Friends, Family, and a Full Summer in Kapsowar ☀️

Subscriber First Name, summer has a way of sparking joy—no matter where you are.

Here in Kapsowar, it may be our cold and rainy season (no heatwaves or 4th of July BBQs here!), but it’s still felt like summer in all the best ways: a break from our normal rhythms, visits from friends, and even a trip to the coast with Jack’s parents. I think photos tell the stories best—so here’s a newsletter full of snapshots from the past couple of months, featuring some of the wonderful people who’ve joined us in Kapsowar lately.

Friends from California & Texas

We had the joy of hosting our friend Ben Langford (from our church in California) along with two of his teens, Elijah and Emeline, his brother-in-law Sam, and Sam’s son Gabriel for a week here in Kapsowar. Ben, a landscape architect, is generously helping us design a few key areas around the hospital grounds. Sam, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor, also jumped in to serve with Jack during their visit—it was such a gift to have their whole crew here! They also arrived with three giant bins of Costco snacks—and more cereal than we’ve seen in months! What a treat! Our pantry is now happily stocked with goodies that will last us a long time.

Sam and Gabriel arrived with suitcases full of medical supplies Sam had been gathering for months—an incredible blessing to Jack and the hospital!

Ben sharing watercolor techniques during a fun-filled day of painting and crafts at the local children’s home.

On a follow-up home visit to a baby who lost his mother at birth, Sam and a visiting nurse, Mary, quickly recognized she was unwell…

…so we loaded them into our minivan and headed to the hospital—where the baby was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated. She’s now home, and thanks to donor support, we’re providing formula to help her grow strong without her mother’s breastmilk.

They also brought a ton of fun paints and art supplies for the kids here on the mission station—such a thoughtful and fun activity for everyone.

Jack’s Parents & Trip to the Coast

We were overjoyed to have Jack’s parents, Phil and Therese, with us for several weeks. This was their second visit to Kapsowar, and it was such a gift to simply share life together in the normal rhythms of our days. The kids soaked up every minute of it!

Last year when Phil and Therese were here, they were so moved by the needs here that they launched an effort through Project CURE to send a shipping container full of hospital supplies to Kapsowar. They spent over a year organizing and funding it, and would you believe…the container just happened to arrive while they were here visiting! We couldn’t have planned that even if we tried!

Phil jumped in to help unload, and we were blown away by what was inside: brand-new wheelchairs, incubators, EKG machines, ventilators, IV supplies, goodie bags for new moms, code carts—you name it.

A whole shipping container full of medical equipment supplies, worth over $500,000!

There’s a mountain of items to sort and organize—it’s incredible how much arrived! And this photo doesn’t even scratch the surface—there are machines, wheelchairs, and so much more still to unpack!

Therese visiting baby Bravin and his mom, Ruth, at their home. Bravin was recently discharged from the Newborn Unit, where Jack cared for him—just as he did for his big sister when she was born two years ago. A beautiful full-circle moment!

We were so thankful to sneak away for a week at the coast—a much-needed time of rest as a family. Life in Kapsowar is full in the best (and busiest) ways, but without an easy escape to quiet or nature nearby. We had been looking forward to this trip for months, and of course, a nasty stomach bug hit just a day before our flight and nearly derailed the whole thing. But with a few last-minute flight changes and a thankfully speedy recovery, we made it. And we didn’t take a single moment for granted.

It’s a three-leg journey—a 1.5 hour drive to the airport, a flight to Nairobi, then another flight to the Ukunda airstrip—but every mile is worth it for the beauty of the Kenyan coast!

I mean, if this isn’t paradise, I don’t know what is!

We took a glass-bottom boat ride just off the shore, where we spotted all kinds of unique sea creatures and colorful fish! As an ocean-loving Floridian, it felt like a dream come true to watch my kids swimming and snorkeling in the ocean.

That smile says it all. At the start of the boat ride, Micah shouted, ‘This is better than an airplane!’—and coming from him, that’s saying a lot!

A whole week of buffet meals by the ocean with zero cleanup? Pretty much my dream come true.

The kids don’t get much pool time, so they soaked up every minute—splashing around, trying out the snorkel, and topping it all off with Shirley Temples!

My little beach baby. He learned the hard way sand is better for playing than eating!

Micah loved every single second with his Nana!

Friends from Residency and Nepal

On the way home from vacation, we picked up Patrick, who came to visit us and jumped right into work with Jack at the hospital. Pat was one of Jack’s co-residents from his training at UC San Diego, and now he’s now an infectious disease doctor. He was incredibly helpful advising our physicians on patients with complex infections as well as creating protocols regarding infection prevention and treatment. He fit right into family life at home too and brought such a joyful, easygoing presence to our days.

We also enjoyed a visit from one of my longtime friends from Nepal—Pastor Reuben! I’ve known Reuben since my very first trip to Nepal at age 18. Over the years, I’ve returned with Jack and my brother on different trips to help support his work caring for vulnerable children in Nepal. He wanted to come check out Kenya for a few days, so he flew out! It was such a joy to reconnect and catch up—this time in a totally different cultural setting.

Patrick and Jack on rounds in our pediatric ward.

Pat is the King of Nicknames, and one of my favorites was his perfectly fitting name for Sage—‘Sage the Rage!’

Reuben first met me when I was 18, on a mission trip to Nepal just before I started college. What a full-circle moment for him to now meet our three kids!

Reuben and Sage overlooking the Kerio Valley on a day trip to Iten.

Even with all the fun these past couple of months, the hospital has been anything but quiet. One week, Jack had 28 babies in the newborn unit—not including the pediatric ward! We didn’t even have enough incubators for them all.

All of this, of course, is layered on top of our everyday life: raising three kids (and homeschooling one of them). With friends and family visiting, ongoing projects, and the regular rhythms of life, I’ve had to remind myself—it’s very normal we’re feeling so tired!

But it’s a good kind of tired. The kind that comes from being part of meaningful work and relationships. We feel deeply privileged to be a part of it all—while also learning to lean into rest, embrace our limits, and remember that while God delights in using us, He doesn’t depend on us.

A Few More Snapshots!

Rainy season + construction = one very muddy soccer field. But the real miracle? Beatrice got Sage’s shirt white again!

With some new chain and a little elbow grease, Phil brought all the station swings back to life—and even added a few new ones! They’re already getting plenty of use. This tire swing hadn’t been up in over six months, so it’s especially fun to see it in action again!

Silly selfies at the supermarket!

School’s out for August here, which means our station is always full of neighborhood children! A friend jokingly dubbed me the ‘warden’—since I’m usually out there in my big ‘ol hat surrounded by a pack of kids!

Maybe you’re like me—feeling ready to settle back into familiar rhythms. Or maybe you’re holding on tightly to the last days of summer. Either way, we’d love to hear from you! Just hit reply and tell us something fun you’ve done this summer—we always love staying connected.

Prayer Requests

Ms. Birdsong – Pray for our future teacher as she goes through cross-cultural training and fundraising to join us in Kapsowar this fall and begin teaching our station kids.

The Borkerts – Our new Serge teammates have begun 3 months of language school in Tanzania. Pray for their family as they navigate this big transition and the challenge of learning a new language.

Pray for strength and focus as we lean into the specific areas we feel called to lead. With so many needs around us—and young kids at home—it takes resilience to stay faithful to what God has placed in our hands and trust Him with the rest.

Answered Prayer!

CURE Container – Thank you for praying! As you saw above, it arrived safely and cleared customs with no issues—such a gift.

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