Ben Tshin

Pictures from my R&R in Uganda and my first Kenyan wedding.

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Here are photos from a gloriously warm and sunny day spent in Montreux and Chillon, Switzerland two weeks ago. The pictures of the French Alps and Lake Geneva are even more spectacular than my previous pictures taken a week earlier.

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I’ve made it to Kenya. My first time in Africa, and it hasn’t been the shock I expected. Partly it’s the familiar faces and new friendly faces, and the sight of street reminiscent of Thailand and Indonesia. I’m fortunate that the Medair team house in Nairobi is in a nice neighbourhood. It’ll be great for R&R when I finally get it!

As the support, finance and logistics hub for Medair’s South Sudan project, all internationally recruited staff (IRS) arrive first in Nairobi. It’s almost endless briefings for admin, HR, logistics, finance, security, etc. The office here is busy, with lots of activity and lots of staff doing their different jobs. But the staff are still so gracious, generous and kind. I’m glad Nairobi will eventually become my home away from home since all my R&R time is spent here.

At Medair HQ in Switzerland, I started to get a slightly clearer picture of what work I would be doing. But now that I’m here, I now know what I’m actually doing in Sudan. My title is ERT [Emergency Response Team] WatSan Field Technician. I am joining a team of 8 other staff (mixed IRS and KRS) focused on responding to emergencies by providing water and sanitation. Together, we will fly to areas of immediate crisis and implement the emergency projects, which may be joined with Health/Medical. The implementations range from 2 to 8 weeks in length.

I’m really excited to jump in. I barely have 48 hours in Nairobi before flying north to Lokichoggio near the Sudan-Kenya border. I’ll fly from there on small charter planes to the ER sites. Good thing it’s a short time here since I might get a bit too comfortable in Nairobi where you can find almost everything: Italian pizza, broadband Wi-Fi internet, fresh fruit, etc. I’ll miss all that starting this afternoon in Lokichoggio.

I’m finally leaving for Africa!

It’s a relief to know with much higher certainty that I will be Nairobi tomorrow morning. I’ve already checked-in 24hrs ahead of the flight as per my routine, so everything is ready and confirmed. Yesterday was a bit of a tense day for me as I waited for HQ to green-light/red-light my departure. Fortunately, the situation in Nairobi has been quiet for the last short while and my HRO had just spoken with my Country Director (CD) earlier in the day.

Last night was a nervous time. I didn’t realize that my heart was pounding and I couldn’t get to sleep. A creaky bed and another room mate made the task of sleeping slightly more difficult. During the last few days at HQ, I’ve at least started on reading WatSan manuals, technical documents and getting my head into work.

A lot of different people have been asking how I’m feeling. I’m happy to say that now I’m ready. This pause was an excellent time to find out about patience and God’s timing. I can’t say about hindsight since I’m not entirely sure yet what the lessons were. Through my Bible-in-one-year plan, I’m reading Joshua and this verse picked me up and encouraged me just when I needed it:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9b]

God is good and He continues to shape and mould every part of my year with Medair.

Bad news, although not entirely depending on the perspective. If you’re guessing I should either be on a flight to Nairobi or already in Nairobi.

I’ve been waylaid in Switzerland for an additional week. The situation in Kenya is still very uncertain with the opposition planning to hold rallies against the government on Wednesday through Friday.  I received the notification to postpone barely 28 hours before my flight was to depart Geneva. It was definitely a surprise although I knew there was a possibility of change since the situation in Kenya has been brewing since December.

I’m getting a bit restless in Switzerland. I’ve already seen most parts of Geneva and also Lausanne. Museums have been visited, vistas absorbed, delicacies enjoyed and every last thing done. It’s definitely frustrating to be stuck here when there is work waiting for me in Sudan. But I think this is another aspect of God’s timing and His plan. I’m learning to deal with this impatience and frustration.

So tomorrow I will be heading back to Lausanne, to the Medair HQ. I’ll start looking into WatSan (Water & Sanitation) books and information to start my professional preparation. Also, it’ll be easier to spend my extra week at HQ and absorb by osmosis from everyone around me.

As prayer points, please pray for:

• the situation in Kenya
• my managing frustrations and disappointments
• my other team members who are laying low in Nairobi