Merry Christmas!! (a little late)

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

I hope this finds you happy and blessed and sharing this special holiday with loved ones.  Though I wasn't successful in getting anything out for Christmas, that doesn't mean that I didn't think of you!  :-)  I tried to attach a January one page spread calendar.  The idea is that each month I will be sending you the next month...  But, it's just too big... so I have to work on getting it small enough to email out...  That's why it took so long to get this email out to you!  :-)

 

It doesn't feel much like Christmas with the heat and the rains that we have been having, but I have been having fun with my roommates and Rob & Alisa and the kids.  I love you all and miss you very much!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

lots of love and hugs,

kimmie

 

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

update on my step-mom

Dear family and friends,

I just got an update from my aunt about how my step-mom is doing.  She told me that after the procedure she had for her pancreas problems she was released from the hospital.  I don't know any of the details about what procedure they had to do, I will keep you updated as I find out.  Then she had some complications and had to be readmitted.  Now she has been released again and they are driving back home to New Mexico from Seattle.  (My dad had driven up after putting her on the flight.)  Please pray for full recovery for her and for their safety as they travel.  Thank you!

love,

kimmie

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

moral dilemma

Ok, so maybe I thought more about it than I should have, but given the circumstance I spent quite a while debating with myself....

 

Rob & Alisa and I inherited as a yard worker, Mr. Kamocha (kuh-moe-chuh), who is a church elder at one of the local churches.   It is a known fact that he goes through our trash before he takes it out to the heap across the street (it is then picked through by everyone else who so desires).  Several times items that have been tossed by us have landed back in the garage on Mr. K's shelf.  This means that sometimes I have to re-evaluate whether or not an item is really used to it's full potential or whether or not I would be embarrassed by him (or others) seeing it in my trash (like throwing out food that I won't eat but isn't 'bad' yet).  The item in question falls under this latter category of embarrassing, but in a whole new way.

 

Trash, known as rubbish here, never gets put into bins or bags, it is allowed to roam free, just like the dogs and the children.  Therefore, when the wind blows, trash is frequently blown into our yards.  It was in the afternoon when I went to go visit with Alisa for a bit that the trouble started.  As I walked into her yard I saw an opened (and empty) condom wrapper laying in the grass.  Not really wanting the kids or the dogs to get it I picked it up.  Alisa was out hanging laundry so I went around to the back to chat with her.  I held it up and showed her my new find and we had a good laugh about it (hey, at least someone is using them!).  That's when Kaleigh asked me what I had.  Not wanting to deal with that conversation with an 8 year old I stuck it into my pocket and said 'nothing'... and promptly forgot about it. 

 

Later that day I was preparing dinner in the kitchen.  When I bent over to get something from under the sink I heard a crinkle noise.  I suddenly remembered that the wrapper was still in my back pocket.  Here is where the dilemma started.  Do I throw it in the trash and let Mr. K find it, do I throw it out into my yard and just let the wind blow it around again, or do I go so far as to throw it out in a bin at the hospital?  My fear of course would be that if Mr. K found it in my trash that he would seriously wonder how it came to be there.  It wouldn't be great for a church elder to find a condom wrapper in the young, single missionary's trash.  Then again I couldn't just throw it out to be blown around again and potentially end up back in Rob & Alisa's yard.  And, I was a bit too lazy to take the time to put it into a plastic bag and take it to work to throw away.  In the end, I decided to go ahead and throw it into my kitchen trash.  However, it really took me quite a while to decide if I should or not!   

 

Looking back now I can really laugh about it... but at that point I was quite concerned about what he would think and if anyone would question it!  I hope that my dilemma gives you a good laugh for the day!  :-)

 

love you all!

kimmie

 

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

a United Nations Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!  (a week late)

 

I hope that you all had a wonderful time of fun and eating with family and friends, and that all of your travels were safe and uneventful!  :-)  Thanksgiving here was a huge blessing for me and several other Americans that are here in Namibia.  We ended up being 5 Americans, 9 Canadians, 1 Brit, 1 Philippino, 2 Angolans, and 2 Namibians!  Talk about a United Nations Thanksgiving!  Though we weren't able to find any turkeys, we did have roast chickens, stuffing, mashed taters, broccoli salad, macaroni salad, spinach pie and cheese rolls.  The best part though was dessert... we actually had pumpkin pie!  Jessica bought the pumpkin and made the filling herself!  It was amazing!  :-)  

 

One of the things we did was go around and say what we are thankful for.  One of the things that we all had in common was something great that happened on Friday.  We are all very proud to announce that Rachel Grace Ndapewa is now officially Rachel Grace Ndapewa Greidanus!!!!  The Magistrate gave a favorable decision in favor of the adoption of Rachel!  Praise be to God!  Wahoo!!!  We couldn't be happier to celebrate this joyous occasion with Rob and Alisa!! 

 

In much sadder news, over the weekend I found out that my stop-mom, Robin, is back in the hospital.  She was flown to Seattle back to the specialists that she saw last time.  Apparently there are several things that are wrong.  One of the things is that the stents they placed in her pancreas had collapsed.  They did a procedure to reopen them, but there is still a large cyst on her pancreas that they are going to have to deal with...  This cyst is the biggest concern at this point in time.  If they can't deal with it properly, they might have to take part of the pancreas off.  If this is the case, then they think that she will only have a few years to live.  Please join me in prayer that the doctors will be successful in their treatment of this cyst and her other health problems. 

 

blessings,

kimmie

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

Fw: I'm so glad I found out about this

Hello everyone! 

I don't normally send along forwards, but I needed to get this very important health information out to everyone that I care about...  I hope you put this information to good use.

blessings,

kimmie

 

 

 

 

How to weigh yourself         I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years. We must get the word out  :-)

 

It started way back when...

Hi Everybody...

 

It started way back when it was still cold...  Ok, so that was only back in June, but it feels like forever ago!!  I am finally getting to the point of telling you about the last few months!  (Warning, this is not going to be short)  So, let's start by going back before conference to my week of vacation in Windhoek in June when I bought my car....

 

Short-term short-termers

While I was there I met Laura and Anna, both nursing students from the UK that were working in the hospital in Windhoek for 6 weeks.  They both asked if they could come up and  work in Rundu with me the week before conference...  I agreed, so Anna and Laura came to stay with me for one week.  It was wonderful having students that were excited to learn!!  Laura stayed with me all week in the Pediatric Ward and Anna also went to visit Rob in the OB/GYN department as well as hang out in Maternity watching babies being born.  

 

The week after conference I had Kathryn here for a little over a week...  She was a physical therapist also from the UK who is going through seminary.  As a part of her course work she was required to do some work overseas and through some other people in AIM made her way to us here in Rundu!  Since Minnie (the PT from the Philippines that works at the hospital) was out of town she ended up spending the week with me and Rob.  Since she didn't have a work permit she couldn't see patients (that wasn't her job here anyway), so she just hung out, talking with the mothers and the nurses, and at one point when we had a lot of admissions she even sat down and was our unit secretary!!  I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to have someone helping with all the paperwork!!  (Yes, Shelli, it means I miss you and all your hard work!!!)

 

Now, while Kathryn was here for her one week (the beginning of September), there was a wonderful couple from Egypt, Moheb and Rania (rah-knee-uh), that was here.  Moheb is a radiologist that was working at the hospital trying to train the doctors in different techniques.  I don't know what I was expecting before they came, but they were not it!  They were both very kind, sweet and funny... They were one of the cutest couples I have ever met!  Unfortunately I was only here for their first week then a few days in the middle when I was here with my family, but I enjoyed the little bit of time that I got to spend with them!

 

The end of Kathryn's time here was linked to me going back to Windhoek to pick up my sister and brother-in-law at the airport...  Which takes us to the next part of the story...

 

Traveling with Val & Jim

The pictures are on the photobucket site(link is below), the album is 'holidaywithvalandjim2007'.  I know that 50+ photos aren't quite enough to show you 4 weeks of traveling, but I hope that I chose a good blend to give you a good idea!

 

If you want to see where all we went, there is a map on my blog from back in August before we went that has a yellow highlight for where we all traveled.  Right now I am only going to give you some of the most exciting parts.  One of the biggest thrills I had was getting to meet Mufasa.  He is a nine year old male lion that weighs about 600lbs, that is kept at a guestfarm just outside Grootfontein.  For five Namibian dollars (less than USD$1), you can pet this massive lion!!!!  It was AMAZING!!!  Through the fencing you can run your fingers through his hair, have him lick your fingers (his tongue felt like sandpaper!!!), or pick up his paw in your hands...  It made me nervous, but he it was so cool!  He was so big yet so gentle.  He licked my fingers twice and he actually took Val's hand in his mouth!  She didn't mind at all, but Jim was a little concerned...  The last time that I pet him I closed my fingers and ended up with 2 hairs from his mane!  I don't know how I am going to keep them, but I definitely think that I will!  :-)  How many times in life can you say that you have pet a lion first of all, but secondly say that you touched a lion and lived?!?!?! 

 

Another thing we got to see was a waterfall in the desert.  It was a truly awful trip out to the area, the roads were terrible and I was very thankful for having bought a 4X4!!  As we were driving I was wondering if they were just joking about it being a big waterfall.  The desert was so... deserty...  I can't describe it... it was just a desert...  Then you round this corner and see this amazing oasis.  When you get closer to it... there it is.. this huge waterfall!  It was so beautiful!  The pictures really don't do it justice!  I have never seen an oasis before and I was in awe of it after driving through such desolation for so many hours.

 

Of course we went to Etosha and we had very good luck.  Just a few things that we saw included a lioness and her cub on our first day, two more lion cubs the next day, three different hyena sightings during the day, a VERY close encounter with a bull elephant (he was less than 5 feet from our car!!!) and too many other elephants to count!  (Ok, we tried but we lost count!)  One of the biggest thrills we had while we were in Etosha was that our car wouldn't start while we were at one of the waterholes!  When we had started driving it was before sunrise so I had my lights on...  Apparently I forgot to turn them off as we sat at the waterhole for almost an hour.  OOPS!!  Thankfully there were some nice Germans next to us that helped us jump start the car and off we went.  If there hadn't been so much game at the waterhole I would have been very nervous indeed of having to be out of the car (you sign a waiver when you enter that you won't and there are signs posted everywhere reminding you to stay in your car).  But, since the animals were so relaxed we weren't really concerned that there were any predators around to be worried about. 

 

We also made our way up to Victoria Falls in Zambia.  The lack of water was astounding!  We were actually able to walk about 1/3 of the way out into the falls and it was so dry.  There were little pockets of water in the deeper pools, but overall it was dry!  The Zimbabwe side was still full, but we never made our way across the border to see it.  Val & Jim did take a helicopter flight over the falls and based on their photos it was still spectacular!  

 

The last exciting thing that we did was go to the Okavango Delta in Botswana.  The Okavango River is the same river that is here in Rundu creating the Namibia/Angola border.  It is one of the few rivers that never meets the sea, it travels inland from Angola, through Namibia and empties out into the Kalahari Desert creating the Delta.  We took a 3 day trip into it on mokoros (muh-core-oes) which are dug out canoes.  Though it was exciting, it was also made me very nervous since I knew we would be sharing the water with wild animals including hippos!  Most people don't realize that hippos are very dangerous and cause many deaths per year.  They are dangerous on land but even more so in the water where they have been known to overturn boats and chomp people in two!  So it was with trepidation that I set out on this trip.

 

The guide loaded all of the things for our camping and us and our bags into four of these mokoros and set out.  We traveled for about 40 minutes and saw three sets of elephants on our way to a shady area that we made into our campsite.  (It even had some elephant bones!!!  They were massive and beautiful!)  Our time there included a two hour mokoro trip, two small hikes to a shallow pool where hippos lived and a 4 & 1/2 hr hike looking for different types of game.  The second morning before our long hike we found lion tracks about half a football field from our camp!!!  Jim said he heard some roaring in the middle of the night, but I never heard a thing!  (Nor did I hear the second night when some hippos were grazing on the outskirts of our camp and got spooked and ran off!  I guess it's not good to be a hard sleeper sometimes!)  I think that the lion spooked off all the animals and that's part of why we had to walk so far to find game that second day!  It was really cool and a little bit scary knowing that we were just walking around where lions were!  In most game parks you are in your vehicle and even being right next to them is exciting and not scary, but being out in the wild walking was different!  Especially since all our guide carried was a stick no longer than his arm!  What we got to see on these walks were elephants, baboons, wildebeest, warthogs, zebras, impalas, hippos and a giraffe!  It was a really cool experience!

 

While we're making lists, I should add one more... the types of game meat that I have been able to eat!  So, the animals that I have been able to taste include ostrich, kudu, oryx, zebra, steenbok, warthog, eland and crocodile.  Out of those, the first three are my favorite!  Ostrich, though it is a bird, is a red meat that is incredibly tender and tasty!  Kudu and oryx, aside from being beautiful antelope, are also very tasty!  :-)

 

Upcoming adventures

Laura and Janeen will be arriving in Rundu in a few weeks!  I am so excited to have some new people to share life with!  Having to cook for myself this week has been hard.   I enjoyed having Alisa's friend staying with me and making some of the dishes that I like to cook that you can't really make for just one (like tacos), and I look forward to having the ladies come so I can start cooking again!  

 

I know that after a long holiday like that I should be content to stay here in Rundu..   My dad teases me that I spend more time traveling than working so I should just come home!  Though it might seem to be true, I can assure you that working in these conditions is extremely stressful and the breaks are very welcomed times of escape to relax and recharge.  So, my next holiday might be in December after Laura and Janeen come up to Rundu.  They are only going to be here for 6 months, most of that which is going to be in the rainy season.  Though the rainy season is great for relieving the heat, it makes viewing animals very difficult.  Without having to be dependent on the man-made waterholes for water, the animals roam freely through the parks and often wander out of viewing range deep into the bush.  That's why the ladies and I might go to Etosha in December, before the rains start to some, so they can see some animals!  Of course after being in Tanzania climbing Mt Kilimanjaro they might have had the chance to be on safari so they might not want to go to Etosha during the hottest month of the year!  I guess we'll see!

 

Other than that, I am hoping to do something spectacular in February in honor of my 30th birthday!  I don't know where or what yet... only the when... ;-)  I am possibly thinking of taking a few nights to stay at the farm where Mufasa is and share my birthday with a lion... wouldn't that be memorable!!!  I wonder if he likes chocolate cake...

 

Thanks for taking the time to read all this... I miss you all!

 

much love,

kimmie 

 

 

 

P.S.  Just a quick update on my step-mom.  She had surgery done in Seattle and they found stones in her pancreas.  This would explain the chronic pain and reoccurring pancreatitis that my dad thought might have been cancer!  We are all thankful that it was such a good diagnosis!  She is recovering from the surgery and was expected to be put on solid foods this weekend.  Thanks for your prayers!

 

 

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

This, that and the other

Greetings everybody!

 

I know that I have been a complete slacker and haven't emailed you all since I got back from the trip with my sister... I still promise to write about the last 2 months!  But for now, I have a few praise items and prayer needs to share with you.

 

Praise:

• The trip with my sister and brother-in-law went very well.  It was a wonderful time of rest and relaxation that was definitely needed.  They made it home with all luggage in tow last week.
• Dr. Rob went on a 2 week hunting trip with a buddy from Canada and his son, Luke.  They had a great time (shot quite a bit of game in the process) and made it back safely tonight.
• My sister-in-law had her baby!  My new nephew Kaiden was born last week.  I don't know any of the details yet, but I got a couple of photos and he is beautiful!  (I'm not biased!!!) CONGRATULATIONS to Reed & Trish!!!
• My two new (almost) roommates, Lauren and Janeen (both pharmacists from Canada), climbed Mt Kilimanjaro without any problems and will be coming to join us here in Namibia this week.  (Please pray for their safe travel and that their bags will arrive along with them!!)

Prayer needs:

• My step-mom, Robin, has had on-going health problems.  Last week the specialists in Albuquerque told her that they could no longer help her...  So yesterday her and my dad flew to Seattle to see some specialists there.  Please pray for the wisdom of the doctors in figuring out a definitive diagnosis and that they will have a suitable treatment.
• Ursula, one of Alisa's friends, is going through a divorce.  On Thursday her husband told her to be out of the house by noon...  Her and the 2 children stayed with Alisa while Rob was gone, and now they are staying with me.  Knowing that things weren't going well she actually rented an apartment in Windhoek when she was there a few months ago, so she is only staying with me for a week until she can make her way to Windhoek.  The children are of course very confused and hurting, though Ursula herself seems to be doing ok.  Please pray for Alisa and me as we minister to her and the children in this difficult time. 
• Getting back into the routine at work has been difficult this last week.  To be honest, it feels like culture shock all over again!!!  Please pray for patience and compassion as I transition back into work. 
• I found out today about two deaths that really shocked, surprised and saddened me.  One is a girl, Esther, that has been our patient for many, many months off and on.  When she first came to us she was severely underweight and anemic.   After being placed on TB treatment (and a few blood transfusions) she had improved immensely.  Even though she had improved she had a lot of lung complications from the TB and had been going to see specialists in Windhoek on a regular basis.  I have no idea what happened, but last month she went to Windhoek again and never returned...  She was such a sweet girl and would take my (or Sarah's) hand and just follow me (or her) around the hospital.  The news of her death breaks my heart..  Please pray for continued strength as I deal with the deaths of these beautiful children.

Thanks in advance for your love, support and prayers!

love and hugs,

kimmie

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

quick update

Hi Everybody!

 

It was with tears that the visit with my sister and her husband started and ended...  I cried tears of joy to see them come and tears of grief to see them go...  I'm sorry that I didn't contact any of you in the middle of our visit, things were just too crazy.  I did want to let you know that we have all made it home safely, them to the States and me back to Rundu.  I will try to get out an email giving you some of the details later today or tomorrow, and will try to post some of the pictures. 

 

I love you all and appreciate your prayers for us during our travels...

 

missing you all,

kimmie

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

oops

Oops... I forgot to attach the recipe.. The new pictures are on the website and are under the photo album name of picsfromkathryn. I will explain later who Kathryn was... There are also two pictures of my new car!! :-) I tried to post them here but it won't let me... please follow this link. http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/picsfromkathryn/

lots of love,
kapande

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

M.I.A.

Greetings everybody!

 

I just wanted to tell any of you that have written me personal emails recently that I won't be able to get to it anytime soon.  :-)  My sister and her husband arrive in the morning and I will be out of email communication for two weeks. 

 

Though Amy asked for it, I am sure that several of you will enjoy the attached recipe...  It comes courtesy of Dr. Karen from Canada.  It's absolutely amazing!  :-)

 

I love you all and appreciate your prayers for Val & Jim's safe arrival and our traveling throughout the next month.  There is a journal entry with a map of where we are going if anyone is interested in seeing it...  I am also going to try to add some new pictures to the photobucket site tonight, but no promises! 

 

Lots of love!

kapande

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

Our upcoming trip!!

Hi Everybody!

A few people wanted to know where I am headed with Val & Jim while they are here. So, I have put together a little map with hightlighted lines showing where we are going...

love,

k

remember when?

Hi Everybody!

 

This year's annual gathering for those of us serving with AIM in Namibia is being planned by the team here in Rundu and I am in charge of game night.  We have chosen to go with a game of 'Newlyweds' for our married couples.  Though none of them are actually newlyweds, I think it will be fun to test their knowledge of each other!  I already have one question that I am going to ask, but I am needing ideas for more!  Any suggestions you can send me would be great!

thanks!

kapande

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

if two's company...?

Howdy Y'all!!

 

If two is company and three is a crowd, what do you call ten?  Yup.. ten...  What in the world am I talking about you ask?  The number of people living in my house!!  Ok, right now the number is down to eight, but before I went to Windhoek we were ten people living here!  Where did I get all of them from you ask?  The Johnson's have finally arrived!  :-)  So before I went to Windhoek, it was Jimmie, Gloria and their 4 kids, then the four of us ladies all living here.  It has been a little stressful at times trying to coordinate the comings and goings of so many people with limited keys, but it has been wonderful to have the family here to fellowship with!  since they lived here for three years it has been nice to sit and chat about how they have handled certain situations and get some guidance/encouragement about living in a foreign culture.  Now that Amy and Sally are gone (yes I got to see them before they left and yes I cried) it is just the Johnson's and me and Sarah (Sarah and me?  Sarah and I? any English teachers struggling through my emails full of Namblish?  I feel it is getting worse the longer I am here!!). 

 

The sad news is that Sarah is also leaving me.  :-(  Sarah has been here for six months and will be going back to Minnesota on the 7th but will go to Windhoek on the Sunday night bus.  It has been wonderful to have someone here to share my frustrations and joys with, and it will be hard to say goodbye!  She doesn't know it yet, but the nurse's have joined together to have a little gathering and present her with a gift tomorrow.  It is up to me to trick her into going in to the hospital with me so hopefully I can do that without raising her suspicions!  :-)

 

So now that the Johnson's are here, so is the wonderful package that my family sent with them!  They were supposed to come in February, so I have some Valentine's cards as well as some absolutely delicious M&M's!!!!  (I had one package for breakfast the next morning!!!)  Thanks to my sister Val for coordinating getting everything together and getting it to the Johnson's and to Dad and the rest of the family who contributed!

 

This isn't going to be one of my novels, I mainly just wanted to let you all know that I made it back to Rundu safely yesterday.  Thank you for your prayers for safety in traveling!

 

much love!

k

 

p.s. Many of you have sent me emails in the last few days..  I will respond to them, I just need a few days to get settled after being gone... 

 

p.p.s  I don't know if it worked or not, but while I had high speed internet in Windhoek I uploaded a video of traditional dancing at the wedding that I went to last year..  It is on the Photobucket site... but I'm sorry I haven't figured out the link that you would need to look at it... maybe you can go back to the mudding pictures and poke around from there?  If anyone is successful let me know!  Thanks!!

 

 

Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com

proud new owner...

Hello Dear Ones!

 

How is every one doing?  Things here are going well.  I have enjoyed my week off from work and will be driving back up to Rundu tomorrow in my new car!!  Ok, it's not a car, it's actually a small SUV, but it's easier to say car!  I am now the proud owner of a 1998 Toyota Rav4!  They call it 5 door though it is really 4 with the back that opens up..  Though I debated for a long time, I think I have decided that the color is pastel aqua.  It is an automatic, which is actually very strange for these parts, almost all vehicles here are stick shifts...  But beggars can't be choosers!  It definitely wasn't easy trying to find a car here.  Though 2 of the days I did have friends with cars help me, I literally spent hours walking around the streets of Windhoek looking for used car places.  Eventually it was the friend of one of the dealers that I ended up buying from, but the dealer offered to do all the transactions including doing all the paperwork!  So all I had to do was send an email to AIM to transfer the money, show up, sign a few papers and drive off!  :-)  The most enjoyable car shopping I have ever done!  ha ha!!  I didn't bring my camera to Windhoek with me, so soon after I get back up in Rundu I will let you all see what it looks like!  Thanks to those of you who helped contribute to my lovely new car!!!

 

love ya!

kapande     

 

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

Mudding Zeka's Hut

Photobucket Album

oops...

Ok, remember how I said I was new at this? Well I think that you have to have your own 'facebook' to look at the photos, so I am trying something new (again). Since the yahoo site where I have previously kept my photos is being closed down, I have opted to choose Photobucket as my new site... Above is a sample photo that you can click on, or below is the link directly into the mudding pictures... Let me know if it works this time!
love ya!
kapande

http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/Muddingthehut/

with red hands..

Hello dearest family and friends!

 

How are you?  Things here are going well.  I am in the middle of a little mini vacation.  Things have been so stressful at work that we all decided that a week off would do me good.  I was able to hitch a ride with Mick who was going back to Windhoek after some meetings, so it worked out to get a free ride!  :-)  I will be going back tomorrow if I get the car that I just bought... but that is for another email!  (I will try to write more about it tonight)

 

Never before have I hurt so much but felt so proud!  What in the world am I talking about you ask?  A few weekends ago we got to play in the mud and assist one of the church members, our friend Zeka, in building his mud hut!  My hands and feet were scraped up, scratched up and were stained from the red mud for over a week!  But we were all so proud of the job that we did!  Who are we you ask?  It was a total of 9 of us.  It was Rob, his mom (Grandma) and brother (Ben) that were in town visiting, his two oldest girls Erin and Kaliegh, Sarah, Amy, Sally and me.

 

When we arrived the special mud that is used had already been delivered.  There is only a certain time of the year that this mud can be obtained.  What is so special about it?  The mud they use for their huts comes from the river bed.  So after the water starts receding, they wait until it dries out but before it hardens and gather what they need onto an oxen cart.  Because the sand is deep where the houses are the mud is delivered at the outside edge of the village and then carried, bucket by bucket, into the hut.  Sarah and the girls helped a bit with this, for as we started using some of the sand they started bringing a bit more. 

 

They showed us how to mix the water with the sand and what consistency it needed to be, which was like runny mud cakes that kids make in the summer.  They didn't let us girls wield the shovels to mix the sand, but at intervals they would call us all in to mix it with our feet!  It was much harder than it looked as our feet would get stuck in the mud with each step.  At each turn at least 3-4 of us would hold hands just to keep our balance and allow us to keep picking up our feet.  Then we would stand to the side as they continued to mix.

 

Then the fun would begin!  The frame of the huts are made from large supporting poles (stripped trees) that have been buried about 2 feet deep, in-between those are smaller poles that aren't buried, but are held up by the sticks that are woven horizontally to create a 5-6 inch hollow wall space.  It is in that space that you have to carefully place the mud and keep it from falling out the other side.  So part of the time I went outside to be an extra barrier to keep the mud inside the wall.  When it started getting dark we stopped, and we had only done about half the hut. 

 

Though we would have been happy to come back on Sunday and help finish, they kept insisting that we had done enough.  It is pretty funny because they have never seen white people do that kind of manual labor, so the entire neighborhood just stood around watching us.  The children weren't shy about their curiosity, they stood just outside the hut and stared at us the whole time.  The adults were a little farther off, but you could still see them watching.  I often wonder if they didn't accept our offer to come back because they didn't think we were strong enough!  

 

Either way, it was a blessing to our brother and a huge demonstration of the love of our God for the community to see these shirumbus (shih-room-boo-s = white people) helping a black man help build his mud hut!  Please pray with us that Zeka will be able to be a witness in his community as he has discussions with them about why we were there helping him!

 

I know that you are wondering if I have pictures... of course I do!  Well, I didn't take any, I only have Rob's, but yes, I did post them.  However, because the Yahoo site is closing and I had to figure out where else to place them, I have chosen to open a spot on Facebook and post the photos there.  So, you can go to the following link and find them!  :-)  If it doesn't work (I'm still new at this) then let me know and we will get it figured out!  http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=624739114

 

 

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

more info...

Morokeni!

 

How are you all doing today?  It has been pointed out that in the last email I forgot to include AIM's information, so here it is!  If you want to know more about AIM (Africa Inland Mission) you can visit their website at www.aim-us.org.  Remember all donations are tax deductible.  Thanks again!

 

with love and hugs,

kapande

 

 

AIM

P.O. Box 178

Pearl River, NY 10965

 

 

 

 

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

"Us and the roosters, not even the sun."

Hi Everyone!

 

How are you doing?  Things here are pretty good.  I am finally on my two days off and I welcome the break.  Work has been so tough lately. 

 

I am sure that you are wondering about the title of this message.  This is what Sarah and I say to each other as we walk to the hospital in the dark.  Unfortunately it isn't completely true because there are quite a few people lurking in the shadows of the night when we walk to work.  When we work together of course we walk together, but our schedules are often different and we end up walking alone.  Why don't we take a taxi you ask?  Because it is winter.  That means it's cold and dark at 5AM when we leave the house and the taxi drivers don't want to get out of bed at that time of the morning either!! 

 

So, it is because of the increasing darkness, cold and the increasing security risk that I have asked, and have had approved, to open a car project fund to be able to buy a car.  The sooner I get a car the better, but with my income I can't afford it on my own.  :-)  So, if you would like to donate to help me out, then you can still get tax credit for it, and Sarah and I can safely get to and from work. :-)  

 

The best place to get a car is Windhoek, so a friend has her friend's husband on the lookout for me.  So far the cars he has found have cost around Namibian $37,000, which is a little over $5000 USD.  So that is the basic amount that I am looking to raise.  Of course any extra would greatly be appreciated!  If you send the check to AIM, just include a note in the envelope that says it is for the car project fund for me, if you write it on the check you won't get tax credit.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask!  Thanks!

 

lots of love,

kapande

 

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

Fwd: wahoo!

Morokeni muholi! (Good morning friend!)

Ngapi? (How are you?) Nawa tupu!!!! (I am very fine!!) Mufu unene!! (moo-foo oo-neh-neh = literal- cold much, translation- it is very cold!!) Things here are going pretty good for the most part. There have been some rough moments, but overall we are doing well!

I'm staying!!!

My work permit has been approved!!! Wahoo!! It is only valid until May 2008, but I wanted to tell you all thank you for your prayers! Next year of course we will go through this again!

It was a good month of meetings at Home Affairs because the Johnson's (the family whose dogs I am keeping) also got theirs! They will be flying out on July 4th and will arrive in Windhoek on the 6th. They were supposed to come in February so I know that they are excited to come back!

The Weather

So speaking of cold, winter has come! It is these few months of freezing temperatures (ok, so it's not literally freezing here in Rundu, but it does get down in the single digits of Celsius in June and July. The Canadian girls of course feel right at home, but I have been here long enough to be quite uncomfortable! It is cold enough that I have brought out my fleece, my scarves, my big terry cloth robe, my big fuzzy blanket and my long pajamas!!! I know, I know, why did I complain about the heat if I am also going to complain about the cold!?!?! It's just the extremes that I don't like. At least right now it is still warming up during the day. There will come a time in the following weeks that it will just stay cold all day. That's when it gets really miserable, right now we are just at the uncomfortable phase!! :-)

Work

This has been a little bit of an emotional month at work for Sarah and I, though I must admit that she has had it much worse than I have. In the last 2 1/2 weeks we have had 11 children pass away. Some of them were chronically ill and malnourished patients that we knew were really sick, but some of them were 'out of the blue.' Unfortunately Sarah has been working during most of those and has had to deal with it each time. Please pray for her as she has been taking it really hard.

In other work related news, there is talk of another strike. I am not really impressed as nothing ever materialized last time, but there is more talk. This time they have said that they would prevent volunteers like Sarah and me from entering the hospitals. They didn't say this last time, which bothers me. Having worked through my planned actions during the last talks, I think that I would chose to continue to work. Of course they could prevent us working by physically restraining us, but I don't think that it would come to that. Please pray that God would work in the Ministry of Health to respond to the nurse's complaints so that it doesn't come to something as drastic as a strike.

T.I.A.

One of the phrases that helps us cope with difficult situations is T.I.A. It stands for 'This is Africa' or 'That's Africa'. Sometimes that is the only explanation you can give and allows you to release the burden of responsibility of taking care of everything that we often feel as Westerners, especially Westerners trying to live in rural Africa. Well, this week we had a T.I.A. situation that I want to share with you, just to let you know of some of the things we face while living here.

On Sundays they frequently cut off the power here in Rundu. I am not sure exactly why but it seems like when they do it is off for about 12 hours, usually from 7am to 7pm. This last Sunday was one of those days. Unfortunately the water is run off electrical pumps, so a little less than an hour after the power goes out the water goes out too. That means you have to shower, do any dishes, fill pots of water and make sure you have lots of water bottles full shortly after the power goes.

Normally at the hospital the only thing that is effected is the water as the hospital has a backup generator. However, this week was different as the generator ran out of diesel! In the words of our Ukrainian medical director, "It's a disaster!!!" The power went out in the town around 7am. The generator lasted until about 2pm and then it quit. So when Sarah left work at 6pm, the whole hospital was in total darkness! She carries her head lamp when she walks to work, so thankfully she had that and they were using it to admit patients, give medications and even start IVs!!! After work (I had met her in town) we went to the grocery store and bought candles so that they wouldn't be in complete darkness, for which they were very grateful! The power came on in the town at around 11pm, which is much later than it ever has before, but for some reason it never came on in the hospital! So our nurses worked all night with nothing but candle light to guide them! (we are still cleaning up wax from various surfaces.) To make matters even worse, right before Sarah got off work there was a patient that passed away. Because of the darkness they weren't able, or willing, to take the body to the mortuary, so it sat in a side room overnight in the ward. It wasn't until we arrived at work the next morning (and the sun came up a little) that we were able to take it...

It wasn't until about 2pm on Monday that they were able to restore power to the hospital, but even at that it was going on and off. When I left at 6 I told the night nurses that if the power went out again to call me and I would get them more candles! Thankfully it stayed on after that, but that didn't ease the problem we had had the day/night before!

Those Crazy Canadians

Rob, Alisa and all the children, including Rachel, are doing well. Right now they are spending a month traveling as Rob's parents and brother are here! Please pray for their safety as they travel around seeing the beautiful sights of Namibia.

It is hard to believe that the ladies have been here for 2 months already! The ladies are doing well, and Amy has finally recovered from the shingles. They have been enjoying working with children at the OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) project based out of Kaisosi (ki-so-see) Church as well as working with the young ladies at the Ndama (nn-dah-mah) church. Amy and Sally have also started coming to the hospital 3 mornings a week to play with the children. They come to our ward, get the healthiest kids, and take them to play! Sometimes they play outside with the ball, sometimes they have 'dance therapy', where they just put on music and dance around like crazy people. :-) They are really enjoying it!

One of the ladies, Karissa, is not staying the full time that the other two are. She leaves for Windhoek tomorrow night! Please pray for her as she spends these last few days of her time traveling to Windhoek, debriefing with Mick, then traveling home!

Congratulations!!

And in news from home, I am going to be an auntie again! I just found out that my brother and his wife, Reed & Trish, are expecting their second child! Wahoo! Also expecting their firstborns are my friends Erin & Jeff and my college roommate Helen & Matt. And if that wasn't enough, my friends Joy and John David got married on Saturday! Though I am sad to miss these wonderful events, I am glad that each of them has kept me involved from a distance! Congratulations to all of you! (and are there any others that I need to know about?!)

In more news from the home front, my sister and her husband, Val & Jim, have decided to come visit me! I can't tell you how excited I am! It is great seeing the visitors that others get, but it always makes me a little homesick. I am very close to my sister and I can't wait to see her!

I hope that you are all doing well and enjoying your summer weather! I would love to hear from you all and know what you are up to!

Much love and hugs!

kapande

Praises:

• My work permit has been approved!
• The Johnson's work permit has been approved!
• Rob's parents and brother made it in safely with all but 1 piece of luggage.
• For the new nieces and nephews that I will be having!
• My sister and brother-in-law are coming!

Prayer requests:

• For the pregnancies for Trish, Erin and Helen, that they would have an easy time and that they would deliver healthy babies.
• For Karissa as she is finishing her time here.
• For Sarah as she is trying to cope emotionally with the stresses of work.
• For the potential strike situation at work.
• For Rob, Alisa and tribe as they travel this month.

P.S. you might notice, if you are really observant, that the location of my online journal, or blog, has changed. Due to some technical difficulties, my friend has created a new site for me and is helping me to maintain it (THANKS HEATHER!!!!). So the new link is below. :-)

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

Fwd: Happy Father's Day!

Hi!
I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to all the father's who read my massive emails! Hope your day is full of unexpected blessings!
love,
Kimmie

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

A Journey Of Grief

Hello Dear Family and Friends,

How are you all doing? I would love to tell you that things are all ok, but that isn't the case this week. I have previously shared with you that there are a lot of needless deaths here in Namibia. There are so many that I could tell you about, but I want to tell you about our latest loss. Though they it saddens me, it also touches me deeply, as it is a testimony of the unconditional love of a father. Since I haven't really written about any of the funerals I have been to, and by telling you the following, I hope to give you a further glimpse into the culture around me. I am drawing on my past experiences to fill in the details of the future events. I wish I could say that each one is different, but so far they have all basically been the same.

A large majority of the people who suffer from HIV/AIDS don't seek treatment because of the stigma, and even their families frequently encourage them to not seek treatment, lest anyone should find out. It is especially true of people who are public figures, like officials, nurses or pastors. With this kind of stigma and lack of treatment, you can imagine that getting a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS seems to truly be a death sentence here in Namibia.

However, there are some amazing people and like Pastor Domingo and his family. Pastor Domingo is my pastor at the EBC church in Ndama (in-dah-mah) and he is originally from Angola. The church doesn't bring in enough monies monthly to even pay the water bill, much less support their pastor, so he and his youngest son, Timo (tee-moe), along with some others from Angola, run a wood shop where they make amazing hand made furniture. One of his older sons, Phillipus (who is about my age), suffered from AIDS. Though he was on treatment, he had been constantly sick in the last few months. Unlike most men, Pastor Domingo chose to stand by his son and not just encourage him to seek treatment but to actively assist him in doing so. From helping him get to the hospital for his many visits to the HIV/AIDS clinic to staying at the hospital to sleep on the floor overnight when Phillipus was admitted, Pastor Domingo was always there.

Last month Phillipus was diagnosed with a type of cancer that comes frequently with end stage AIDS. Pastor Domingo was the one that took the 8 1/2 hour bus ride with Phillipus to go to the hospital in Windhoek to be evaluated for treatment and went back again weeks later when they were approved to start his treatment. However, at the hospital in Windhoek on Monday, Phillupus lost the battle and passed away. The loss of his young life is tragic and heartbreaking.

For the last two days the family has been sitting outside his empty hut crying and wailing at any and all hours of the day. By the time most of us have reached kindergarten, we have been taught that throwing fits and wailing aren't acceptable behavior. Here however, crying, wailing and even sometimes throwing fits at the loss of a loved one is how grief is shown. Some people here even believe that if you don't show enough grief that the deceased will return from the dead and kill you. This outward show of grief will continue, with a new outcry of wailing and tears as each family member or friend arrives from the bush. Unfortunately this wailing is something that I am too familiar with. It is a noise that I have come to dread while I am at work. It is a sound that emanates from deep within and immediately touches every part of you.

Early this morning Pastor arrived on a hospital transport with Phillipus' body and it was placed in the mortuary. Though the body had yet arrived, yesterday Timo was at the grave yard digging the grave for his brother. Unlike in other regions, burial plots here are free , one only has to supply the labor to dig through the sand, rocks and the root systems of the brush. I have heard it said that it is better to bury someone as close to a tree as possible so that other's won't try to bury close to your site, but that means having to chop through more roots. (At the last funeral that I went to, they couldn't lower the casket because the roots hadn't been cut back enough. so they had to pull the casket back out, men had to jump down into the grave and hack away at some of the roots and try again. Thankfully it fit the second time.)

On Friday, family, friends and the church choir will arrive early in the morning at the hospital mortuary, bringing with them the casket and burial clothes. Emilie, Philipus' mother, and other women in the family will take the body into a side room off the mortuary, remove the plastic covering that he was placed in after he passed away, and wash his body. Though the body will have been kept in the mortuary for several days, they don't embalm here so there will be a slight smell. After washing the body they will place the burial clothes on him, which are usually all white, and place him in the casket. They typically place a white blanket over the top of the body up to the shoulders, giving it the appearance of someone who is asleep being tucked in. After they place the lid on the casket it will be carried outside to someone's truck, which will serve as the hearse. Though the women are silent during this process, the choir, which is standing outside the mortuary, will have been singing the whole time. The choir will also sing the whole way to the church, most of them packed into standing room only in the back of another truck traveling behind the casket.

The casket will then be taken to the church, where there will be a memorial service. Again there will me much crying and wailing. There will be an overnight vigil held at the church, and early the next morning the funeral service will begin. After the service is held at the church, there will be a long procession to the graveyard. At this point it is often late morning or even well into the afternoon! Along the way to the grave site, there will again be mournful singing by the choir.

At the graveside there will be more singing, reading from the Bible, prayers and a renewed bout of crying and wailing. Finally, several men will jump down into the grave to lower the casket by hand. Once it is lowered, all of the men present will take turns with the shovel to fill in the grave. This is the part that brings me to tears. It is amazing to see the make family and friends offering this last showing of their love. After this, there are often more songs and more prayers offered, but at this point it is uneasily silent. Then, there is a final prayer, and people just walk away. The procession then goes back to the families house and are fed. A whole cow is often butchered, if it can be afforded, to serve the guests. If not a whole cow, then a couple of goats are on the days menu. After eating people sit around and talk. I think that part is the same anywhere in the world.

Death is never an easy thing to deal with, and grieving effects everyone different. It is strange to see how differently it is dealt with here. Please be in prayer for Pastor Domingo, Emilie, Timo and the rest of the family in this time of grief.

grace and peace to each of you,
kapande

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

Kenya,weather, work, and a new baby...

Hi Everyone! I am sorry that I haven't written much lately. Before I left I was really tired and a bit worn out and since my return I have been really busy. But since I just got an email fro my brother complaining that he hasn't heard from me I guess it's time to finish this email and get it out! Kenya was a great break from the stresses of everyday life here in Rundu. However it was a little stressful when I missed my flight and had to stay in Nairobi for a few extra days! Thankfully I got home just fine and have been trying to settle back into the routine ever since. Hopefully it's not too long!
Kenya
It was really nice to have the break even with the little accident of missing my flight (more about that in a bit). The trip to Kenya was quite enjoyable. I had a several hour layover in Johannesburg, South Africa which I decided to fill with a little trip to the golden arches! It was the best McDonalds that I think I have ever had! Of course my little trip didn't come without it's cost. The Big Mac meal that I had cost approximately $3 US dollars. The taxi ride to the McDonalds and back to the airport cost approximately $23 US dollars! I had absolutely no idea that it was going to cost that much! Here in Namibia the taxi rides cost less than $1 US unless you are going from one end of town to the complete opposite. Then they are only $2. So I never would have even thought that they would be like taxis back in the States that charge you by distance! However, it was completely worth it! It tasted so good! :-)
As for Kenya itself, it was beautiful! Set near the equator it has lush green everywhere. For the nursing conference we were nestled in the mountains in the midst of gorgeous tea fields. I didn't get to take a tour of the tea fields but I got someone's pictures who did. The retreat center that we were in was just beautiful. It was such a huge change from the desert sand to be able to walk through the green grass in my bare feet! Surprisingly enough that is also where I got to see chameleons for the first time! Not only did I see a lot, but I also held one and got a picture with him on my shoulder! We tried to get him to eat so we could see his telescopic tongue, but the bugs we caught to feed him just didn't interest him at all!
Conference
The conference itself was wonderful. It was hosted by a Christian college of nursing based out of Abilene, Texas. The lecturers were doctors and nurse practitioners from the States, several of whom have practiced or are currently practicing in Africa. We learned on topics including pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, suturing, TB, delivering babies and mental health issues. It was so wonderful to get the updates and to hear some in depth information about things that I face on a daily basis at work. It was also very nice to be able to meet the other nurses and to fellowship with people who are dealing with the same things as I am. It was very affirming that the work that I am doing here is extremely difficult. However, it was also very eye opening to learn what others are going through and how great I have it in comparison to some of them. The nurse that I ended up touring with, Kim, is working out in the bush with no running water and only solar electricity. She has been there for 10 years running a clinic by herself. Though it sounds very rewarding I just can't imagine working in that kind of setting!!!
The college, Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing, is one that I am interested in learning more about. They have a master's in nursing program that I have asked them to send me more information about. They have two tracks, one for nurse practitioner and one for nurse educator. I have thought about doing both of those after I return home and being located in Abilene would put me closer to my family for a while which would be really nice! :-) Don't look for any further news about this in the near future, but closer to time to come home you might be hearing more about it! :-)
Mt Kilimanjaro (Mt Kili since I am too lazy to type that whole thing each time)
When I arrived in Nairobi I joined up with Kim. We went on a 3 day 2 night camping safari to Amboseli (am-buh-sell-ee) Park in southern Kenya. Though Mt Kili is actually located in Tanzania, it is so big that you can see it from the park in Kenya. Amboseli park is known for the elephant population and we were not disappointed! There were elephants everywhere! We got some really great shots and I hope to be putting them onto the website soon. Aside from the many elephants, we also saw lions, yellow baboons, zebra, red hartebeest, the white bearded gnu and tons of different kinds of birds including the crested crane which is the national bird of Uganda.
Like a shy and mysterious lady, Mt Kili didn't want to show us all of her glory. We did get some great photos, but because of the cloud cover we never saw the mountain really well. On our last day there we didn't see the mountain at all! It was really hard to think that the largest mountain on the African continent was there but just hiding behind some clouds!
Weather
Thankfully upon my return from Kenya I found that the worst of the high temps were gone. It still has been hot and we have had some miserable days of heat, but the nights are cooling of quite nicely! Last night I actually felt cold! The other thing that is weird to see is that the leaves are changing colors! Winter is definitely on the way!
Work
Work has been quite interesting lately. Not only has it been extremely busy but we also got the blessing of a new nurse and a new doctor! The nurse is a refugee from Angola who has been in Namibia for almost 10 years now. She graduated from her training last year but has been waiting for the last year for her work permit. She is really nice and both Sarah and I enjoy working with her. It's sometimes difficult though since she is still learning how to do everything. It also means that there are 3 of us who don't speak the language well enough to do anything other than a basic assessment. That makes doing a lot of things more than a little difficult!
One of the harder things that Sarah and I have been dealing with has been the lack of good medical leadership from our doctors. Their decision making/diagnosing skills and treatment plans aren't exactly wonderful and it is hard to live with the results of their actions. It was because of the death of one child that Minnie decided to go to the chief of the doctors and complain about the care that pediatric patients were receiving. Through that and some other complaints that were made the decision was made to move one of the other doctors onto the pediatric service. His name is Dr. Raphael Mlauzi (muh-lousy) and he is from Zimbabwe. He was on the surgical team but I think that he is welcoming the change in scenery. Unfortunately the current doctors are a little miffed and it has made things a little interesting at work. To show you what he is up against, let me tell you this little story. This last week we had a situation where the doctor ordered one medication, the next day Dr. Mlauzi changed the medication. On day three however, the original doctor rounded on the patient and changed the medication back to what she had originally ordered! Switching back and forth between the medications is anything less than healthy for the patient. Not to mention the morale implications for our new doctor and the nursing staff. Please pray that things will continue to work out and that this new doctor will have a positive influence on the current docs so that things will take a turn for the better!
Short-termers (yes it is meant to be plural)
Things have been going really well with Sarah. It is a little strange living and working with her, but it has it's benefits. It's nice having someone who truly understands what my days are like. She goes through the same things that I go through at work and it has bonded us.
This summer (winter for us) we have a team of people coming to join us here in Rundu! There is one guy, Paul Tanner, from the UK that is already here, he will be here for 6 weeks. He is a project coordinator and he will be working with the church in Kaisosi to help them organize their orphan project better. Then, leaving Canada today, we have 3 ladies coming! They are Sally Han, Amy Cleaves and Karissa Moon. Two of them will be staying with me and Sarah and one with Mary. They will be here for 3 months. They will be doing a number of different things all under the umbrella term of 'youth work'. Basically they will be hanging out with the kids in the community doing arts, crafts, games and Bible teachings as well as working with the churches to assist them with Sunday school and assist the orphan project in any way they can.
A Beautiful New Baby
Introducing the newest member of our Rundu team:
Rachel Grace Ndapewa
No, she isn't mine, she's Rob & Alisa's. And, as you can tell, it wasn't that Alisa was pregnant (you definitely would have know about that). This new development in their lives came quite unexpectedly. Rachel's mother delivered at the hospital then got really sick and passed away. Usually family would show up to claim the body for a proper burial and to take the baby. However, this didn't happen. It was a few weeks of the baby being cared for by the nurses on maternity before her father showed up. Instead of taking her though, he told the nurses that he couldn't care for her and that there wasn't any family that could care for her either. Knowing a little bit about the situation, Rob had told Alisa and they had talked about wanting to care for her if no one else came. It was after talking about it that they decided to talk to the social worker about it. It was just about a week later that they came home with this precious little girl! Right now they are waiting to have the interview from the social worker to determine if they are a suitable family to take Rachel. If they decide she is then they will go ahead and start the adoption process!
Again I am sorry that it took me so long to write this email! I hope you are all doing well!
lots of love and hugs from afar!
k

Prayer needs:
Please pray for the ladies as they travel over the next 2 days to Namibia
Pray for my friend Patty who has been having problems trying to get her US Citizenship. She is from Canada and her husband is American.
Please pray for my friend Joy and her fianc� John David as they continue to make wedding plans for June!
Please pray for me, Rob and Sara as we continue to work in such difficult situations and with some difficult people, and for Alisa who now has to care for an even bigger family these days!
Kimmie Tibbetts
Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com/
http://thekimmieconnection.tripod.com/journal
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/thekimmieconnection

Small Fish

Morokeni Muholi! (Good morning friend!)

Ngapi? (How are you?) Nawa nawa. (Literal: Good, good. Meaning: I am very good.) Things here are going well.

A whole new me

I have a new name. Actually I have had the name since January when I went to the funeral of the nurse in Ovambo-land (the northwestern part of Namibia). It was given to me by Ben Sitarara (see-tah-rah-rah) a nurse that works in the High Care Ward. He asked me if I had an African name, and I am sure that he already had one in mind if I said no. Since I didn't, he gave me one. My new name is Kapande (ka-pahn-deh). I heard from someone else that there is a legend about a man who liked to play music while sitting under a tree. The story is that he sat under the tree for so long that the tree enveloped him and he became part of the tree. However, when asked, Ben will just say that it means small fish. I am not quite sure why I have been given the name small fish, but it's fun!

So, if I have had the name since January why am I just now telling you about it? It is because of the mini ceremony that we had this last week. Ben arrived in our ward with a funny smile and some of the cleaners that went to the funeral with us in January. He had Agnes present me with a beautifully beaded black and white necklace and told everyone present (mothers of our patients included) that they were no longer to call me Kimmie. That Kimmie no longer existed and from now on they were only to address me as Sister Kapande. Then apparently he went around to all the other wards and told them the same thing! How do I know that? Because several nurses came from other wards to say hello to "Sister Kapande"! It was a really fun day and it made me really feel like I was accepted as one of them. :-)

Work

Work continues to be very busy as our census remains high. Though it has improved some, it is still high and makes even the idea of work tiring sometimes. Things with the new doctor have been a little on hold lately. Two of the Cuban doctors are on leave right now so Dr. Mlauzi is covering the gastroenteritis (diarrhea) section of the pediatric ward. That means that we don't get to see him except as he is walking past us to go to the other section. Hopefully in a few more weeks things will get back to normal. The good news is that they have made Dr. Mlauzi the head of the pediatric department. This is a great thing because now he can have power to deal with situations like the last one I told you about with the switching of medications.

Those Crazy Canadians

The ladies arrived safely with all their luggage, including some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for me!! :-) Their first week has been full of meetings and planning committees as they work with the AIDS Education and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Project. Yesterday they also went to their first choir practice!

Right now we have Jessica, who is serving in Grootfontein (about 2 1/2 hrs away from me back towards Windhoek), visiting with us. She is staying at Mary's house, so for this first week all three of the ladies have been living here with Sarah and I. Today Jessica is leaving and Amy will be moving over to Mary's. After having been by myself for a year it was quite an adjustment to have Sarah move in. I was really worried about having 3 more people move in, however I have been doing well with it. Everyone has been working hard at helping cook and keep the kitchen clean and we have been having lots of fun watching episodes of Grey's Anatomy that Sally brought. :-)

Fleas

For the last 3 weeks we have been suffering from a plague of fleas! It has been awful! We have given the dogs medicine to help them with the problem then we paid our gardener to spray the yard. However, there are no handy sprayers like the ones you can find in the States, so the poor man has been bent over spraying our yard with an old Windex type bottle! I feel really bad for asking him to do it, but at the same time I am very thankful that it has been working! We have noticed fewer fleas in the last few days!!! It is quite embarrassing to have visitors and when we get to work we frequently have to pull several off. I can't wait until they are all gone!!!

Etosha

As a farewell party, we are taking Paul (the UK guy who has been working out at the Bible college with the OVC project) to Etosha! We have decided that it is a good time to take the ladies, before it gets cold, and to allow Paul to have a small safari before he leaves. We will only be going for 2 nights, so it is a quick trip, but I am looking forward to the break.

I hope that you are all doing well. I would love to hear from you all!

lots of love!

kapande

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