About a week ago, we celebrated the fourth class of residents to graduate from the Surgical Training Program at Tenwek. It was so exciting to see four very qualified, godly residents finish their training well. What an encouraging highlight in the midst of some very hard weeks. Please keep praying for the doctors' strike in Kenya. We haven't seen any movement toward a resolution. The patients are suffering and those still working are growing weary.

The four new residents that started their surgical training this January at Tenwek.

As we looked back as a family at 2016, we talked about some of the highs and some of the lows.  There were many of both. Last year when we finally finished language study and settled in here, there was only one other second grader at Tenwek.  And since we were halfway through the academic year already, Eden finished the curriculum she had already started and first grade without any classmates.  

Then over the summer, there were many transitions with lots of other families coming and going.  July found Eden to be the only girl near her age here.  Thankfully God brought more families in by September.  And now, Eden is one of five kids in second grade!!  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but after spending many long months together at the dining room table, just she and I, trying to get through school, 5 classmates seems like a million....in a good way.

So this morning as I went up the hill to the schoolroom to start back up teaching the second graders again, I thought back to this time last year.  I'm grateful for the lessons learned in the transition of last year, but I'm also grateful for a fuller classroom this year, and all that that means.