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Check out our new blog at bekahandjon.wordpress.org.

New Opportunites

Another way for Jon to fulfill his vision of training others has come from a completely unexpected source...Emory. It seems that there is interest in developing an international surgery program. This would enable Emory physicians, residents, and medical students to be invovlved in surgical work oversease and allow for additional research opportunities. We're hoping it will also bring much needed resources to the hospital we end up at. This is program is still in it's infancy, but it will be exciting to see how it develops. Jon will spend the year after he finishes his residency working for Emory and helping to build this program. It will be exciting to see what happens!

Future Ministry Possibilities

When will you return to Bangladesh?

This question comes up a lot and we're working on our plans, however, it is doubtful that we will return to Bangladesh. As much as we learned during our time there and came to respect the team, God seems to be opening other doors. Our experiences so far have continued to shape our priorities and philosophy of ministry. Jon feels a strong desire and sees the best use of his gifts, not just in being a general surgeon, but in working to train others.

In light of this, we've come to greatly respect the work of PAACS (Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons), an organization committed to training African physicians in Africa for Africa, a vision that seems to match our own. They, and we, desire to see these future surgeons become leaders in their churches, communities, and other mission hospitals. In order to fulfill this vision, PAACS has established surgery residency programs at several mission hospitals. One critical need is for more board certified general surgeons to be program directors so that they are better able to handle the tremendous demands involved in training and discipling, as well as meeting the surgical needs of the communities served by the hospitals.

Specifically, we've been drawn to a hosptial in Ethiopia. A newer hospital situated in a key location in the horn of Africa, they are actively training surgical residents through PAACS. They are also in need of another general surgeon. More on this later.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We celebrate with you the birth of our savior who alone can bring light to penetrate the darkness of our hearts and transform us into his likeness. We rejoice because his kingdom has come and he reigns on the throne. We find hope knowing that he is renewing his creation and are excited to be involved in this work. And we find comfort in the assurance that all of his promises to us will be fulfilled. It is our awe of and gratitude toward this savior that motivate us to reach out in love and compassion and that are the basis for our lives and ministry.

In one of our newsletters reporting our trip to Bangladesh, we quoted Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Although we meant this, it has proven to be especially true this year. God has spent the last year affirming some things, saying no to others, and giving us a glimpse of new opportunities that we couldn't have dreamed of on our own. Check back because in the next few days I will include entries that describe these.

Pictures

I added a few pictures to the blog because we now have reliable internet access.  I also uploaded almost all of our pictures to Picasaweb from Google.  Here is the link.  http://picasaweb.google.com/bekahandjon

Back Home

We're back safely, although jetlag has made us nocturnal creatures for the past couple of days.

Waking up at 3:00 am, we're ready for bed by dinnertime.  We're trying to force ourselves to stay up, but that only lasted until 8:00 last night.  Grace is happy to be back home with her books, toys and Skype for talking with grandparents.

In the days and weeks we will continue to process what we've experienced, observed and   .  As with any growing experience, realizations come in bits and pieces, times of pain and struggle, and "aha" moments.

More than a vision for ministry, I think God has given us a better vision for our family.  In light of the demands of an American family living in a foreign culture and raising third culture kids, life in the context of a foreign, non-believing culture, and the sinfulness and selfishness that we must confront within ourselves we've been challenged to consider how we're to relate to one another.  We (especially me) have been led into further exploration of what kind of parents and a family God has called us to be.  How, as a married couple, do we reflect the relationship of Christ with the Church?  What is God's desire for us as parents and how is this different because of our faith?  How, as God's chosen basis for society, can the family reflect the best of his creation?  What does this mean for our ministry pursuits and the balance between family and ministry?

As a woman who has been blessed to become a mother, but who also craves intellectual pursuits, there is internal tension.  I've always stated that within a ministry context, my family must come first, that I will not sacrifice them for any number of others.  I'm now being challenged to make my life consistent with my words...

Bekah

The Journey Home

Tomorrow we begin the journey home. It's not the three month boat ride that it used to be, allowing for reflection on past experiences and anticipation of the future. Instead, it's 40hours of shifting around trying to be comfortable, walking around finding gates and allowing time to pass, and hauling around bags, Grace, tickets, and passports.

The past week has presented many opportunities. A few include:

• A visit to a tribal village for the first day of a tribal renewal conference. We were able to see how this group of people lives differently from the rest of Bengalis, learn about the economic challenges facing them, and witness their response to the message of Hope.
• Tea at the home of a hospital employee. We were able to meet his wife and kids, see their home and walk through a village near the hospital.
• Visit a working Compassion site and the home of one of the social workers.
• Bekah was able to spend a couple of hours in the OR, finally believing that Jon has been learning how to do surgery. During this time, she watched as they fixed a baby's club feet, repaired a fistula, and cut a tumor out of a man's chest.

We will see you all in a couple of days...in person or on our computer screens.

Bekah