A Small Course Correction
A Small Course Correction
The LORD’s plan has always been better than ours. He’s proven that to us time and time again over the years so were okay with the news we’re about to share. Back in September, 10 days before we left for Minembwe, we learned there was a small amount of cancer found in my (Michael's) prostate. Since there is no way from Minembwe to monitor the cancer and treat it less radically, we have opted to have my prostate removed.
Lisa and I will return to the States on March 7. I’ve promised my family that I will be on my best behavior during the recovery period, so they are allowing me to return to Minembwe on May 22. We know that you all “have our backs” with regard to prayer; it is, and has always been a huge comfort to us. Miles, Emilee, and the girls will continue to stay in Minembwe while we are gone.
We’ve had tremendous communication problems here in Minembwe since the national election process began at the end of December, so we’ll do our best to soon inundate you with what we’ve been up to since December.
Somehow,
Michael
Safety First
Safety First
Safety: First, but not foremost, we wanted everyone to be aware that life could get a little crazy here in DR Congo with elections coming up on Dec 23. The problem with elections in DRC is that they have historically brought violence. If you follow any international news, you’re going to hear about DRC this week, and maybe for weeks to come. With Kinshasa, the nation’s capital, being on the opposite side of the country (1,000 miles/1,500 km – think Seattle to Los Angeles) from Minembwe, there’s quite a distance between us and most of the current violence.
Some of you might have heard that the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa was closed six days (Nov 26-Dec 4) due to a credible terrorist threat; U.S. citizens have been asked to keep a low profile. Ha… kind of hard for us to go “low-pro” in Minembwe. If we hear that things are going to get dicey here in Minembwe, we have a couple of plans in place to stay safe.
Where’s the Corn?: Foremost, but not first because you won’t see/hear this in the news, our region is facing a significant food shortage right now, which means that prices on everyone’s basic food staples, corn meal and beans, have skyrocketed. The crops were poor due to weather, and many people needing funds desperately sold a good portion of their bean supply a while ago trying to capitalize on what they thought were high prices. Now the prices have climbed higher and many can’t afford to buy more beans; we will join the university in educating the public to not fall prey to this again. This year, the corn meal and bean issue has been exasperated by the fact that we have a huge refugee population that relocated to our area this summer due to fighting in the outlying regions of Minembwe.
“Our” problem is that the orphanage has a gas-powered grinder that the boys use to grind the corn of others. Those who use this service then leave a portion of the corn meal with the orphans as payment for the grinding, which, along with beans, makes up the orphans’ diet. With the poor crops of corn comes a lack of customers for the orphanage’s corn-grinding business, which means no corn meal for the kids.
From the moment we arrived in September, we’ve been harvesting everything we already had in our fields to feed these kids, as well as to help fortify the school lunches for the children (250) at the school we work with. We’ve also been hard at work planting various crops in all of our fields with the hope that we’ll soon have more food to share. One of our goals here is to help to diversify and improve the diet of the orphans, as well as all who live in this area.
Some have sent funds to specifically help feed and care for the orphans; we have used those funds to buy enough beans and corn meal for this month and into the next. What a blessing to have a big international ‘family’ to help care for these precious children.
Ndayishimiye: We appreciate all of the prayer and concern that’s been shown for the now four-month old Ndayishimiye. We have had people offer to help with Ndayishimiye’s need for baby formula, as well as to help pay for the wages of an additional “mama” to care for him. God is good!
Big sister Furaha designed a pair of glasses for Ndayishimiye
After months of time spent in and out of the local hospital, Ndayishimiye is in much better health these days, and he seems to no longer have any issues with his left shoulder. Ndayishimiye’s new brothers and sisters adore him; he’s always in the arms or lap of one of his 25 brothers and sisters.
Visas for the Ostranders!: A few days ago, the Ostranders received their three-year visas. There was concern that with the election chaos, that the request would get shuffled into oblivion. Lisa and I received our three-year visas last February, so now we all can confidently carry out the work that we have planned, knowing that we have time to dig in and serve these people that we have come to love.
Seven Bucks
Seven Bucks
What’s the cost of a smile? In this case, seven bucks. In a previous update, I wrote about Nsenga.
Remember Nsenga (on the right), the kid with a terrific smile…
… but who had to lay his head on his notebook to see anything that’s written?
I wrote about wondering how to help Nsenga being that there’s no ophthalmologists or optometrists within days and days of travel via foot.
The only solution I could come up with was to bring him a magnifying glass—seven bucks. This is Nsenga’s teacher Jackson showing him how to use it.
Until we’re able to figure out how to get a vision team up to Minembwe, Nsenga will have to make do with the magnifying glass. FYI—last year, even without a magnifying glass, Nsenga’s marks were high enough to move on up to the next grade level. Nsenga is a can-do kind of a guy.
Walking
Walking
In Minembwe we walk; there are two vehicles I know of owned by someone other than the UN, and one of those is an ambulance. Walking is wonderful because you can’t but help getting to know the people that you meet along the way. Being that we stick out like a proverbial sore thumb, people want to spend time with us, even if it’s just 30 seconds spent greeting one another. I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of future “Walking” photos.
I haven't borrowed my neighbor’s coffee bean grinder yet; I probably can't lift the pestle.
After we visit the orphans at their home, they always walk us part-way home.
Not sure if I would still do this as Sophia is no longer wearing disposable diapers.
Chatting with our neighbors, who cut and carry wood for income. I always try to keep the conversation short when I’m chatting with women who have heavy loads on their heads.
Bella: “Grandma, why don't they just put the wood in their car.”
Lisa: Bella, do you see any cars in Minembwe?
The beginning of a long walk to meet the base commander of the local UN peacekeeping force.
Making friends along the way.
The visits with the UN commanders are always fun and informational for both sides.
Heading back home; somehow we always draw a crowd.
Urgent Need & Prayer Request: Ndyeshimiye
Urgent Need and Prayer Request for Ndyeshimiye
An immediate need arose the moment we arrived in Minembwe. Ndyeshimiye (N-de-shim-e-yea), who at four months old is the youngest of the orphans, needs a lot of help.
In September, Ndyeshimiye became completely lethargic, so we sent him to the hospital. Ndyeshimiye was severely anemic and had to have a blood transfusion. We then found out that up to this point, he had been fed tea and occasionally some cow's milk when they could get it.
Emilee started supplying some breast milk for Ndyeshimiye, but it wasn't nearly enough. We were able to have some baby formula sent up by our co-workers via the weekly UN helicopter. We also hired another full-time "mama" to care specifically for Ndyeshimiye at the orphans' home.
Ndyeshimiye is doing much better now (more pictures below) that he's getting a healthy amount of formula, plus some of Emilee's milk, but he's going to need to be on formula for a long time. We’ve been making up the formula each day, and one of the other children comes to our house and picks it up three times a day. The kids house needs a water filter before they can begin to make the formula themselves. We have filters, but we are waiting for buckets to be transported up here.
Ways to help:
- Giving via LaOlam, designated for baby formula, or the new mama's wages. You can give online or mail a check to LaOlam, 11180 North Rd, Leavenworth, WA 98826
- Prayer for another mama to help supplement breastmilk, along with Emilee.
- Prayer for wisdom regarding Ndyeshimiye's long term care.
- Ndyeshimiye had some trauma to his left shoulder from birth and he can’t move it; it seems to be painful if jarred. Prayer for wisdom on how to handle this situation as well.
Thank you!
Helping Babies Breath and Mothers Survive
Helping Babies Breath and Mothers Survive
The week after we all arrived here in Minembwe, two midwives, Sarah and Abby, came from the U.S. and Canada to do two trainings called “Helping Babies Breathe” and “Helping Mothers Survive – Bleeding After Birth.”
For two days, Sarah and Abby trained the three doctors from the local hospital, as well as the doctor who is a professor at the university.
The doctors were very engaged in the training.
The doctors then assisted Sarah and Abby in two different two-day trainings for the local medical community including nurses and staff from the hospital, midwives from local clinics, and university staff and nursing students.
All the participants were pre-tested prior to the training, then tested again at the end of the course. The improvement in the test scores revealed that there was a high level of comprehension of the material taught during the course.
All participants passed the final practical skills test, as well as the written test, and they showed dramatic improvement in all aspects of these lifesaving procedures. Sarah and Abby left two sets of training equipment, one for the hospital and one for the university; we are excited to be able help facilitate future trainings.
Miles and Emilee helped in facilitating the training, and they also participated and were certified in both trainings.
As is the norm here, Sarah and Abby were delayed leaving for three days due to their helicopter flight being canceled; we’ve come to view these delays as “opportunities.” Sarah, Abby, and Miles used this opportunity to visit the clinics in three villages, evaluating their resources (beyond minimal) and gaining an understanding of how they (Sarah and Abby), or others, could be of service to the local clinics in the future.
At the last clinic they visited, Sarah and Abby had the opportunity to help deliver a baby alongside one of midwives who had attended the training.
Over the past two years, we’ve become good friends with the hospital’s doctors. Whenever we have them over for a meal, they arrive early so we can play many rounds of Uno.
Definitely not “Me first.”
Definitely not “Me first.”
During our previous trip to Minembwe, I ran short of backpacks for the orphans. I had only two backpacks left as I faced three girls. I asked if any of the three would volunteer to wait until I came back to Minembwe, which ended up being eight months later.
This girl, Namajana, volunteered quickly, so I told her I would bring back for her an extra special backpack.
I bought a backpack and asked a friend of ours to stitch Namajana’s name on it. What a grateful smile when I presented the backpack to Namajana.
We’ve also just posted a few miscellaneous photos of Bella, Sophia, and Aimee playing in our “Peyot” (gazebo-esque building) on Facebook and Instagram/Website.
More photos of what we’ve been up to coming soon.
"I'm Tired"
After a long and busy day, at dinner Bella (3) announced, “I’m tired.” Bella and Sophia’s first Monday in Minembwe started off with helping with the wash.
What a joy to see the girls want to help; Sophia is making sure that “Baby Bebe” is nice and clean.
Bella and Sophia were soon joined by Namajana, Mama Chance, and Lisa.
Emilee and her helper Aimee.
The girls also love to help with the cooking; it’s easy for them to be involved when all the work is being done down at their level.
“Looks like we made it!”
To quote Barry Manilow, “Looks like we made it!” After four flights, totaling 23 hours in the air, we finally arrived in Minembwe.
After a nearly sleepless flight from Seattle to Washington D.C., the Ostrander family napped on the floor at Dulles International.
After our third flight, we usually take a 35-minute UN helicopter ride up to Minembwe, but the girls were too young to use the helicopter, so we had to drive to an airport in Northern DR Congo to fly on a plane into Minembwe.
Fortunately, Bella and Sophia were fantastic travelers, as our seven-hour drive turned into eleven hours due to road construction, border crossings, a five-month old baby, and a flat tire.
I was so hungry on this drive that I first thought the sign on the back of this van read “Shwarma.”
Our family was loaded onto the plane first, which put Miles, our newly “winged” pilot, in a perfect spot to chat all flight long with the pilot.
We love flights where everyone has a window seat.
With our pilot Ted, who also happens to own this airline… Busy Bee Congo.
We were walked from the Minembwe airstrip back to our home by this group of our friends from the community, and the university. Andre, one of the orphans, gave a lovely welcoming speech.
Bella and Sophia’s first night in Minembwe was also their first night sleeping, at their request, in their own room.
To Minembwe!!!
Here we go!
On September 11, the Moores and the Ostranders finally head to Africa; our final destination is Minembwe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We hope to make our way up to Minembwe by September 22.
To see the location of our volunteer house (not yet built in this Google Map photo), the university and K-12 school, and the orphan’s home, click on this link to Google Maps. Once you find us, if you zoom out a little bit you can also see the location of the hospital and the camp of the UN peacekeeping troops.
Welcome to our new way of keeping in touch! After 19 years of living and working in the Middle East, we’re excited to finally be able to communicate more freely through this website. When there’s news to report, we’ll still notify you via email, but we can now also alert you via Instagram, or Facebook, so make sure we are linked also with you on those social media options so you don’t miss any updates or photos.
Our daughter Demerey has volunteered to be the LaOlam Stateside Administrator, so feel free to contact any of us or Demerey with any questions you might have at our new email address: LaOlamAfrica@gmail.com
Many have requested an online way to give to LaOlam’s work. If you are interested, please check out the “Give” section on this website to see several new options. Using the Amazon Smile program is another creative way to easily support LaOlam; more info found on the “Give” section.
Somehow, Michael
