Summary (or at least an attempt)

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25)

There are three tribes in Burundi. The Twa are being used by the others for hard manual labor and at the end of the day are paid with just a bit of porridge. The Twa make this beautiful pottery but it has no monetary value. Hermes & Passe are not Twa but God has sent them to share the gospel of Christ with the Twa. They are starting a Twa school & teaching them to farm & build sturdy houses.

We worked with two local ministries: Youth for Christ & Harvest for Christ. The believers in Burundi passionately desire their countrymen to know & glorify God in all things! I was with a short-term Dental Community Fellowship(DCF) team of Dr. & Mrs. Sasser and 7 MUSC Dental school Seniors.

Two weeks in Nairobi, Kenya were in schools with a different DCF team. At the school each child has a western sponsor who provides school supplies and food. The hope is that one day these children will be able to get jobs and then sponsor other children.


I was at Kijabe Hospital Dental clinic for 3 weeks & did more dental work than I ever thought I’d get to do. The time there with Dr. Rich’s family put away any concerns I’ve ever had about one day raising a family in Africa. I do not know how all the desires God has put in my heart will work together but I know that He’s put them there for a reason and I’m trusting Him to lead me.

At Mengo Hospital in Uganda I didn’t do very much dental work and struggled with “why am I here?” As I surrendered my idea of what I was supposed to be doing, God let me see glimpses of what He was doing. Here in Uganda some students heard the gospel for the first time. I was able to lead a devotion for the Ugandan nursing students. And the local believers were my encouragers, prayer partners and friends. Jesus prayed, “… that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me (John 17:23).”

Reflections

"I will not boast in anything; no gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ; His death and resurrection! "


Dear Friends,

This summer was not about teeth. It was not about Africa. It was not about what I did or where I went. It was about Who I am following. I had the great privilege of working with several ordinary Christians who love an extraordinary God.
As I have talked with people about going to Africa many have said what a good and selfless thing I was doing. While I am thankful for the encouragement I must confess that in going I am simply doing my heart’s desire. It does not feel selfless or sacrificial. This does not belittle the good work that God is doing in Africa. Instead it reveals the fact that God is doing a mighty work in Africa BY doing a mighty work in the hearts of His people, even me!
This summer I was reminded of the simple beauty of the gospel. God loves the world. God desires and deserves to be worshiped. Mankind was designed by God to live indwelt by His Holy Spirit but forfeited that great blessing by our unbelief. This is why we can not do what is right in deed, word, thought and motive. This is why we die. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our sins made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Eph. 2:4f). So now, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). When my heart’s desire is fulfilled by going to learn and to serve in Africa, it is really God who is fulfilling His will and I am simply the one who enjoys Him!
It is God who is doing this work in my heart and I am thankful this summer that He began showing me how He is molding me. I am constantly aware of how short I fall but “He who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it” (1 Thes. 5:24).

With the joy of the Lord,

Jennie O

"He who calls you is faithful..." - 1 Thes.5:24

Hey Friends,

I thought it'd be good to have a short 2 minute video to show people who want to see a little bit of where I was this summer. This video is not intended to get across the details of this summer. It doesn't even begin to explain the fullness and joy in my heart with gratitude for His love for me and for the incredible opportunity that I had this summer to learn from some normal Christians who are daily considering others more important than themselves, who have been sent by Christ to live the normal Christian life somewhere other than "home." I can not thank y'all enough for your prayers and support as you have partnered with me this summer. I am sure that I do not yet know all the lessons the Lord has for me to learn from the past few months. It will be both joyful and difficult as I reflect upon my time in Africa and as I readjust to life here in the States.

If y'all are interested in knowing more I would love to get together with you to share in more detail. This was a very full summer so specific questions are helpful. I hope to get my thoughts together and send out a more formal report before too long.

Because Jesus is worthy,
jennieo

Midnight Bus to Mombassa

In Uganda almost everyone who I spent time with was Ugandan. I did not get to do as much dentistry and so at times I wondered what I was doing there. But I learned so much about the culture and even a little of the language. The friends who I would spend time hanging out with and talking about the Lord and praying with were Ugandan. They were my encouragers, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Some other western people I met there remarked on how I'd been able to make such good friends with local people. It wasn't until later as I was reading John 17:23 that I realized why I had become such fast friends with the people there. Jesus prayed, "that [us who believe in Him] may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that [God] sent [Jesus] and loved [us].

After a lengthy good-bye with my friends in Uganda I am now back in Kenya with Dr. & Mrs. Rich & their family. Their family went to the beach in Mombassa and were gracious enough to let me come. The other family who was with us, the Congdons, know all the people I was with in 2007. It is so incredible to spend time with families who live here and have for years & to meet their kids who are my age. I've been able to talk with Mrs. Rich & Mrs. Congdon about some of the difficulties with raising a family in Africa.

I have really mixed emotions about coming home. I miss and love all of you probably more than you know. But in all honesty I do not want to come home. I've been a bit teary the past few days just thinking about it so your prayers would be appreciated as I prepare to come home & when I get home with readjusting before school starts on the 24th.

Just for fun:

• Ran out of dental floss!
• With the world cup over sports news is not as exciting. Last night the headline was a local badmitten tournament.
• When I get home I will have an orange kitten, Murphy, who I will promptly dye garnet.
• there are always ants, lots & lots of ants... in food, on the floor & in my bed...
• there were 4 dental students in Mombassa so instead of a sand castle we built a sand maxillary first molar
• climbed a palm tree
• met a guy named Nate who has been bugging me to write a blog about him
• extracted 2 teeth on my own & reset a lady's mandible whose jaw had been locked open
• lost my favorite Carolina hat in the Indian ocean

Pictures

Dr. Ogunsalu came to teach a dental implant course and invited me to sit in.


At the end of the course the dentists practiced sinking implants on pig jaws.


Waste not, want not. After sinking the implants the pig heads were promptly cooked and eaten. Tasted like a big chunk of fatty bacon. ;-)


With all the dentists after they received their certificates.


TRIPLETS!

Be still and know that I am God. - Ps.46:10

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10593771.stm

God is sovereign over the weather and over the actions of men. Before the devil attacked Job, he had to ask God's permission. And remember God even said, "have you considered my servant, Job?" So let us be still and know the one thing that is necessary (Lk. 10:42), God is God (Ex.3:14). He shall be exalted among the nations!

Isaiah 45:5-7
"I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

"Kampala City Hit by 3 Bomb Blasts"
It is not my intention to alarm anyone. However I know that many of you may hear about the bombs that went off in Kampala last night. I wanted all of you to know that I am ok and was not present. There are 5 med-students from the UK staying at the same guest house with me. They had talked about going but decided not to because one of the girls was not feeling well. So God was merciful to them and protected them. David, one of the men who is working at the dental clinic was there and again God was gracious to him. The blasts came from the front. He was near the back but still the man who was standing behind him was killed. David saw some terrible things.

This has not changed my travel plans though I will be a bit more cautious of large crowds for the remainder of my stay. I fly out of Uganda on the 22nd and will then spend about 10 days in Kenya with the Richs again! I am going with them to Mombassa for a couple days and will be back in Kijabe for about a week before flying home. I land in Charleston just before midnight on August 4th.

Could be worse...

... could be raining.

and it did!

Even for someone who loves Africa and the culture there are times when I have to stop and remember that God is God, He is in control of schedules, people, events and yes... rain.

I had the opportunity to go with Margaret to a graduation celebration yesterday. I put on a gomez (traditional Ugandan dress). We left at 7:30am on what I was told would be a 2 hour journey. At 11:45 I REALLY needed to go to the bathroom!!! We arrived at a little village church and because the girl who was taking me did not know where the toilet was we went on into the church. At about 12:45 I could no longer even try to pay attention. I was just praying, "Help me Jesus... Help me Jesus..." And He did for the next hour I was able to hold it! When we got out an hour later I greeted a few people on my way to the toilet. I was not phased by the fact that it was what I've heard eloquently referred to as "a long drop."

I was supposed to meet some friends back in Kampala at 7. I'd told my friends I'd have to leave at 2:30 thinking that would mean I'd be able to actually leave by 4:30 putting me back in Kampala at 6:30 (if it was a 2 hour drive.) They started setting the table to serve food at 1:30 and I thought we were right on target. But they kept putting things out and putting them back then rearranging and then starting over all together. My American mindset kicked in and thought how incredibly inefficient! I couldn't understand what the speakers were saying because it was all in Luganda so my thoughts were all over the place. I wasn't concerned about the time so much as I hated to think that my friends in Kampala would be waiting for me. I had to continually submit my thoughts to the Lord and ask Him to help me "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." And I actually thought of a line from Young Frankenstein that has even become a bit of a family joke, "could be worse, could be raining." Finally at 10 til 5 we were eating. Some places think you should eat with your right hand, but since that's the one I shake hands with I preferred to lick matoke off my left hand instead.

I thought, ok, now we've eaten, it will be ok to leave. And the thunder boomed, the sky opened up and the downpour began. We all ran back into the church building and there with 200 Africans we waited out the storm. There were HUGE pots full of rice that I thought the children might fall in and be lost forever because they still had not eaten and were pulling rice from the pot in handfulls. And there I bowed my head and had to pray and had to laugh. There was nothing I could do about this whole situation so why didn't I just enjoy the adventure and trust that the Lord would take care of my friends. Besides they are African, they understand.

• GO COCKS! national champs! & i found out on facebook

If you live by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit. - Gal.5:25

just wrote a long blog that got delete but mostly I just wanted to let y'all know I'm still alive!

1 Kg 17-19
Joshua 24:14-15

Uganda!

I'm in Uganda now! I arrived without any travel difficulties. In fact, the Lord had all sorts of unexpected blessings as I was preparing to leave Kenya for Uganda. One of the girls on the DCF team in Nairobi, Ellen, had a couple of friends who are living in Nairobi temporarily, Ryan and Victoria. They were supposed to be moving the Friday before I was leaving. But in true African style their moving date was postponed. Most of the team except Rachel left last Friday night and then she left Sunday morning.

Sunday morning I was not sure about going to church. There was a church just around the corner from the guest house and I'd thought I'd walk there. But a team from Chicago came in the night before and offered for me to go with them, so I did. Then after church Ryan & Victoria gave me the name of a good & fair cab driver who took me to their home. I spent Sunday evening and Monday morning talking with them about God's amazing provision, about the fact that missionaries are normal people living the normal Christian life somewhere other than home, and the fact that we do not know the answers to the poverty, sickness & spiritual darkness... but we know Jesus does! So whether God sends one of His children to "deep dark Africa" or suburban America EVERY believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should live sacrificially walking according to God's Word & His Spirit. So what does that look like for me?

And since I know everyone was concerned... I did get to skype my momma!
But I didn't get to tell Daddy "Happy Father's Day!" so, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I am staying at Kijaguzo Guest House. I prepare my own meals or go out for food. You would not believe the number of ways you can prepare bananas! There is a retired nurse midwife named, Nyabo (madam) Margaret, who is staying at the guest house with me. She has already taught me the "fast" way to prepare matoke (green bananas boiled in peanut sauce). Her niece, Lydia, is in cullinary school. Last night she taught me to make greens and I'll learn next week to make Chipati (tortillas).

Today Lydia took me into downtown Kampala. It was incredible. There is an area of taxis (big vans) bumper-to-bumper with NO organization at all. Some are getting a push to get them cranked. I never did figure out how Lydia knew which one to get on. This is where we were dropped off and we walked around seeing all of Kampala. The market was bigger even than any I saw in Nairobi. TONS of produce all over the ground which was a good reminder that I need to ALWAYS clean the produce with bleach! The butcher "shops" are like you wouldn't believe. The skinned cow will just be hanging there sometimes it's just out in the open, not even any walls. There there will be pieces of meat lopped off and sitting underneath. The men are cutting it with bear hands and big sword-looking knives. I saw a jackfruit for the first time. Do you know what that is? I didn't either.... still don't.

The Lydia had to go to school so she took me back to the taxi stop. We walked seemingly aimlessly through about half of them and then she told me to get in one of them. It would cost 800 Ug shs (about $0.40) and would drop me off near the hospital. Then Lydia left to catch a taxi going the other way! What an experience!

Wish I could show you pictures.
I was able to post some pictures on older posts while at Ryan & Victoria's
Don't know when I'll be able to get back online.
There's a limited amount of dental work that I'm able to do here because of the size of the hospital, the fact that it's in the city & the clientel.

Please pray that I will not waste my time here but instead make the most of every opportunity to be the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Philippians 2:7

http://www.kenyachildrensfund.org/about/history.php

We finished working at the primary school on Friday. After another lunch of peanut butter sandwiches we were invited to visit the home of one of the students. With headmistress Jane, Pastor David, the social worker Karen, and two guards left through the gate with us to escort us to the home.

We are on a muddy hillside covered with trash. From a distance it looks as if there are hundreds of boxcars without wheels side by side covering the hill. Some have a roof made of scrap metal. There are goats and barefoot children everywhere. We walk a few steps farther and one of the guards turns left. I thought he was picking something up from between two houses but he motioned for me to follow. The walkway was not wide enough for two of us to walk side-by-side. There are panels of scrap metal sheets on either side. He pulled back one of the scrap metal sheets and propped the "door" open. To my right there was just enough room between the "wall" and a pile of trash as tall as me to walk down and turn again into an unlit room. There was a little bit of grungy furnature. I went in and sat down in one of the chairs on top of some of some garbage. The whole family slept there: mother and four children (7 mths, 4,6,7). There really wasn't a roof but instead there was more wood, metal and trash overhead but you could see the sky through it so when it rains... When we were leaving we asked about the pile of garbage which included a ratty platform shoe, a plate of rotting pineapple and rice, a broken metal frame of a bed & a child's training toilet which had been used. The guard told us they were collecting the garbage and would try to sell it.

I really respected one girl on my team for her honesty later when we were talking about it. She was grieved to admit it but she said, "When I was there I felt dirty and filthy, uncomfortable and sick."

"[Jesus] made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Phil.2:7)
We can not fathom the riches that Christ left from His Father's side in heaven to come and wash our feet.
"AMAZING LOVE
HOW CAN IT BE,
THAT THOU MY GOD
SHOULD DIE FOR ME?"

Every time I get on I am torn about whether to write about what the Lord is teaching me and doing around and in me or about all the fun and unusual things I am experiencing. But I know the two aren't mutually exclusive.

One of the girls on my teAm here, Gabi, has a track meet the weekend she gets home so I've been jogging with her some here. Usually we jog around the guest house parking lot but Thursday on the way home traffic was bad so four of us decided to get put and jog the last mile or two back to the guest house rather than waiting and running when we got back. Needless to say four mzungu girls attracted a lot of attention jogging through downtown Nairobi during rush hour!

Gabi and I have had some wonderful conversations during our jogging time. (It's a bit of a miracle in itself that God gives me enough breath to talk while I run with her!) Gabi is 16 and God has gifted her with a strong passion for His Truth that excites me! One day as we ran we discussed God's will. We may all be able to agree that there is nothing we can do to deserve God's grace, but When 'disaster' strikes a person's life or someone dies young we tend to say we don't understand because that person was always so good or always helping others or maybe just that they'd done nothing to deserve death. But it can not be both. Either you deserve death or you deserve life. Everyone who is sinful deserves death. God's word tells us ALL are corrupt and if we have never said it aloud we have said in our hearts and lived as if 'there is no God.' (Psalm 14:1-3) Praise God for showing me that because now I know my deepest desire is not fulfillment of my personal aspirations but truly 'I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.'... You make me know the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy.' (psalm 16:2,11)

I'm living in psalm 16 these days. Please pray that psalm for me!

Randoms:
to type this I am on a friends iPhone sitting in the middle of the guest house parking lot cause it's the only place we get wifi.
Saw a taxi today that said 'better late than never'
saw a sign that said,'road works ahead' Not convinced it's true.
Worked at Kinyago Dandora secondary school last week. Will be at the primary school this week.
A lady on my team has a son named Baker!
Visited Lake Nukuru yesterday

Nairobi

Safe in Nairobi with the DCF team. Working at a high school. The ministry for me here has little to do with dentistry. PleAse pray for discernment and for me to speak only Gods Word. Teammates are great. Pray for them.
Gabi
faith
sassers
Andy
Rachel
Ellen

at Lake Nukuru National Park

Skyping Momma

So, I have somewhat decent internet access here in Kijabe. Yesterday I was trying to Skype my Momma. Any of you who have received a phone call via Skype know that it appears as a sketchy number like +00001234. So I called Momma about 5 times and I could hear her but she couldn't hear me so she naturally thought it was someone either playing a trick or a telemarketer or worse so she had the number blocked. I sent her a facebook message to let her know it was me. She wrote me back and said "OH NO, I didn't know I was blocking MY LITTLE BUNNY!" I wrote her back and thought that I'd put that message here too cause it talked a bit about some of the stuff that's been going on the past couple of weeks:

"Hey Momma,

Oh good! I was concerned the international police my come get me or that there might be a CITIZENS ARREST!!! I'll be leaving Kijabe tomorrow for Nairobi where I'll meet the Sassers again. And I just received an email from Dr. Chapman who was confirming my travel plans to Kampala on the 21st of June. I got to talk on skype with C-ton [my brother] for about 5 minutes yesterday before Skype cut me off.

Last weekend Dr. Rich's son, Micah, and some friends of their family, 3 Congdon boys (Robert, Stephen & Paul), took us for a hike. It was more like bushwacking through a ravine so now I can say I’ve been romping in Kenya!

Fun story… Dr. Rob & Mrs. Nancy Congdon live in Kijabe right now but are involved in SIM Sudan. The missionaries I stayed with in ’07 were SIM missionaries. So though I’d never met them before this summer I’d heard of them back in ’07. They have 6 boys & 3 of them went with us romping. ☺

This past weekend we went to a place called Sunrise Acres in a little town, Eldamo Ravine. It was like a retreat place for missionaries. They try to be mostly self sustaining so they had a garden, chickens & cows. The lady there made strawberry jam from the garden. They sold eggs & milk. I got to milk a cow!!! I knew you’d be pleased with your little bunny all grown up and milkin’ cows!

I love you!
jj"


The Rich's who hosted me in Kijabe

Fun Facts

Burundi

• If a single Burundian man asks you your testimony, it might be translated, "Are you an eligible, godly woman?"
• Learned to give local anesthetic.
• With supervision, extracted a few teeth.
• Saw a 3 year old with ANUG
• Got in and out of prison in one day & in one piece.
• Was welcomed "as royalty" with a Burundian drum ceremony.

Kijabe, Kenya

• Was invited to tea with my cab driver, Wilson... graciously declined!! :-/
• Restored a fractured #8
  
• Nairobi Eye - bug that burns if you touch it
• Watched my first Rugby game!
  
• romping is even more fun in the forest in Kenya than the woods in Columbia
  
• Learned to do Composites & Amalgams.
• Witnessed a mandibular reconstruction after it was shattered by a gunshot. (well... actually never got to see it... technically)
  
• Helped wire a fractured mandible. He'll have to keep his jaw shut 6 weeks.
• Met a sweet friend, Julie, a nurse who will be spending 7 months in Doro (near Yabus, Sudan)
• Met a lady who lives in NW Columbia & knows some mutual friends there

Eldamo Ravine, Kenya - visited for the weekend with the Dr. Rich's family

• Milked a cow!
  

One thing I have asked

**************************
"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple.
For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;
He will lift me high upon a rock."
-Psalm 27:4f

My greatest desire & dream is to be sustained by God's presence alone. I think God has allowed some of my lesser dreams, even good dreams, to be shattered so that I can more fully recognize the depth of my longing for Him. I pray that I will begin to recognize shattered dreams as grace. When He does not "fix" a deep wound or sickness or sorrow I know that it pains Him even more than it hurts me. Not only is He my deepest desire, but I am also His desire!!!

I do not really know how to explain what the Lord is teaching me right now but perhaps these quick thoughts may give some insight. I'm doing a bit of a word study on "the secret place" encouraged by one of the missionary girls I met in Burundi.

Cether - in Hebrew; covering, shelter, hiding place, secrecy
which is found in the presence of God, in the Old Testament it is often used to refer to God's tabernacle, the tent or perhaps the Holy of Holies
Since pentacost the Holy of Holies is found within the hearts of believers!

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!
- Pray for me that the Lord would reveal His secret place to me according to His Word.
- PRAISE the Lord for the Rich family who I am staying with right now. They have made me feel right at home & display the love of Christ to one another and to me constantly.
- PRAISE the Lord for being with me & giving me courage & wisdom as I traveled from Burundi to Kijabe!
- Pray for me to be able to absorb all that I am being taught at the dental clinic.

"As I stare out into the blue mountains of the Congo"

The missionary who is hosting us here in Burundi said that should be the opening line of my new blog post.

"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe" (Galations 3:22).

This past Sunday I listened on my mp3 player to a sermon by Major Ian Thomas called "Knowing the Inner Man." We know that sin entered the world & all men through Adam (Rom. 5:12). And sin deserves death (Rom. 6:23). So for life to come back in, sin must be driven out. Jesus lived the life that man is intended to live, a perfect, sinless life. Jesus lived the normal, Christian life. As a friend and I discussed the meaning of the line of the hymn, "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear..." I began thinking of the law of God & the perfect life of Christ (Jesus is the Word - Jn. 1) as a sweet grace. The law of God shows me my sin (Rom. 3:19f & Acts 13:28f). If I am not a sinner, Jesus did not come to save me. PRAISE God for His perfect law & for His fulfillment of that law. "Oh how He loves you. Oh how He loves me. Oh how He loves you & me!"



There are three tribes here in Burundi: Hutu, Tutsie & Twa. The Twa people have been looked down upon and have no means of making money so they often end up basically enslaved to people from other tribes. There is a Burundian couple here, Hermes & Passey, who have been called by the Lord to live with and minister to the Twa people. This past week we worked in a dental clinic we set up near their home. Hermes & Passey fed us lunch & dinner every day. We were treated like kings in their home. As we put on the dental clinic in both Ngozi & Gitega there were local Burundians who would preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the interpreters told me for many of the people it was the first time that they have heard the truth of Christ, that He does not require us to DO something to EARN our salvation.

Since the last post we took a 60 mile (4.5 hour) drive from Gitega to Ngozi on a dirt road. When we needed a snack we stop along the side of the road and buy a huge branch of bananas. When we needed a bathroom break we would stop at the nearest bush. I was picking red dust out of my ears, eyes & nose for the rest of the week! I've learned to give injections but I can't really tell if I'm doing it well or not because the people are so stoic with such a high pain tolerance! Three of the guys on the team have been sick. I am very thankful to the Lord that I have not been yet, THANK YOU for your prayers!!! We worked with Hermes & Passey for 4 days near their home. Yesterday we worked in a Burundian prison... I wish there were some way to adequately capture that experience for y'all... Just think extractions on 167 strong, young men in a small, hot room right beside the latrine that facilitates 2000 people.

One prisioner was originally sentenced to life in prison. He became a believer while in prison. His sentence was reduced to 5 years which he is quick to tell you was a miricle of God. Now he spends his days ministering to the men who he is imprisioned with...

I fly out tomorrow headed to Kijabi Hopsital in Kijabi, Kenya! more to come later...

KIRUNDI - Key Phrases:
ego - yes
oyo - no
morakozi - thank you
Imana igohezagila - God Bless you
Yesu aragukunda - Jesus loves you
asama - open (your mouth)
cheeta - spit
naza - good

If Ever I Loved Thee, My Jesus Tis Now

I arrived safely in Burundi and the next morning we left on a 4(ish) hour bus ride up the mountain to a small town called Masenga in Gitega province. We are staying at an orphanage and have set up one of the school classrooms as our clinic for the week. We will be here for another day and a half and then we will leave for Busiga in Ngozi province.

The needs are far greater than we could ever hope to meet. Please pray that God would give us wisdom to know who to bring in for treatment. The peoples' teeth are so worn down that sometime their teeth do not need to be extracted but they are sensitive because they are worn flat. Since those particular people (definitely the minority) do not need treatment I have thought perhaps the Lord has brought them to us simply so that we can pray for them. What a blessing to pray with and for these people.

I want to share with you a very typical patient here at the clinic. Please forgive me I'm writing off the top of my head and only have a few minutes:
A mother comes in the door with a baby strapped to her back and one at each side. The mother sits in one chair with a child in her lap and the oldest of the three in the chair just beside. When the mzungu (white person) comes over the child in the lap begins to scream. The older keeps a stoic face with wide eyes. I will lower my mask to give a smile but it is obvious it does not help the children relax. Now we will try to treat the child as his mother holds him in her lap. The child is screaming so I will kneel and lay on the mother's lap restraining the child as Dr. Bill gives the anesthetic. The child can not understand that there is an infection in his mouth and that if we do not take out the teeth this infection could cause many problems and in some instances even become fatal. The child's face may be swollen because of the infection. Dr Bill comes back ready to extract teeth from the child who is doing everything possible to get away. The mother holds her child, tries to restrain him, speaks calming words to him and instructs him to open his mouth. As Dr. Bill comes to pull the teeth the mother will look away. After a moment the bad teeth are out, the child is bleeding. With a tissue I will look up from the floor where I have been kneeling to hold the child and wipe the child's tears away and ask the interpreter to let them know I want to pray for them. We pray, the other family members are treated and we send the mother on her two hour walk home barefooted with a baby on her back, two bleeding children and also bleeding herself.

I am reminded that my heart was sick with sin before I even knew it. Sometime's I've wondered why God has allowed pain in my life. I think treating these children has shown me a bit of what my sin was like. God may hold us in a painful place but it is because He knows what is best for us. He does not enjoy seeing His children in pain. But there's no pain we experience that He has not. In fact the very pain that causes my tears ends up being a great blessing. I pray the Lord will help me to view my circumstances, even the most painful ones, in light of His great love!

Habakuk 2:14 - Summer 2010

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:23f)


Dear friends,

Jesus truly provides exceeding abundantly beyond all we could ever ask or think! After graduation from USC in May of 2007 I was blessed with the opportunity to live in Sudan for the summer. When I returned home the Lord provided jobs and a place to live while I was still unsure of what to do next. Over the next year the Lord continued to put a desire in my heart and before my eyes for the souls of men in every corner of the globe to know His love. As I prayed about what that would look like for me I was led to apply to dental school (Is.30:21). After my second year applying and interviewing one of the deans at MUSC advised, to be a competitive applicant I should retake the dental admissions test. Foolishly I never did (Prov.12:15). On January 28th, 2009 I took a day to get away and pray. That morning I went before the Lord and confessed my laziness knowing that if I did not get in I could not say the Lord had closed the door since I had not done all that I could. But that afternoon He led me to Isaiah 30:18, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you...” I knew if I did get into dental school it would not be because of my own greatness but because of the Spirit of the living God making the way (Zech.4:6). As the Lord would have it, I received an acceptance packet the very next day!


Now I believe the Lord is calling me to return to a different part of Africa this summer to serve alongside at least three different dentists in at least four different locations. I will be traveling with Dental Community Fellowship www.dentalcommunityfellowship.com to Burundi, Kenya and Uganda. This is the only summer during school that I will not have classes. My hope is to go experience dentistry in an atmosphere similar to my long term heart’s desire, to observe and to learn. I would be the one blessed by the opportunity to serve those who pour out their lives daily to bring glory to the only name under heaven by which men are saved, Jesus the Christ.


Please partner with me in prayer:
- That during every part of the time in Africa the Lord to be fulfilling Colossians 1:24 so that the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Hab. 2:14).
- That I would be sensitive to the Lord’s leading as I prepare.
- For the Lord to prepare me physically.
- For my hosts: Drs. Sasser, Rich, Chapman & Friess.
- That the travel plans would come together as the Lord would have them.
- That I would have a teachable and discerning heart as I learn from different doctors in different settings.
- That the Lord would shape my heart so that I will desire what is His best both this summer and in future ministry.
- For each member of each team to be drawn into a greater intimacy with Jesus.
- For each patient to experience the love of Christ through each procedure.
- That the Lord will provide the finances.


Tentative Schedule:
Cell phone cut off! May 1st

Last final exam: May 3rd
Leave Charleston: May 4th 1:50pm

Burundi: May 6-19
Kijabe, Kenya: May 19 – June 8
Nairobi, Kenya: June 8 – June 21
Kampala, Uganda: June 21 – August 3

Arrive in Charleston: August 4th 11:55pm
2nd year at MUSC : August 24

With the joy of the Lord,
jennie o

"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10)

*Truly I desire your prayers most. "Unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain who build it" (Ps.127:1). If the Lord puts it on your heart to contribute financially donations can be mailed with a printed & completed DCF Donation form found on the DCF website www.dentalcommunityfellowship.com. For tax purposes please do not put my name on the check.

Preparing to Go

Hey y'all!

I can hardly believe that I will be leaving in just a few days! I do not know if I will have much internet access this summer but when I am able to get on I will plan to include any updates here. I am new to blogging so we'll see how it goes!

Right now I am finishing up at school for the semester. I have 4 more exams and a practical before the 4th!

Thank you for your prayers!
jeno