change is in the air!!! (and it's not just my hair!! Ha! Ha!)

Hello Dear Family and Friends!

 

Ok, so this still isn't the December email, but this one is a bit more exciting to me...  I wanted to share with you all the developments that I have had recently at work.  One of the questions posed recently after Rob attended an AIM leadership meeting was "what are you passionate about?"  I took a long time to think this over and decided that exactly what I am doing in the hospital isn't it...  What I am passionate about is nursing and education.  I would love for others to be passionate about caring for others and trying hard to be the best they can be. 

 

Though I feel that I have been able to model this over the last year and a half that I have been working (along with Sarah's help while she was here), I began to feel like it was time to have a bigger hand in helping to teach the students.  I talked this over with Rob and a little bit with Mick, and we all decided that it would be a good idea for me to approach the hospital management and the nursing college to see how my current role could change. 

 

Before I could approach them though, they approached me with a new position.  Though I have a few apprehensions about it, I have accepted it!  The new position is doing in-service training.  This way, not only will I be able to impact the students, but I also get to work with all the nurses in the whole hospital!  I am so excited about this opportunity!  :-)  It was announced today at our first nursing meeting of the year, and I will apparently be starting my new post starting in February! (The Matron hadn't told me when I would be starting until today)

 

Now before you ask, of course I have seriously considered the implications of not doing any direct patient care.  That's why I told the Matron that it was part of my condition of accepting the post that I would stay working in the ward at least 1 day a week.  I still haven't figured out how many hours I will be working on that one day, but I thought it was only fair to my colleagues not to abandon them, or my clinical skills.  I also thought it was important for the students to see me practicing what I teach.  The theory/practice gap is huge here, and I feel that I give myself credibility if they see me working in the ward. 

 

I am very glad to be able to have this change and to see how God is working through me while I am here.  Your prayers as I seek to lead others humbly would be greatly appreciated!

 

I love you all!

k

 

p.s. I haven't heard any update on my step-mom, but would appreciate your continued prayers for her and my dad

 

p.p.s. a few of you have asked when my actual birthday is, it's February 19th...  :-)  Thanks to everyone who have RSVPd to my birthday request! 

oh the horror... and a related invitation

Dear Family and Friends,

 

I know that I should be writing you an email all about how my December was.  After all, January is half over...  I have one started, I just haven't gotten that far on it.  So why, you ask, am I abandoning that one to write to you today?  Because of the horrific event that happened to me yesterday.  I just have to share.  I know you will be tempted to laugh, but I don't think it's very funny... 

 

Yesterday during lunch, while washing my hands, I happened to glance into the mirror.  That is when my eyes did spy something shining back at me.  Does anyone want to guess what I found upon closer inspection?  That's right... my first gray hair!  AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time!!  As I am not yet thirty this was quite a shock to me!  So now I am trying to figure out if it is old age, being a nurse, or living in Africa that has given me gray hair!  (I am leaning towards the last two in case you're wondering... ha! ha!)

 

Speaking of getting old, I do have a big birthday coming up in about a month.  I can't believe I am turning the big THREE-OH!!!  Ekes!  Usually when someone turns 30, it is a big celebration.  However, I am not around for you to party with, so I have come up with a plan for how we can all celebrate it together!  I want all of you to go out to dinner on the night of my birthday! (Those of you from church involved in KBC can choose another night since it falls on a Tuesday.)  I also want you to order the birthday cake and enjoy every bite of it for me!  Now, I know that you're wondering how I am going to know if you did it or not... Well, I want you all to take a picture of yourselves with the cake and then mail me the picture!  :-)  Doesn't that sound like a great way to celebrate my birthday?  Now, if you're wondering where you should go, I leave that completely up to you.  I like all different types of food, so surprise me by picking your favorite!  (ordering pizza [pepperoni and mushroom is my favorite] and renting a movie is also totally cool.  Basically I just want you guys to have an excuse to get together and enjoy some time with family and friends, just like you would if I was there!!) 

 

I hope this finds you all doing well! (and I promise to work more on that December email some more over the next few days!)

 

I love you all!

kimmie

update on my stepmom

I got this from my sister.  Please continue to pray for healing for Robin and good health for my dad as he spends a lot of his time going back and forth from work to the hospital.  I don't know what they plan to find by doing either the scope or the surgery.  Val was also telling me that even though they took out the gallbladder, sometimes there can still be sludge in that area of the liver that can cause problems.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors.

Hey Foof... talked to Dad last night... Robin has c.diff (a really bad bacterial infection) up to the middle of her small intestines now... she's on another antibiotic. after a couple days, they plan to do a colonoscopy, then depending on the results of that, they may (or may not) do exploratory surgery.

love you all.

k

 

colleague from Georgia

Greetings my dear family and friends,

 

I just got an email from one of my friends back at Kennestone Hospital where I worked for 5 years before I came to Africa.  She let me know that another of my colleagues there, Brent, found his 2 1/2 yr old son dead in bed (I think on Christmas morning).  He had been sick with the flu for a few days, but the autopsy found that he had a burst thoracic (in the chest) aneurysm.  Please be in prayer for Brent and his wife during this time.  His wife was still pregnant when I left Kennestone and I remember the excitement Brent had about being a father.  The death of a child is never easy, and I can only imagine that this time of year makes it even harder.  Thank you in advance for your prayers.

love,

kimmie

 

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/