FIRST WEEK UPDATE

Jaumbo!!

We made it safely and are about to finish up our first week here at the Chimala Mission Hospital.  On our way to the Mission from the hospital our shocks went out on the bus, so we spent an extra day in Dar es Saalam.  We also traveled through a game park on the way (saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, water buffalos, and tons of monkeys).  We are here and loving it!

Christian and I have been working in the pediatric unit this week.  We wake up for breakfast and a devotional at the hospital every morning at 730.  We then go with the doctors to make rounds looking at new patients and the progress of others.  On the pediatric unit we have seen almost everything… Malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, severe dehydration, pneumonia, broken bones, and congenital defects that we cannot do anything about.   We mainly give out antibiotics, oral rehydration solution, collect lab specimens, and start IVs on the young ones.  Christian enjoys blowing up balloons and giving them coloring books.  I don't think they have ever seen these before, but enjoy having something to call their own.  Our favorite kids are 5 month old twins.  It is a girl, Gladness, and a boy, God (and they both have Mohawks!!) .  The girl is the oldest and sucks her thumb (just like Chrissy) and the boy throws up a lot (just like me!).  In Swahili, the oldest (Christian and Gladness) are called Kuluya (pronounced cool-oo-wa) and the youngest (God and I) are called Doto.

We really enjoy being here on the Mission and spending time sharing God's love with the people here.  Please continue to pray for our group and the patients we see each day.  Tomorrow Christian and I are going to a new church in the Mbeya with the doctor and his wife and the missionary here.  Learning the language is not as bad as we thought, but please pray that we can communicate love and God's will through our actions.  Thanks for the support and we will send another update soon!!    

 -Kwa Herini

P.S. Christian has pics but cannot upload them now but we will make a big slide show in the end!

Here We Go Again!

It has been a long week in anticipation of today! We about an hour away from leaving to go to the airport to try the long process over again. We are all praying the the wild card, aka volcano, slept well last night. I can't wait to meet up with our team in Detroit because in any stressful situation we can make it fun.

Here are some pictures of our last goodbye. One is a picture I took out of the plane as we were flying to Amsterdam. It was a very peaceful and beautiful moment for me as I watched the sunset in America...and right before our plane turned around. But God is good and I know everything happens for a reason! Now I need to go wake up baby Paul...peace!

Right back were we started from

No one can stop the "Wonder twins"... except for an Icelandic Volcanic Ash Cloud.
Things were going well as our group of 13 was in-flight on our way to Amsterdam. We were enjoying our time together, our choice of chicken or pasta dinner, and currently flying over Boston when a voice came on the intercom, "Psssh... This is your Captain speaking. The airspace in Amsterdam has just been closed due to ash from the volcano in Iceland. We are now en route back to Detroit. We will be landing in approximately an hour." It took about five minutes for reality to set in. We had already said goodbye, bonded with our group, and prepared our hearts to be with the people of Tanzania. However, we soon realized that God is in control and we can only do the best with what has been given us.
Now, Christian and I find ourselves back at home. Here is the game plan: try again on Saturday the 22th. We will be flying the same route to Tanzania (just a week later). There is still a possibility that the volcanic ash will send us back again, but we have to try.
Please continue to pray for our group, God's mission, and the people of Tanzania. Also, specifically that the volcano will not disrupt our travel again on the 22th. Thank you for your prayers and support!!

Isaiah 58:10-11

"...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-sourched land and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-wastered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

Ready...Set...GO!

Tomorrow is the big day! Paul likes to say we are "peacing out". I can't wait to get the show on the road...but I know it is going to be a very long road (2 days to reach our destination to be exact). Tri Cities airport, Detroit, Amsterdam, Dar es Salaam...then driving through a game park (near Kilimanjaro), spending the night somewhere possibly, then circling south to Mbeya, which is near Chimala Hospital (check out the link below) where we are staying. As I reflect on this moment, I feel extremely excited to venture off into the unknown and grateful for this opportunity. However, I am extremely exhausted because I graduated yesterday and haven't had time to just relax. But I would not trade this experience for anything. I feel like I have so much more to say before I leave, but I know that the best is yet to come!

I have attached some photos that show some of our preparation: 4 shots (even though I am now a nurse, I am still a wimp), graduation, and packing our medical supplies. I hope Paul and I will be able to manage our blog while we are in Tanzania...I guess we will find out soon!