Just though I’d write a bit to update you on some of the goings on here.
Yesterday I went to Kigali to examine the final year medical students (interns) from the three teaching hospitals in Rwanda at the conclusion of their final internal medicine terms. The six from Butare I’ve been working closely with over the last 8 weeks preparing them for this exam and pleasingly they were all excellent. Indeed they stood head and shoulders above the other candidates and I was very proud of how much they’d learnt and adopted over the last 2 months. It was very exciting!
Our garden continues to progress. Some herbs I’ve grown from seed have just been planted out, we finally have a garden fence capable of stopping Hannah running off around the neighbourhood and thus Catherine needing to go on long missions to find her (she usually visits one of several families who live nearby) and we have a front driveway, ready for our new car, which hopefully should arrive next week. Catherine and Nepo paved a large strip of the garden last week. Here’s some before and after photos to show you (and remind us!) of the progress that’s been made, primarily by the hard work of Nepo:
In sadder news, our gardener, Nepo, has gone home early today because of the sudden death of his 5 year old nephew. We don’t have many details, but it sounds like he was taken ill and died at the local health centre prior to getting to hospital. Unfortunately child mortality remains high here, and while I am exposed to death frequently at the hospital, this was a much more personal reminder of the tragedy this brings to so many families here. Please pray for Nepo and his family at this time.
Last Sunday I preached at the English language service at the Anglican Cathedral. I preached on Deuteronomy 28 and Acts 27 (the set passages for the week). The long list of blessings for obedience on Israel in Deuteronomy contrasted starkly with Paul’s shipwreck on Malta as a Roman prisoner. It was great to tackle some of the important theological issues here such as prosperity doctrine, suffering in the face of obedience and, especially in Acts 27, the balance between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. The sermon was well received and people said they found it thought provoking and easy to understand, which was encouraging. Afterwards the congregation went to the bishop’s house for morning tea and a chance to spend some time together. The kids had a great time, especially Will and three boys from a Rwandan-Mazungu mixed family:
The Sunday before we attended the first communion for Martin, the son of a French catholic missionary family who are working and living in a catholic girls secondary school here. The schoolgirls had prepared a special service with lots of singing and dance and then we had an African style party lunch afterwards, which as you can see the kids enjoyed:
The coming weeks are looking busy too. Next week I’m doing the first therapeutic endoscopy cases in Butare with our new equipment, going to Kigali on Tuesday to arrange settlement on our new car, and a new bunch of final year students will start. There’s also the exams for our Masters of Medicine candidate doctors who I’ve been training (I’m examining again). Then on Thursday the Anglican church starts a four day evangelical crusade, with international guests, and I’m on duty as the convention doctor. On the Saturday, we leave for Kumbya, a 10 day missionary conference on the shore of Lac Kivu, at which we’re camping in our new tent (assuming we get the car!). We come back early from this to welcome Faith Blake, our first CMS pastoral care visit, on her last official trip to Africa as CMS Mission Personnel Secretary. So it looks like a hectic fortnight!
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