To the Nut Fields!

This past weekend, my big kids and I took a field trip - literally! We had an adventure traipsing into the countryside to the peanut field that belongs to one of our workers/friends.

Papa F* pulling up the plants so they can
dry for the next work party

Maman F* comes to help with the many monotonous chores that makes life go ‘round here, and one day when we got chatting she was telling me that her 5 girls go every weekend to help in their families’ fields. 

Jesh and I have been trying to be intentional with teaching our children the need for life skills and learning age-appropriate responsibilty. Listening to this mama tell me that her children get up with her at 4am to fetch water, make fire and prepare a meal, bathe and get ready for school by 6:30am gave a good perspective. 

Not only that, but every weekend these girls/young ladies ride their bikes an hour or two into the country (not that there’s really such thing as city living out here!). There, they work the fields that provide their familiy, and relatives, with their livelihood. 

This got me thinking. It made me wonder if we make it way too easy on our kiddos. Naturally, it’s easy for them to feel like we are “always” making them work (said in the voice of a nearly double-digit eldest son who can’t wait to get outside with his buddies!). But in reality, the value of being a hard worker, whether we want to or not, becomes second to being happy and having fun. It happens so quickly, without us even trying. 

So in an effort to help this family out (yeah right, we can’t hold nothin’ to their fortitude) and encourage my kids to see another perspective, we took a moto taxi and headed out for the peanut harvest. 

And man, was it humbling! We joined a group of women and girls, all relatives of my friend, and were “put to work”. Actually, they tried to make us as comfortable as possible, and were full of encouragement all morning. Later I would find out they were concerned we were getting too tired (even though we came by moto long after they had biked there, and left long before the days’ work would be finished!). 

As we plucked nuts off the roots in the field (I didn’t even know peanuts were a root), I was told this was light work today, as the day before they had spent over 12 hours doing a labrious hauling of Maize (a type of corn that they will later beat into a rough flour and cook into a heavy dough-type substance that serves as a staple in their diets). When this mama of 5 (one just 18 months old) finally got home around 9pm that night, they then had a mountain of corn in their home that needed to be packed up so the chickens wouldn’t get into it. 

And so, the day we were harvesting peanuts, she had been up at 3am. There was not a hint of complaint as she told me this, just the facts of life. The next day she would again be before dawn, yet arrive at my place later in the morning with a smile, ready to work. 

So there I was, thinking I might “help”, sitting beside this woman who truly knows what it means to work hard to support her family, and I couldn’t help but admire her. At the same time, I’m ashamed to admit that in previous weeks I had caught myself thinking I could do my housework faster, but was doing her a favour by providing a job. And while that may be correct in some sense, it’s embarrassing to think of all that she will have already accomplished before I am even thinking of being awake. No kidding she has to pace herself! This woman works harder then I will ever do in my life just to make ends meet. 

I listened that morning as those ladies and young women chattered and laughed together while they worked. There’s no such thing as a weekend, or a family vacation, so Maman F* enjoys her life as she works. 

Midday you could see everyone slowing down as the heat turned up for the afternoon. The older girls prepared lunch on-location, so we sat on the dirt and dug in with fingers to a shared bowl of grub - a new experience that tested my daughter's ability to handle germs. But the graciousness of our host was apparent as she pulled out 3 spoons just for us, knowing we are accustomed to utensils!

Nap time

Rice and beans mixed together
with a spicy seasoning on top

There’s so much I can learn from those I find myself around. What an honor to have this lovely woman in my home each week, and to get to catch a glimpse into her world. 

And the fresh-from-the-ground nuts were pretty tasty - who knew!

Bonne Arrivée!

Waiting...luckily, someone found a winter tire that fit! 

("Welcome!" - in unconventional french:)

We have arrived! 

After an eventful drive from the capital city, that is. A busted tire and being stuck behind an accident made the 9 hour drive take 13, but Sunday, Sept. 22 we made it to our new home in Mango, Togo. 

First day at the english school for missionary kids

And what a lovely home it is! 

In spite of arriving late Sunday night, the kids were off to school Monday morning, and by lunch time their response to “How was school?” was “Awesome!” Thank you, Lord! We truly don’t take that for granted, and in the weeks since, their positive welcome has only continued. Ranging from 2 months to 17 years old, our kids have enjoyed getting to know the couple dozen missionary kiddos around. 

We arrived to Mango at the tail-end of the wet season, so the days following our arrival were hot and humid (it’s usually hot and dry). The heat has been one of the biggest changes for us, as our last location had pretty consistently moderate temperatures. We are told it’s still the cool season (a “chilly” 27º some days!) but we have had days where it is upwards of 38º (100º F). We are typically sweating profusely, changing shirts multiple times a day, and trying to figure out the best way to keep the house cool. Windows open? Close them late morning? Open them again? Splurge and use a little A/C? (So thankful for A/C in our rooms!!)

Smoothies anyone? 
Thank you, deep freeze!

Overall, we feel grateful for this location and how well they have received us. It has been nurturing for our souls to be so welcomed, and we have quickly connected with others here. Even the children have been welcomed! A few days in, one of the older missionaries who does maintenance came by and asked if Kai would like a ride on the tractor to go watch the guys dumping loads of rocks and dirt. He didn’t need to ask twice!

Quick friends!

In all honesty, though, we have found ourselves repeatedly overwhelmed with sadness for this change of direction. I was walking in the local market and automatically started using the national language of Burundi, which made my heart ache as I realized I would need to start over in order to communicate with those around us here (thankfully, french goes further here, so that’s a great start!). Jesh has continued to receive texts from work colleagues saying they miss him, and he is reminded what (who!) he has left behind. Even looking at the overgrown garden bed in front of our new home and being reminded of the pots and garden beds we had slowly nurtured and developed is a reminder that we are starting over. We certainly had our plans and hopes and dreams for a future there, and the fact that it will not come to fruition is hard to fully get our heads around. 

As much as we grieve what we have left behind, we are hopeful that God can and will enlarge our hearts for the work and ministry we have the privilege of being a part of here. This team is excited and motivated about sharing the hope of the gospel, and their enthusiasm is contagious! We are reminded that many have not been given the opportunity to hear about Christ, and it’s exciting to think of getting to be part of a team who longs to change that. 

There is much more that we can share, and we will continue to keep communications open. That said, the best way to hear about the day to day stuff is by joining our Facebook group, Thiessens2Africa. We will have much more freedom to share details in that space!

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few photos of our craziest cutie! He's a busy kid, but it's been great having more time with him these days since I'm not in and out of the house teaching at the school (the kids come home for some work, but otherwise they have a high-energy teacher who handles their education like a boss!). 

By Julie

Yup, we still have lizards

Exploring the market together

Play School time!

No paint? No problem!

Winds of Change…

It feels a little crazy to put into words, but Jesh and I are writing with the news that our family will be shifting locations as of September 18, 2019. Our desire and vision to use surgery to share the compassionate love of Christ remains unchanged, and we will be moving to Hospital of Hope in Mango, Togo. 

This decision has come with much prayer and the seeking of outside counsel, and while it all came together rather swiftly, we are thankful to be moving forward with incredible peace that speaks to His great care for us as we enter another season of transition.

We have attempted to explain a little more in the following paragraphs!

The History

For Jesh and I, our heart for Burundi has taken shape slowly over the last 16 years, since I first came out in 2003. Since then, we have both come back numerous times, and we have watched in amazement as God brought things together for us to come here, with long-term intentions, starting last summer. Our goal has always been to stay here much longer then just the 2 year Post Residency Program we are currently in through Samaritan’s Purse. 

However, through a series of events, and along with our Samaritan’s Purse Post-Residency Program, we began to consider another opportunity to serve alongside a very busy surgeon at a ‘young’ hospital in Mango, Togo, called Hospital of Hope.

This shift in plans has come quick, and yet we have seen God’s hand and felt His peace as we have thought of what a trans-continental move might look like for our family. A visiting surgeon said to me this year that his best piece of advice to new medical missionaries would be “hold your plans loosely,” and this is exactly the posture we found ourselves in as we considered a move of this magnitude.

Ultimately, this new location continues to fulfill our desire to serve the poor and use surgery to share the compassionate love of Christ. We have decided to embrace the adventure He has brought us on and make the transfer to this new country.

So, where’s this new place?

Samaritan’s Purse is partnering with us to go to Hospital of Hope in Mango, Togo. When they first suggested this site, we had no idea where it was even located! The hospital is far north, and we will be exposed to many religions and unreached people groups, from both Togo and the surrounding countries. It will be exciting to share the love of Christ in this context! 

The biggest challenge that we have heard of thus far is the climate. It’s ridiculously hot (thankfully dry heat!), with the “cool” season comprised of a mere 27º C, and the hotter season getting up to 48º C. Needless to say, we were all relieved to hear our new home is beside a swimming pool – albeit, in those temperatures I can’t imagine it’ll feel all that refreshing! But the idea sure has helped our children get excited about this move.

The Future

We have no idea if this next year will mean a long-term commitment in Mango, Togo. For now we will simply be taking the step to finish our 2 year Post-Residency Program with Samaritan’s Purse at this location and consider where it may lead beyond that. In the meantime, we hope and pray that this next season will bring Him glory, and allow those who are journeying with us to learn and grow as well. And who knows, perhaps Togo will be a great fit for our future!

In Transition (AGAIN!)

In the meantime, as always, we value your prayers. The children are handling the transition amazingly well - thank you Lord for their adventurous spirits!  Seija said “I’m glad we’re moving, cause I like it here but I want to see the world!” But still, they are leaving some really good friends behind, not to mention bucketfulls of lego;)

Jesh has been really sad to leave his staff at the hospital. He has built great relationships with the team he was put in charge of leading. Our Burundian friends prepared an evening of apprecaition, and showered us with heartfelt words seasoned with grace and encouragement. We will miss them all greatly, and look forward to continuing to see how God leads them to bring change to their country, for His glory.

I have had a roller coaster of emotions as I tried to get orgnized and re-pack and make plans for another big change. Thankfully, the ongoing affirmation that this is a good move for our family has made it go much smoother. But it’s still a challenge to decide what to bring and what we need to leave behind! Good thing it’s just stuff…

We will continue to share stories of how God is using our family and Jesh’s surgical skills in this new environment. We are so grateful to be continuing this journey together. 

Until Togo,

Julie, Jesh, Kaden, Seija and Kai 

Kibuye Clips! [VIDEO]

It's been a hopping summer around here, so while we have not written much...we have videos to share!

These were created to present at Bay Park Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School. While the focus was my children and topics other children may enjoy, perhaps you'll enjoy a snippet from our view on this side of the globe.

KIBUYE CLIPS

The Thiessen Family
TRAILER [OFFICIAL]




Thiessens in Africa: Episode 1
"Some Things are Different"

By Julie

But Doctor, You Promised Me a Shoe!

I was in clinic several months ago when a very talkative lady with a perpetual smile, some missing teeth and a deformed foot came for a consultation. She couldn't bear weight on her foot as it was chronically infected. I felt that a partial amputation and an operation to try to clear the infection could help. Somewhere in that conversation I mentioned that she would probably be able to walk better with a good shoe after all was said and done.

She arrived for her operation and reminded me at the time of her discharge that I had promised her a shoe (which I had not, and tried to clarify that I am not in the habit of giving out shoes). I saw her several weeks later in follow-up and her wound wasn't quite healed yet but she reminded me again that I had promised her a shoe. Again, through translation, I did my best to inform her that this was not in fact the case.

Several weeks ago she turned up at the hospital again to show me that her foot had completely healed and she could now walk on it. She was extremely happy and grateful. Oh, and did I have the shoe I promised her? I honestly was so happy that she could now walk but I felt that I would never be able to discharge this lady without a shoe.

I have never encountered a Burundian who was in any way disrespectful to me, but it is not uncommon to be asked for things. Children often will ask for my pens or candy, people will ask for money. Employees will occasionally ask for tea or sugar. It's awkward and uncomfortable for me but I am getting used to it. I also see it as an extremely reasonable question. I live in a nice house, on a nice compound. I wear nice shoes. I have resources to make improvements at the hospital. I have many pens in my pockets. Most people around me have relatively little compared to me. Why not ask the guy who has a lot? I think I would do the same.


These questions remind me that I really must pray and rely on wisdom because giving every time someone asks for something can cause a whole slew of problems. At the same time, not giving when asked can be cruel and uncompassionate. I am sure I have and will continue to make mistakes in this regard. But as this talkative lady, with the biggest smile I have ever seen, missing teeth and all, asked me again for a shoe that I did not in fact promise her, I felt I needed to come up with a shoe.

Thankfully someone on our compound was able to find a bag of some old shoes on short order, none of which fit her perfectly, but she found one that fit her amputated foot. She was the most grateful person I have seen after having received an old pair of shoes and "walked" home singing.

Thank you, smiling patient, for helping me realize that I need to be generous and I also need to not shy away from opportunities to demonstrate compassion and good judgement. I understand in a small way what God must think when we come to Him with our requests.... JESH

Luke 18: 1-8

So, what do YOU do?

Don't you love that question?

It's innocent enough, but I must admit that when I, the officially uneducated one in this family, get this question I begin to panic internally and wish I had some sort of career, degree, or at least specialized training to pull out in response. Perhaps this is in part because the conversation generally begins with chatting about my husband, the General Surgeon with 12 years of training. And oh yeah, he also has a computer engineering degree.

And, what do you do?

I've got nothing.

I mean, it's not that I have done nothing, but as far as "official education," well, it's just not my thing I guess.

So, suffice it to say, I still kind of dread this question. But because it's generally something others want to know, I will do my best to tackle this question.

Part of what makes this such a challenge to answer is that I don't have a two-word title that neatly sums up what I spend my time doing each day. Maybe that's what it's like in the "support" role! My job depends on the day and the needs at hand. It's more like "mother-wife-teacher-cook-cleaner-hostess-responder of a million questions-organizer-superviser-and anything you can think of" person.  See? Not so neat and tidy.

But actually it IS pretty neat when I reflect on how so many aspects of my life leading up to our time here has equipped me for this season. It may not look like a pretty little package, with a title that deems me "invaluable", but I am continuously reminded that He has not called me here to have a title, but rather, to be who He created me to be in whatever place I find myself.

OK, that sounds really vague and doesn't answer the question.

Some of the many roles...like "meal-maker"

Here in Burundi, there are a couple things that generally take the majority of my time. The first is running our home, and the second is helping my children (and others here on our compound) with their education. As we have adjusted to this life, those have gobbled up most of my time.

With no grocery stores around us, no bakery or shops, everything is made from scratch (as noted in my last blog post), so that tends to consume a sizeable amount of time. It's getting smoother, but it's taken me some time to discover what can be made, and trying to include some variety within our limited and highly vegetarian diet. Thankfully, we have someone who helps us with this (but that's another post subject!), so as long as we don't mind eating some variation of rice and beans every day (a challenge for a foodie like me:), we are in good shape.

"Teacher"

Because of the help we get cooking and doing dishes, I can be freed up for other areas, such as playing "teacher". We are blessed (and I mean BLESSED) to have 3 full time teachers that help teach the core subjects to the 17 missionary kids on the compound (insert promotional bit - we need more teachers next year if you know anyone who might be interested - they can find more info here, or email me!). However, because the kids span 7 grades, all us mothers still need to pitch in. Therefore, I have become the PE, French, and Bible teacher.

To say it's been a challenge is an understatement, but nearly 7 months in, it's getting a little easier. The biggest challenge has been coming up with a french curriculum, considering I only learned french myself last year! That, followed closely by the fact that I never was very good at PE, leaves me feeling rather unqualified. Thanks to YouTube and Pinterest, I am getting by (and hoping the kids are learning SOMETHING at least!).

Aside from home stuff and teaching, I am also continuing to invest in learning the local language here. My Burundian friend and language tutor comes a couple of times a week to graciously endure helping me learn Kirundi, from french. Let's just say it's a mental workout!

"Cake-maker-party-planner"

In addition to that, we as a community are very involved any time there are visitors to our site. Having no restaurants or hotels up here has opened up opportunities for my favourite role, hospitality and visitor coordinating. I manage a couple of our visitor apartments, and we get to host people from around the world who come to visit and serve. It can hardly be called "work", I love it!

This all brings me back to the idea that in spite of not having one specific educational focus, God has in fact equipped me with a variety of skills that can be put into use. Being creative helps us work with resource limitations, being a planner means my kids have the right size shoes available that we sent out 3 years ago. Knowing how to cook helps us enjoy what we do have available, and even investing in french last year has opened the door to teaching french class this year. Who knew?!?

It's a great reminder as I seek to be content in the sometimes mundane tasks of raising a family here. God's equipped me to be here, and will continue to use me in whatever context I find myself.  I hope to live with my eyes open to those who may come across my path and find ways to serve and love others joyfully, right where I'm at.

"Meal-server"

"Plant-selector"

"Home-visitor"

"Food-collector"

Where is the Miracle?

This was the question I found myself asking God after I cared for a very sick 16 year old girl last month. She was severely anemic and dehydrated and needed IV access to be done under ultrasound. Shortly after this due to her condition and before my eyes she arrested and remained without a pulse for 5 minutes as my medical students and I administered CPR.

What I didn't know at the time was that this girl's mother had 7 children of which 5 had already died. CPR unfortunately, is not like on TV where patients wake up and take a big breath and thank you for saving their life. That said, if you can catch someone shortly after their heart stops, and keep blood circulating to their brain they have a better chance of survival even if that chance is still small. I felt this girl warranted an effort even though we have minimal capacity to support her post-arrest.

After 5 minutes of compressions and correcting the factors we could correct, I was surprised to get her pulse back.

We kept her alive for 8 hours after that but she eventually passed away. Our hospital does not have the ability to administer vasopressors or mechanical ventilation. We prayed with the mother at the bedside and her mother told me that children are a blessing from God who has the power to give but also to take away. She was grateful we had done so much for her daughter.

I felt a bit sick to myself knowing what could have been done for her in Canada. I have thought much about this girl and wondered where was God during this process. The 6th of 7 children to have died. Recovery post CPR! 

Where was the miracle? 

It was the perfect scenario (at least in my mind). And yet, I am reminded that if God is God and He is good, I can trust that He has what’s best at heart. When He sent His son, into our suffering world, He was thinking about the long game. He knew we would all eventually die and His plan was that death would not be the final event.

“Even thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” 

Psalm 23

It will only be a shadow!

As I shed some tears in the shower that night, I couldn’t help but think of what had been accomplished. We had successfully resuscitated someone and kept them comfortable and alive post-arrest for 8 hours in rural Burundi. My students learned how to run a code, how to protect an airway and how to perform lifesaving manoeuvres. They learned valuable skills that will hopefully help save others. At the same time we were able to demonstrate the value of life to a watching mother. 

Thank you to everyone who helped get 10 new oxygen saturation monitors to us as shown above. These devices will significantly help provide care for patients like this.

Jesh

What's for Dinner?

Oh food, glorious food!

As we settle in over here, some questions pop up again and again. In subsequent posts, I hope to address a few of these, including "what does Julie do?" and "what's school like for your kids?"

Today's question: "What do you eat over there?"

As a Mennonite and lover-of-all-things-edible, this topic is a favourite of mine (much to Jesh's chagrin!). I'll keep this first post simple, but don't think this means it's the last you will hear of the Thiessen's menu in Burundi:)

Mennonite "Platz" - the mangoes we substituted for plums worked just  great!

 Everything we make is made from scratch, and most often is vegetarian. No such thing as store-bought pasta sauce or a bag of tortillas around here! With the local grocery store being 35 minutes away, and having a few meaner rows of shelves, it has been a fun (and sometimes frustrating!) challenge.

The simplest things are made from the local ingredients. There may not be huge variations in what we can get, but it's all incredibly fresh and delicious.

Weekly we get a delivery of beautiful produce

Christmas dinner with the surgery staff;
with goat kebabs as a treat!

In addition, we are blessed to have access to fresh, local cow's milk, opening up a world of possibility. I have been able to reproduce my vanilla yogurt recipe, and even tried my hand at cottage cheese to make my Grandma's blintz recipe (stuffed crêpes). Cream cheese was a fun creation, but my feta cheese totally bombed. Maybe next time!

Rice pudding goes down easy!

There is actually a lot that we CAN make here, it's just a matter of how much time we want to spend in the kitchen.

Ice cream? Definitely worth the time!

Tortilla chips
First, make the tortillas.
Second, make the chips.
Third, make the nachos:)
(worth it? That depends...)

I have tried my hand at crackers, and for Kaden's birthday we even managed a hot dog roast with home made marshmallows!

Orange creamsicle marshmallows

These things can be really fun, but tend to take a lot more time then I want to spend in the kitchen. I have found myself riding the tension between enjoying new and different things and being content with simple and repetitive basics. It's good to think intentionally about how much time I want to invest in food, and when that time might be better-spent elsewhere.

This means we often revert to our standard meal - rice and beans.

Not a day goes by where we don't have them! On their own, layered into burrito casserole, stuffed into zucchini, rolled in home made tortillas, even at the hospital cafeteria, served with plantains (fried green bananas).

Voila - rice and beans!

Burrito casserole with avocado sauce

Cafeteria luncheon with fried bananas

I have been really surprised how long it takes to do everything in the kitchen. Perhaps it's because I can't just buy a loaf of bread, or the fact after all this cooking there is a lot of dishwashing to be done (by hand, of course).

Therefore, I am incredibly thankful for someone who comes and helps with the monotonous daily chores like these that just take a lot of time.

Removing rocks from the rice.
Every. Single. Time.

It sounds so strange to us westerners, but being able to provide a job for someone local is a small way we can invest in our community, and it allows me to divide my time elsewhere (but that's for another post!). It has been a learning curve to have someone else in "my" kitchen, but it's probably healthy to remember to hold "my" things and "my" space loosely (ok, loos-ER - I still like things a certain way:)

So, the challenge to cook with (mostly) local ingredients continues.

When in season, mangoes are a favourite!

But let me tell you, we are not deprived. Eating 3 meals a day is a luxury for most who live around us, which is an excellent reminder that rice in our bowls is more then enough.

(of course, now again we do enjoy a treat from out-of-the-country - which tastes all the better when it's been awhile!)