiasm was well worth the visit!

-        John, a 19 year old orphan that has helped with the housework, gardening, and ironing to earn some money for his rent and food, had been given a government merit scholarship to attend university, where he wants to study computer technology.  However, he has to pay his own room and board in a town distant from Kigali.  When he was asked how he might do this, he said that he had decided he could offer to cut hair for the students, at $0.54 per haircut.  Already thinking of business marketing, he wanted to buy not only electric hair clippers, but a radio which would draw in the students, and a chair for them to sit on.  A local friend working for a U.S. non-profit donated the $180 for the first semester room and board, we provided some funds to purchase the hair clippers, radio, and chair, and Mimi provided a sheet to drape around the clients neck for the haircut.  We just sent him off to University 2 days ago.

-        Theo, our 24 year old gardener who is also an orphan, has been thinking seriously about looking for a wife.  He has been developing a relationship with a beautiful fellow university student (both study evenings), and asked if he could bring her over for us for “Mommi and “Daddi” to “look her over”!  Mimi set up a light tea with her best china and tablecloth on a small table in our garden, and Theo formally presented a very nervous but delightful Monica.  Theo opened the conversation very directly – “This is Monica; do you think I should marry her?”  After some conversation and finding her to not only be very capable but a woman of faith as well, we were able to affirm that they appeared to be very well matched.  Neither could get the grins off their faces!  The one sticking point appears to now be the bride price – Monica’s family is asking Theo for 3 cows, while Theo has estimated that it will take him a year to be able to purchase just the first cow!  Stay tuned – will love win out over the cows???

-        We were at the airport yesterday to pick up a very long-standing friend and colleague and his wife visiting from Albuquerque, NM.  While we were waiting, a woman who operates a home for abandoned and orphaned children here (and for whom Cal had done some medical consultation a few years back) greeted us.  She had been trying to go home to the U.S. for the holidays, but had been denied passage at immigration because her visa had unknowingly expired 6 months before.  Mimi immediately invited her to stay with us in Kigali while she got this sorted out, and this has become a memorable experience.  She is a retired electronics worker and teacher who is now 80 years old, has 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, and has single-handedly carved out a home for 44 children in the Rwandan countryside over the past several years.   She had built a primary school for her children and the surrounding community, is currently developing a water system that will also serve the surrounding community, and is obviously thriving here!

Well, that’s all the news from Lake Kivu, where all the men are strong, the women even stronger, and the children definitely above average, at least in the adorable category!

Our Rwandan House Staff (Courtesty of Rochelle Van Ryn!)

No, Mimi is NOT Retiring!

As many of you have already seen and commented on Facebook, yesterday was Mimi’s birthday – she turned 65 years old!  In spite of her advanced age, she is not even thinking of retiring.  Almost every week that passes she will open the curtains in the morning with the exclamation, “Another glorious day in Africa”!  We are now called “Mommy” and “Daddy” by John (previously described), Theo (the gardener), John Paul (night watchman) and Solange (housekeeper), the three young men and young mother who work in the house every day.  They all pour themselves into keeping the house up to allow Mimi to do what she does best.

Just two weeks ago we had to say goodbye to Peter and Katie Cartledge, a young British couple (both doctors) who had lived with us for 5 months.  They had not only contributed significantly to the medical teaching of medical students and interns here in Rwanda, but allowed us to enter their lives in a very significant way.  They both sang in the choir of the Anglican church we attend, and many Friday nights we found that we were hosting a sleep-over of the women in the choir – 8-12 active Rwandan women who sang long into the night and generally found a space to sleep (often on one of the sofas) about 3 AM.  It was great to watch Katie and Mimi building the fine points of their character brick by brick through the evening.

Even before Peter and Katie had returned to England, we have been blessed to have another couple, Caleb and Ellie VanEssen, come to stay with us for 2 months.  They were married only one year ago, and both just graduated from Azuza Pacific University in California.  Caleb is taking this year to apply to medical schools, and has been accompanying me on my teaching rounds of the family medicine residents, while Ellie is teaching English and getting to know some of the psychologists and counselors currently working in Rwanda (her major at APU was psychology).  Caleb and his father currently hold the record for the fastest father-son team to climb all 54 mountains over 14,000 feet in Colorado – in 16 days.   He managed to run a half-marathon the second week he was here just to keep in shape, coming in 3^rd place overall!

We are still hosting visiting physicians as well, and have been focusing on those who can stay for a longer period and really get to know and significantly contribute to the doctors in training here.  Two family physicians are coming in September for 3 and 4 months respectively, and a radiologist is coming to teach basic radiology in September as well.  Because there are only about 4 radiologists in the entire country, most of the doctors have to interpret their own films and ultrasounds, and there is very little formal training available in this.   We interviewed several radiologists who expressed an interest, but found only one who felt comfortable teaching how to interpret the plain X-rays that can be obtained at most district hospitals – most of the others only focus on CT scans, MRI, or other high-tech activities.  Our biggest problem will be trying to distribute his time between the various specialty residents who all want to learn from him!

Mimi and I will return to the U.S. for about 6 weeks from Sept. 12 through Oct. 22, and hope to spend most of the time between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Denver with our children, grandchildren, and family.  Then it is back to Africa and teaching medicine, life skills, and spiritual formation.  We are having a ball!

The Day John Came into our Lives

I happened to be in the garden by the front gate when I heard the familiar knock.  When door bells don’t exist, hitting a small stone on the metal gate seems to work well.  I found a young man waiting to tell his story.

John explained that he was a genocide orphan and had been able to finish high school by himself but now needed work.  I looked at this young adult and wondered again why I had thought genocide orphans were all babies.  These were the people who needed help but how I wondered could I give him work when we already had all the help we needed?  I told him to return in several weeks and that I would ask around for anyone who could use help.  As I turned to go, he said, “Madame, you see I am hungry”.  I had heard this story over and over and I longed to find John a job.

One week late, John was back.  This time I told him I could give him a job for one day.  He was delighted and so he came into an empty bedroom where our crate boxes and all the storage paper had been dumped.   Hours later I checked on John to find the room was wonderfully organized.  He grinned when he saw my delight.  Lunch was served to the household and he ate a huge bowl of stew.  As he was leaving, he saw the large basket of ironing.  When he offered to iron, I knew I could have him come on a regular basis.

Little did we know then but three weeks later, we were using the same boxes for moving across town.  John was needed daily for almost two weeks and we needed so much help in the new house.

It is common and tender for the African people to refer to older people as Mommy and Daddy.  Somehow, it softens my longing for our family for at least I hear someone call my Mommy.  So it was that I got the text from John this week,”Mommy, I got a scholarship!  Can I come to show you?”

John came early to show us all that his name was in the newspaper as one of the national scholarship recipients, which would be in the math, physics and chemistry track.  At lunch we all surprised him with a celebration party.  As we all gathered around the table for grace, Cal asked for God to bless John in this new adventure.   John turned to Cal and asked,”Daddy, are you proud of me too?”   I slipped away to cry at the poignancy of such a question. Cal had already told him how proud he was of John, but John, who had raised himself, needed fatherly affirmation  so deeply, and he had to hear it again.

Tomorrow is ironing day, John will again be here with his broad smile.  We have been so blessed to have him in our lives.