Caleb turns 13

Another teenager! This child was the one who taught us the story of Abraham and Isaac as we held on through some preterm labor to deliver him safely in Africa, though we knew that being a missionary did not guarantee an outcome of our choosing. This child was once a failing-to-thrive baby struggling with chronic infections in this soupy mess of disease we call Bundibugyo, necessitating intestinal and liver biopsies at Hopkins for the final conclusion that he was just like most kids here, sacrificing his body’s growth to protect his brain and survival. This child rode on his father’s back running through gunfire when we escaped the outbreak of a rebel attack over a decade ago. This child forced us to make the impossible decision to perform middle-of-the-night-emergency surgery for testicular torsion (with Dr. Sessanga no less) in the grungy and ill-equipped Bundibugyo hospital many years ago. This child later developed appendicitis and clung to us in pain as we struggled to get him to a better hospital this time in Kampala (thanks to MAF) where his appendix was removed. In other words, reaching the milestone of 13 is no small praise for us.

We celebrated Caleb’s birthday with a sunrise cook-out breakfast at our favorite campsite 2 in Mweya, where we had traveled the night before to accompany our first team of WHM and Trinity Presbyterian Church visitors. Pat and I whipped up dozens of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and coffee while the rest went on a game drive, then returned for a great time of fellowship and celebration in the cool morning air. That evening after dinner we sat again around the bonfire at the lodge where Caleb read aloud from Deuteronomy as a recognition of his maturity in the eyes of God, then we read him some lists everyone had contributed to throughout the day: 13 things we love about Caleb, 13 memories of the last 13 years, 13 Scriptures for a 13 year old, and 13 qualities that make a boy a man. Our visitors got prizes for naming 13 bird species they had found throughout the day, or spotting a group of 13 elephants. It was a joy to mark this milestone with our extended WHM and team family, and to reflect upon God’s goodness to us in that place of His creativity and beauty.