Courage

Our move is becoming common knowledge now - it seems more people know now than don't, and it peppers our daily conversations. One of the more common responses is the implication that we are in some way brave to be doing this. . . that the move involves some kind of courage. 
For me, it seems quite the opposite. I am much more afraid of who I will be and what I will do with my life if we stay where we are.  
I am scared that I would waste the best years of my life predominately in isolation, editing pictures and staring at a computer screen rather than getting out and engaging the world, building relationships, and loving my friends and neighbors well. 
 I am scared that I wouldn't create adventures for my girls, that I wouldn't teach them to climb trees or mountains, for frankly my track record hasn't been very good so far.  
I am scared that I will spend more time staring at a TV screen next to my beloved than talking and dreaming with her. 
 I am scared that we will raise children who are insulated from the needs and hungers of the world.  
I am scared that I will give the girls everything they could possibly want and then some, spoiling them and creating an idea that happiness will always come from having more.
  I am scared that I will never be a part of Arianna's work. . .that she would save lives and I would not share in that joy.  Or that she would be unable to save a little one and that I would be unable to share her grief and heartache.  I am scared that I would not be able witness her at her absolute best - healing and caring and loving.  
In many ways the promise of resolution of those fears, hopefully mixed with a bit of courage,  makes me most excited about Africa.  

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

Christmas

 The past 3 days have been a wonderful celebration of family - the  realization of a new generation as our children play as old friends, and we wait with expectation for Ashley's new little girl in a few short weeks. David and I look around and we feel the culmination of years of dreaming. My sisters and I are women, with families and careers and lives of our own that merge in a controlled chaos for a few days a year to recount memories and settle into the safety of my parent's home. As we sit around the table, laughing as santa Yoda enters the Christmas story to tell Mary there is no room in the inn, we are relaxed -  and I can see the phantom of the years rolling out as our children grow and our lives settle into routines and new realities.
We are family, and it is wonderful.

But our looming reality creeps into the quiet moments and comfort of tradition - in the Candlelight Service, I wedged myself between my sisters as we sang Silent Night - and with one brain we playfully mouthed the German first verse, unsure of the words - then swung our candles side to side like we were at a concert  for the second.  The tears streamed down my face as we waited for mom's disapproving look only to see her tears matched mine. And, at that moment, a quick slap to my rear from one of my sisters sent me into peals of laughter as the song ended.

It is a Christmas of joy, of goodbyes, and of sacred moments.  I cling a little longer in hugs, and talk a little less than my family is used to, ponder the journey of wisemen and shepherd's to a fantastic unknown. . .I wonder what Emma will look like in her Christmas dress next year and what words my nephew Oliver will have learned - I wonder what 80's reference will enter the story of the Christ Child as the family retells it. I wonder and hope that there will be a place in Kijabe to find such joy and rest.

A bit of my heart is in Kenya this year, but most of it is here with family - and next year I know a bit of theirs will be in Africa with us.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions. . .

Where in Kenya are you going to be moving?

We're moving to Kijabe, Kenya. It's a small village built around a mission station established 120 years ago, about an hour northwest of Nairobi, the capital.

Where are you working? Is Arianna going to be doing pediatrics or everything?

I'll be working at AIC Kijabe Hospital (http://www.kijabehospital.org). It's a 320 bed hopsital that takes care of anywhere between 50 and 100 kids on any given day.  I'll be doing all pediatrics, all the time, but I won't just be in the ER. I'll split my time between the nursery, the ICU, the inpatient wards, and the outpatient clinic (sometimes all four in one day :)) . 

We have some big basic things, like oxygen in the wall, IVs, antibiotics, and most common medications. There are 3 ancient pediatric ventilators if we need to ventilate a kid. The needs change day to day as far as equipment, and  here's a link to some of the things the hospital needs right now. It will be very basic compared to Children's where I work right now, but it is amazing what we can still do. There are fantastic pediatric nurses there as well and a nursing school to help train them.

I'll still be teaching and will be working with some of the smartest, most motivated residents I have ever met. They train in pediatrics, OB, Medicine, and basic surgery while doing their residency, so we get to teach them as much as possible in the snippets and months we work with them on the Wards and in Nursery.

And,  what is David going to be doing while Arianna is at the hospital?

The short answer is serve.  Take care of the girls, support Arianna, and then to pitch in as needed in the community.  In our month last summer, that meant bush whacking with machetes, taking photos of the hospital and staff, making connections and friendships with the Kenyan workers, and learning Swahili.  Will I continue to be a professional photographer?  Possibly, we will have to feel it out and decide if it is fun and worthwhile or if it is too stressful do deal with the logistics of shooting in Africa. But the skills we have learned with image making over the past decade will certainly come in handy, first and foremost, to give you a glimpse into our lives and adventures!

Are the girls excited? What are you doing for school?

Ask them next time you see them - I love watching the broad smile spread across Madeline's face matched by Annabelle's shy one. They've always been pretty laid back and up for adventure. They talk daily about what they think life will look like when we move. Kids are everywhere in the village, both missionary kids and Kenyan.  It's a idyllic place to be a child, the beautiful mountainside, endless playmates, trees to climb, safaris just an hour away.  Madeline and Annabelle will attend school at RVA, or Rift Valley Academy, which is an absolutely fantastic mission school just a few minutes up the mountain from us.  The students are from all over Africa (and the world), so it will be a phenomenal cultural experience and learning environment.

Are you selling your house ? What are you doing with all your things?

Yes, we're hoping to have it on the market in March, so if you know someone looking for a great house on Alford with an attic playroom and big yard, let us know ;).  It's interesting to think about selling all of the things we've accumulated in the 12 year since we got married - but expect a big yard sale in the near future, and feel free to claim something if you come to visit. We'll be taking 8 suitcases with us to Kenya and storing pictures and more personal memories, but everything else is going to be sold before we go. I might need some extra hugs this year when I take down our Christmas decorations . . . 

How long will you be in Kenya? 

 The Samaritan's Purse post-residency program is for two years.  The design of the program is to place recent graduates in the field and give them opportunities that will pave the way for a career in medical missions.  In the latter part of the program, we will start working on a transition toward a long term sending agency.  We are committing to Kijabe for two years, but placing ourselves in a position to do this for the long haul, whether that is five years or fifty.

When do you leave?  

End of September, 2014.  We have our last few weddings booked for September, so we'll shoot those and then jump on a plane!

How can we help?  

Keep up with our journeys here. Prayers and encouragement will be our lifeblood, so please add us to your prayer list and shoot us an email from time to time!  Financial donations can be made through Samaritan's Purse or our church.  As we get closer to the date of leaving, I'm sure we'll have more specific things, but for now, keep walking alongside of us as we figure this all out. 

These changes have made us more vulnerable than we have ever been and we are incredibly grateful that you are all walking with us.

Heading back :)

When I was writing people from Kenya in July, my sister Alli replied to one of my emails with a simple question:"Why can't you actually end up there in Kenya? Sounds like they need you. Sounds like you fit in just a few short weeks." It was the question that had been echoing in our minds all week. Kijabe, in 2 weeks, felt like home. It felt like our hearts were taking root it a way neither of us could explain.

After my crazy call, I sat down to dinner. . .
David looked at me, smiled, and said:

"You want to come back."
I nodded.
"Me too," he said.

And I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I realized, that once again, in this crazy, life changing thought that I feared was too strange to be shared, we were on the same page.

It was a quiet whisper in the middle of the storm.

From that moment we started a whirlwind -  a spontaneous coffee break at Mardi's kitchen table, some pointed emails with certain pleas to Samaritan's purse, two 30 page applications, and 7 letters of recommendation in 3 days, two interviews, uncertain moments, redirection. And then a phone call on my way home from work from an unknown number in Boone only 6 short weeks after we landed in Kenya. . .

"We are excited to welcome you into the Post-Residency program for Samaritan's Purse. . ."

I'm sure things were said after that, but it's one of those moment's where time stood still and I realized the entire course of our lives had shifted -  and I was ecstatic, a bit terrified, and so grateful as another door was swinging open for us, taking us back to a place and people that we loved already. 

A couple of days ago, we received final confirmation that we have an official place in Kijabe, starting next September for at least the next two years.

David will keep shooting weddings while we are in the States, I will keep learning and soaking in every bit of wisdom from the doctors and nurses here and finish my fellowship.  And we will start preparing to sell everything we own and move to a place we cannot imagine not calling our new home.  

Stay tuned for the continuation of the adventure. . . 

-ari


After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19

Westgate Mall

We've been getting questions about the situation in Nairobi and I want to share some insights from our friends in Kenya right now. A big part of why we want to return to Kijabe is to have the opportunity to learn from amazingly wise people like these. . .it's like reading a textbook on how to handle, process, and work through a nightmare situation.
 http://paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/2013/09/westgate-mall.html

http://steeres.com/?p=5811

Adventures in Birmingham

Some good friends came to town for Labor Day and we went to the zoo (yes, B'ham has dinosaurs at the zoo) and the science center. Touching live sharks, watching the baby Orangutan play, hearing the T-Rex roar, it was a lot of fun.  It's easy to take for granted when we live here but Birmingham has some great adventures!

The girls are back in school and absolutely loving it. I'm a pretty laid back parent and they love having the structure and learning schedule that school provides. . .not to mention new friends and wonderful teachers.

touching sharks and rays

baby orangutan

The Good Life

I received a phone call from Papa yesterday. "Habari," he said. "Nzuri," I answered, quite shocked. He continued, "Jambo," and I answered "sijambo." He was pronouncing the words absolutely perfectly and I asked where he was learning Swahili.

"At the liquor store from the Indian lady who used to live in Kenya."

Keep in mind, this is in South Carolina, and her daughter goes to Harvard - the world is small and fascinating!

I emulated Papa when in Kenya, telling cheesy jokes like he would, always making the first move to introduce myself and smile. He is naturally shy, but goes into pastor-mode when he is out and about, exuding energy and smiles, making connections, building bridges, offering prayers, advice, and friendship. So many times I thought how happy he would be in Kijabe, how he would have love a certain moment or interaction!

I was at my friend Andy's house, watching him separate sunflower seeds from the plant that grew in his garden. It occurred to me that a big part of my happiness in Kenya was because I was living a mirror of Andy's life. They live smack in the heart of Bluff Park - one of those neighborhoods where everyone knows each other and the kids are free to romp every day until dark. Andy is a jack of all trades sort of guy and has about a jillion projects going on - but like me, he looks after the kids while his wife works a normal schedule. Andy is great about never being too busy to have a conversation. . .he makes a big point to get involved in the lives of his friends and neighbors. Part of his method is to be outside: working in the garden or walking the kids to school.  I learned this lesson in Kijabe - when you walk, you stop and get to know people. Our girls love to play with his, and it's a rare day when they don't have 5 or 10 kids playing in the backyard. Andy is also big into renewables and self-sustenance, whether it is the garden or rain barrels, or the plans for solar water heaters. He is about pragmatism and big dreams - we have this or that resource - how could I use it to do something I want? My favorite moments in Kenya were spent when I was living like Andy. . .maybe the best moment was the afternoon I spent with William, googling plans for a solar oven and a rocket stove - both ideas I learned in conversations with Andy before we left.  I pictured Andy there with us, dreaming big and so excited about these little tools to recycle and use natural means as the solution to a need.

Matthew Boyle, one of my favorite people in the world. He was in my Sunday school class, but despite (or maybe because of)a few years difference in age, we have become good friends. Matthew is a tinker - endlessly clever with a love for building, tinkering, and big cool science. He introduced me to Tesla coils and gives me lessons in materials engineering an quantum physics. We had lunch yesterday and I realized that Matthew and my Kenyan friend William are twins born on different continents. Their quick smiles and laughter, love of learning, brilliance and resourcefulness. . .I hope they can meet one day!

In religion classes we used to talk about "the good life." I see a great picture of a life well lived in these and so many of my other friends. It is not necessary to go to the ends of the earth to have the good life. . .but going to Kenya did help me realize that I need to shift a few priorities and live more like these wonderful people, and most importantly that I need to make more time to hang out with them!