Mission Safari: The Next Chapter(s)

The Power of a Word

Yesterday, I learned something about language while trying to interview a patient.  During this interview, the patient kept using the word "malaria."  I thought they were talking about the disease of malaria.  But the rest of their story didn't match up.  Finally, my good friend Dr. Gitu, was able to help me understand that the patient was using the word to describe a symptom and not a diagnosis; sort of the way patients in the US say, "I have the flu" to describe the fact that they feel very bad. 

This lesson became even more real as I was reading from my copy of Livingstone's Travels tonight. On page 177 Dr. Livingstone describes this story.

"...we met an old Bushman who at first seemed to have no conception of morality whatever; he sat by the fire relating his early adventures: among these was killing five other Bushmen.

'Two,' said he, counting on his fingers, 'were females, one a male, and the other two calves.'

'What a villain you are, to boast of killing women and children of your own nation! What will God say when you appear before him?'

'He will say,' replied he, 'that I was a very clever fellow.'

This man now appeared to me as without any conscience, and, of course responsibility; but on trying to enlighten him by further conversation, I discovered that, though he was employing the word that is used among the Bakwains when speaking of the Diety, he had only the idea of a chief, and was all the while referring to Sekomi [his chief], while his victims were a party of rebel Bushmen against whom he had been sent.  If I had known the name of God in the Bushmen tongue the mistake could scarcely have occurred."

Now, certainly, my interaction with my patient yesterday was not this grave (or this funny), but I was struck by the fact of how common it is for miscommunication to occur over the meaning of just one word.  Just one word.  Both people use the same word, but it means something totally different to each of them.  And from this difference in understanding of the word, confusion sets in.  And depending on what is at stake, this confusion can set off a tremendous flurry of events, sometimes with devastating results.

I am amazed at how often I have had conflict in my life because of a "misunderstanding".  It has happened at home and work and church.  And I am even more amazed at how gracious people have reacted to these misunderstandings. 

Hopefully, yesterday's patient interview, and tonight's reading will cause me to pursue better communication with people.  Hopefully I will be more alert to the fact that just because we are using the same words that we might not be coming to the same conclusions - that we are not communicating.  And hopefully this will help me to become a better man, a better husband, a better father, a better friend, and a better doctor.

September 27th, 2004

One year ago today we left the United States on our way to Kenya. It has been amazing that it has already been one year since we left. I looked back at my journal entry from September 27th, 2004, and thought I would quote from it today. Here is what we were experiencing:

September 27th, 2004 Aboard British Airways Flight 296 Chicago to London

We are sitting on the tarmack awaiting our turn for take-off. A general sense of relief seems to have settled over the five of us. The inflight map shows that we have about 3940 miles to our initial destination of London. It also shows a take-off time of 17:48 CDST. As we take off over Lake Michigan we will be out of the U.S. and into Canadian airspace. Although it seems that we should be sad or melancholy, we are tired and relieved and therefore quiet.

The day started in Columbia, SC with some heavy rains - leftovers from Hurricane Jeanne (the 4th to hit Florida in 4 weeks). After leaving the hotel, we stopped at the bank to deposit the check from the sale of our van. We then drove uneventfully to the airport in Charlotte. We were greeted with smiles and hugs from the Burchel clan and my brother Todd.

The initial check-in was painless. We lingered at the check in counter until about 12:30 EDST. We then began our painful good-byes. Oddly (?) the most tears and longest hugs came from Todd. Maybe it is because it will most likely be 4 years before we meet again. As I expected, Sarah shed quite a few tears as well.

After saying our good-byes, we started through security. Somehow we were all tagged for the detailed screening exam. It was a long process but as Charlotte International Airport is small, it was no big deal. We stopped at the food court and [bought] some Chili's "Deli Style" sandwiches. We also ate Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert. I washed it all down with a Venti Café Mocha from Starbucks.

Our flight to Chicago was unremarkable. However, on arrival we had to go from Terminal 3 to 5. This was not an easy task given the archaic design of O'Hare. We ended up having to go through security again. But all in all, we arrived at the gate with time to spare. Right before we boarded Sarah called Miss Barb [our pastor's wife]. She had already called Rachel [her best friend] while we were in Charlotte. And my parents called. I then cancelled our cell phone account with ALLTell.

The plane is only at 65% capacity. We have ourselves spread out in 3 rows. Dinner has been served but we just picked at it. Hopefully we can all get some shut eye before we arrive in less than 6 hours.

What's Happening...

I have written a lot lately about what is going on around here but have not really given an update on the kids for a while. So, on this Sunday afternoon, I thought I would do so.

Sarah has been working hard lately preparing for her ballet exams. The Royal Dance Academy has sanctioned exams every year and Sarah is participating in these. The dance examiner is flying in from South Africa, so this is pretty serious stuff. But she is keeping things in perspective, working hard, doing some extra sessions with her dance teacher. It will be fun to see how she does on her exam October 18th.

Sarah has also been busy being a "mom". We lost one of our cats last week (which was sad), but in the process of looking for her in the neighborhood, found a kitten. So, Sarah has been taking care of this little 4 week old kitten. The kitten is quite cute I must admit.

Ben has been working hard on his violin lessons. He really likes his teacher, Mr. Dick, a British Kenyan with a funny sense of humor. Ben has also been playing soccer (football) at West Nairobi School. He enjoys all the positions but I think he likes goalie the best. He has also been helping "train" me for softball, taking particular interest in helping me with my fielding.

And Sam is, well, Sam. He works hard at whatever he does. He plays with such intensity. He is also playing soccer, although he wasn't initially invited, he just joined in and is having fun doing that. He loves to look at books. And here recently he has taken an interest in scaring the cats - you can here him "roar" and then laugh. But he is also gentle with the cats and looks so cute holding them over his shoulder.

Marti of course is keeping the house humming along. She has been doing a good job getting the kids into a good routine this school year. She is also meeting with some missionary wives for a Bible Study once a week. And she helps host and entertain here at the house - this past week we had guests 4 out of 7 days. She is good at it, but it also drains her at times.

We are thankful for a smidgen of routine. It helps the household to run a bit smoother. I guess the Hutchison House is Hummin'.

A Funny Comment on Baseball Caps

One of the cool things about blogs is that it can be interactive. People can read a post and then leave a comment. The only problem is that visitors to the sight have to click on the comments section to read the comments for a particular post.

Yesterday, the following comment was posted. It was too hilarious to be left hidden. Enjoy the witty comments from my good friend, who happens to be a Reds fan (poor guy they are languishing in 5th place in the NL Central Division trailing the Cardinals by some 23 games).

I think the UN needs to form a multinational fact finding committee to check into the lack of Cincinnati Reds fans in Kenya. This is obvious discrimination towards one of the oldest teams in baseball. Perhaps other MLB teams have flooded the market in Kenya with their teams' hats, thus driving the price down and putting the Reds at a distinct disadvantage? Or perhaps they are spreading propaganda in Kenyan villages about the apparent inability of the Reds to win games this year? They may be using the BBC or the VOA to spread this slander. Either way, this is an outrage. I think I will call Mr. Kofi Anan......if he's not at a Yankees game. I feel better getting this off my chest.

The Magic Number is 6

It is post-season time in Major League Baseball. There are some good battles going on for Division Champs - the AL East, the AL Central, and the NL Wild Card are all up for grabs. The last week of baseball will be exciting. The Cardinals clinched last Saturday, and have lost 4 out of 5 since. I hope they are just "resting". They need to gear up this week or they won't go very far in the playoffs.

As far as team caps go in Kenya, we are now down to 6. Today I saw both a Pittsburgh Pirates and a Minnesota Twins hat. I am hoping to spot the other 6 before the World Series is complete. We will see.

++ For those of you not familiar with baseball "lingo" the Magic Number is the combination of the number of games that the first place team must win and the second place team must lose before the first place team can be declared the champs of their division. For instance, if the Cards had a Magic Number of 6 and they had 10 games left in the season and they won 4 games in a row and the Astros lost two games in a row then the Cards would clinch the division (4+2=6). In fact they could lose 6 in a row and the Astros lose 6 in a row and they would still be champs (0 Wins for Cards + 6 Losses for Astros = 6). I hope this helps the "baseball challenged" who read this blog.

Working At Home Today

I am working at home today. Yesterday, was a bit rough. I woke up in the middle of the night with some GI bug. Most of the misery was finished by morning so I went it to the hospital to see patients. But around noon I was feeling worse (fever and weakness) than most of my patients. So.I went home.

This morning, I felt much better, but decided to stay here and get caught up on paperwork, Bible Study preparation, and so on. I enjoy my office at the hospital, but today reminded me of what I am missing when I am not here. For instance, earlier this morning, I stopped for few minutes to watch our kittens playing with each and then watched them "stalk" some of the birds.

I also got several hugs from the kids and Marti whenever they would pass by the office and the door was open. I also got the opportunity to do some of my correspondence while sitting outside on the patio enjoying the warm sun and blue skies (I think the rainy season may have finally left!). But best of all so far today was my lunch time conversation with Sam.

"Daddy? Will Muslims go to heaven?"

"No, Sam, they won't."

"Why not? Don't they want to go to heaven?"

"Well Sam, they don't believe Jesus is the Only Son of God."

"I think God should let them into heaven. I can't wait to go to heaven. Do you know why?"

"Why Sam?"

"Because I will get to play all I want. Daddy, will there be church in heaven?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"What kind of church?"

"There will only be one church in heaven."

"Really? Which one? Will it be Nathan's church?"

"No, it will be the one true church."

"Daddy, will we go to church Everyday?"

"Yes, everyday."

"Will God go to church?"

"Yes, I am sure God will be there."

"Really. That is so cool. I can't wait to go to heaven and play and go to church with God everyday."

I sat there amazed. I thought, wow, this is heavy stuff for a four year old. Then Sam reminded me that he is a four year old.

"Daddy?"

"Yes Sam."

"Can I have a Reese's (Peanut Butter cup)?"

"No, Sam. I already said no."

Anyway, I now know that there are definitely advantages and disadvantages for having my office away from home.

Let Us Not Grow Weary

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10.

As I was preparing for the medical student Bible Study tomorrow night, I came across these words from Galatians. What comforting and powerful and timely words. Not only for us as a family but for the students who are working away at exam preparations and the like. We are weary. We are tired. But Paul encourages us. He exhorts us "don't grow weary" and "don't lose heart." But why?

Paul reminds us "that in due season we shall reap". The hard work will pay off. The harvest will be ready. Don't give up. It is almost "due season". This reminds me of the words from Galatians 4, "when the fullness of time was complete, God." God is sovereign. He is in control of time. He is in control of outcomes. In "due season" it will flourish. If we try to reap before it is time, the yield will be small, the fruit will not taste right, it will be bitter.

So when we are working hard, how do we "not grow weary"? This reminds me of the passage from Isaiah 40:31. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be WEARY, they shall walk and not faint." The key here is "wait upon the Lord." But I don't like waiting. Why do I have to be patient. Why do I have to wait? So I was curious what this "wait" meant. When you look up the word in this context, "wait" it comes from the Hebrew word "qavah" which means to "bind together as in twisting together." It also means to gather together, to look for, and to tarry.

Wow, that is awesome, "waiting on the Lord" doesn't mean something passive but something active. I like that. And it means to "bind together." To draw closer together. To tarry. I remember dating Marti in college. Even when it was past curfew we would tarry.we would linger, hang out, draw out the time together. It was an active process.

This word, qavah, also reminds me of the verse from Ecclesiastes, "If one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not easily broken." I think of this word bind in the way that individual strands of rope are tightly bound together to strengthen the other. And this is what Isaiah refers to. Wait on the Lord. Go to Him. Bind yourself up in Him. Wrap yourself up in His strength.

These are comforting words indeed. When I am tired, I am to draw closer to God. When difficulities come, I usually try to resolve it in my strength. I try to "gut it out", "pull myself up by the boot straps", or "dig a little deeper." But I am reminded in this passage to draw closer to God.

Finally, I am encouraged by this passage in the words, "as we have opportunity." Again, a study of the orginal language points out that this "opportunity" is a defined time - in fact, it is a 'divinely set time.' My work is not to be continuous. God has set times for me to work, to do good. I need to be looking for those set times and meet the needs. And God usually gives us more opportunities than not, if we are looking for them. But this passage also reminds me that I am not to be working all the time. God has worked it out so that I am to have "down time." I can not "do good" all the time. But if I draw closer to God, bind myself in Him, then "as we have opportunity" I will recognize it and do the good work accordingly.

So, as I share this passage with the med students tomorrow tonight, I hope that it will sink in for both myself and them. And hopefully, it has been an encouragement to you as well. "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap." What powerful, refreshing, encouraging words. May it be so with you.

Outrageous Love

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Galatians 4:4-7

This Scripture passage was part of my devotional time this morning. I have read this passage dozens of times before, but given our recent decision to adopt, it caught my attention this morning. I saw a few things more clearly in that passage than I ever have before. I thought I would share some of those insights with you.

First, the passage starts with the phrase "when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth". This phrase reminded me of two greats truths. First, it tells me that my adoption as a child of God did not "happen" by accident. It was known. And it was a "well timed" adoption. It took a process. God waited for just the right time to adopt me. Secondly, this wonderful process was "initiated" by the Father. I did not seek my Father, he sought me. He moved with intention. It was planned. And I can relate to this. Ten years ago I was interested in adopting. But it wasn't the right time. There was much that I needed to learn. There was much that I needed to experience to bring me to a point to be able to take on the role of adoptive father. And, this process is not just "happening". We must be intentional. We must be organized. We must be sacrificial. Which brings me to the second insight.

Second, God redeemed us. He purchased us through the blood of Christ. He sacrificed His Son on the cross to cover my sins. I deserved death. I received life, not because I was worthy to receive it but because I was chosen to receive it. God gave up His "perfect life" to take on a stranger, a foreigner, a non-blood related kin. He redeemed me. Again, I am learning this. Adoption is not inexpensive. It is not easy. It is draining - emotionally, physically, and financially. And yet, even though I have never met my daughter in China, or even seen a picture of her, or even know whether she has been born yet, I am beginning the redemption process. I am following the legal steps to make this redemption real, this adoption authentic.

Third, God not only legally adopts us but He relationally adopts us. He puts His Spirit in us so that we can call Him "Abba, Father" or "Daddy". We become changed persons. We are not treated as strangers or outsiders. We are invited into full participation in the family. We are included. We begin to take on the thought patterns and interests of our family. We accept the characteristics of this family. And I suspect this will be the same with our adopted daughter. We will open our hearts and homes to her. We will include her in everything that we are doing. We won't make distinction between biological and adopted children. And, by God's grace, she will take on our identity. She will take on our characteristics. She will become like us (for better or worse!). She will not only become a legal child but a relational child.

Finally, God makes us an heir. The legal adoption is not only to meet current needs but future needs. We receive an inheritance along with Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus becomes not only our Saviour, but our Brother. We have the same rights before the Father as He does. We are "joint heirs with Jesus." And again, this is the same thing that will happen with our adopted daughter. Our Last Will and Testament will include her as a full-heir along with our biologically born children. Whatever possessions and wealth we have to pass on, she will be entitled to an equal share.

All of the benefits and privileges of adoption as sons of God all come from His outrageous and unconditional love. He initiated this relationship. He sacrifices and redeems us as His own. He includes us into intimate relationship. And He pours out His lavish inheritance on us. All because He loves us with incomparable and incomprehensible and outrageous love.

Bothersome Reaction

On Friday, as I spent time seeing patients with one of the Clinical Officers, I witnessed a patient interaction that was particularly bothersome. The Clinical Officer (CO) did not wrong, nor did the patient. But the more I have thought about the case the more bothered I have become.

The patient was a 28 female. She is divorced and has no children. She presented with several complaints. The CO ran several tests. One of the tests was for HIV. The young lady was positive.

I was interested to sit back and observe her reaction when she was told this news. As the CO reviewed her labs with her, I watched her face intently for her reaction to this serious news. Her reaction? NOTHING.

For at least 5 minutes as the CO went over the meaning of this result, her expression was unchanged. She didn't blink. Not a facial muscle moved or changed. There was no wrinkling of the forehead, narrowing of the eyelids, or quiver in the lip - it was if her facial nerves were paralyzed. And there was no change in her body language - there was no drooping of the shoulders, no head lowering, no averted gaze, no shifting in her seat. She was unchanged, stone cold motionless.

I was shocked. I wanted to yell out, "Don't you get what the CO is telling you?! You have HIV. You have a death sentence. This is serious." But I know she had to be feeling something on the inside. The only reaction she displayed was that her eyes moistened for just a moment when she told us that her husband left her 3 years ago for another woman. But even this display of emotion was brief.

Life here is difficult. Expectations continue to be unmet - I expected an expression of sorrow, of fear, of anger, of something. I was not ready to watch this woman respond with such outward stoicism. It almost seemed as if she was already dead.

More Baseball Caps

As the regular season winds down to a close, my hunt for MLB baseball caps in Kenya is winding to a close. In the past 48 hours I have spotted two more teams: the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres. I now have 22 of 30 teams. I hope to spot the other 8 teams before the end of the World Series this year. But it will be tough as I have to find the following teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins, KC Royals, and the Los Angeles Angels.

The Rhinos Are 3 and 0

The West Nairobi Rhinos won their third game in a row today and have a two game lead over the second place Team Japan. The Rhinos beat the Canadians 15-9 scoring 8 runs in the final two innings to come from behind. The Rhinos entered the sixth inning down by two runs. They scored 3 runs in the top of the sixth and put the game out of reach with 5 more in the top of the seventh.

The team played good defense against the hard hitting Canucks - they retired the first 6 batters with some spectacular plays by both the pitcher and the shortstop. Although the gave up 5 runs in the 5th, the Rhinos scattered the remaining 4 runs over six innings. The 5 runs given up in the fifth came with controversy. With a man on first and no outs a sharply hit ball was hit towards the gap between third and short. The shortshop was able to range to his right and snare the ball. His throw to second was too late but the runner appeared to have slid past the bag. The second baseman made a nice tag but the runner was called safe.

The Rhinos are pleased with their quick start and hope to continue their winning streak when they continue their league play in a few weeks against the U.S. Embassy team which lost today against Team Japan, 10-7.

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NOTE: If I ever get tired of being a doctor and a missionary, I would love to be a sportswriter covering the St. Louis Cardinals. This is my first "attempt" at writing a game summary.

Famous Blogger?

Not really.  But I was pleased to learn that a fellow blogger enjoyed the post "Every Square Inch" (see below) that they linked it to the WorldMagBlog page under Theoligica.  This is no big deal except to mention that it is part of the World Magazine blog pages and World Magazine is my favorite news magazine.  Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.

Good Cops

We had another "police incident" last night. On our way to the airport to pick up Marti's Mom and Dad, I drove their car and Marti drove ours. At the security gate at the airport, the police officer was scanning our car and noticed that the tags for the car had expired. I had no idea. It never crossed my mind to worry about it because 1) it wasn't my car and 2) the car was purchased in April. Anyway, the officer pulled us over.

He was very nice and told me I would have to pay a fine and then go to court next week. He could see that I felt bad. He asked who we were picking up. I told him my in-laws. He told me to go on in, pick them up, and come back to deal with the ticket.

After picking up the Burchels, we loaded up their car with bags. Another police officer was in the parking lot. He too saw the expired tag and came up to us. He then took us back inside to the sub-police station in the airport. He was very pleasant, asked my father-in-law how he was, how he travelled, and so on. My father-in-law looked pretty worn out from the flight. The officer told us the fee for the fine and asked for payment. As my father-in-law didn't have any money I pulled out the cash. The officer thought about it a few minutes and decided not to charge us with the fine. He told us to take the "Mzee" (pro-nounced M-zay) home, get the tag tomorrow, and have a good night. I about fell over. We shook hands and I told the officer I would tell my friends that we met some really nice Kenyan Police.

Continuing Professional Development in Kenya

Last night I presented a lecture at St. Mary's Hospital. It was well attended and I appreciated the participation of the audience. It felt good to be communicating some clinical information that could make an impact in patient care. Afterwards, three of the Kenyan nurses came forward to have me sign their attendance book.

I took a few minutes to scan their book. It was a log book issued by the Kenya Nursing Council. It set forth the guidelines of mandatory participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). To maintain their license they must complete at least 20 hours of CPD per year. This is good. To maintain competence, health care workers need to have on-going CPD; they need to be adult learners.

Currently there are no requirements in Kenya by the Kenya Medical Practioners Board for any CPD to maintain licensure. This means that once a doctor completes his Internship he could practice for 30 years without ever attending another educational meeting. This is scary. Fortunately, most physicians do seek out some CPD. However, it is not enough.

Interestingly, I just made a proposal to the hospital administration at St. Mary's Hospital in regards to CPD for the doctors. I proposed that each physician must complete 25 hours per year to maintain employment at St. Mary's Hopsital (compared to the 50 hours per year that I must complete to maintain my board certification in Family Medicine). In that proposal, I also made these comments:

"It is a priority at St. Mary's Mission Hospital to provide low cost excellent health care to the people of Kenya. With the volume, variety, and complexity of patients and diagnoses that are seen and made here there is a large amount of medical knowledge that must be mastered and maintained. With the many advancements in medical science it is imperative that practicing providers of medical care keep their medical skills sharp and current."

I further stated:

"Required Continuing Professional Development is quickly becoming the norm worldwide for health care providers to maintain license to practice. Currently the Ministry of Health and the Kenya Board of Medical Practioners are considering implementing this CPD requirement. It is our position that St. Mary's Mission Hospital should set the standard of excellence in this area by voluntarily instituting a programme of CPD for its clinical providers."

Pray that the leadership of the hospital will be bold in accepting and implementing the proposal of required CPD.

More Baseball

I have spotted a few more baseball caps in Kenya. We are getting close to 2/3 of the Major League Teams.

Added to the list are:

1. Colorado Rockies

2. Chicago White Sox

3. Detroit Tigers

Exam Time

The 4th Medical Students at the University of Nairobi have important exams over the next two weeks. These exams are called Revisions. They are essentially end of the year Final Exams. The guys I have been working with are pretty stressed out. I thought it was the usual Final Exam jitters. I have learned more.

After a medical student finishes his Fifth Year, he does his one year Internship. This Internship is done through the Ministry of Health. Currently the MoH only has the funding to train 200 Interns per year. As I write this, there are 270 Fourth Year students. These are the exams that "thin" that number down to near 200. That means that at the end of this exam period there will be about 70 less classmates moving on to their Fifth Year. Almost all of the Fifth Years will pass and move on to their Internship.

So.the pressure is great for these guys. And unfortunately the majority of their exams will be more subjective (oral exams) than objective (written exams). This adds to the anxiety.

Pray for these guys as they take their exams. Pray that they have been disciplined in their study and that they will be relaxed when taking their exams. Pray for sound mind and clear thinking. And pray that God's Will be done.

Adoption Paperwork

Paperwork for an adoption can be an enormous and overwhelming task. If I had not had the experience over the past couple of years of gathering such paperwork and making sure that everything was just so I think I would be quite discouraged already. But to be honest, even with all the paperwork required to apply for missionary service and then to apply for visas, immigration, alien registration and so on, I still am overwhelmed by the requirements for our adoption.

The first major step in the adoption is the Home Study. This is the process where a licensed Social Worker for an approved non-profit organization gathers copies of all your paperwork, makes home visits, and interviews you and your family to make an assessment on the "fitness" or "readiness" for adoption. The required paperwork includes: birth certificates, marriage certificates, medical exams, letters of reference, employer letters, financial statements, bank statements, police reports, proof of health insurance and life insurance, tax returns, adoption agency agreements, and statements of home visits. (I am sure I forgot to list something).

Last week, we completed this task - at least what we could. We had to gather all of the above, scan them into the computer and then send them on to the Home Study agency. We also needed our accountant to send the tax statements, our attorney the police reports, and our organization the employer letters. It is a challenging task to be doing most of this by email. But thankfully that part is over - for now.

We will await the Home Study report and then start another round of paperwork - this time with the Department of Homeland Security with the US. We will have to file a form with the American Embassy here in Nairobi, get fingerprinted, submit most of the documents above and wait to get approval from the US government to bring in a foreign born child as our own child - an American citizen.

But, instead of getting down about the paperwork, I am excited. I just try to think of some little black haired, almond eyed, yellow skinned baby who is our daughter and needs for her parents to be efficient and organized about submitting this paperwork so that we can be united together as a family.

Using Super Glue

I am becoming quite handy with superglue. Before moving to Kenya my only real experience with this was in the form of Dermabound that I would use in the emergency room to "sew up" lacerations. But since moving here, I have found it to be EXTREMELY VALUABLE. In fact, I have used it more than Duct Tape. Can you believe it?

For instance, I have used ordinary Super Glue to fix lacerations. I also had to use it to fix Marti's camera. It seems the latch to the back cover (which covers the film) broke off somehow. I was able to find the broken piece and using tweezers and Super Glue, carefully reattach the latch. It works fine. And saved us a ton of money in repairs.

The latest repair job was a plate that Marti had hung on the wall as decoration. It is one plate in three that has palm trees on them. We bought them at Kiawah Island. They remind us of home. Saturday night, against our instructions, Sam threw a toy to Rubble, our dog-in-law. The toss was high and wide and smacked the plate dead on causing it to fall to the ground. There were about 12 pieces. Sam was devasted. So were we.

But Super Glue came to the rescue. This repair job was hindered by the loss of several tiny, tiny fragments. It would not work as a dinner plate. But as a decoration, it looks fairly good. And it is back in its rightful place - reminding us of the wonderful palm trees of South Carolina and our favorite beach - Kiawah Island.

Thank God for Super Glue. I wonder what I will use it on next????

Every Square Inch

I have been having an interesting dialogue with a missionary physician here in Kenya. He is associated with the teaching programme in Family Medicine. We have had some philosophical differences that we have been conversing about. It has been very interesting.

Yesterday, I sent him an email quoting Abraham Kuyper. Here is the quote and what I said:

"Abraham Kuyper (who was a prominent Dutch leader) said: 'In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, "That is mine!"' That is why I am here. I believe these words. I believe that every aspect of life belongs to God and that He is the rightful "owner". As Christians we are to reclaim those areas that have been usurped. That means that we are not to isolate ourselves in Christian communities but expand our influence into every single sphere of life."

He sent me a reply with this comment:

"I don't think it is up to us to "reclaim" because I don't think the sovereignty of Christ has been truly "usurped"; no human or spirit or "god" has the power to send Christ into exile. Kuyper's comment does not have Christ saying, "That should be mine" but rather "That is mine!" To me, talk of "reclaiming" sounds a little like what the Crusaders wanted to do. Since Christ is in fact soveregin in every square inch, I don't want to reclaim it as much as recognize His sovereignty which is already there."

To which I sent a lengthy reply which follows. The reason I share all of this is that I think it speaks to the heart of why I am here. I thought I would not only share my thoughts with my colleague, but you, the reader, as well.

"I would say that there is the reality of the "usurper" who is the prince of this world - not the King, but a prince and a usurper. And this prince has brought in evil and deception into the world. And through this deception many do not live out the Biblical directives and mandates in life. Every institution (especially the church) has been corrupted because every person has been corrupted. And so there is injustice in the world - in business, in healthcare, in banking, in commerce, in government.

But God has given us direction on how to live. He comments on the principles in which to work in business, healthcare, banking, commerce, and government. And His Word tells us He would rather have us "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God."

I think the stumbling block for the missionary community is the assumption that clear Biblical priniciples equates with clear practical implementation. Sometimes Scripture is very clear ("Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal.") on what should be practically implemented. Other times it does not (although we think it does).

For instance, last month I was asked by the Christian Medical Fellowship to facilitate a workshop on Condoms and Abortion at a CMF Medical Student Regional Conference. Essentially they wanted to have a discussion on the Medical Ethics on Sexuality. In my preparation I realized that there was a preference for me to TELL the students WHAT to do in this situation or that situation. But as I examined Scripture in preparation I realized that although the Bible is clear on principles it was NOT always directive on practice (although there were some directives). So, to the frustration of the students, I presented many principles but few directives. I felt that although I have opinions about what is right or wrong in medical ethics, my role was to introduce Biblical principles of sexuality while at the same time keeping in mind "Christian liberty."

I am afraid that my use of the word "reclaim" has conjured up images of the Crusaders killing and destroying. Maybe I should have used the word "reform". For example, I think the examples of Joseph and Daniel in the Bible provide excellent instruction to reclaiming/reforming government. These Biblical accounts spell out principles in these situations but I do not believe they should be directive (ie, by "directive" in mean exact examples of how we should implement the change). The Biblical account shows both men to be strong in faith, strong in reliance on God, willing to be incarcerated wrongly, willing to stand on principle. Both lived in horribly corrupt places with corrupt governments. And yet, because of their talents and character they were placed in situations where they profoundly impacted the culture. They "reclaimed" or "reformed" government without "revolt".

So how does my above example relate to this discussion? I think it points out that as Christians HOW we are to go about "reclaiming" must be done in the context of what God desires (do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly) as well as in the context of Christian liberty. To use a medical analogy there are times when it is appropriate to revascularize a dying limb and another when it is appropriate to amputate that dead limb. And as we know, this decision depends on multiple factors - patient age, resources, physician confidence and competence (or incompetence).

So, although I am a splitter by nature, I think that this is a "both, and" discussion. We must certainly recognize that God is present. He was, is, and always will be. He is present in every situation whether it be tsunami's, hurricanes, government corruption, or other of life's tragedies. But I do think that He has called us to participate in the reclaimation/reformation of the world in which we live. And this must be done in love "faith, hope, and love - the greatest of these is love." If we do the "right thing" the "wrong way" we have not done it for His glory but our own. We are called to do it His way for His glory ("for my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways") This is the difficult part, taking Biblical thinking and principles and implementing God's way.

Because this is so fraught with human error and sin, we must move forward (do justly and love mercy) in the most humble way.

It is by His grace and mercy that He uses sinners such as us for such a task as this."

Adoption Journey

For longtime readers of Mission Safari, you know the by-line of Mission Safari is "It's not the Destination, it's the Journey." We have certainly experienced that over the past 24 months. And as you may have gleaned from the post from Marti, we are embarking on another journey called "adoption". We have been busy learning the ins and outs of international adoption over the past several weeks.

Last night we completed one major portion of that journey and that was the Home Study. This is the process by which a certified agency studies our home life and makes a written report that is used by the Immigration departments of America and China as well as the courts to make a determination on our "fitness" for international adoption. Although we think there should be no problems with this step, it is a bit uncomfortable "exposing" ourselves in a full manner. But it is also healthy to examine ourselves - what is hidden and needs exposure and healing.

Nonetheless, we are excited about this process. We recently wrote a letter to some of our prayer partners, family, and friends regarding our decision. I will include this letter in this post. I am sure I will comment further on the Biblical rational for adoption in the days to come.

Thanks in advance for praying.

"We have some news we would like to share with you. Over the past couple of months we believe that the Lord is directing us to expand our family through adoption. As you know over the past 6 years Marti has had 4 miscarriages - two before Sam was born and two since he was born. As we have prayed for another child the Lord has drawn us to the opportunity of adoption. At this time we are moving forward with the process to adopt a baby from China.

Why Adoption?

The reasons are many. For each of us God has drawn us to adoption for different reasons. For me (Tim), my involvement over the last 10 years in obstetrical and pediatric care in my medical practice has opened my heart to adoption. Especially as I have participated in the care of young women in crisis or unwanted pregnancies, I have felt a responsibility to not only "prevent" abortion, but be "proactive" in adoption. As I have cared for children who have been adopted I have seen it as a rich opportunity to express our understanding of our spiritual "adoption" by our Heavenly Father.

For Marti, the process has been more gradual but just as real. As we have made our move to Kenya we have had the opportunity to fulfill the "calling" I have in my life as a physician. Marti has also been able to explore and wrestle with this idea of "calling" and it is very clear that her primary calling has been to be a mother. I see no better way of her expressing this call than to expand our family. As it has not seemed to be the Father's will for us to do so "biologically", we see the Lord moving us to adoption.

Why China?

Over this past year, Marti and the children have been studying China and the Far East in their home school curriculum. As part of that curriculum we watched the National Geographic special "China's Lost Girls". It confirmed what we had heard about the current "One Child Policy" in China. Because families are only allowed one child in China, they will often abort, abandon, or kill girls because of the priority placed on having boys in their culture. We see this again as an opportunity to fulfill God's call to "Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with Our God." (Micah 6:8).

At this point we need much prayer - for direction, clarity in hearing God's will in this situation, and patience (it takes between 9-12 months from start to finish)."