Finally at Tenwek Mission Hospital

Hello everyone. We've have been without internet for a while so this is our first opportunity to let people know what is happening. On our return to Kenya we stayed with the Senior Leisters for a few weeks at Tumaini Children's Home. We had a great time celebrating an early Christmas together to remember the Joy God has brought to our world.

This is Tekoa and some of the kids enjoying the festivities. As any group of toddlers would, they love to get loaded with sugar and go crazy. Of course the balloons are always a favorite. Each child was also given an inflatable microphone and noise maker to complete the chaos.

It was a miracle to see all 25 of the little ones sit and eat a meal together. It's a big family and a wonder to see God working in all of them. We are so blessed to be a part of something so beautiful as the family of God.

Before our move to Tenwek Mission Hospital Tekoa and I finished working on his fish bed. One piece of plywood goes a long way to make a child happy. We started to make a simple bed with boring sides, but Rachel's creative ideas kept flowing and the fish bed was created.

This is the final product sitting in Tekoa and Eliza's new room. This is the first time they have had to share a room but are getting through it well. Eliza going to bed first and Tekoa about an hour later is the current working schedule. Rachel has also learned to do it with out me around as I am often working later in the evenings at the hospital. What an amazing wife and family I have.

Speaking of my amazing family, I am again humbled by their ability to adapt to any situation. This is our new home. A two bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a three story complex just across the ally from the hospital. It's our first home since we left Kisumu in August. Though it is half the size of our last home and still no yard for the kids to play in it has blessed us tremendously since the alternative was a one bedroom apartment.

This is a shot from the living room/dining room into the kitchen. These pictures are from the first few days we arrived so the house isn't quite set up yet. It's a blessing to have a dinning table for the first time in a year. Once we get two more chairs we can have meals together again. The opening into the kitchen makes food prep and watching the kids a much more manageable event.

Now the hall from the living room shows two bedroom doors on the left, a closet at the end and a toilet room, shower room and wash room along the right. The wash room is a great gift as we didn't have one in our last house.

The kitchen isn't huge but has much more storage then our last house and is very functional with two small kids. We have finally got an oven since we took this picture so cooking is wonderful and Rachel can bake anytime she has the urge. It's all gas so the electricity use is significantly reduced.

Tekoa and Eliza made a ginger bread house with the help of their mother. One of the missionaries had a house party where kids and parents came together to build such beautiful and edible works of art. Some how the house still stands today but the little candies are disappearing slowly by slowly.

Merry Christmas! This is the first year we have actually decorated our house. We have a giant 3 foot fake tree with flashing lights and some great home made ornaments along with four stalkings hanging from some kitchen cabinets. The kids really enjoyed the decorating and the sugar cooking making.

We actually opened gifts on Christmas Eve because Christmas was to be a very busy day. Tekoa and Eliza didn't mind opening gifts a day early. What a blessing to see the excitement as they play with their new toys. We are having a great Christmas. I have my first weekend off since starting at the hospital 3 weeks ago making it a memorable Christmas. We hope that everyone reading this would, as we have, find the hope and joy God has expressed through is son Jesus as they celebrate all over this world. May His light continue to shine bright in all who believe and confess his name.

US Memories

We have arrived safely in Eldoret Kenya. We are here for a few weeks and then will be moving to Tenwek Mission Hospital for a year long internship. Before the big move we want to remember a few more experiences of our 7 week visit in the US. Obviously we had so many great experiences but only a few were caught on film. Here Tekoa enjoyed his first fishing trip. Papa Bill and Uncle Justin took Tekoa for an hour of fishing fun with only one small snag; the pond was stocked in spring so they had all been caught by the time we got there. That was our excuse anyway for the slow day.

Tekoa was able to hold his own pole and reel it in all by himself. Even though the day skunked most fishing enthusiasts, Tekoa caught his first career fish. Unfortunately it was captured on video and not still.

Tekoa and Eliza both enjoyed the open spaces to run and play. Tekoa learned to ride his tricycle while Eliza not only learned to walk but also to cruise on her four wheeled bike.

A friend dropped off a wagon for the kids which was a big hit. Here is Tekoa taking his little sister for an adventurous ride.

Eliza loved to spend time in the garden. She was especially good at pruning though she wasn't always sure what should stay and what could go.

America The Beautiful

Our US visit has been nothing but blessings thus far. We had a great travel experience from Kenya. Though long it was well tolerated by all. Since our arrival we have experienced many things. The kids got to see salt water for the first time. This is a picture of Papa Bill and Tekoa exploring the Puget Sound beach along Fox Island.

Of course we have taken every opportunity for playing in the Park which is another leisure the kids don't get much where we live in Kenya. They love the soft grass and the enormous play equipment. Eliza especially likes the swings.

Though the Snake River is much higher then we expected there are still a few beaches to enjoy. We captured maybe the last few days of warmth and sunshine in the valley and the kids got to revel in the sand and sun. It was so fun watching Eliza attempt to swim in the sand and not the water. Tekoa had tons of fun with his newly met cousin Shaelyn and Aunt Brandi.

Family time is always a highlight and priority. Here we are eating long missed tender roast.

We have also had an opportunity to get away from town and enjoy the mountains. We wanted the kids to get as many outdoor experiences as possible before the cold weather set in. Both Tekoa and Eliza couldn't get enough of the four-wheeler. By the end Tekoa thought it was his "motorcycle"

Life is full of experiences. Some good and some challenging, but it's always important to remember the lesson from Ephesians chapter 5 to make the most of every opportunity. Currently we are off to have a picnic with Jess, Jeremy and the kids.

Day by Day….

This is the next installment of life with the leisters. Of course not a lot of change at the immediate time, but plenty on the way. We'll update as everything unfolds. Currently we are enjoying the hot rainy season of Kisumu. Actually I think I used a blanket for part of last night because it was cooling down a bit. I guess that's life on the ecuador.

Tekoa and Eliza certainly love each other, although they already express the common sibling syndrome; "Best Friend and Greatest Foe" Here they are doing well and working together to consume all the raisins. Tekoa eats them from a bowl, but drops a few here and there which Eliza quickly scrambles to eat them off the floor before someone stops her.

Eliza is starting to stand a lot more these days. For a while she had no interest in it at all. So I had to pull out the trusty "Stander." Actually it has no name, its just a frame I built to help Tekoa stand and walk. We hang toys off the center arm so the kids have some incentive and they like it. It slides well on the tile floor so when she is strong enough she will be able to push it around and practice walking with support. It has only caused a few minor injuries in the past so we hope it will be safe for the princess.

Isn't that just a beautiful smile. This girl has so much personality. She is going to give Tekoa a run for his money. Oh don't worry that is me in the tie and not some other skinny white guy trying to get close to my daughter.

Aahhh one of Tekoa's favorite past times, bubbles. Rachel whipped him up some super soap mixture, which required sugar I might add, and Tekoa had a blast making big bubbles. The bubble is in the picture if you look hard enough.

It was a week of adventure for sure. This is one of the slight mishaps Tekoa had on Friday. Of course I was slightly to blame at least in Rachel's mind. I filled the space between the wall and stairs with pillows so Tekoa had a soft place to jump around. Well then came the boom, the pause, and then the cry. He didn't cry for too long because we knocked him out, just kidding.
This experience was three days after the little boy went climbing. We live in a housing estate that isn't finished yet so there are several unfinished buildings around. Here all buildings are blocks or brick. Tekoa and a little friend of his went exploring in one of these skeleton structures and we couldn't figure out where he was. After calling his name a bit and walking around he finally made some noise. As we looked up three stories Tekoa was standing on the edge of the roof top of the unfinished building, looking at us bewildered as if we had nothing to worry about. Rachel started the "don't jump" speech will I rushed up the inside to gather the boys from the top of the building. Needless to say I beat them, but only enough for them not to enjoy their last minutes on the roof. Tekoa also lost his out of site play privileges. Isn't life fun!

Trip to Tenwek Mission Hospital

Last Friday we had the joy of escaping Kisumu for a day trip. We traveled to a part of Kenya we had never seen before and thus experienced a new climate and a new people. We drove up the grade twisting back and forth into the highlands of Rift Valley province.

The gorgeous green landscape was evidence of the rainy season which has been nearly nonexistent in so many other parts of the country and the cool air boasted a high in the mid 70s (a delightful change from the heat of Kisumu). Tea fields exquisitely and uniformly carpeted the country side as we wandered our way into Bomet District and just a few kilometers from Bomet town we found Tenwek Mission Hospital.

The purpose of our visit was mostly to try it on like a new pair of basketball shoes that would hopefully give me the extra advantage to win the big game. Tenwek is one of six mission hospitals that are qualified to train Clinical Officer interns and there for may be a great place for me to spend a year learning the hands-on aspect of medicine (a crucial part of my training as you might suspect). Rachel and I wanted to put our feet on the ground and discern if this might be a place for us, because a year is a long time to spend in the wrong place.

It really is a beautiful hospital in a rural setting. The pictures you see were a bit hard to take as it was raining at the time, hence no body in the picture because they didn't want to get wet. Despite the rain we took a tour of the hospital and grounds with the Medical Superintendent who was a very gracious and hospitable man. After the tour and grilling him with endless questions he invited us to his house for lunch.(unfortunately not pictured either) We met his lovely wife and discussed more of our background and testimony.

This is Rachel holding a little Kenyan baby in the home of another doctor on staff. Eliza is just enjoying life as you can see with other bodies her size in the room. Rachel was chatting with the wife and I was outside discussing intern options with the intern director. He also was a very kind man but left me hanging as was the only option. Though a lot was discussed and we were all excited about the prospects of me being an intern at Tenwek (the only non-Kenyan clinical officer to ever apply of course) it still came down to me filling out an application going through the process.

Ultimately Rachel and I feel like it will be a great fit for us. We have previously visited another mission hospital and have experienced several government hospitals and this one seems to be more for us. So we ask everyone to pray that as the interview process ensues we would have favor and find ourselves at Tenwek for a year starting in January 2012. The usually receive about 100 applications and take only 8 for interns, but we'll trust Jesus to place us where we should be.

I like this sign.

Easter Weekend In Eldoret

I'm sure many people spent Easter Weekend with friends and family. Though we live in a country far from most of our friends and family we are blessed to have some family very near. We had a great time with Ma and Pa Leister in Eldoret. Oh and a few kids also. Tekoa loves to go crazy with the others. We have been home a few hours and he is already missing them all. We spent almost four full days away from Kisumu and the daily grind which was a wonderful vacation for Rachel and I. We hope everyone had as much fun and encouragement as we did over the last four days.

Of course for the kids one of the highlights was the hunt. In this case there were no eggs, but small plastic bouncy balls. They tracked them down in the grass, trees and shrubs. The picture shows my mom teaching about the gift of new life that Jesus gave us in His death and resurrection.

This is the new play room the kids absolutely love. Tekoa though a new comer to the play room jumped right in. This of course was after the ball search and now they were expressing the abundance of life they all seem to have

Gabe and Tekoa are quite a pair. Of course it's always a highlight for Tekoa when he is in Eldoret to spend time with Gabe. Keeping them out of trouble or harms way can be a challenge at times. It's fun watching them grow up together.

Eliza even got in on the bouncy ball action. She was hanging with the less volatile ones of course not wanting to get her dress dirty or mess up her hair. Isn't she just adorable.

Well I didn't get a good picture of Easter Dinner. Of course I was too busy eating the delicious ham and what not. Not a common finding in Kenya. We also had a strawberry-rubarb pie for desert among other things. Compliments to Mom and my wife for the fantastic food. It was a great meal that we ate in the big play room with 4 adults, 2 teens and 23 kids under the age of 5. Food fight was an option but nobody wanted to be responsible for cleaning up the mess.

33 Years Old

Yes my birthday was yesterday. Another year down and a hopeful year ahead. It's strange getting older in a place where birthdays don't really mean anything. Most people don't really know how old they are and usually don't celebrate birthdays especially when they are older. For me it was a delightful day with the sun shinning once again. I skipped school for the day but of course studied a bit in the morning. Rachel maid crepes with fresh mangoes and homemade whip cream for breakfast (Mouth watering).

Then we opened some presents. Tekoa had picked me out an orange tie that he demanded I should have to wear to school. (sorry the picture isn't very good) Funny he thought orange was the only color for me. Some things never change.

Being home with the family and resting were the most exciting parts, which didn't last for long because I had those studies to do which were interrupted; first by a couple guys wanting some money, which turned into a long discussion about who Jesus really was. Then the gas for the cooker went out which required a quick trip to town with my Personal Assistant Tekoa. We were then able to make lunch and put the kids down for naps. Later we went for ice cream cones (a perk of living in the 3rd largest city in Kenya)

As the day went on Tekoa and I started the work on his new bed (new meaning newly recycled). He is getting too big for the crib we originally bought when he was born. He keeps rolling into the sides at night waking himself up, thus waking us up. Not fun. So to save money and sleep we dismantled something outside and attempted to fit it together as a bed. Unfortunately the wood is a bit wonky (british for not quite straight). Tekoa loved the work though. Hopefully we'll finish it in a couple of days.

Another blessing for a father's birthday was the first actually crawling activity of our dear Eliza. She has been army crawling for some time but finally got on those hands and knees and took a few steps if you can call them that. She is a shy girl around other people but has so much personality that overflows when it's just the family. So if you ever meet her don't be offended if it takes a while to become friends.

This was dinner. There are certain meals that aren't usually on the menu for us. Though we eat like Americans mostly we are still limited due to cost of American food or availability. Anyway it was a special occasion so we had Lasagna with olives. Very tasty. There is something about baking in a charcoal oven and its natural flavor. You should try it some time, it's well worth the effort. Or just visit and we can do it for you.

Of course a special occasion wouldn't be complete with out a fresh mango/apple pie. My wife has a gift I am proud to say.

All in all it was a beautiful birthday. I got so many greetings from friends and family of which I am grateful. It's always nice to be remembered, well almost always.

As the world turns

It's obviously not the big events that define our existence on this earth but the everyday joys and struggles. This blog is more for the day to day then anything else so anyone reading could understand us a little better. If that is possible.

Tekoa is getting to the age that he would rather play with someone else's toy then his own. It so happens our neighbor Ricki feels the same way and here they are enjoying the grass on the other side of the fence.

Our little girl has four teeth now. Here she is proudly showing off her two top teeth. We received a package which had this baby doll in it. As you can see Eliza loves to chew on it.

Eliza loves to play with Tekoa's toys, but she doesn't get the chance very often because her big brother kindly will take his toy away and replace it with one of her toys. As you can see she is very happy to be playing with not just one but two of her brothers cars.

Tekoa is quick to call people his friends, and as he would say these are all my friends. They were writing with chalk on our sidewalk, but quickly got into a picture pose when I pulled out the camera.

This is actually Tekoa at Sunday school. They do not have a nursery at our church, so he joins in with kids that are a bit older then him. He makes it through the songs, and sometimes some of the lesson. But because he is only two and he is not able to stay still we always leave a bit early so we do not distract the other children.

The Eliza Memoirs

This is the beautiful Eliza Imani. She is now 7 and 1/2 months old and seems to be growing a little bit of hair if you look close. Unlike Tekoa she loves time on her tummy. Her main mode of transportation is currently the roll maneuver which she has mastered to get anywhere in the living room she desires.

Amazing as it may seem there are two crazy Americans who are willing to have babies in Kenya. This is Eliza with her friend Joelle who are less then a month apart. God is so good to bring people into our lives that are struggling through some of the same challenges so we can encourage one another.

How can two kids from the same parents be so different? Tekoa did and still will eat almost anything. Eliza on the other hand battles with every bite of semi-solid food. Here she displays her disgust after receiving a spoonful of mashed avocado. But the important thing is she is getting her two upper teeth to match the bottom ones.

Yet another difference is that Eliza is extremely attached to her mother. This delightful image is of the two lovely ladies on a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Tekoa would allow complete strangers to pick him up, but Eliza has a difficult time smiling at our house help who is around three days a week. I guess she is just not interested in what other people think at this point in time.