Merry Christmas
Most of our work here is either in the hospital or a nursing classroom, but we’ve also had multiple opportunities to be part of ministries that take us out into the larger community whether its through elderly meetings, home visits, spiritual rounds, or most recently, visiting a men’s correctional facility.
This past Friday, Emmanuel and I (Rachel) visited a correctional facility about an hour away from us in Rusizi. We went with the head hospital chaplain, Enock, and Dr. Damien, who was integral in making this connection between the facility and the hospital. A local chaplain also joined us once we arrived on site. While we were there, we met with ten men who are leaders of a protestant group made up of inmates within the facility. We delivered over 50 bibles and song books that are to be shared within the group and with other inmates. A television was also given for the men to be able to watch worship services or gospel music and to help connect them more to the outside world.
We were greeted so warmly by the men, and we’re thankful that Dr. Damien asked us and the hospital to join him in this ministry. We are praying that our visit was encouraging to the group and that the resources delivered will assist them in how they serve the other inmates and the greater population within the facility.
*Pictured below from left to right is Dr. Damien, Emmanuel, Enock, and the local chaplain joining us.
What we are also praying for:
A new building project is underway at the hospital. The current Emergency Room (ER) is only two rooms with seven beds between them. It is a tight space, and it’s hard for patient care to function very well. This new project will increase bed capacity from seven to ten with a larger waiting room and a dedicated resuscitation bay for critical patients. We are praying the space will positively impact patient care and increase the capacity of the hospital to care for critically ill patients on arrival.
For further progress in each of our ongoing projects, which are in addition to our work in patient care. Emmanuel is trying to organize movie nights with Christian themes for patients at the hospital. He is working with our group from spiritual rounds and the hospital chaplains. I am continuing to focus on education and research at the hospital. I am still collecting data on our burn patients and organizing staff education. The hospital has also begun receiving new groups of clinical students, which I am helping to coordinate.
What we are thankful for:
In October, I had the chance to attend the Free Methodist World Conference since it was held here in Rwanda in Kigali. It was so fun to get the chance to meet church leaders and bishops from countries around the world and to get to see how God is at work in other areas.
In November, Emmanuel and I both attended the Better Together annual meeting as Free Methodist World Missions representatives. This meeting is a time when local and international partners come together to discuss improvements and challenges that have occurred over the last year. Plans and ideas for further progress were also discussed. The local partners consist of the Kibogora Hospital, the Free Methodist Church of Rwanda, Kibogora Polytechnic, and Kibogora Mission & Guest House. International partners from the US, UK, and Holland were also present. It was exciting to see the year in review, and hopeful to discuss plans for the upcoming year.
We also attended the graduation ceremony for Kibogora Polytechnic in November. We’re thankful we get to assist, even part time, in the nursing program there. We were so happy to see the students graduating and getting ready to move into their careers.
Family Updates:
Noella had a birthday at the end of November. Our big, brave girl is now four years old and is in her second year of preschool. She’s happy at school and is learning so much. French was added to the curriculum this year, and she is picking up more and more Kinyarwanda too. She continues to sing with the children’s choir on Sundays and enjoys that too.
Matayo is home during the day with a nanny. He is happy and healthy. Still obsessed with animals. He tells us he wants Santa to bring him a cow, a rooster, a rhino, a giraffe, etc. Hopefully he isn’t too disappointed on Christmas when there are no live animals under the tree.
As always, we ask for you to continue to pray for health and comfort for all four of us. It is especially hard to be away from our family in the US during the holiday season.
Lastly, we could never end a newsletter without expressing our gratitude. Thank you all for your support and prayers and for being part of this with us in any way. We genuinely appreciate it all. The prayers, the messages, the financial gifts, and the letters and packages. Thank you.
From our family to you and yours, Merry Christmas!
