We Have Arrived!

Saying goodbye to our family at Tenwek. We will miss everyone while we are away~

Levi saying goodye to his good friend Will Manchester.

On the day we left, we spent a few hours at the Giraffe Center. That's right...I think she liked me.

The girls loved feeding the giraffe.

A typical scene during our 24 hour journey back to the U.S. The last leg from Detroit to Phoenix.

Back in the U.S.

After one and a half years of service at Tenwek, over 1000 orthopedic surgical cases, a solid two school years of homeschooling, and many full joys and experiences, we have arrived safely back in the U.S., in Phoenix, staying with Heather’s parents. The kids were ecstatic to see grandparents, and go swimming (yes it is HOT here…I miss the 75 degree perfect weather of Tenwek), but they already say how much they miss their other “home” at Tenwek. Although a year and a half is not long according to adult standards, it is quite a length of time for kids. Levi was wondering why eggs are “white” in America, and Emma could not get over the fact that there was an automatic soap dispenser in the bathroom at the Detroit airport. Jeremiah is already hunting rabbits in the backyard here is suburban Phoenix, and Claire can’t wait to go to McDonalds. We feel so privileged to serve at Tenwek, and look forward to returning, God willing, in about a year.

Update on Maggie

Prior to leaving Kenya on Wednesday, we visited Maggie, the young lady who had a revision total hip arthroplasty in April. She is doing incredibly well, and the limp that she had preoperatively is almost gone, and will continue to improve as she strengthens the muscles around her hip joint (click here to see video of Maggie walking). Her pain is completely gone, and she wanted to express her thankfulness to all those who helped make this miracle possible.

Update on Tenwek C-ARM: Good News and Bad News

Bad news first: A week and a half prior to our departure from Tenwek, the only functional C-Arm at Tenwek stopped working. Our initial assessment was that the hard drive had failed; however, after installing the emergency parts that arrived with our most recent visitor, the same error message occurred. Apparently, one of two CPU motherboards that communicate with the hard drive also malfunctioned (a much more difficult problem to diagnose)…the bottom line issue is that our C-ARM is still not working, making the practice of quality orthopedics much more challenging for our current visitors. Here is an excerpt from the most recent update from the Oswalds: “Please pray for Tim. Without the c-arm he has had to treat some patients without surgery, which means longer hospital stays and possibly less excellent outcomes. While we are only here a couple weeks, this will be an ongoing problem for these patients. As Tim explained, if a c-arm is broken in the states, they just do NOT do the surgery until a working c-arm is accessible. Here, there is no choice.”

The good news: I brought both motherboards with me from Tenwek, and due to the great urgency of this problem, I will fly to Chicago on Sunday, where I will meet with the “guru” of OEC technology, and representatives from the company I have been in contact with from Cleveland, who can hopefully, collectively, diagnose the problem, and fix these motherboards so that our current C-Arm can be made functional again (they have all been incredibly helpful, even calling our tech in Kenya for information). Additionally, this company also has newly refurbished units that are immediately available for purchase, and I will be looking over the options on Monday. Please PRAY that this trip to Chicago would bear fruit, that our current C-Arm will soon be functioning again, and that God provides another C-Arm for use at Tenwek. As such, we need to urgently raise about $40,000 for the purchase and air freight of another unit. If you feel God leading you to give toward this immediate need, please let me know, and I can direct how you can help. Alternatively, you can call Samaritan’s Purse directly at 828-278-1508 (Mary Elizabeth Jamison) or 828-278-1355 (Scott Reichenbach). We are trusting God to provide abundantly for the people He cares for in Kenya. Thank you for all the prayers and support you have offered our family, and for your partnership in this ministry at Tenwek!