Public Health
Heavy rains this past month have meant flooding and loss of some crops throughout the country. People are running out of food early this year, and it seems hunger season will be particularly bad. We praise God that our pastor and community friends are continuing to honor God as they feed children and care for vulnerable individuals in their community. Greg is working with Nazarene church leadership and The Word Transforms to explore options for bringing trainings to pastors to help improve worldview and food sustainability in their communities. Christina is working with a women’s group in Mngwangwa to bring a training about Cholera to all the churches in their community. This is a particularly exciting opportunity, because there has been a lot of misinformation and fear regarding the Cholera outbreak, even coming from some religious institutions.
Weekend Trip
We got away for a relaxing weekend in Zomba with our good friend Roberta this month. Our gas was getting low on the way back, and every station we passed for over 20 miles on the main road was out of fuel. Praise God that we found a station off of the paved road which still had some, and we were able to get home before dark. We are thankful for refreshing times of rest this last month, and for God’s provision through the challenges.
Improving Physician Wellbeing
During February, Christina has been working with trainees from Loma Linda University to complete scholarly projects in resident wellbeing, which the team is hoping to submit as presentations at the AAFP Physician Wellbeing Conference, the American College of Physician Health Conference, and perhaps even publish as an article in the American Journal of Public Health. She is also helping prepare a lecture and materials for the Personal Wellbeing unit for the LLU School of Public Health’s graduate course in Population Health Leadership. While Christina enjoys academic work in Physician Wellbeing, her biggest passion is improving wellness for missionaries and helping physicians thrive as they find their callings through Christ-serving career fits. Please join us in prayer that doors will open helping Christina find roles which will allow her to help improve missionary wellbeing in the upcoming months.
Christina’s “Sabbatical”
Christina continues aiming for more intentionality about growth and rest as she marks her seventh year in Africa. She did take a couple vacation and sick days off this month (with ankle, foot, and back pain as well as a recent bout of gastroenteritis, she is starting to wonder whether her usual amount of stress was the major thing keeping her body together). She did work some 10-13 hour days in the second half of the month, and the hours more than cancelled those she used for her days off, but she is greatly enjoying her work and is taking more 5-10 minute breaks throughout her workdays than ever before. She finished reading 5 books in the last month, and has taken her time to slowly process information from an additional 5 books on positive psychology and spiritual formation. Reading outdoors in her screened porch, her shaded hammock, or the swing overlooking the flower garden is helping bring rest to most days. Greg is coming alongside her and helping her get out of the house for lunch and dinner dates, and they are establishing new restful evening routines involving an 8:00 reflection time and 9:00 pampering time which is helping Christina get to bed on time (at least on nights when she finishes work before 10, which she hopes will be more often next month).