Alia is getting ready to travel back to her family in South Sudan. What a joyful girl! Thanks for your prayers for her. Photos used by permission of the family of Alia.

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Kapsowar! We’ve been able to start work at the hospital doing some complex reconstructions for patients, and begun to develop relationships in the community here. 

We also have a new family member! We found a stray puppy dog in the local market and adopted her after she stole our hearts. Her name is Pax, Latin for “peace,” which is appropriate for the season and the longing in all of our hearts.

We adopted a puppy and named her Pax - Latin for "peace."

As we approach the end of this year, we look back in thanksgiving for all that has transpired. God has seen us through another international move, and has kept us in His hands. 

The wounds and brokenness that we encounter here remind us that the miraculous birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, the Prince of Peace, led some 33 years later to the deep wounds, suffering, and brokenness on the Cross. The prophet tells us, “By His wounds you have been healed.”

We are deeply grateful for and humbled by the privilege of proclaiming this truth through service here to the poor, the broken, the suffering. 

You are a part of this with us, and enable this through your prayers and financial support, and we are deeply thankful for your partnership with us.

For Jesus Christ - the Newborn King,

Niles, Rachel, Marit, Sonja, Haakon, Gunnar, and Kier (and Pax!)

Festus is a 10 year old boy who fell out of a tree onto a machete, lacerating his arm. Photos used by permission of the family of Festus.

The laceration was over critical structures in his arm.

Upon exploration the machete cut all the way down to his bone, cutting his brachial artery, his median nerve, and his biceps/brachialis muscle and tendons.

Festus had his median nerve repaired with a nerve graft and his brachial artery reconstructed with a vein graft.

Festus and Alia recovering together on the children's ward!

Niles served as one of the surgeons at a local surgical outreach camp, offering free medical and surgical evaluations to those who came. Several hundred people were evaluated.

Chepochonir is a Pokot woman with epilepsy who fell in a fire and underwent an eight hour free flap reconstruction to cover exposed bones in her foot. Despite a long recovery, she eventually broke out in smiles when she found out she was going home. Photo used by permission of Chepochonir.

Getting ready to feed the local workers. Surgical skills are sometimes useful outside of the operating room.

Christmas lunchtime feast.

Haakon serving the rice with a smile.

First haircuts in the market...

Sonja was inspired on our first visit to the dental clinic here.

The Batdorfs playing with Alia on the ward.

Visiting the local orphanage together.

Carrying cornstalks for the family cows.

Niles offered to carry some firewood up the path to an older woman's house. It was a humbling experience, and much more difficult than it looked when he offered.

The Batdorfs kids with our friend Evans.