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Saturday, 30 September 2006
praying for rain?
Hi All!
Ok, be honest, who of you prayed for rain for me after that last email?  Today it's been raining on and off all day!  So it's not actually rain, more like sprinkles, but you can't imagine my surprise at having rain--- in September!!!!  Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all, I am just very, very surprised!  :-)  I would really like to have a good shower, one that will help knock all the dust out of the sky, but this is one of those 'just enough to mess up the dust on the windshield' kind of things.  :-)
Tonight is my last night on night duty.  Last night was truly awful.  We started with having 39 patients, meaning I took 20 and my colleague took 19.  But that was before we got the 4 admissions, the last one which came at 5 am!!  It was so busy that I was still giving medications when day shift arrived!  And of course I still hadn't done the paperwork for the last admission or restarted any of the IVs that weren't working!  It was one of the nights that make me wonder why I chose to be a nurse!  (Of course the answer is to help people in their suffering, when they are at their most vulnerable and in need of a compassionate touch- but after having to work that hard for a whole 12 hrs it makes me wonder....)  I came home and ate an entire candy bar!!! Hey, I am just being honest with you!! It was a Cadbury Fruit & Nut which really just has raisins and almonds, but it's turned out to be my favorite here.  I had a nice big glass of Vanilla Coke to go with it too!  I then took 2 Benadryl and went to bed!  Thankfully I slept really well, but I am still not ready to go back in tonight!  However, it is my last night so maybe that will help me to get through it!  I'll let you guys know next week how it went!
Speaking of letting you guys know, there is a possibility that I will be without internet for a bit.  When I set up my account I paid for 6 months, and haven't really thought of it since. However, 6 months is up today.  Rob & Alisa are traveling to Windhoek tomorrow (the only place you can pay for it), so they are going to pay on Monday or Tuesday.  There is a possibility that if they don't have the payment they will turn off my service until it is paid.  Then again, this is Africa, so who knows!  :-)  All that to say, I may or may not have internet over the next few days.  I also think that my communication will slow a little bit with the arrival of Kristin, the doctor I told you guys about.  She arrives on Tuesday and will be coming to Rundu on Wednesday.  In email communication she seems really nice and I am excited about her coming!  Being alone in this big house is hard sometimes so I am really looking forward to her coming.  :-)  Having her here though means I will have someone to talk with and will probably be on the internet less.  :-)  But I will still try to keep you all posted about what is going on with me! 
love and hugs to you all!
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 7:17 PM BST
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Tuesday, 26 September 2006
part 1: housing & work struggles
Hi Dear Ones!
Recently someone reminded me that I haven't been sharing much about my actual life here.  She said vacations don't really count, that she wanted to know how I am doing.  Ask and you shall receive!  :-)  I didn't think it was fair to just write to her though, so here is a random smattering of snapshots about my life in Rundu.
housing
I still haven't heard anything about moving to the hospital campus.  Rob said that Dr. Yuri (the Ukrainian chief of staff over the whole hospital) thought some of the units would be completed soon, but that news hasn't officially trickled down to me yet.  So it looks like I will be here for a while longer.  So far my taxi driver is still proving to be punctual and becoming somewhat of a friend. 
The good news is that I am going to be getting a roommate for the month of October!  Dr. Kristin Chlouser is a specialty urology surgeon and will be here doing some surgeries and teaching Rob and some of the other docs how to perform some of these intricate procedures.  I would rather not get into the details, but there are some female issues that require this specialty knowledge that Rob kept seeing repeatedly.  Through some of his contacts he found Kristin, who is spending the first year out of her residency traveling in Africa and India to do and teach these procedures.  It is a huge blessing that she has agreed to come and teach these not necessarily life saving but dignity and health preserving techniques.  Please pray that her time here will be productive and that all the patients that she needs to see will come out of the woodworks to be seen.  Please also pray that our time of living together would be encouraging and non-stressful for both of us.
the weather
Right now we are at borderline spring/summer.  October and November are supposed to be the hottest months here and the end of September is definitely leading us towards that!  The odd thing is that we are in the dry season, yet it is considered spring.  Even more odd though is that even though we haven't had rain since like April, trees are still budding and flowers are blooming!  There is a big tree in my yard right now that has these beautiful purple/bluish bell shaped flowers.  Every morning when I return from work the night breeze has blown a fresh carpet of these flowers onto the ground, so I feel like a princess whom God has created a petal strewn pathway for! :-)  (delusions of grandeur I know- maybe this place is getting to me in unexpected ways... ha ha)  It is absolutely beautiful! 
However, the not nice part of living in the sandy desert is that the drier it gets the dustier it gets.  During the day you can see the haze of dust if you look outside!  When a car drives by of course it makes it even dustier, which is just kind of gross.  There is one advantage to all of this dust though.  The sunsets every single night are just amazing.  Even though there aren't any clouds, the horizon turns red like the sun is protesting its exit by creating a blazing fire burning its way through the earth crashing us into the night.  Many nights you can look right into the sun and it not hurt your eyes because it is so masked by dust.  It's beautiful!
work
As most of you know I am still on night duty.  It has honestly been the hardest thing I have ever done as a nurse.  There are only 2 nurses at night, so you split the patients in half and go to work at it.  Right now that means taking anywhere between 16-19 patients each!  There are two separate assessments and two rounds of medications that have to be done which means there is a lot of work!  I come home completely exhausted at the end of the shift!  The weeks where I only work three days it's not so bad, but the others where I work four in a row is just a killer!  It took me 3 days to recover from it last time.  This week I will work 4 nights, get two off then switch back to day shift!  (I hope I survive!)
Last time I wrote to you I said that I was having a hard time reconciling the differences in my view of life and medicine versus the view of those around me.  I would like to tell you that this struggle is getting easier, but it's just not.  Please pray for me as I seek to find ways of elevating the level of care and compassion that those around me give.  To give you an idea of the kind of things that I deal with, I would like to tell you of the really sad night I had last week.  This is going to be hard for some of you to read.  I truly wish that I didn't have stories like this to share with you.  I wish I could say that we are able to save every child from death, but that's not the case.  I share this story with you to give you a more complete picture and to maybe help you understand some of the things that I struggle with here.  If you are having a bad day you might want to skip this section and come back to it later... 
When it is time to give medications one frequently discovers that several of the IVs are not working, so to speed the medicine giving process we wait until after all the other medicine is given before restarting the ones that aren't working.  So it was while I was restarting some of these IVs that we got a new admission, a 3 month old baby named Magreth, with the diagnosis of pneumonia.  Since I was busy trying to start an IV, my co-worker assessed the baby and started the paperwork.  She asked me where to put the patient so I told her that we had very few open beds, but the ones we did have open were in rooms 1 & 6, so she could decide.  She placed the child and mother in room 6.  After starting two more IVs I went to wash my hands (we have only one sink and that is in the bathroom at the far end of the ward, so I tend to use the closer one which is in the isolation ward at the other end of the ward).  After I had washed my hands I walked by room 6 and heard what I knew was severe difficulty in breathing.  I immediately got a few extra blankets to prop the baby up (it's easier to breath in more of a sitting position than laying flat) and said a prayer over the her. 
From the few months of experience I have had at the hospital I knew that the baby was really too sick for us to be able to help her.  I knew that without the critical intervention of putting her on a respirator (breathing machine) that her body would not be able to withstand the demands of trying to get enough oxygen into her body for much longer.  And, because we don't have that capability at our hospital, I knew that she wasn't going to survive the night.  After a short while I moved mother and baby into room 7, which, located next to the nurse's desk and having a big window to be able to watch the patients, is considered the critical care area within the pediatric ward, and placed her on oxygen by mask.  I knew that it wouldn't make a huge difference, but I also knew that I couldn't just stand there and do nothing to help her.  At 4:10 am the mother knocked on the window to get my attention.  I knew with that knock that little Magreth had stopped breathing, so I rushed into the room and did CPR.  The truly sad thing is that I knew she was gone, I only did the CPR so that the mother would be able to know that I tried.  After only a few minutes (which seems like eternity when you are doing CPR) I stopped because there was no response in the baby.  So I got the stethoscope and verified that there was no heart beat and pronounced the death.  The mother sat there silently.  I put my hand on her shoulder and stood there for several minutes.  Not being able to speak the language means that any comfort I try to give must come through my presence.   
One of the things about the situation that is hard for me to deal with is that the child probably could have lived if it had been brought in at the beginning of the disease process.  As it is, many people do not come to the hospital until they are critically ill, after they have been sick for a long time.  Many lives could be saved if early detection along with early treatment was practiced.  This is something that I stress to the nursing students on a regular basis.  But then again, in such a poverty stricken area, how can you tell a family to spend the money on taking a child (which has little value in this society to begin with) to the clinic to be seen, when the money could be used to feed the family for several days.  There are no obvious answers.  All I can ask you to do is pray.  Another thing that is frustrating in this particular situation is that my co-worker thought it was ok to not be aggressive in the treatment of this child but simply to place her in the room farthest from the nursing station.  It is also very difficult because I know that in the States that the outcome would have been so different.  That knowledge makes these kind of situations so difficult.  Please pray for both Rob and I as we deal with the hardships of practicing medicine in an under-resourced establishment, and as we deal with the nationals and the staff in their attitudes toward life and health care. 
visiting
Since I have been on night duty my social life has completely plummeted!  However, last week Sarah (Rob & Alisa's youngest) asked if she could come to Auntie Kimmie's and watch Veggie Tales.  Of course my answer was yes!  So, she came over and we watched not one, but two episodes!  Ok, so she didn't really sit through the all of it, like any 3 year old she was up and down and doing this and that, but we really enjoyed our special time together!  :-) 
After almost a month, I finally got up in time to go see my Zimbabwe friends!  It had been almost 3 months since I had seen Auntie, so it was a really good visit.  I am constantly amazed at how much they love me and love on me when I am with them.  They have truly made me a part of their family, and I absolutely love it! 

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 11:06 PM BST
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part 2: lizards & snakes, pictures
lizard killing
I really didn't mean to do it, I promise, and I did feel really bad about it afterwards.  It's true that I don't like the nasty little creatures, but I don't want them to die, after all, they eat bugs!  It was the week that I had a really nasty stomach bug and Rob said he would bring some antibiotics over after work.  So about that time I went and took the padlock off of my gate.  I got to the screen door and opened it slightly but thought I heard Rob at the gate so I tried to push it closed while I was looking out towards my gate.  It wouldn't close so I pushed a little harder (bad idea).  It still wouldn't close, so I looked to see why.  That's when I saw it's body stuck in the door jam with it's innards having now become out-ards... ICK!  It wasn't moving at all so I knew it was already dead.  I was freaked out so I closed the main door and had to leave him there.  I knew that I couldn't do anything to him without freaking myself out more, so I waited to see if any birds or other critters would come and get his body in the night.  Unfortunately they didn't so I had to wait a few more days for his body to get dried out and hard so I could knock him out with the broom.  YUCK!! 
black mamba sighting
Ok, so it was dead, but I still got to see one!  On one of his visits, Mick & Rob went to play tennis.  After playing they went to have a cool drink and watch the sunset over the river.  While standing there a black mamba came up behind Mick!  After chasing it down with a rake they were finally able to kill it!  Then they brought it home for all of us to look at!  Gross but kinda cool.  After all, I think dead is the safest way to see one of the deadliest snakes in Africa!  In the pictures (yes there are pictures) you will notice that the snake isn't black at all, it is kind of a gray with a hint of tan.  That's because the 'black' in it's name actually comes from the fact that the inside of it's mouth is black.  Sorry we didn't get any pictures of the inside of the mouth, though I guess that would have been cool!  Next time the guys kill a black mamba I'll definitely take pictures of the mouth! :-)  hee hee
pictures
Speaking of pictures, I finally got a chance to post the leopard and cheetah pictures from Carole & David's trip to the private ranch.  There is also a picture of Sarah when she was visiting me.  I thought you should all see the sunset so there is one of those too.  The other two are pictures from a fire in the empty field behind me.  I was completely oblivious to it until Rob & Alisa sent me a text message telling me to look outside.  It was an amazingly fast brush fire!  I stayed outside watching it until it died out in the corner of the lot.  The other picture is Peter (one of Mick & Suzanne's) holding the dead mamba and a close up of it's head.  There are also two final pictures of my little Anna.  One is with Hannah (Mick & Suzanne's oldest) and another is her asleep with a piece of bread under her cheek!  The day the Rineers (Mick, Suzanne, all 6 children plus 2 of Rob's) came to visit me at work, Anna was a little overwhelmed by them all and I couldn't get her to smile for them!  That's ok, she is a cutie pie anyways!  :-)  The name of the album is 'smattering of random pics'.  Hope you enjoy them!
         
I hope this email sheds some light into my life and ways that you can pray for me.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
love and hugs all around!
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 10:10 PM BST
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Saturday, 23 September 2006
Empty Nest Syndrome
Hello Dear Family and Friends!
Based on the subject of the email I am sure that most of you have guessed that it has finally happened.  Anna has been discharged.  It happened on Wednesday so I didn't get a chance to see her.  I have complete mixed emotions about it.  Children aren't meant to grow up in institutions, which is basically what was happening since she had been in the hospital for almost 3 months.  However, I question the family's ability to give her the level of care that she will need to fight these diseases that are plaguing her body.  Between the TB treatment and anti-retroviral drugs for the HIV, she is going to be on daily medications for the rest of her life, not to mention the physical and emotional needs she will have.  I hope and pray that her extended family will fall in lover with her as much as I have and that the need to care for her will be so overwhelming that they will care for her like she is their own child (or better).  Thank you all for your loving prayers for Anna.
many blessings,
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 10:48 PM BST
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Wednesday, 6 September 2006

Hi Everyone!
Just thought I would give you an update on my little Anna.  While I was away on holiday her dad was admitted to the hospital and passed away.  Apparently sometime after the funeral the family showed up and stated that they would take Anna.  However, that was almost two weeks ago and Anna is still in the hospital.  Please pray that things would work out for the best for her and that she would be taken well care of.
As far as work, I volunteered to work night duty for the next week (maybe two) while we are in a critical staff shortage.  Please pray that I will be able to survive!
Just to confuse everyone, we just went through another time change this past weekend!  :-)  So now I am 6 hours ahead of those of you in Atlanta and 8 hours ahead of those of you in New Mexico.  (OK you are right in the middle at 7 hrs- in case you didn't figure that one out!  ha ha)  Of course when you guys go through your time change then we will have to change it all again!   Could this be any more confusing?!?!?!
I am still in need of writing to you about the Etosha trip and our conference.  I did however, get a chance to post pictures for the first two parts of my vacation.  The albums are 'Victoria Falls' and 'Etosha trip August 2006'.  I will get pictures from the conference up soon!
Praises:
  • Mick & Suzanne had a surprise court date about Christy and they were awarded foster care of her!  Congratulations guys!
  • conference went really well!  It was a time of rest and renewal
Prayer Needs:
  • Sue Tops, a missionary in Belgium, is having knee replacement surgery Friday
  • for a suitable situation for Anna
  • for a friend who just miscarried
  • for me as I deal with yet another sinus infection :-(

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 3:35 PM BST
Updated: Sunday, 17 September 2006 9:41 PM BST
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Wednesday, 30 August 2006

Greetings Everybody!
It feels like I haven't been home in forever, but that's because I haven't been!  After this second vacation I finally felt refreshed and ready to enter 'reality' again.  I had one day after we returned to do things like catch up on laundry and go grocery shopping.  Today was back to work though!
For those of you I specifically wrote or who wrote to me, I am sorry I haven't had a chance to respond to you.  Please know that I appreciate your encouragement and love and I will be writing probably this weekend!
I guess I need to start with the first vacation though since I never got the chance to write to you about it.  To say that it is awesome at Victoria Falls is a major understatement!  We did so many things aside from just going to the falls that I really felt like I needed a vacation to recover from the vacation!  In the net few days I will try to write the next installment about out second journey to Etosha and our missionary conference.
Carole, David and I arrived in Linvingstone, Zambia on the 7th in the late afternoon to Jollyboys, a really cool backpackers hostel that we heard about from friends.  We did a little grocery shopping that afternoon and then just rested that evening.  The next morning we awoke earlier than anyone should have to on their vacation so that we could take a day trip down into Botswana to Chobe (Cho-bee) National Park.  Chobe has basically all the same animals as Etosha except that it is on the Chobe River and has crocodiles, hippos, and more elephants.  We saw plenty of the first two, but were a little disappointed in the lack of elephants that we saw.  That was until that afternoon when we went on the riverboat tour of the Chobe River.  We got within about 20 feet of three elephants crossing the river!  After they crossed the river they happily played in the mud, covering themselves in a protective layer of muck and mire.  It was beautiful!  On this river cruise I also got to see Cape Buffalo! 
There is something called the 'Big 5' here in Africa.  Back in the olden days when hunting was still done by bow and arrow, they put together this list of 5 animals containing the lion, leopard, elephant, Cape Buffalo, and the rhino.  They were considered the hardest to kill as well as the ones that you were at risk for turning on you and attacking you while you were hunting them!  So, it was on this trip that I saw the 4th in my list of the 'Big 5'!  For those of you that are curious I only have the leopard left!  However, since they are nocturnal and highly elusive my hopes aren't that high of actually seeing one outside a private ranch (which I think is kind of like cheating). 
That night we had a real dilemma on our hands!  Elvis was playing at a local pub and he had brought along Abba!  How many people get to say that they were traveling in Africa and got to see Elvis?!?!?!  However, we decided that since we had a full day ahead of us the next day that we needed the sleep.  Not to worry, we did actually get to see him!
We were very glad we got the rest because we definitely needed it!  We got up earlier than necessary on vacation, but this time it was so we could spend the day as dare devils!  We went to the Fifth Gorge (located on the Zambezi River) to do the gorge swing, repelling, and something called the Flying Fox.  The Gorge Swing was the best of the three!  Basically, they had a wire (ok, so it was 2 or 3 and it could hold 4 tons of weight, but it was basically a wire) that stretched from one side of the gorge to the other with a rope attached in the middle of it.  After being strapped into two harnesses, they attach the rope to you.  You walk to the edge of the cliff and just step off!  You free fall for 54 meters, which only takes about 3 1/2 seconds, until the rope tenses and pulls you into swinging arc over the gorge.  I did this crazy thing twice!   I would have done it more but there was a catch to it all.  Once you were finished swinging, they lowered you to the ground.  This means they lower you into the bottom of the gorge and you have to climb back out!  With the repelling you also have to walk out, so after 4 trips out of the gorge I decided I was too tired to go again.  The Flying Fox was also cool and it was my second favorite.  Basically they have another set of wires like the first I described, but this time, instead of dropping off of it,  you run off the platform and jump into the sky so that you can fly like a bird!  This one was cool because they used the rope attached to you to pull you back in (no effort required on my part!  Wahoo!).  
I told you that we had an Elvis sighting... well, he came to the Gorge Swing!  In full costume (I have a picture) he and his girlfriend (one of the singers from Abba) actually did the swing!  It was great that we had a chance to see them, even if they were screaming instead of singing!  Ha! Ha!
The 10th was a full day since we basically had three activities.  In the morning we went to another national park (this one much much smaller than any of the others) and went on a walking safari!  This particular park is the home to the only 2 white rhinos in Zambia, and we got to stand within 20 feet of them!  It was awesome and SCARY!!!  We walked through a large portion of the park and learned many interesting animal facts from our guide, Chinga (cheen-gah), such as how to distinguish different animal tracks as well as being able to tell the difference between male and female giraffe droppings!  It was really neat to have a real tour guide along that could share interesting little trivia pieces like that!  Finally we came to the area where the rhinos hang out and they were happily lounging around!  Rhinos have awful eye sight so for the most part we were safe because they couldn't see us.  However they have excellent hearing and smell and they did eventually run us out of the area because they were tired of us. 
That afternoon we finally went to see Victoria Falls itself.  Words cannot describe nor pictures do justice to how amazing and beautiful the falls actually are!  We walked everywhere you could go and still be on the Zambia side of the falls, except for the bridge that crosses over.  This is the bridge you can bungee from and I didn't want to be tempted, so we just looked at it from afar.  :-)  I could have stayed there forever!  I said that we basically had 3 activities.  Well, we found out that we planned our trip coinciding with the full moon.  We didn't know it, but it turned out to be a huge blessing!  During the day there is a beautiful rainbow that can be seen in the mist of the falls.  During a full moon there is enough light from the moon that there is a rainbow at night!  This lunar rainbow was our 3rd activity for the day.  We went late enough in the day that we could just stay until we could see it.  So we watched the sunset from the top of the falls, over the river and had a little picnic.  Then we watched the dark until we could finally see this thin little arc in the air.  We couldn't actually see the colors of the rainbow with our eyes, but the pictures I took with a long exposure show it beautifully! 
The 11th was Carole's birthday so we spent the morning just relaxing.  That evening though we took a sunset cruise on the Zambezi!  It was cool to be cruising along and have hippos pop out of the water next to you.  In Chobe we never saw any hippos in the water so it was cool to get to see it here.  And we got a picture of the hippo with it's mouth open!  (just what we wanted)  We spent the next day lounging and playing Scrabble (my idea of fun!!!) and packing up.  We left Sunday afternoon and arrived safely in Rundu that evening. 
If you asked me I don't think that I could choose just one thing that was my favorite!  It was all so much fun! 
PICTURES
I have chosen only 7 that I thought you would want to see at this point.  I will of course add more, but there are so many that it will take me a while to get to them!  I hope you enjoy the ones I chose!
I love you guys and appreciate your love and your prayers!  I honestly couldn't be here without them!  Keep up the good work!  :-)
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 3:05 PM BST
Updated: Sunday, 17 September 2006 3:33 PM BST
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Tuesday, 15 August 2006

Hi All!
I have been busy since I got home, but I wanted to let you all know that I am home safely from Zambia.  The Falls were absolutely amazing!!!  It is definitely one of the 7 natural wonders of the world!  If I had gone there before choosing Namibia I think my decision would have been swayed to go to Zambia or Zimbabwe!!!!  It really was that awesome!
Unfortunately I won't get a chance to post pictures before I leave in a few days so I will have to do it when I get back at the end of August (I will try to put just one in my journal before I go).  I will write another, more detailed email though before I leave... I just wanted to ease your minds and let you know that I am back!
love and hugs,
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 3:01 PM BST
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Saturday, 5 August 2006

Hello dear friends!
As I write this I am less than twelve hours away from the start of our journey to see Victoria Falls!  The local name for it, when translated, means 'the smoke that thunders'.  I can't wait to see this beautiful part of God's creation!  Please pray for our safety as we travel to and from Zambia and as we do all of our little excursions in that general area.  We should be returning by next Saturday so you will get an update as soon as I can at that point. 
Though Friday was an exciting day (the last day of work before a vacation always is), it was also very hard for me to leave my little Anna there.  The nurses assure me that they will take good care of her in my absence though.  In the journal I plan on posting her picture.  One of the other nurses brought in an old dress of her daughters for Anna to wear.  It hangs on her frame, but she looks so cute in it!
Several of you have written emails to me over the last week that I haven't had a chance to respond to.  I'm sorry!  I do plan on responding, it just might take me a while.  :-)
I pray that this finds all of you blessed! 
love and hugs,
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 9:04 PM BST
Updated: Saturday, 5 August 2006 9:17 PM BST
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Wednesday, 26 July 2006
mass mailer- 7/26 'Third time's a charm'
Morokeni Chome!  (hello friend!)
How is everyone doing?  I am really sorry that it has been a month since I have sent out an email.  It's not that I haven't wanted to, it's just that aside from being busy, it has been hard to find the right words to convey what I have been feeling and experiencing. 
Transportation (third time's a charm)
I want to thank all of you for your prayers and concerns over my taxi situation.  I want to let you know that God has answered your prayers beautifully in the form of my neighbor, Beto.  Every morning as I would wait outside for the other taxi I would see a taxi leaving down the street from me.  After talking to Imelda, she said she knew the drivers (there are 4 taxis at one house) and she would talk to them for me.  Well, it turns out that he is wonderful!  He leaves every morning at the same time to pick up the other drivers for the day so he always leaves at the same time.  So now I am on time to work!  :-)  He is also very prompt to pick me up in the afternoons after work.  What a blessing!  Thanks again for your prayers!
Mosipangero (moe-see-pahng-err-oh) sa Rundu (the Rundu hospital)
Things are the hospital are good, but it seems like it is getting more difficult instead of easier as time goes on!  I guess it is really just a different kind of hard.  When I first started I was just spending my time getting used to the routines and the new environment.  Now that I am becoming more confident in those basic things I am beginning to deal with the different attitudes towards life and death and health care in general, which is a much more difficult task.  The basic things are just technique, which is easy to learn, but the other goes against my own culture and my way of thinking.  I am having a hard time reconciling the two and figuring out how to react/show concern in a way that is sensitive to the cultural that I am in.  Please pray for me in this area as I deal with something new almost every day. 
My daughter Anna
My WHAT?!?!  We have a special 4 year old patient named Anna right now in the ward that has won my heart over.  Her mother has passed away and her father is also sick and can't come very often to see her.  When she first came into the ward she was carried by another nurse and looked more like a corpse than a child.  She couldn't lift her head and she spent all of her time sleeping in bed.  Since she wasn't able to care for herself, I took it upon myself to become her primary caregiver.  I don't feel very good when all I do is lay in bed all day and I figured neither did she, so I started taking her out of her crib to carry her around, to let her sit in my lap or go outside to sit in the sun for a little bit.  I have been spending so much time with her that the other nurses have started calling me her mother and her my daughter! 
Through love, attention and prayers, over the last few weeks I have seen an amazing transformation!  Anna is now able to sit without leaning onto a pillow and feed herself, through daily walks she has started gaining more and more strength and is now able to walk without assistance(!), and she now smiles and laughs!  It has been wonderful to see the way she has responded.  However, on Monday, after being off for the weekend, she was mad at me!  She wouldn't even look at me for the first two days!  Today though she was back to laughing and smiling.  I guess that means I am going to make a special trip in on Saturday to spend a little time with her!  :-)  Maybe just one day of being off won't get me into too much trouble!
There has been some concern for who will be able to take care of Anna once she is sent home, so today the social worker came and interviewed the father.  Since he is unable to care for her at this time, please pray that a situation will be worked out for suitable caretaker for when she is finally discharged.
Church in the Bush
On Sunday the 16th Rob was invited to go with Pastor John to the farthest church that EBC (Evangelical Bible Church- the church that AIM is most closely partnered with here in Namibia) has planted, which is in the village of Kuatarera (kwa-ta-rreh-rrah).  It was too far into the bush to take the children (they get car-sick on regular roads, they wouldn't have survived the bumps and bends of the bush) so Rob invited me to join them!  We started our journey with Pastor John and four other church members from here in Rundu at 7:30am.  After an hour of fabulous off-roading we arrived at the church.  This village has never been visited by any of the AIM missionaries, and I wonder if some of the children had ever even seen a white person!  (None screamed like they do at the hospital but several of them wouldn't come anywhere near Rob or me!)  We were greeted by the entire church, all 25 of them, standing in a row singing to us!  They were singing in Luchazi, but Pastor John told us that the song basically means welcome guests, we accept you.
After a wonderful church service (I always appreciate hearing Rob teach since it's in English and I can easily understand it!) the church cooked us a wonderful traditional meal of mahango and chicken.  Mahango is a grain that is used for many different purposes.  It is dried then pounded three times before it is used to make everything from porridge to a drink that looks sort of like dirty dishwater!  (can you guess that I don't like it? ha ha).  I hadn't had a chance to try porridge made from mahango so it was a good experience for me.  You can probably also guess that though it was a pleasant experience I probably won't be making it for my dinner here at home!  :-)    
Holiday (vacation) is just around the corner!
One of the cool things about being in Africa is getting to see Africa!  :-)  My friend Carole that I have told you about from Canada, has her brother here for a visit right now and they are doing quite a bit of traveling.  Carole has been kind enough to invite me to join them on two parts of their journey.  For the first part we are traveling to Zambia and Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls (no, we are not white water rafting on the Zambezi River, even though it is supposed to be the some of the best rafting you can do anywhere in the world- at least not this time) and will take a day trip down into Botswana to see Chobe National Park.  Then after a week back here in Rundu, we are off to see some more of Namibia.  We are trying to go near Waterburg to a leopard conservancy to see feedings (I hope this works out- it would be awesome!!!), then we will travel to Etosha (yes again) for several days and then spend a night in a Bushman (or San) village seeing how they live. 
At the end of that trip I will be traveling on to Windhoek where we will be having our missionary conference.  Every August all the AIM missionaries take a break from ministry to come together and be ministered to.  We have a guest speaker coming and we will have music and lots of other things that will be great fun.  It will be nice to see everyone again and get to hear some good Biblical teaching in English!
Pictures
There are two new photo albums to look at.  One is 'church in the bush' so you can see our wonderful experience.  I am supposed to get Rob's pictures from him soon so I will add those when I get them.  The other is 'hospital pics 2' which has more pictures of the hospital in general. 
I hope that you are all enjoying a wonderful and safe summer!  Eat some hamburgers for me!  (random question: why is it called HAMburgers when it is really made of BEEF?  Shouldn't we really call them beefburgers?)
love and hugs all around!
kimmie
Praises:
  • My older sister, Valarie, passed her nursing license exam!!!  It was really hard for me not to be at her graduation but I hope she knows how proud I am of her for all her accomplishments!!! 
  • Carole's brother made it safely from Canada and they are enjoying the tours of Namibia they have been doing since his arrival
  • my vacation and our missionary conference is coming up soon!
  • Anna is doing very well! 
Prayer Needs:
  • For Anna as she continues to regain her strength
  • For Carole and her brother as they travel over this week and next week
  • For the traveling that I will be doing with them in August
  • For our missionary conference in August, that it will be a wonderful time of renewal and rest for all of us
  • For me as I deal with the loss of the precious lives of children at work and struggle with how to reconcile my culture to the one I am in.
  • For work visas that still haven't been renewed for Mick and some of the other missionaries here in Windhoek

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 6:48 PM BST
Updated: Wednesday, 26 July 2006 7:31 PM BST
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Friday, 21 July 2006
Winter in Rundu

The winter weather here is quite different than what I am used to!  To start with, not all the vegetation has died like I am used to.  in fact, there are trees and flowers that are still blooming!  This is something that I appreciate, but just haven't gotten used to yet.  Attached below is a picture of my favorite flowering tree.  The flowers are so pretty!  

Another thing that is wierd is the actual temperatures.  The nights are cold and I frequently am in the house with pants, my fleece jacket and a blanket around me!  However, the days are quite the opposite.  It is hot here!  There for a about two weeks the days were quite chilly and it didn't seem to warm up at all.  Now though I can see that that is almost preferable!  (How many of you ever thought you would hear me say it was preferable to be cold?!)  The days get extremely warm, which actually kind of worries me since summer is so far away and going to be so much worse!   


Posted by thekimmieconnection at 11:45 AM BST
Updated: Saturday, 22 July 2006 1:01 PM BST
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Thursday, 20 July 2006
My Prince Has Arrived!

I know that a lot of you have been praying for me so I wanted to let you know my Prince has arrived! 

 

 

 

Wink  Ha! Ha! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I just couldn't resist myself!  Hope you are having a great day!


Posted by thekimmieconnection at 12:01 AM BST
Updated: Saturday, 22 July 2006 1:43 PM BST
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Monday, 29 May 2006
mass mailer- 5/29- work is coming!
Good morning everyone!

How are you doing? I am doing well. I wanted to share the big news with everyone! After more than three months of being a bum, I am actually going to start working! :-)

I had a very nice meeting with the head MD and the Matron of Nursing last week and it was decided that I will actually start working on June 1st! I realize that this is a Thursday, but I think it will be better this way so that I can get a break after just a few days of culture shock! It was decided that I will be working in the Pediatric Ward. My shift will be from 6 am to 4 pm, and I will work Monday through Friday. Hurray for weekends off! :-) I am pretty sure that they are just allowing me to work less than the nurses here and giving me weekends off since I am a volunteer and they don't want to scare me off, but for now I am ok with it! I know that sounds awful, but at this point I know that I am going to need the time to be able to recover from both the physical and emotional part of it.

As many of you know I will be wearing a navy skirt (with pantyhose I might add) with a white top and navy shoes as my uniform. The hospital is supposed to provide me with these items but have been out of supply for the last few years so it is up to me to get them. Thankfully I brought a white scrub top with me and I have been able to find two skirts that will be ok for me to use. The shoes have proven to be a different story though. They don't really wear comfortable shoes. Most of them wear dress shoes to work their 12 hour shift in. I just can't do this, so I am bending the rules a little bit... Mostly with the Matron's approval. Since they don't have shoes for me then I decided to order some clogs from 'Green-Cross', a really nice line of shoes that I have mostly found sold at pharmacies. I don't know how long it will take for them to come in and until then I will just be wearing my sneakers. The Matron said that if I wanted I could wear my sandals, but I honestly don't think that I could wear open toes shoes to work and be comfortable! It goes against all training I have ever had!

Many of you knew that I was supposed to be moving to hospital housing right around the time that I was to start at the hospital. That isn't going to happen, at least not right now. The hospital is currently renovating the nurse's flats and is even putting some of their nurses 'out on the street' until it is finished. That in addition to the fact that they just recruited a small batch of nurses from Kenya to work and gave them any remaining housing adds up to me staying where I am for now. They are saying that it might be as soon as next year that they are able to get me housing (but this is Africa and things don't run on a time schedule like we are used to so I'm not holding out for anything). This does present a problem though. The hospital is about a 45 minute walk away and I know that I am not going to want to walk 45 minutes to and from a ten hour work day five days a week. So what is there for me to do? I haven't quite figured that out. After some prayer I don't think that I am supposed to be buying a car. This means that in the morning I am probably going to contract with a taxi driver to be picked up each day. Yes, it will be a little expensive at N$6 a ride, but isn't convenience always a little expensive? As for the ride home I'm not sure what I will do. At this point I am thinking of walking home since the time will help me clear my head and unwind from the day. Something that you can pray for is that maybe there would be a female co-worker that lives close to me that would volunteer to let me ride with her. I know that God has something planned, I am just waiting to find out what it is!

I am sorry that there aren't any new pictures for you to look at this week. I did take some on Saturday when I went to one of the lodges with some other volunteers and played ping pong but I haven't downloaded them onto the computer yet. But other than that nothing that exciting has been happening!

I pray that this finds you well.
much love and many hugs!
kimmie

Praises:
I was well received by the one doctor and the nurses that I met on the Pediatric ward last week
I get along really well with the Matron of Nursing
Rob's brother and family arrived safely yesterday
my friends from Zimbabwe made it back safely this weekend

Prayer needs:
for me as I start work, that God will give me peace and calm my anxiety, that things will go smoothly, that I will bond with the other staff
continued recovery for the two ladies that had surgery and Audrey (heart surgery)
Alisa's parents are in the middle of flying home, they left yesterday to go back to Canada

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 12:01 AM BST
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Monday, 22 May 2006
prayer needs
Hi everyone!

Just wanted to say thank you for all of your prayers for Audrey, my friend Michele's 2 year old. She came through the open heart surgery well. She had a few complications and stayed in the hospital longer than they originally anticipated, but she is home now and recovering well. Please be in prayer for her continued healing.

There are also two ladies that recently had some female surgery, please pray for their healing as well.

You guys are the best!

lots of hugs and love!
kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 10:16 PM BST
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What a week!


From left to right: Lynn, Rick, me, Elizabeth, Gary and Michael John

Last week was a wonderful blessing! Elizabeth and Gary are missionaries that live a few towns over (almost a 4 hour drive), and it was their pastor, associate pastor and music leader from Birmingham, Alabama that came to do some church training. Along with them came a healthy dose of Peanut Butter M&M's and a box of Bisquick, so you can guess that I adored them immediately! ;-)

Though most of my days were spent cooking lunches for the guys, I did get to attend some of the sessions that they taught. It was so wonderful to be able to understand first hand what was being said in church! Of course they were translating into Luchazi (the language my church here is in), so I thought it was a little funny that the tables were turned. :-)

For the meals I treated the guys as much as I could. I even had a first attempt at home made tortillas! There is no such thing here are Mexican food- so it's just what I can cook. Since you can't effectively cook Mexican food for one, it was the perfect opportunity to try it! The tortillas weren't round, but they tasted perfect! I also treated the guys to sweet tea with each meal. And, since they were kind enough to bring me the Bisquick, we had pancakes not just once, but twice! The syrup here is good, just super thick. Though it was a little different, the breakfast was a little bit like heaven!

Other than that, my week ended on Saturday with some exciting things! My day started with an English class. No I am not taking one, I am teaching one! Don't you feel sorry for my students?! One of the translators asked if I would be willing to teach a class once a week to help anyone who wanted to come to further their English abilities. Since I am not working at this point I said yes. (when I start I might change it to twice a month instead of every weekend) This first class only had two students, but since they announced it at church Sunday I a sure that this coming week will by much more full! Please pray for my teaching ability!

My Saturday ended with a Birthday party where I met many other Americans! I was so excited! I was invited to this party for a volunteer that is with another organization, and the guest list was almost entirely volunteers! There were many different organizations present including the Peace Corps. I was so surprised to know how many other Americans are here in Rundu! I hadn't met any and had only heard of one other through the grapevine. I am thinking of having a 4th of July party at my house since I have so many people to help me celebrate! :-) This Thursday I have even been invited to one of the girl's houses for pizza and a movie!

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 9:16 PM BST
Updated: Monday, 22 May 2006 10:06 PM BST
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Sunday, 21 May 2006
mass mailer- 5/22 I survived Etosha National Park (and it survived my driving)
Hello Dear Family and Friends!



How are you all doing? I have been really busy these last few weeks. I am sorry that I didn’t communicate with you sooner that I made it back safely from the park. We had a great time! Below is a fairly detailed account of our trip and the animals that we saw. The album on yahoo is ‘Etosha National Park- Holiday May 2006’. There are many more photos than what are on the website, but I think that you get a good mixture of everything that we saw. The pics are a mixture of all 4 of our cameras; I took the best shots to put on the site! There is also an album ‘getting my hair done’ that I know many of you were looking forward to!



As for last week, I had a great time hosting 3 pastors from Alabama that were here doing church training. It was wonderful to have Southerners in my home! Imagine their surprise to be served sweet tea in Africa! I am going to put a little blurb about our week on the journal tonight so you can look for that as well as a photo of all of us (https://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com/journal). I hope that the journal about Etosha isn’t too boring!



5/9/06

Yesterday I arrived in Grootfontein. I was almost able to tell you that it was an eventful trip. However, while we were driving we crested a hill as noticed that there was a huge group of guinea fowl in the road and we noticed that one had bit hit. Now, in certain parts of America we joke about road-kill stew and in my mind I was laughing about it. That was until I noticed that we were slowing down. The driver pulled up to a stop right next to it so all he had to do was open the door to look at it. He apparently decided that it wasn’t damaged so he decided to take it home with him! He reached down, picked it up, placed it under his feet, and away we went! Other than that I arrived safely and soundly with a great story to tell!



Today we arrived in Etosha National Park! I love driving by the way. It is a little confusing since it is on the left side of the road and the driver’s side is the right side of the car, but I am getting used to it. My partners in crime have really laughed since I repeatedly hit the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal! Everything is backwards and it just takes some getting used to!



Within the first five minutes of being inside the park we saw giraffes and springbok. Since then we have seen ostriches, Oryx (gemsbok), zebras, wildebeests, and more and more springbok. I felt kind of like Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s European Vacation saying ‘Look kids, Big Ben’ each time I said ‘There’s a springbok!’ Tonight we are going to the watering hole and will hopefully be lucky enough to see some big game. We almost saw some lions, the park rangers told us which road they were down, but when we went down there we didn’t see anything. Maybe tomorrow!



5/14/06

Ok, so I got so excited for the rest of the trip that I didn’t journal, but I can fill you in on the details now!



The first day we arrived at the park at 10:24am. We drove to the Chudob waterhole in an attempt to see lions but there were none there that we could see. Then we drove to the farthest campsite from the entrance we used. It’s name was Okaukuejo (oh-coo-quay-oh). We set up camp and realized that the tent we borrowed wasn’t big enough for four people (Kelly opted to sleep in the car). Then we went to the waterhole to sit and wait for animals to come. We didn’t see anything for a few hours then decided to go eat. We were told that at least once we should pay the big money and eat at the lodge so that we could try the different game meat. It was a bit of a disappointment in that there was only one game meat, Oryx, and it wasn’t that great. But in general eating at the lodge and getting lots of different foods was great! While we were eating however a male lion came to the waterhole. We were totally bummed!



The second day we drove from the Okaukuejo waterhole/campsite to Halali, which is the middle one. That day as we were driving, the only unusual animals that we saw were warthogs and a giant lizard! The warthogs were a mom and her baby. Chances are that we were close to elephants because of all the dung on the road, but we never saw any. Of course we went through some thick tree patches, so they might have just been beyond our sight… We also saw numerous Oryx, springbok, giraffes, zebra, wildebeests and lots of pretty landscape!



That night after we set up camp we were determined not to miss any animals at the waterhole like we did the first night, so we set up shifts so that one person was always at the waterhole. It paid off because we were able to see a rhino at 7:20 pm that night! It was funny because Kelly and I were eating while Aimee and Kimberly were at the waterhole. The sign we agreed upon was doing a missed call on the cell phones (calling but hanging up before the person answers). While I was eating I jumped when my phone rang! I ran to the car, drove to the toilet/shower area to get Kelly who was washing up after dinner, drove back to the campsite to get her camera, then drove to the parking area at the waterhole. Then we ran all the way to the seating area. Of course by this time I couldn’t breath and it was hard to hold the camera still enough to get a photo! The digitals that we all got weren’t great, I am hoping that my 35mm took better photos! We were so happy that we didn’t miss it! Then we couldn’t stop giggling because of what we had to do to get there!



This is also the night that three of us fell asleep while waiting for animals so show up. I was the first to fall asleep and I am told that I started snoring! Kimberly was kind enough to shake the bench I was on to keep my quiet! Thanks Kimberly! I owe you one!



Our third day was the most amazing! On Thursday we saw so many animals! That morning we were out of the camp as soon as the gates were opened at sunrise and it definitely paid off! We drove to the Goas waterhole and were there by 6:20am. It didn’t take us long to see the lump with ears that almost blended in with the long grass. It was a female lion! It was all we could do not to make too much noise because of how excited we were! She wasn’t that interested in us until a second car drove up and started getting out of their car! I was totally freaked out by their boldness! It was they, however, that pointed out that we had a second female off to our left that we had missed because we were so focused on the first female! That was very scary! He also told us that this second one had cubs near her but we never saw them. After a bit they all got up and went away from us, so off to the next waterhole we went!



After a few waterholes, we finally saw an elephant! Don’t know if it was a he or a she, but it was beautiful! Kelly got some really good close-up shots of it because it walked towards us, stopped, and then walked off. We were so excited!



Then we were off to the waterhole of Tsumcor where we really hit the jackpot! We rounded the corner and there was a sea of elephant backsides! We were in complete awe! We drove to the far side of the waterhole, which was a mistake! We weren’t there very long when we were approached by a large female that started flapping her ears at us. Having been through ‘Elephant Etiquette 101’ I knew that that meant she felt we were intruding and that we needed to get out of her space. It turns out that they were almost ready to leave and we were in their exit path! I am glad we moved- otherwise we would have been trampled! Though we visited another waterhole that afternoon, that was the end of our exciting day. We were so thankful that we had been able to see so many of the big animals that we had been praying to see! We felt very blessed!



That night at the waterhole there wasn’t much to see except a herd of zebra and a few giraffes. We were told later that night that the campsite has a big area fenced in and that it doesn’t include any predators. We were glad that we didn’t try to stay up like we did at the other holes. We would have been very disappointed if we had been successful in staying up but didn’t see anything!



However, at 4am that morning I woke up but I wasn’t sure why. It didn’t take long before I heard the noise that had awakened me- a lion was roaring outside our camp! I woke up Kelly to hear it (I’m not sure she was as excited as I was). We stood there talking and saw a lady off in the distance out of her tent so we went to talk to her. She was pretty sure it was a female because after each roar there was also a low woofing noise that thought meant the lioness was her calling her cubs. It could have also been letting the others know that she had made a kill. We weren’t exactly sure and we weren’t going to go out of the camp to figure it out either!



That morning we didn’t see anything big, but we had to leave the park by 7am to make sure that we got where we needed to go. On our way home we also stopped at the Hoba Meteorite, which is the largest meteorite in the world. For being the biggest in the world it wasn’t all that big. But maybe anything bigger would have thrown the Earth off its axis and we would be lost in space… Anyway, we had a lot of fun taking pictures and climbing on it. Unfortunately the batteries in my digital camera were dead at this point and I haven’t gotten the other girls pictures! As soon as I do I will add them to an album on yahoo!



I hope that you are all doing well. Again I am sorry that it took so long for me to get back in touch with you all. I hope you didn’t worry too much about those lions and me!



I love you guys!

kimmie

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 12:01 AM BST
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Tuesday, 2 May 2006
My first visit to the hospital!
I finally got to see the inside of the hospital!

On the Saturday before last, Minnie (my friend who is a volunteer from the Philippines) treated Thomasine and I to a tour of the hospital. We did not go into every ward, just the pediatric ones where she works and knows the nurses, but we were able to walk through the compound and get a tour. Overall I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the facility. As you enter the front door you are deposited into the main facility. This includes reception, all of the clinics, the emergency department and the radiology department (x-rays for you non-medical people). I am sure that there is more in that area but we just didn’t see. Then as you walk out towards the back you find the different wards. Each is a separate building, one to the right and one to the left but it is all attached through the middle walkway.

The first area that we went into was the children’s surgery ward. We visited with a few of the patients that Minnie works with as well as the nurses on duty. All of the nurses that we stopped to talk to were very impressed at my learning Rukwangali. One nurse was so impressed she offered for me to marry her son! (I can’t seem to get away from it!!!)

The next on we went into was the general pediatric ward. Here we stopped to ask the nurses permission and chatted with them. We didn’t chat with any of the patients past my greetings in Rukwangali, we just looked at how the ward was set up and left. It wasn’t exactly a thorough tour but it gave me enough of the basics to be able to have a good impression of the place (for which I was very thankful).

I still do not know what area I will be working in. While I was with my friend Ndeshy (nn-desh-ee) at the hair salon the other day I met a nurse who said that because I was a volunteer that they would place me in the high care ward (their version of intensive care). I am not sure who exactly makes the decision but I know that the third week in May I am supposed to have a meeting with Dr. Yuri, the head physician and find out all the details about housing as well as when I start and where I will be working. Please be in prayer for this meeting. There are several things that I think I want, but please just ask that God’s will be done and that I am placed according to His purpose.

Thanks!


Posted by thekimmieconnection at 7:20 PM BST
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Monday, 1 May 2006
Thomasine's visit and the rest of my week
Greetings my dearest Family and Friends!

I hope that this past week was as enjoyable for you as it was for me! I had a very good time visiting with Thomasine. I went to pick her up in Oshakati on the Wednesday before last and we came back to Rundu the next day. On Friday we walked into town and I was able to introduce her to my friends and all the people that I stop to talk to along the way. One of the funniest moments for me was when my friends from Zimbabwe told her that she knew how to speak better than me and that they could understand her better, that she didn't talk through her nose like I do. What was funny about this you ask? She's from Chicago! I laughed and told them that the part of America where she comes from they talk through their nose much worse than I do and that they wouldn't be able to understand her if she hadn't been in Africa for the last two years! They didn't believe me, but I knew it was true!

Sunday found us traveling in the public taxi to Windhoek. The music was way too loud for us to be able to talk but we rested for a large part of the trip and we arrived safely so we felt blessed! Monday through Wednesday morning we were in downtown Windhoek during the day and enjoyed the comforts of staying with the Rineer family in the evenings. I love staying with Mick & Suzanne and the kids! They are so great at making me feel at home, comfortable and a part of the family! The kids thought it was very cool that Thomasine lived in Madagascar so they made her feel welcome as well! We visited almost all of the historic sites of Windhoek including the old prison which isn't really a museum, it's just that the building still stands (it was converted into office space in the 60's). After getting permission to go into the lobby and look at the plaque that gives information about the building we decided to walk a little farther in until someone stopped us. Then from out of nowhere came a nice man who gave us a little tour! He showed us into the old kitchen area, the one old cell that remains (but is being used for storage) and just around the building. It was built in the early 1900s and it was cool and a little sad to touch the walls and think about everything that the walls had been witness to.

On Wednesday we took Thomasine to the airport and I said my goodbyes. I was supposed to head home on Thursday, but Mick thought my passport was ready to be picked up from the office of Home Affairs and asked me if I wanted to stay an extra day. How could I say no to getting my passport back?! So I got to spend an extra day in the city and did a little more shopping. I arrived safely back in Rundu on Friday evening and then had the pleasure of hosting Gary & Elizabeth Wilkins for the weekend.

The Wilkins are independent missionaries that are living in Tsumeb (sue-meb), a town about 4 hours away from Rundu. In May they are having a team of church elders come to do some leadership training and were here getting things set up. They are originally from Birmingham (or a little south of it) so it was fun to have some Southerners in my home. I even made sweet tea! :-) I look forward to having them again when they come back in a few weeks!

I bet many of you are wondering how I am doing. I am doing well, thanks for asking! I feel really settled (although I still anticipate moving into the hospital housing in less than a month and am not looking forward to packing and moving again) and am getting into a good routine. I know this will change once I start at the hospital, but for now it's working for me! I have not been having problems with the roaches. I still see them occasionally but nothing major. The dogs are still the dogs, but there's nothing I can do about them. (right now the female is in heat and I am having a grand time keeping them separated)

Other than that language is at a little bit of a stand still right now. Imelda is a school teacher and they are in between semesters right now so she is in Windhoek visiting her boyfriend (I got to have lunch with her while I was there). So I think this week I am going to take the time to learn some Bible verses in Rukwangali and hopefully learn that way.

I hope this finds you well! I look forward to hearing from you!
hugs and kisses,
kimmie

Praises:
Thanks for your prayers during all of mine and Thomasine's traveling, we are both safely back home
Buford is healing well from his surgery
Rob & Alisa (and tribe) traveled safely to Windhoek today

Prayer needs:
My friends Michele & Matt Anderson just their second baby a few weeks ago and their daughter Audrey is having heart surgery on the 8th of May
My ex co-worker who is undergoing chemo
Mick & Suzanne Rineer- for guidance, wisdom and patience and for safety for Mick as he travels to some meetings this week in South Africa
Rob & Alisa will be picking up her parents from the airport today (Monday) and will be doing some traveling here in Namibia, seeing the sights. Please pray for their safety as they travel and that they will be able to cherish each moment they have together.
My friend Joy has a very busy week with multiple meetings each day. Please pray that she will be patient and full of grace and wisdom during these meetings and that she will have endurance to last the entire week!



Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
https://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com/journal
http://photos.yahoo.com/thekimmieconnection

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 1:07 AM BST
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Sunday, 30 April 2006
Tangeni & Phillo's Wedding (4/16/06) mass mailer 4/30
Hello My Dear Ones!

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to write to you about the wedding! As many of you know the wedding was an all day and all night event, which I was unaware of! Imelda and I left my house at 9:15 Sunday morning and didn't return until 1 AM Monday morning! Given how long the day was you can imagine that this email is going to be just as long- sorry! The groom's name is Tangeni (tang-any) [the tang is pronounced with the same 'g' sound as when you say the orange drink 'Tang'] and the bride's name is Phillo (fee-low). In the pictures you will notice that the names are backwards. I didn't realize this until just a few days ago when I had lunch with Imelda! Oops! The album is titled 'Tangeni & Philo's Wedding'. Don't you think it is original?! Ha! Ha! ;-)

BEFORE THE WEDDING
At 9:30 we arrived at the house where Phillo was getting dressed. Being Phillo's best friend meant that Imelda was helping her actually get dressed and they (of course) let me be there as well! The bride was absolutely beautiful! She wore a white dress that wasn't any different than ones you see in America, complete with veil, elbow high gloves and a shoulder wrap. Her hair was done up with silk flowers placed in it. There are no 'real' flowers here in Rundu so all of the flowers were silk. We were there until about 10:45 when we were transported from that house to the bride's mother's house. I am still not sure why it was two different locations and Imelda is out of town all this week so I haven't been able to sit with her and ask her all the questions that I would like to. So the bride was placed in a car along with the flower girls and I went along with all of the bridesmaids which meant going in the back of a truck! In case you hadn't noticed, Africa is a little different in the way they do things! Not to worry, after just a short time at the mother's house and we were able to secure a seat for ourselves in a combi. (It's like a minivan but with more seats) At 11 am, which is when the wedding was supposed to start, we finally left the mother's house and went to the filling station (It's not called gas here but petrol and so it isn't a gas station but a filling station. After all, that is what you do there so it makes sense!). The wedding was held at the Catholic mission which is about 30km out of town. It took us about 35-40 minutes to get there because the combi wasn't a very good one and wouldn't go very fast.

Just a word about the bridal party. They have bridesmaids and groomsmen just like we are used to and they have what I would have called the maid/matron of honor and best man. I would have called them that but Imelda said that it was more like Godparent's of the ceremony. It is a relative that is chosen to fulfill this role which is to make sure things run smoothly throughout the day. Through the day the bride and groom were both followed by these people in almost everything they did and especially the woman was always fixing the bride's veil and train to make sure that it was in place. The other thing that I found interesting was that they carried white umbrella's to shade the bride and groom throughout the day! You could always tell where Tangeni & Phillo were by finding the umbrellas! For the story I will just call these people the Godmother and Godfather (no jokes please).

So, when we arrived the bride and groom's vehicles were already there. They spent a lot of their day in the car which I found interesting. At this point there was a lot of just standing around while the bride and groom roasted in their cars. The bridal party stood next to the vehicles and all of the guests stood at the opposite end of the parking area under the shade of big trees. Finally the ceremony master invited the guests to enter the church. There was dancing and singing as the guests entered the sanctuary. Once all of the guests had entered then the bridal party lined up at the door. Phillo was escorted to the door by his parents and the Godfather, then entered the sanctuary escorted by the entire party. There was of course singing as he entered! Then the bridal party returned to their positions outside and again waited as the bride was escorted to the door by her mother, flower girls and the Godmother. There was even more singing as she entered the sanctuary!

THE CEREMONY
So I already told you that it was a traditional Catholic wedding, so nothing at the actual ceremony was different than what you would have seen in America. I was very embarrassed though that they wouldn't let me sit in the middle of the church, they had me sit up at the very front WITH the bridesmaids! I was very embarrassed about this but Imelda said that as her special guest there really wasn't anywhere else that would have been appropriate for me to sit. (We'll chat more about this later too when I tell you about the reception)

During the ceremony the only thing that I thought was different was that during the exchange of rings any and everyone that had a camera, including me because Imelda pushed me to, surrounded the couple and took pictures. In Catholic weddings the bride and groom face the priest not each other during this, so even without all the cameramen the guests wouldn't have been able to see, but I was kind of shocked that so many people crowded around during this time. What shocked me was that to take the pictures we were actually up on the part of the platform where the priest was which I thought was kind of a no-no. Imelda confirmed this but said that unless they make an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony not to then people just come up to take the pictures!

After the ceremony the bride and groom left first but were taken to a side room where the marriage certificate was so they could sign it. Then the guests sang and exited the sanctuary. After everyone else had left, then it was the bridal party's turn to leave. Everyone went outside and waited for the new couple to emerge. When they did the singing and dancing started! Much like at the flag ceremony from the last week, the newlyweds were surrounded by the women as they sang and danced. This time there were also drums, which I was surprised to see the women playing! After a while of people coming up to hug and greet the newlyweds and the women dancing the bridesmaids carried Phillo to the car! Tangeni's sister and some other women danced around him as they escorted him to the car as well.

AFTER THE WEDDING
After the wedding the entire church piled into cars, trucks (called bakkies (bock-ees) here) or anything else with wheels for the procession back to Phillo's mother's house. For this trip Imelda was able to get us a ride in her friend's car which had air-conditioning! I was so excited! Along the way we stopped along the road so that they could decorate the first few cars with a few balloons so that people knew that it was a wedding procession. Each car had their flashers on and there was a lot of weaving back and forth and horn honking! Many of the women that were walking on the side of the road started dancing when they saw us come through. You could tell that everyone wanted to help celebrate! We arrived at the house (the same one where the white flag was placed the week before) where a big tent had been set up in the back yard. As we walked along behind the bride and groom I noticed that we had stopped. There were many people lining the pathway into the tent but I now saw that there were people in the middle of the path. It was the traditional dancers!

There were three men playing drums and many men and women dancing. I wish I could share the video clip with you so you could see how smoothly and quickly their bodies move. The dancing was a mixture of shoulder movements and hip movements. Sometimes there was clapping and sometimes there was singing but mostly it was just dancing. As I told you before, the men had on shorts with bamboo bead skirts over it, beads around their necks and animal skins on their heads. The women had white beads that criss-crossed around their torso, white beaded belts that sat over their skirts and their headdress was made of red yarn and white beads. Of course they also had bracelets, necklaces and anklets on. It was amazing and beautiful to watch them. I wish I could move like that! I don't know a whole lot about the history of the dancers or the significance of their dress. I asked Imelda but she didn't know a lot about it either. If later down the road I learn more I'll let you know!

The newlyweds finally made it into the tent where they sat at the only table along with the bridal party. We stayed there long enough for a cold drink and prayer then we were off again. This time we went to one of the riverside lodges for the pictures to be taken! After being there for a bit we finally set off to the reception!

THE RECEPTION
When we arrived at the reception I was so excited to see the dancers again! There was more dancing and singing as we stood outside the reception hall and the newlyweds waited in the car. After almost an hour then they started allowing guests into the hall. The seating is limited so they invited the guests who had come from a distance to be seated first. Then people from Rundu that had been invited were seated, then they opened it up to anyone else who just happened to show up because they wanted to join the party or get free food and beer or for whatever reason.

It wasn't until everyone else had entered the hall that the wedding party was finally invited in. The bridal party lined a pathway and the bride and groom finally entered and made their way to the table on stage. This, by the way, is where I sat as well! I was so embarrassed but again according to Imelda there wouldn't have been a better place for me to sit. There was food on the table but we didn't eat for almost 2 hours after we arrived! (Without a lunch because we had been there all day you can imagine how starved I felt at this point!) There were prayers and speeches and more speeches. Again, remember that this was almost all in Rukwangali so I couldn't understand it! Finally we ate and I started feeling more like a human again. Then there was more dancing! This time though it was the first dance for the bride & groom. It was fun because they were playing some American music mixed in with the Rukwangali. They placed the veil over them both to 'hide' them during their dance. That of course opened up the dance floor to everyone and there was a lot of dancing after that.

Then everyone went to their seats although I am not sure how they knew to since the music was still playing. Then the bride and the groom went back down to the dance floor and the bridesmaids stood off to their left. Then some different music started and everyone started a dance up to the front while carrying their gifts (if they brought one). They would dance past the bridesmaids, pass the gift to them, then dance their way to the newlyweds to greet them. It was the coolest receiving line I have ever seen! Then there were a few more dances then everyone sat back down again. Then the music changed as a group of women danced in from a side door. They were carrying more gifts. They created a semi-circle around the couple and of course they were dancing! They would dance for a bit, then one would bring up a gift and use the microphone to talk about it (in Rukwangali) then they would dance again and the process continued until they had given all of their gifts. They left again while the music was still playing and came back with the gifts for the groom and the process started all over again with the dancing and giving of gifts. It was fun to watch and was glad when it was over so I could ask Imelda what the gifts were. I know you were wondering too. For the bride they were gifts that she would need to provide for her husband and family. They were things like a mat to sit on, a basket full of seeds for a garden, a basket to sift the muhongo (not really sure what it is or how to spell it for that matter) as well as the bowl and pole they use to pound it, and a hoe to tend the garden with. For the groom he received things like an axe, something that looked like a sledgehammer and a bow and arrows.

THE WEDDING CAKE
The other really cool thing that was a little different was the wedding cake. It was beautifully decorated to look like a traditional hut and it was made of chocolate cake. :-) When the cake was cut it was cut into little bits that were less than a square inch each and placed on a large plate. The bride and groom stood at the front of the dance floor and, can you guess... there was music! All of the guests danced their way back up to the newlyweds to receive their little piece of wedding cake that they were holding. Of course this doesn't do much of anything but make you hungry for more cake. This was easily taken care of because on each table were smaller cakes that Phillo and her friends made the day before. There wasn't just one flavor but the only one I tasted was a carrot cake that was in front of where I sat with Imelda. It was yummy and since there was plenty to go around I got a bigger piece that I would have at an American wedding!

After all of these activities then it turned into a normal party with dancing and mingling. Up to this point we had been at the hall for four hours and the partying would continue for another four hours before I was able to go home. This was a little excessive and I wish that I could have gone home a few hours sooner. However I am glad that I was able to have the experience and that I am able to share it with you! At 1am, I was way past my prime and was actually sitting with my fingers plugging my ears because I was tired and the music seemed to be getting louder. Imelda and the other bridesmaids decided that they didn't want to be in their dresses anymore so we finally left, me to go home and them to change so they could go back! Overall is was a wonderful day and I was truly blessed by being able to be a part of the wedding!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures to go along with the story. If you have any questions about anything please feel free to ask!

love ya!
kimmie


Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
https://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com/journal
http://photos.yahoo.com/thekimmieconnection

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 12:01 AM BST
Updated: Monday, 1 May 2006 1:09 AM BST
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Wednesday, 19 April 2006
I should pay more attention!
Life is often in the small details. I frequently miss this fact. Take for instance my prepaid electricity meter. I should actually pay attention to it. Then I wouldn't run out of electricity in the middle of the day! Thankfully I didn't run out in the middle of the night, but when I came home from buying it I was completely out! After putting in the code that I got from the electricity place the gentle hum of the refrigerator and ceiling fans starting up again was music to my ears!

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 1:17 AM BST
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Tuesday, 18 April 2006
Happy Late Easter & a Beautiful Wedding Celebration!
How is everyone doing? I am doing really well! I am so sorry that I didn't get a chance to write to you on Easter Sunday! I had no idea that I would not return from the wedding until 1 AM!!!!! I left my house at 9 AM, so you can imagine that this was a very long day for me! I am also sorry to tell you that I wimped out and didn't end up walking to church. After more consideration I decided that there wouldn't be time for me to come back home and get cleaned up before I was picked up for the wedding. So I woke up and had my own Easter service! There was an awful sounding choir but I think God enjoyed my singing. ;-) I hope that your Easter was blessed as you celebrated our Risen Savior!

I am sorry also that this is going to be so short! It has been a hectic week and is going to be even more so starting tomorrow. I am headed out of town to go meet up with my friend that I told you about in a previous email. My friend Thomasine that was visiting missionaries in Angola has decided that it would be a shame if we were so close and didn't get to see each other! So tomorrow I am taking a taxi ride to the next big town over (about 6 hours if I am lucky and everything goes well) to get her and bring her back with me to Rundu! We will stay overnight in Oshakati (oh-sha-cott-ee) and come back in a taxi on Thursday. Traveling at night is not advised because of the dangers of the wildlife so we will have to wait until the next morning.

I promise you that I will write to you about the wedding and send it out as soon as I can! I will tell you that the service was a traditional Catholic wedding and that most of the traditions that you see at American weddings were present. Of course in America there isn't as much of the dancing and there certainly aren't half naked men dancing at the reception like there were here! What?!?! I saw that look on your face! :-) I was quite amazed when we went back to the bride's house after the wedding and they were greeted by traditional dancers! The men had on shorts with bamboo bead skirts over it, beads around their necks and animal skins on their heads! It was amazing to watch them! I will get pictures up onto the website as soon as possible, and again, if anyone knows of a way to for me to share videos with you please let me know!

I love you all and will write more soon!
kimmie

Praises:
Buford's surgery went well and he is recovering well.
Joy made it home safely from Turkey!
I get to see Thomasine while we are both here in Africa!

Prayer needs:
Please be in prayer for Marie Alexander and her family. Marie's mother passed away on Tuesday afternoon. For those of you who don't know, Ms Marie is the director of the children's ministry, Kid's Bible Club (KBC), that I was a teacher at on Tuesday nights at my church. Please pray for God's comfort and peace over this family.
One of my ex co-workers was diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. Please pray for God to completely heal her and that the healing process would be as smooth as possible. Please also pray that God would give her comfort during this time.
For safety during my travels this week.
For Alisa's parents as they make final preparations to come visit!

Posted by thekimmieconnection at 12:01 AM BST
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