Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just a little note to say that I am thinking of you all and wishing you a Merry Christmas.  Not too much has happened around here lately.  I took a few days off to start packing (EKES) so am enjoying some quiet days.  I added some new pictures for you to check out.  

with loving prayers for a blessed and safe Christmas,

kapande

Click here to see my hero, Sabrina, saving me from a deadly killer

Click here to see the Christmas celebration at the hospital

thank you

Dearest family and friends,
wow... I have never received so many email responses in my time here.
Thank you for your warm words of encouragement and condolences. It
has been a rough few days but I am getting through.

I know that the reason I am getting through has been in part due to
your love and prayers for me. The following Bible verses have been
key in reminding me that God is in control and that I don't have to
face troubles alone. They remind me that I can trust God, and that he
will give me the strength that I need.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone
is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be mightily
shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty
rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your
hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:5-8

"Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul
clings to you; your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63:7-8

"I said, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.'" Isaiah 41: 9b-10

Thank you for your continued love and prayers.
much love,
kimmie

she was "just" a cat, but she was my cat and I loved her!

Dear family and friends,

I never did tell you what happened with my cat, Olive, and her
possible pregnancy. Since it had been less than a week after finding
her in that compromising position when I took her to the vet, he
decided to go ahead and spay her the next day. The surgery went well,
and, though we had a drunk cat when she came home that day (I think he
used too much ketamine) she was fine. Things had been going really
well until a few weeks ago when she developed some bleeding. Knowing
she no longer had a uterus I took her back to the vet. He thought it
might be due to infection so he gave her a shot of antibiotics and
told me to keep an eye on her.

I was petting her last week when I noticed a lump in her abdomen. I
tried to take her to the vet but since he's the only vet for the whole
region he isn't always in. I found him in yesterday and he scheduled
her for exploratory surgery today to find out what was going on. I
took her in this morning and said I would come back to check on her
then went to work.

I was sitting at my desk at work typing when I looked up and saw the
vet through the window. I knew it couldn't be good news. I met him
at the door. He said he was sorry and that she made it through the
surgery but died while he was sewing her up. He walked me out to his
truck where he showed me the cyst that he had removed from her abdomen
along with the pus. He agreed to bury her for me because I knew I
couldn't deal with it. He was very apologetic as I stood there crying
and petting her through the cage. I have so far spent the rest of the
day in tears. My boss was kind enough to let me come home. Mary flew
out yesterday and Daryl and Sabrina are going to Etosha this weekend
so I'll be alone. I know it's going to be rough, but I also know God
will give me the strength to get through it.

I appreciate your prayers.
kimmie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy (early) Thanksgiving my dear family and friends!

How is everyone doing?  Anyone have big travel plans?  I will be alone this Thanksgiving, but I have decided I am making chicken, mashed potatoes and some veggies.  I am quite excited about it!  :-)  I will probably also watch a movie, but I don't have any really good Thanksgiving ones...  I guess I'll figure it out.  This is going to be a long email since I haven't written in a while!  Sorry in advance!!!

Hello Swakopmund but Goodbye Shelley...

At the beginning of the month I took my weekend trip to Swakopmund with Shelley, Jessica, Linda and Sky.  Jessica and Linda are both missionaries in Grootfontein, the next town and their friend Sky is a Peace Corps volunteer there.  The trip was amazing!  The main focus was to celebrate Jessica's birthday and boy did we ever!!!  Jessica went skydiving (I couldn't in the end) and we all watched.  The next morning she went sand surfing!  She said it was like snow-boarding but on sand that got into every inch of everything!  That afternoon we went together to do quad biking on the sand dunes.  It was so beautiful!  After half an hour of riding into the desert, there wasn't a sign of humanity anywhere!  Every direction you looked, for as far as the eye could see was nothing but sand dunes.  It was wonderful!  On our way back we topped one hill and were looking at the South Atlantic Ocean.  It was gorgeous!  (Have I effectively communicated how stunning Swakop is?)  That was all the adrenaline junky sports that we did.  

Other than those activities, we enjoyed great food and I sat for hours and watched the ocean.  The rhythmic crashing of the waves is so calming!  I would like my version of heaven to have big mountains and warm, sandy beaches!  I was going to post pictures but Jessica got to it first.  So, if you want to check out our trip you can look at her blog.  (click here) Of course it is her blog which means she is prominent in the pictures... but I'm there too.  The post was from November 7th and she posts a lot of notes, so you have to scroll waaaaaayyyyyyy down to get to it.  It starts with Jessica's  skydiving pictures.  (the ground ones I took... the sky ones were taken by the people who get paid to jump out of a plane and take pictures... on a daily basis... can I have that job?!?!?!)

Though the weekend was incredible, it was also a bittersweet time because it meant the end of Shelley's time in Namibia.  Though it wasn't always easy living with her, I think we both learned a lot about ourselves in the process and I began to appreciate her at the end.  It was hard to see her go.  She made it safely back to Australia and is settling in well.

Everyone's leaving

Aside from Shelley's departure, there are also 2 more people leaving which makes me incredibly sad.  The first is Jessica.  Though she lives 2 1/2 hours away we are in constant contact through the technological wonder that is text messaging (though we call it sms here).  We often joke that we should be married with as much as we talk everyday!  Jessica is often a voice of reason in my life, which might surprise those who know her, but she has been a steady rock for me when I have gone through really rough times.  I have been in denial about her departure, but in one week she will already be in the US.  It's going to be difficult without her!  The other person leaving is Mary.  She has been here in Rundu now for 2 years and one month.  She has been a great friend and voice of wisdom in my life (and many times a bringer of chocolate cake).  Though she's old enough to be my grandmother, we have developed a unique friendship and I will miss her!  Mary has a little less than two weeks left here in Rundu.  It will be hard to see her go as well!!!

Speaking of leaving- another reason to have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Speaking of everyone leaving, I thought that you all might be excited to hear my news.  I am coming home!  I had previously said that I would be home in May.  However, after having talked things through with Mick, we think that I should come home sooner!  Though my plans are evolving, it looks like I will be home in March!  It was going to be the last week of February but I have to travel through our headquarters in NY to debrief and they are fully booked with an orientation that week.  So, I am planning on flying the first of March!  Of course there are factors (like me bringing Olive home with me) that might effect my travel plans, but that's what I'm intending at this point.

What will I do when I get home?  That's a very good question!  These plans there are also evolving, but I think that I will go to NM first and spend some time with my family.  I hope to have my dad and brother help me buy a car there and drive back to Atlanta through Texas and Oklahoma to see people along the way.  After I spend a few weeks in Atlanta, I hope to go to SC to see John David and Joy along with their new addition to the family :-) as well as my friend Sheila.  My current plan is to settle back into life in Atlanta.  I am trying to decide between getting a hospital job or applying to universities to get my masters in nursing education.  

Your prayers for wisdom, guidance and discernment are greatly appreciated!  There are so many decisions that have to be made that it is sometimes overwhelming!  I'll try to keep you all updated as my plans evolve.

For those of you that are supporting me financially (thanks again!) I will send a separate email to you that explains what is going to happen when I come home.  

Naughty Olive

I keep the door from the kitchen into the hallway closed because Olive likes to jump on the counters when no one is watching.  Today when I walked in I opened that door and screamed!  On the floor right in front of the door was a very large dead lizard.  Of course it took me a moment to figure out that it was dead... but still...  What was she thinking?!  Is she trying to torture me?!  I decided at that moment that I need to give her a second name because just yelling out Olive wasn't enough!  I got the broom and poked it to make sure it wasn't just pretending, then I moved it far away from the door so I could get through.  I was debating about how to get rid of it when I decided to ask the gardener who was working next door at Daryl & Sabrina's house to come over and take it out.  Then I realized that I was being a dork and gave myself a very hearty and long pep talk!  I used the broom to push it onto the dust pan then used the broom to push the dust pan to the door where I was able to sweep it out into the dirt.  The triumphant victory that I felt was a little ridiculous since I never actually came within 3 feet of the nasty thing!  Scorecard: Lizard 0, Olive 1  

I was actually quite surprised to find the big lizard there today because of what happened a few weeks ago.  Sabrina came over while I was at work to have our handyman, Peter, fix my door knob.  When they arrived they found Olive whining really loudly.  They opened the kitchen door and found her with a large lizard stuck on her paw!  It was biting her in protest of it's capture!  Sabrina said she and Peter were both stunned and didn't know what to do.  After staring for a bit Sabrina hit the lizard with her keys and stunned it.  It let go of Olive's paw and Peter used the dust pan to get it outside.  I think the lizard won that one!!!  Since then, I have only been finding very small baby lizards in the house.  Though they aren't great to deal with, they don't freak me out.  The big ones like the one today definitely do though!  Scorecard: Lizard 1 Olive 1

Sad News

Most of you should remember my language helper, Imelda.  Sadly, her mom, who has been battling cancer for many months, passed away yesterday.  In keeping with tradition, I went to her house to night as everyone just sat around and talked.  It was strange because no one wanted me to sit on the ground (all the chairs were already taken when I arrived) and kept trying to get me to sit in theirs.  They are not used to a white person sitting on the ground!  I will be going over there every night this week just to be there with the family (and the 100 or so other people gathered around).  The memorial service will be Friday.  Mary and I will attend that together.  Then on Saturday I will go to the funeral.  I have offered to be a driver so that more people can be taken out to the graveside where the second part of the service will be.  Please pray for the Kandjimi family as they grieve this loss.  

I think that's enough for now.  I love you all and will keep you updated with my plans!

Happy Thanksgiving!

kimmie

Praises:

• Our trip to Swakopmund was amazing!
• Shelley made it back to Australia safely and is getting settled in well

Prayer requests:

• For the Imelda and her family in the loss of their mother
• Sabrina's mom flies in tomorrow for a month long visit.  Please pray that the traveling will be safe and that they will have a blessed time as they explore Namibia.  They will be gone until the 5th of December
• For wisdom as I work out details about when I should leave and what I should do when I grow up, I mean.... when I get home :-)

6 truths

6 Truths of Life

        1. You cannot touch all your teeth with your tongue.

        2. All idiots, after reading the first truth, will try it.

        3. And discover that The first truth is a lie.

        4. You're smiling now because you're an idiot.

        5. You soon will forward this to another idiot.

        6. There's still a stupid smile on your face.

        I apologize about this.

        I'm an idiot and I needed company ...

Home pregnancy test?

Metaha vaholi! (afternoon my friends!)

The summer weather is in full swing and we are doing very little these days except rest and drink lots of water.  The day temp has got to be 100˚ and the nights are cooling to the low 90s/high 80s.  It's hot without air conditioning!  I had someone tell me that I should douse my top sheet in cold water before bed and sleep with it that way.  I tried it Saturday night and almost every night since then!  It's been awesome!  With the ceiling fan and floor fan both on high it's almost like winter!  It's amazing because after one hour the sheet is already dry!  Evaporation is an amazing process!  :-)

Etosha (yes, again)

When I went to Etosha with Daryl, Sabrina and Anna, Shelley couldn't join us, so I promised her that we would plan a small weekend trip before she left.  We decided that September would be a good time to go.  I know that many of you think that I go on too many vacations so I wasn't even going to tell you about this little weekend trip.  However, God blessed us so much that I can't help but re-cap our amazing trip and just brag on God's awesomeness for a minute!  In a day and a half, we saw an amazing amount of animals!  Total we saw: 59 elephants: one water hole had 22 elephants where we watched them play in the water and even got to watch one baby breast-feed!  16 lions: The first day we saw 12 lions.  A single male and then a pride with 5 cubs, 2 males and 3 females.  We saw one male earlier in the day and when we came back to that same spot the rest of them were there and crossing the road right in front of us!  The next day we saw an older male, a younger male and 3 females that crossed the road literally right behind our car!  I kept pushing Shelley out the window to get a better picture and she thought I was trying to get her killed!  5 hyenas (4 at the same waterhole with the 22 elephants!). We also saw a black rhino that was just off the road that stopped perfectly in a clearing for us to take some pictures!  The first day we saw a leopard come out from the bush to get a drink at a waterhole.  It was the most perfect sighting we could have ever wished to have of a leopard!  Then, to our amazement, we saw another one the second day! WOW!  People can go on safari their entire lives and never see a leopard!  We had two in two days!  The second one was a little frustrating at first because there was a huge banter with Linda, a missionary in Grootfontein that went with us of "Which tree? That tree. Which tree? That tree right there.  The dark thing in that tree.  Which tree?  Look at this rock then go straight back this way. I still don't see it.  Which tree?  Ok, is it the tallest tree? Yes. I don't see anything in the tallest tree. WHICH TREE? That tree."  I honestly think that the only reason I ended up seeing him was because he moved!  Every time it just seemed like our timing was orchestrated by God so that we saw the most amazing things!  Did I mention that it was an awesome trip? :-)  Here are a few photos that I posted.  

Further proof

In case you guys needed any further proof that I go on vacation more than anyone else in the world (except my fellow missionaries) I am planning another trip for the end of this month.  Jessica, the other missionary in Grootfontein, has her birthday at the end of the month and has requested a trip to Swakopmund on the coast.  She has also requested to go sky diving in honor of her birthday!  I think it's a great idea because it's something that I have always said I wanted to do.  However, it is a little expensive.  A chat with my friend brought us to acknowledge that we wouldn't want it to be cheap as that would be frightening!  The cost is $220 US.  Being on a fixed income this will be really difficult for me to come up with.  If anyone is interested in helping out a bit I would gladly accept it.  (Sorry, it wouldn't be tax deductible) You can email me for details about how. 

Home pregnancy test?

I don't always pay the best attention so it wasn't much of a surprise to me when I realized a little late that Olive (my cat) was in heat.  I found her the other night in a compromising position with a neighborhood cat.  Is there a home pregnancy test for cats?  What in the world am I going to do if she has kittens?!?!  Ekes!  Though I think it's slightly funny, I am still wondering what the results of my inattention will be!  Why hasn't she been spayed yet you ask?  By my best estimate she is only 5 or 6 months old and I didn't think she was old enough to have that problem yet!  I have an appointment tomorrow with the only vet in town to find out what we can do.  

Good cat? Bad cat?

I have been frightened before, but I had my first true panic attack Saturday night when I went out to get a glass of water right before bed and found Olive playing with one of the spiky geckos that I hate so much in the hallway!  She looked like she wanted to come and show me her prize so I had to praise her for catching it but kept telling her to stay where she was!  It was a little like this "Good girl Olive!  You caught a lizard!  Good girl!  No- no- don't bring it here. You stay right there.  Don't you dare bring it over here!  But good girl for catching it..."

Shelley, who was house-sitting at Daryl and Sabrina's next door, got a phone call of "Olive caught a lizard and you have to come over right now!"  The saint that she is, she actually came over.  However, at night we always bolt the door from the inside so even with her keys she couldn't get in!  That sent me into even more of a panic because it meant I had to get past Olive and the gecko to get to the kitchen to let her in.  Poor Shelley had to stand outside coaching me from the window to get me through it!  The gross little thing kept biting Olive and at one point she flicked it up onto the wall.  Because it was above her, she "lost" it.  At this point I was able to use a piece of foam to push her into the bathroom then use as a shield between me and the gecko.  They don't typically run from people and I think this poor guy was a little shocked because he didn't even try to run when Shelley finally used an old plastic butter tub to catch him.  What would I have done without a roommate who isn't afraid of these nasty little creatures?!?!?! (Mary said that in the future I can call her, but she leaves in December!)

Me

So you're tired of hearing about all the fun stuff I do and you just want to know how I am doing.  Well, it's been a struggle lately but it is improving.  Things weren't going well with Shelley and we had to ask Sabrina to mediate for us, I haven't been able to do any teaching at the hospital for a multitude of reasons, and the heat is intensely oppressive and makes me ridiculously lethargic and cranky.  On the other hand, I have been developing a wonderful relationship with Pastor Domingo's youngest daughter Emilly.  Emilly called me a month ago and asked if I knew anyone that could tutor her in accounting because her grades were very poor.  I asked those around me who are teachers if anyone could help and the answer was always no.  So I decided to help her myself.  What do I know about accounting?  Absolutely nothing!  However I do have a college degree and I am an American consumer so I figured I knew enough.  Boy was I wrong!  Even though she's already half way through her book in school I decided that the best place to start was the beginning.  It has been so confusing!  I have no clue why the debit side is for money coming in and the credit side is for money going out!  I don't understand at all!  However, we have been able to keep working through the book and we're all the way to chapter 3!  I don't know if it is the blind leading the blind or if I am helping, but I hope it's the latter!  I use it as a chance to coach her in English as well which she appreciates.  Emilly is a very sweet girl and I have enjoyed spending time with her several afternoons a week.  I will keep you updated on how we do!  :-}

I hope this finds you all doing well!

lots of love and hugs!

kapande

Kimmie Tibbetts

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

8 months, 7 weeks, 1 hour, a few pounds?, etc.

Dearest Family and Friends...

How are you all doing?  Things here are going as well as they can when you live in rural Africa!  The only exciting thing is that it's Daryl's 30th birthday today!  And I must say that he is handling his much better than I handled mine!  :-)  We have a surprise planned for him that I am getting very excited about!  I will try to post some pictures afterwards of the evening's events.  The only thing that Shelley and I haven't figured out is what present to get him!  Why are guys so hard to shop for?!?!?!  Yes, we are a little last minute... I am ok with that!

8 months

Time is fun when your having flies!  Oops... I mean time flies when you're having fun!  :-)  Though many days I have felt the strain of living and working in another culture, it is hard to believe that I have been in Namibia for 2 1/2 years already!  WOW!  The time in many ways has just flown by!  It must be in the air or the water because everyone keeps asking when I am coming home.  The answer that I have given to all who have asked is the same.  Not yet!  :-)  Part of the reason that I am a little vague is that it depends on my work permit.  Yes, after all these months I still haven't heard anything (nor do I really expect to yet).  My main plan is to leave sometime in May, which is only 8 months away!  However, should my work permit expire before then, I probably won't bother renewing it and I'll just head home.  It is very strange realizing that I am on the downhill stretch.  It has made me a lot more tolerant of the things in this culture that I don't really care for.  I am now questioning if I have actually accomplished anything!  Rationally I know I have, but there is something about knowing you are leaving that grips you and makes you question yourself.  I am also looking forward at the next few months and wondering what I want to do with the time that I have left...  

The other question people ask is where am I going to live.  The answer is I am not sure, though I am leaning towards heading back to Atlanta.  I still want to get my Master's in nursing education, but think that being home for a year first will be wiser than starting right away.  The school that I am interested in is in Texas and I don't think that coming home from being gone for 3 years and trying to settle in a new place is a good idea!  I want to be around people I know at least for a while before I strike out on my own again.

7 weeks

It's been 7 1/2 weeks now that my car has been sitting in the shop.  While most of the parts have come in, the rubber seal for the gear box has been elusive!  Here's what's been going on.  After the promises of '3 days' stopped I have had to make multiple phone calls to harass the mechanic to find out information.  Neither he nor his wife are very happy to hear my voice at this point and if I call with my cell phone I think he ignores it sometimes then later just claims to have not had his phone with him!  Before we went to conference he did receive a seal, however it was the wrong one.  He sent it back along with the old one for the guy in Windhoek to know exactly what was needed.  After we came back from conference I called the mechanic but he said nothing had happened, so I put pressure on him to find out what was going on.  He finally got the guy in Windhoek to say that the old part had never arrived so they didn't know what to order!  My mechanic had to call the post office and figure out what went wrong.  The story given was something about the parcel being small and set aside somewhere.  After that it finally made it's way to Windhoek.  That was a week ago.  This week they are saying that there isn't a part like it in all of Namibia so they are having to contact South Africa to try to find it.  It is all very frustrating and I can't wait to get home and buy a new car that I won't have to do anything to but change the oil and wash!!!!

1 hour

HOORAY! YIPPEE! HURRAH! YEE-HAW!  WAHOO!  In case you haven't figured it out, we are all very happy to announce that the time has changed again!  Why are we so excited?  Because we no longer have to take Shelley to work at 5:30 in the morning!  :-)  YAY!  With the time change, the hours for the nurses working also changes from 6-6 to 7-7.  Now, since Mary leaves to go to the college at 6:30 anyways, Shelley just rides in with her and Daryl, Sabrina and I make our way to work at 8.  Since we are in spring, our time moved up an hour, so now we are currently 6 hours ahead of my friends in GA (and Joy & JD in NC), 7 hours ahead of my friends in OK, and 8 hours ahead of my family in NM.  When the time changes there in October it will be different again, but this is it for these next few weeks.    

A few pounds?

After being told for some years that I am at risk for diabetes (my own health problems related to my tumor as well as a family history), I have finally started taking the doctors seriously.  It is not an effort to lose weight, but rather to become a healthier person.  Of course, in this process if I lose a few pounds I won't be sad about it!  So, I have cut out almost all refined sugar from my diet!  YIKES!  After having done some research, Shelley and I have also started eating a much more balanced diet and are only buying foods that have a low glycemic index (GI).  Sabrina and Daryl have been very supportive and are cooking healthier meals when we join them for dinner!  Because it is a lifestyle change and not a diet, I am allowing some 'slip-ups'... so don't worry, I won't deprive myself of any of Daryl's birthday cake tonight!  :-)   

Prepaid Electricity

As some of you may remember from when I first arrived, our electricity here is prepaid.  It is an interesting way to do it, but pretty wise since most people are very poor and would constantly have it turned off and then wouldn't be able to pay the reconnection fee... it would be a serious downward cycle.  However, for those of us that could pay, it is sometimes a bad thing.  Take the case of a few Sundays ago when our power went out.  Sunday is when the power tends to go out because they are working in the lines, so at first I didn't think anything of it.  However, a little bit later I noticed that the electricity meter was flashing red.  If the power is out then there is nothing that is on.  I went over to look at it.... that's when I realized that the power for the town hadn't gone out, we had just run out of power credits!  I felt so embarrassed!  To make matters worse, when we went to get more electricity credit, the machine was down and the line had over 30 people in it!  OOPS!!!  I went back several times that afternoon and it was always the same story.  Finally in the early evening I was able to get more credit and we were back in business.  Thankfully it wasn't too hot that day!  (I pay much more attention to the meter now too!)

Missing life

One of the hardest things about being here is missing all the big life events that are happening in people's lives.  Missing weddings and births make me the saddest.  The latest wedding that I have missed is Sally's.  She was here as a short-termer from Canada last year.  Amy and Sarah, who were both here at the same time, were able to go.  I am still waiting for some pictures.  (hint hint)  It is always good news to hear about my friend's happiness, but it's also sad because I hate missing it.  I am also happy/sad to announce that my friends Joy & JD are expecting their first child, due in early February!  I can't wait to meet him/her when I return next year!  Congratulations Sally & David and Joy & JD!  

I hope this finds you all enjoying the new school year and the fun colors and weather of fall.

love and hugs to all,

kapande

Kimmie Tibbetts

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