It's a small world after all!

I know you are going to hate me for titling this entry after THAT cliche song that drives you crazy once it's going around in your head, but sometimes you just have to say it.

About the time Trina left, a med student from U. Nebraska arrived. Her name is Beth Larson, and she is Korean, but she was adopted by an American family when she was about 18 months old. In addition, some Korean missionaries in town, who have been here for 20+ years, came by in January to ask if their med student (in Korea) daughter could come and do a month long rotation at ELWA. Their daughter Hanna grew up here, and went to Houghton College in NY State (near Cuba NY, Rick's mom's hometown), so she speaks perfectly good English. Hanna's family had us over for dinner one evening - always a treat because the Korean food is so great - and she and Beth started comparing notes (a very Korean thing to do -when were you born? when did you graduate from high school? etc) Before long, they realized that they were born in the SAME YEAR, in the SAME MONTH (probably, Beth's birthdate may be an estimate the orphanage made) and get this - the SAME CITY in Korea (not Seoul, a smaller one)!!!! Very likely the same hospital. So here they are, in AFRICA, finding one another! Weird, huh? Their time at ELWA Hospital is overlapping by a couple weeks, so they are enjoying each other's company.

Rick is off to Senegal on Sunday for the West Africa Leadership Retreat with our new Deputy International Director, Joshua Bogunjoko. A few weeks ago, I realized that there was too much happening here for me to go along, and it turns out the we will have the Goodnow family of 6 plus a short term doc and nurse all arriving on the 18th due to delays and flight schedules. So it would have been rather difficult to be ready for them if I was out of town the week before.
Rick will get to see Max's new digs in the dorm at D.A. (like that alliteration?) and arrive home just in time to welcome the new folks.

So that's the news from this side. Next week would be a nice week to get a few extra hellos from out there since Rick will be gone....