And We're Back!

Here's a brief 3 and a half weeks in review. Wednesday the 22nd, Markey took a horrible fall on our slippery front steps and broke her leg in multiple places. Then ensued an excruciating pick up truck ride to the local hospital, a temporary splint, 60 hours of waiting for evacuation with no pain killers and me playing nurse and doctor, high alert (and the accompanying terror) for compartment syndrome, an air ambulance to Johannesburg, South Africa and finally surgery to put her leg back together. Phew. Then we waited in Joburg for a few weeks until Markey was deemed fit to fly back to the USA, getting our fill of smoothies, salads, hot showers, and enjoying the company of the wonderful Joan Culver for the last 6 days. At long last, Markey and her mom flew home, only to find that Markey needed another surgery to re-align her bones. Thankfully, the surgery yesterday went well and now begins the road to recovery, take two!

There is quite a bit more that should be written about this experience, but for now I’ll just bullet some main points.

• Markey is as strong as an ox, endlessly brave and should never again be given hallucinatory medication, especially when strapped down in an airplane.
• The privilege and ability we had to be evacuated and to seek high-level care in another country is both sobering and humbling. More to come on this topic, once I get it sorted out in my own head.
• The BUWEA women are simply amazing. From visiting us in the days leading up to evacuation to continuing their bakery work daily while we’ve been gone, they have impressed me beyond measure, and they have been impressed upon my heart as dear friends. 

So, what next? I’m back in Bukoba to wrap everything up, then to pack everything up. In a few weeks I will be back in Kigali, Rwanda to set up our headquarters and get ready for the next group!