It’s great to be back in full-team mode as the Ostranders arrived in Minembwe on February 5. We haven’t been altogether up here in Minembwe since September of 2019, which is when Lisa and the girls got sick and, along with Emilee, left Minembwe to get treatment in the neighboring country of Burundi. One week later, the current “war” began in earnest. Eventually, everyone but Emilee and the girls were able to get back up to Minembwe for chunks of time.
Bella (six next March) and Sophia (five next May) picked up right where they left off when they had left. Aimee (three next April) was only a year and a half when she left so she has a whole “new” world to explore. Ruth’s world to explore is the living room via her walker.
Miles is immediately going full tilt using his building and mechanical skills to get everything back in order on our property, the school/university, and beyond. Miles will soon begin a training/mentoring program with one of the older orphan boys which might turn into a trial run for something more expansive in the future. Among Emilee’s passions are healthcare and nutrition so, once she gets her family settled into the volunteer house, she’ll begin assessing the current situation and re-evaluating the plan for healthcare/nutrition awareness and training that she and Lisa had been ready to enact just before they had to leave Minembwe.
Lisa is “command central” for most of our projects and is back to juggling her myriad of duties. Lisa is working closely with the university to provide answers/solutions to the needs of the community, especially now that the population has swelled due to all of the refugees. Lisa also directs our own garden program which provides food for our home, and helps to feed the orphans as well as the staff of the university; a good portion of Lisa’s time is actually spent working in the gardens. Lisa is also our liaison with the orphanage, as well as our bookkeeper; Lisa never sleeps. My main role, other than to encourage/advise/walk beside the manager of the orphanage, is to oversee the spiritual development for the students at the university and the primary and secondary schools, as well as to work with these schools to further develop their English curriculum. Along with Miles, I disciple and mentor a group of young men with weekly verse-by-verse Bible studies.
Thanks to everyone for standing alongside of us during our long endeavor to get back up to Minembwe.
Somehow!
Michael