Word Update

Proverbs 19v21

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

If your reading this that means even after such a long time of no post you've still come to check this blog. And for that I thank you.

Below is an update on some important changes for me. I've sent this out to a number of people but in effort to cover my bases i'm posting it on here as well.

The short version is that the doctor whom I work with here at Tenwek hospital is going to be coming back to the U.S.A. earlier than expected and as a result I will be also.

Here below is the more detailed version for those with a tolerance for text. It's directed at those who've been financially supporting me but contains worthwhile information.

Many thanks, God bless and happy Easter!

Stephen Leimgruber

One significant aspect this past year and a half has been observing God's blessing in my life time and time again. Whether it is the incredibly short time it took to actually get on the ground here in Kenya, adapting to the culture or learning a new area of medicine (orthopedics) – God's faithfulness has been shown to me over and over again.

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my new, earlier return date to the states and to request a discontinuing of your financial support in light of this new change. These changes are happening because of positive developments, as detailed below.

A key factor in my ability to enter the mission field directly after passing my nursing boards was the element of instruction and team work with Dr. Galat. My role here is largely as an orthopedic Physician Extender. With the Galat family beginning their furlough year earlier than expected this means that my leave time is also earlier then expected. This will be be June 2010.

Additionally, there are also important responsibilities awaiting in the U.S.. As I've worked and served here in Africa I've realized the value/need for higher education and training. These opportunities are only available in the U.S. and will be pursued upon my return.

Presently, I am now looking at departing Tenwek early June and residing in Columbus, Ohio shortly thereafter. My burden for the developing world is strong and I intend to be a part of it. Regarding when and where I return to 'the field' is yet to be determined.

In light of this change, I have presently received enough financial support to see me through the rest of my time here at Tenwek Hospital. This means I am requesting you to discontinue your financial support. Any excess funds in my ministry account when I leave the field will remain for a set time and/or be transferred elsewhere in WGM's ministry at my discretion. For example, I may transfer some funds to various ministry needs which I have become aware of during my work here at Tenwek Hospital.

God's faithfulness through the generosity of others has been incredible!

With many thanks - God Bless,

Stephen

South Sudan - health care, lepers, and life...

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31v8-9

I've just returned from over a month in South Sudan. Tenwek Hospital is beginning to explore a partnership with another hospital - Memorial Christian Hospital - located in Werkok in the Jonglei state of Sudan. Although my role became one vastly different than what I was prepared for I was no less fortunate to be able to partake positively in a hands on way in the life some.

I've God to thank for that and the generosity of others who work hard in the west to support this work which I'm so grateful to be a part of.

Below are some pictures and descriptions of life in south Sudan.

The Cessna Caravan which carried us and supplies to Memorial Christian Hospital (MCH) in Werkok, South Sudan.

The north side of the hospital compound - where life happens when one is not in the hospital itself.

A picture of MCH. In the morning there were patients gathered under the overhang awaiting evaluation and treatment. You can just see the corner of the white shipping container where I spent many long and hot hours working with Aret to create an Inventory and organizational system for the hospital supply of medications.

The inside of "the yellow container" - full of hospital supplies in unmarked boxes on top of unmarked boxes. We worked long and hard sorting, recording, organizing and labeling boxes and creating an inventory. Not to mention that if it was in the afternoon the ambient temperature was somewhere around 130 with no air movement! It was worth it. :)

South Sudan is composed of many different tribes. Cattle are significant to virtually all as a source of wealth, security, and livelihood in general. Presently the Dinka are experiencing attacks from the Murle who are making raids - killing Dinka and stealing cattle and children due to high infertility rates among the Murle. The un-official observation among locals is that the north Sudan government is indirectly supplying the Murle and capitalizing on tribal unrest to create instability during the coming elections. Such tactics are not uncommon of the extreme Arab-Muslim north (ever heard of Darfur?). As the Dinka represent the largest tribe in south Sudan it is not far fetched for them to hold this perspective.

On a visit to a nearby "tuckul" (house/hut) this lady initiated posing next to her cooking with pride. How does your kitchen compare?

Likely younger than she appears, the hard life is evident on this mama's face. In South Sudan each tribe has it's own decorative facial scarring which indicates their tribe. The v-shaped scars on her forehead represent the Dinka tribe.

An empty can left over from food-aid from the US.

This is how the laundry gets done. The nice part is that with the high heat, sun and wind everything is dry in about 5 minutes!

This animal was caught in the bush by some nationals and surrounded, cornered and beaten to death. Without a Giant-Eagle supermarket people here do what they can to survive and take what happens to come along. The odd thing about this one is NO ONE had ever seen this animal before - ever. If anyone can tell definitively what it is, you will be the first.

The more usual fare - Antelope - shot that morning.

All kinds of things are found in the bush, including this baby Antelope(?). Mary, one of the cooks at MCH is helping it out with a little breakfast.

A leper colony in Malek. Ajak, the Dr. at MCH has been advocating to the UN about the need to care for these people. The disease is completely curable and affordable to do so - yet they are overlooked and uncared for by local authorities because of corruption and lack of "value". I was incredibly touched by the children, whose laughter and smiles beguile the hardship, poverty and neglect that has defined their life. The following are some pictures of just some of them.

A mothers love is just as strong in Malek as in Ohio.

With the help of others Dr. Ajak of MCH is initiating a partnership with the Murle in developing health care at an old abandoned hospital site in Murle territory. Given that the Murle are currently attacking, killing, and abducting Dinka children this peaceful gesture speaks volumes toward the desire for peace and unity.

This is one of the buildings - Pibor (home to the Murle tribe) - sits one of several buildings that may be used as a center for health care. Currently it is used as a church. As I took this picture 3 young boys raced out of nowhere and without warning struck the coolest martial arts poses ever - as seen below.

An up-close shot of a wall of the church. Hundreds of bullet holes are visual reminders of all the conflict that has characterized south Sudan.

Drawn with chalk, Jesus' name is inscripted on a rusting and peeling metal door.

Apparently a martial arts pose is the popular thing among Murle Kids. Note all the bullet holes in the wall behind them.

Murle children

In the market at Pibor a sharp dressed man poses for a picture.

The genuine caring and hospitality of the southern Sudanese was incredibly humbling. One example was the staff buying a goat and preparing it as a feast to say thank you to those of us about to leave. A completely unnecessary and loving gesture. The generosity of the poor never ceases to amaze me.

From left to right: Glen, Me, Mike, and Jon. These 3 guys were there filming a documentary. I had my suspicions of a "media presence" but was able to observe them debunk every bad reputation normally associated with professional media. Becoming friends with them was one of the highlights of my trip!

I've just returned...

It's past 1 am here in Nairobi and I've just returned after a little over a month from volunteering work at Memorial Christian Hospital in Werkok South Sudan. Werkok is just north of Bor.

The people there were incredible and I was humbled by them. Lots of good pictures and stories to tell. I won't have a chance to update this for another week but soon there should be pictures up.

God bless!

Stephen

Hi everyone! In about 30 minutes i'm off to south Sudan. There is a small hospital there which needs some nursing help and I am privilaged enough to be a part of that. So long as all goes according to plan I'll be there until Feb 19th when I return back to my (not so) old life at Tenwek Hospital.

Please pray for the following.

- that I would be strong in the lord
- that I would be able to help in significant ways
- for quality communication and learning of the Dinka language
- safety

I was able to quickly write down some short descriptions of the pictures I posted the other day. This was all done very quick so please pardon all the spelling errors and whatever else.

I'll unable to do any online updates until I come back from S. Sudan so, until then, God bless!

Stephen

In this national forest which was decimated during the post election upheaval beehives are built and put in the few remaining trees to protect them from being cut down.

Kids get shy and laugh when their picture is taken. They always want to see the image on the back of the camera. This invariably results in more laughter and more pictures.
Highschool Kids from around Tenwek who compose the teen bible study. They wanted to do something for someone during their school break so we ended up planting a field full of corn and beans. The field is owned by an orphanage and will end up feeding the kids.
Kenya is the worlds 3rd largest tea producer. Kericho is the area where it all comes from and this is a tea field there. Specifically a Unilever (read: Lipton) owned field. So this is where your lipton tea is coming from.

My sister Mary's last night in Kenya saying good bye to our cousins whom she lived with and the kids she taught. Having her here was a wonderful time. I'll miss her!

One of the highschool kids who was posing for a photo during a football (soccer) match. The ball had just gone between us and he was stuck between getting his picture and trying to score. Hence his apprehensive smile.

The World Gospel Mission (WGM) staff group photo. I'm in there somewhere...
Sitting next to Reuben I'm holding a Mursik gourd. To make mursik one fills the gourd with fresh milk, adds a specific charcol and sets it in a corner to fermet for at least a week or so. The grey, clotted fermented drink is thought to be quite refreshing. I'm sort of getting used to it...
One of many precious kids. Her hair is blond from malnutrition.

A special needs child from Maureen's special school looking good in some star sunglasses!
The ostrich is a better runner than mother. As evidenced by her eggs laying on the ground besider her.
Feeling frazzled but having fun during a hectic day of ortho surgery...
Myself, Dr. Dan Galat (ortho) and a surgery resident and friend named Angira whose wedding I was in later this last year, as seen below.
Some of the wedding party. The tailor blocked up the top of my orange shirt with brown so that the orange would clash so bad with my white skin! We all had a great time.
Another machete injury caused by farming dispute. I wish I had the post op picture which would show a normal looking hand with an incredible suture line.
Shamba (farm) foot. The dirt is hard to scrub off and causes infections in the open wounds. A challenge in any working environment.
An upper arm bone fracture which was reduced back into normal position and held together with a metal plate and screws. The pre operative x ray is shown below.

I am going to be in the U.S. for a few weeks beginning Dec. 17th! I'll be back and forth between Cleveland and Columbus.

During that time I plan to post many pictures and such as I haven't had the time or connection recently.

I plan to put together pictures with stories to share about what is going on here in Kenya. Should be good. Let me know if your interested and I'll post the date it will happen in Columbus and Cleveland.

Much appreciation and thanks to all for still looking into this blog. Praise God!

Stephen

Birthday, Mathare and the Sunrise...

Had the opportunity to spend a week in Nairobi with my sister Mary at Robyn Moore's house. Robyn is a PNP and oversees the medical care of around 1000 children in and around the city. We were able to accompany and help out where possible in various orphanages and had a great time. The picture above is of Mary, me and the cake Robyn made for my birthday (27 years now).

Twice now I have been humbled by this girl in pink. Her name is Esther and she lives in an orphanage in Mathare (muh-thar-ee), a Nairobi slum with a reputation for its harshness even when compared to other slums in the area. Esther's history is unclear even by those who know her best. What is known is she was neglected and abandoned by her mother. Some time later she went to live with her uncle(s) who abused her severely . She also suffers from epilepsy. As a consequence of her life so far she does not or can not talk, acts out inappropriately and generally is in a world of her own. Inaccessible. Here is an excerpt from my journal from that day...

"...was all this morning in the Mathare slum with kids who have real problems (I still eat every day, right?). Glad to be there holding the kid with the soggy pants (pictured above) in one arm. He was maybe 1 or 2 years old and starved for just some loving touch. Any loving touch. The slums are so bad to the human spirit, to the human life. Poor little Esther was still there. Oddly dressed even for a slum girl. Her stare still semi-blank and drooling on herself - she had a seizure recently and hit her head. What kinds of things has she experienced, seen, had done to her? Stories she can never tell. She (in this world) will never get to enjoy loving parents, a good steak dinner at "home", a Christmas tree with presents all neatly wrapped beneath. I can barely comprehend the difference between my world and Esther's..."

What's the point? Why blog about her instead of anything else?
Because she should motivate us. Not towards feeling bad or guilty about how good we do have it. That helps no one. Rather, she motivates towards using what we do have for the benefit of others.

We have significant material wealth. Praise God. But how are we using it to practically love others? Girls like Esther remind me of the need to make the most of every opportunity to use what we have toward loving others. The poor of the world need tangible love.

Ephesians 5v1-2 "Be imitators of god, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us..."


Beautiful sunrise on top of Mt. Motigo