Final reflections on the Fall 2012 Kenya Mission

The pictures from the mission are finalized now.  Follow the links below to see them.

For the Kiambu team's pictures, click this link.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103425019225851329391/KenyaFall2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMGJ8Jf9rru_mgE&feat=directlink

For the Kitengela team's pictures, click this link.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103425019225851329391/KitengelaFall2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

It's now been about 7 weeks since our return from Kenya and I've had time to digest the events that took place as we served in Kiambu and Kitengela.  This means it is time to write a little about the high points and the challenges that were encountered and to discuss where we are going from here as Redeemer continues to grow in its involvement with the Vision Kenya Project.

One thing that really stands out for me is how the Lord provides for us and always has a better plan than any of us could possibly conceive of.  This was evident before we even left for Africa.  With less than 10 days to go, we lost one member of our Kiambu team to a medical issue and we were blessed to have Him provide us with our friend Cecilia in her place at the last possible minute, or so it seemed.  I am convinced that God had been preparing us and our friend Cecilia for this very eventuality for the better part of the two plus years we have known each other.  Another example of everything falling into place was the addition of Larry Meissner and his niece, Elizabeth Huber to our team.  I had been pestering Larry for the last few years to join us on one of our missions and the timing never seemed to line up, since he leads field trips for his Concordia University students on a regular basis and our trips never seemed to coincide with his school calendar.  This last mission trip matched up with his sabbatical. It also worked out at exactly the right time for Elizabeth, who had been one of the original Redeemer members that had explored the possiblility of our church getting involved in this effort by going on a mission to Nairobi in 2009.   I could easily list how each of rest of the team members "just happened" to be available to answer God's call, but I think you get the idea that each of us was called by the Lord to step out of our day to day comfort zones to serve him on this trip. 

We had almost gotten away from Austin when one final big surprise took place.  I got a call from Pastor Kevin at 7am the Thursday we were to meet up with everyone at 8am in the Redeemer parking lot to caravan to Houston. He informed me that he was ill and would not be making the trip, at least not right away.  I met Tammy at their door, since he didn't want to expose anybody to what was ailing him and she gave me the petty cash and leader packets for the two mission teams.  This opened the way for two more big surprises.  One was that Ralph would need to lead the Kitengela team, and trust me, nobody was more surprised than Ralph!  The other came after we had already arrived in Kenya.  One of the Concordia San Antonio team, Laney, had taken ill at the Dallas airport and didn't travel the rest of the way to Kenya with her team while she was being attended to in the Dallas area.  She made a quick recovery, hopped a flight to London and arrived in Nairobi late Saturday night, a day after the rest of us.  It was our good fortune that it made sense for her to work near Nairobi with easy access to medical care if it became necessary again.  Laney was able to fill the void on the Kitengela team left by Pastor Kevin and was a blessing to all who served with her and to all the people to whom she ministered.

The big surprises didn't stop there.


Another change that caught us a little off guard was not being able to serve in Kawangware with our good friends there.  This was due to security concerns that are a result of the war going on in Somalia and occasional terrorist incidents in Nairobi related to that conflict, some of which have targeted Christian churches.  The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS, which is our flavor of Lutheranism) employs a highly respected British security firm to monitor hot spots around the world for them.  If our International Missions leadership in our St. Louis LCMS headquarters office decides, based on such security information and other factors, that a particular location for a short term mission has the probability of being unsafe for short term missionaries, we don’t go there. Our safety is their prime imperative and we respect that, even if we feel at times that they are being over-protective.  Our disappointment was soon replaced by the many blessings that serving in Kiambu (pictured above, with Pastor Michael) proved to hold.  The Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK, the national church we partner with) had desired one of our vision clinics at this location for some time.  When we were informed that we couldn’t serve within the city limits of Nairobi, it was a natural choice, since it is just outside of town, adjacent to a rural area famous for its coffee and tea plantations.  Our new friend, Pastor Michael , has been involved with the church there since at least 1989, and with the help of the Central Diocese of the ELCK and Pastor Carlos Winterle’s Heart to Heart program among others, progress has already been  made on building a permanent structure.  It is about one third of the way built as of this writing and the local congregation’s and the ELCK’s long term dream are that the church would be finished, complete with a parsonage on the grounds.  One huge advantage that this church has going for it is that the Diocese owns the property, so there is no landlord and no rent that needs to be made every month in order to keep the church functioning.  This is not always the case with small congregations, and a missed rent payment can sometimes lead to needing to relocate a church, with all the confusion and loss of focus that entails. 

Our week in Kiambu was markedly different than the missions we had been on over the last 5 years to the much larger churches in the slums of Kawangware and Kibera.  There was a different mix of people that came to the clinic, some from a nearby slum, others on their way to or from work and an occasional fairly well to do patient also came through the gate.  We had a greater need for local translators, since many of the rural working class, while they could speak English, were a little shy to do so with us.  When we were able to coax them into speaking English with us with Cecilia's help, it was perfectly understandable.   Regardless of language barriers, everyone that came to the clinic got the Gospel presentation from our local Nuru evangelists, Geoffery and Callistus. We talked to them about their lives during their trek through the clinic and all were prayed over individually.  All of the Redeemer  team members spent some time working at the triage station on this trip, which is always a blessing for the people being prayed over, but it is also a profound life changing experience for those of us that are privileged to be used in this way by the Lord.   This portion of the eye glass clinic appears to the outsider to be where treatment options are determined for each patient, whether they will get distance glasses based on an autorefractor reading, will be fitted for reading glasses, will see our local doctors for medications, receive a cataract surgery referral or some combination of any and all of the above.  In reality, since the overriding purpose of our clinics is spreading the Gospel in obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20), the triage station is where we focus on not only the patient’s physical health, but also on their spiritual condition.  We have conversations that all lead in one way or another to a discussion of the where the patient is currently in their walk with the Lord.

We hear the needs of the people, and many of them involve very intense situations, and we then lift them up to the Lord in prayer.  If a person wants to know more about the church or Christianity, we immediately will get the local church leaders or the Pastor involved.  It doesn’t get any better than this as a short term missionary, it’s where the rubber meets the road!

The Kiambu Team

 

Every team has its own distinct personality and this one was no exception.  We were blessed to have a very easy going group that had an attractive joy about them that almost begged people to ask us about the reason for the hope we have within us.  And we all had good reasons ready when asked.  In my experience, how you live is the best witness you can have for Christ, a joyful Christian can’t help but call attention to the blessings that walking with Him will supply a believer with.  I’ve always felt that there was something profoundly wrong when I encountered a perpetually negative person that called themselves a Christian.  They obviously didn’t understand with their whole being what an incredible gift they had received or else they would have behaved every day as if they had won life’s lottery.  I pray that such people come to a deeper understanding and faith, to the point that no matter what circumstance they find themselves in, nothing can rob them of that peace, comfort and joy that only the Lord can give us.  Our group all had that gentle joy that comes from being assured of our salvation.  Each of us had our own gifts that we were able to complement the gifts of the rest of team with.  Larry’s gift of music, his preaching ability and calm demeanor were most appreciated during our devotions with the congregation and throughout the week.  Martha and Howard’s sense of humor and their ability to help keep the business of the clinic on track are always wonderful.  It’s very good to have a mix of veteran and new team members and Howard and Martha have always been part of the steady core group that helps me in numerous ways as a team leader to operate successful clinics. They were sorely missed when they couldn’t be on our team in Kibera last spring. Elizabeth and Thomas both brought youthful enthusiasm and a zest for life to Kiambu, and each demonstrated a real heart for meeting the needs of the people we served.  Beth, Charles and Cecilia each brought professional medical skills as well as their own strong faith, personal talents and engaging personalities to bear on the many situations we encountered, always exhibiting Christ’s love while doing so.   What a blessing it was to serve with each and every one who was on this team.

The Kitengela Team

Our team that worked in Kitengela also was blessed by the relationships they formed with the local volunteers, doctors, church workers and each other.  Judging from the stories and pictures they brought back, their clinic was a blessing to the church, the surrounding community and themselves.  This was the first time Redeemer had fielded two teams in separate locations, and with the exception of the last minute drafting of Ralph to head the team up, things went as well as could be expected for a first effort at a new location.  We had three team members come from Peace Lutheran Church in Hewitt on their first trip and all expressed to me what a profound experience it had been and a willingness to come back to Kenya with us again, perhaps as early as next October's mission. There are always many kinks to iron out during the starting up and running of a vision clinic, even at locations that have held them before.  At the start of the week on each and every mission trip, I wonder how in the world we'll be able to function when great numbers of patients begin arriving.  The Lord always blesses us by letting the first day or two start out easy enough to get the wrinkles out of the process, so that by the time the inevitable word of mouth advertising reaches the nearby neighborhood and people begin arriving en masse, we are more than a match for it.  This was the case at both of our sites.  Thank you, Jesus! 

Care to join us on our next mission to Africa from April 18-28, 2013?  Contact Pastor Kevin Westergren through Redeemer Lutheran Church in Austin, TX at 512-459-1500 or me,  Dave DeVore at 512-323-5343 for more information. I will personally guarantee that you will not look at the world in the same way after serving with us. God will break your heart in one way or another and will put it back together again in a markedly better way. How do I know this? Because after 8 trips in 3 years, I have seen this in not only myself, but also in every single short term missionary that has participated in the Vision Kenya Project with us.  This incredible experience completely stretches any comfort zone you may have had before and it prepares your heart and soul for serving the Lord even more enthusiastically than ever in most any setting.  As our own Pastor Dave likes to say, you will be so in tune with God's plan for you that you will see the world through "Jesus eyes". In my own case, I have been more active than ever in local human care ministries than I was prior to these evangelism missions. So, to those who think that involvement in short term international missions and serving the Lord locally are mutually exclusive, I reply that it is not an either/or proposition but a both/and kind of animal. As noted previously in this blog, Bonhoeffer taught us that faith leads to obedience, which leads to stronger faith which in turn causes stronger obedience and so it goes during one's walk with Jesus. It all begins with faith, which is a gift of God which none of us deserves. This obedience or sanctification is our joyful response to this free and gracious gift, a gift that was bought at a terrible price by Jesus that all might be saved. I'm well aware that not everyone is called to the foreign mission field, nor are all physically, financially or otherwise in a position to join in our efforts on the front lines in Kenya, as we witness to all whom God places in front of us. We know we are blessed to have heard and been able to answer the call. However, there aren't many people that can't serve in some way within the context of their own lives. This might include supporting a mission such as ours through prayer, helping to recruit more team members or via financial gifts. This particular project definitely requires far more people behind the scenes than just those of us at the front. If your heart isn't moved to action by this project, my advice is to find a way to serve others that is near and dear to you that you can become genuinely passionate about. You will discover a wonderful paradox that those of us that have abandoned our comfort zones learned long ago. You can't out give God, you will always be abundantly blessed far more than any blessing you can ever give. It's such a profound truth that I have to question my motivation before each mission. Am I going to serve others in answer to God's call on my life or is it for the many blessings that I know, based on past experience, that I will receive? If I'm brutally honest, it's both and that's fine. My plea is that you just do something for somebody else. Are you afraid of making a mistake or not having the right words? I've noticed that the only people that don't make mistakes are those that don't do anything, and if I think about that for a while, that in itself is a big mistake. The options for service are endless, ranging from helping with ESL classes, building ramps for your homebound neighbors, volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, delivering Meals on Wheels to shut ins, starting a Bible study at work or in your home and on and on it goes. Redeemer members, including our mission team members, do all of these things and many more. Come on in, the water's fine! The Lord will grant to you a joy and a peace that passes all understanding if you do.

To God be the Glory!

Kitengela pictures have now been added

There are now pictures from the Redeemer's other team that went to Kitengela.  Their pictures include their travel to and from their lodging and the clinic, their hotel and, of course, their work during the week at the clinic.  Their team pictures that were taken during activities with the rest of our group during the first weekend and other common experiences like safaris have been added to the Kenya Fall 2012 section of Picasaweb.

To see the Kitengela pictures, follow this link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103425019225851329391/KitengelaFall2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

To see the complete set of Kiambu team pictures with the additional photos from the Kitengela team, follow this link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103425019225851329391/KenyaFall2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMGJ8Jf9rru_mgE&feat=directlink

First of the mission trip pictures are ready

Less than 1 week after our return, I now have almost 400 of the best of my own pictures from my two cameras ready for viewing, each with captions so you can get some idea of what we were doing at the time.  They are in chronological order beginning with our orientation at Redeemer, then showing our commissioning services and finally the trip itself, including travel, safaris, our lodging, Sunday worship, our daily devotions and, of course, the vision clinic at Kiambu.  Over the next 10 days or so I will be gathering up possibly as many as 5,000-6,000 more pictures from the rest of my Kiambu team and from the other Redeemer team that served at the church in Kitengela.  I will replace my pictures with any that are better from the other team members and will add in what happened at Kitengela as soon as possible.  For now, I hope you enjoy what is here, realizing that it is Dave-centric at this point and will become more balanced over time.  I love it when I get to see the different perspectives that the others had on the trip through what interested them as evidenced by their photos.  Some people are drawn to nature pictures, such as landscapes, flowers, animals and such, while others capture moments with people in their own unique way while yet others are more into buildings, architecture and man-made places.  The finished album will likely have from 500-600 pictures, meaning it will be watchable as a slide show in less than an hour. 

This is just the first step in memorializing this mission trip.  Once I have this online album in place, I will go to work on a nice Hollywood style DVD, divided into 5 or 6 chapters, so that it can be viewed in bite-sized 10 minute segments or in its entirety.  The purpose behind these DVD projects is two-fold.  First, they make a nice remembrance for the team members and it gives them something they can show their families.  In the case of this trip, my goal is to have the project done in time for everyone to have a copy in time for the Christmas-New Year's holiday, when families gather.  The second set of reasons I feel these DVDs are important involve visibility of the project and recruiting of new team members for future missions.  I usually give away around 100 disks of each trip, some to prospective team members, others to sister churches showing an interest joining us on an upcoming trip and finally to people who have donated to the Vision Kenya Project in the past or who might be considering helping us make these clinics possible.   

I remember when I first joined a group of men from Redeemer in building churches in Mexico in 2005.  I hadn't even seen one picture of where we would be going or what we would be doing.  I felt like I was taking a tremendous leap of faith into the great unknown. I just wish I would have had access to something like one of my DVD slideshows back then.  The anxiety level might have been lower and it would have made it easier to say yes to the mission trip if I'd had some idea of what I was getting into.  I'm hoping to pay it forward to our future team members and their families by what I do with these picture shows.

With all of that said, follow the link below to get to the online pictures.  Enjoy!  Praise God!

https://picasaweb.google.com/103425019225851329391/KenyaFall2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMGJ8Jf9rru_mgE&feat=directlink

More on our final day at Kiambu

I made a sad discovery Thursday afternoon. Among the myriad details involved in putting on a clinic, I had overlooked one that I have come to realize is very important. I had forgotten to design, print and pack the Certificates of Appreciation for our local workers and volunteers. For the past 3 clinics, we had followed Salem's example of handing out diploma-like fancy certificates to express our heartfelt thanks. It has become a tradition during the final devotion of the week to award these certificates individually, calling each one up to the front to receive thanks from the pastor and team leader and to get their very own picture with us. It's a real blessing to see the deep satisfaction that even our evangelists, veteran volunteers from other churches, the young people of the congregation and also the pastor and his wife get from being recognized in this manner. I had stayed up after a late dinner Thursday night until almost midnight to design a quick certificate on my computer back in Austin via remote control from my Android tablet. I then emailed it to Catherine and myself and put it on a thumb drive. My Plan B was to get something printed near the church by having our Kawangware volunteer and good friend Barrack take it to a copy shop. My worrying proved to be unnecessary, since Catherine managed to modify a Vision Kenya Project certificate that Trinity-Klein uses, got it printed and delivered to me at the last possible minute via our driver Allan. Barrack had collected the correct spellings of all 30 or so workers or volunteer's names during the day and I got the info filled in just before closing the doors for the week and packing up the clinic.
We had the final devotion, with myself and then Pastor Michael thanking everyone and praising God for the way He had used each of us during an incredible week together. Larry led us in one last singing of Bless the Lord before the awards ceremony finale of the service. I had put the certificates in an intentional order, calling our evangelists Geoffery and Calistus forward first. They were the first glimpse of Jesus that clinic goers encountered in the evangelism tent and they were as enthusiastic in the late afternoon heat each day as they had been in the cool of the morning. They stayed on long after we were back at our quarters, had showered, eaten and gone to bed each day, showing Christian movies on the outside wall of the church, using a generator, projector and speakers. This is the same setup they use all over Kenya regardless of the availability of power. They were among the first there each day. These two young men and their branch of the Lutheran Hour called Nuru (which means light in Swahili) are some of the most committed Christians I have ever had the pleasure of calling friends. It strengthens my faith, knowing these disciples are running the race the Lord has laid out for them with a passion that is a joy to behold.
Their colleague Nancy was next, she had done free HIV testing every hour the clinic was open, providing an invaluable extra service to any who sought her help. She had done her job with a gentle joy and a professionalism that is a gift of God. She was followed by each of our local and Kawangware volunteers. I saved 3 very special people until last. Allan, our driver for the week had taken care of our every need, which is what he was paid to do. He went far above and beyond that, helping with translation in the clinic, helping the Pastor with crowd control, which at times was a challenge and could have turned into a chaotic situation without his steady, loving way. He served with good humor all week and became a friend to all who worked with him, including myself and the entire team. He went from dawn until well after dark every day and always was of good cheer. Next was Florah, Pastor Michael's wife. She was at the clinic as her job permitted and was always a quiet, strong encourager to all of us. I admire the commitment she and Michael have shown to their church over a very long period of time without wavering. We could all see that they strengthen each other in their mutual service for the Lord. The last Certificate of Appreciation went to Pastor Michael, the driving force, other than God Himself, behind keeping this small congregation intact and an agent for much good in the community. His ministry for much of the week consisted of greetings to all who walked, biked or drove in and out of the neighborhood. Many of his neighbors didn't know that the incomplete building on this fairly large piece of property is a church. Thanks to the vision clinic he had been praying would come to Kiambu, the neighborhood knows there is a strong, growing church with a Pastor who is a powerful witness for a loving Savior. I hope this past week contributes a great deal of momentum towards getting the remainder of the sanctuary constructed. Much more importantly, my prayer is that living stones, new church members, would be added daily until even the expanded building is not sufficiently large without having to hold multiple services. Michael and I smiled broadly for the final picture and then we all spent the next 20 minutes or so laughing and crying over our goodbyes with all of our new friends, at least until we meet again.
After dropping us off at Africa Heart, Allan drove Larry, Howard and Martha to their hotel, in preparation for their extended time in Kenya. I finished our team statistics, arranged for breakfast and the safari for the team to the Nairobi National Park for early Saturday morning. At that point, I barely remembered my own name, but it was happy kind of tired to be. I called Pastor Kevin to let him know how the week ended and to arrange the details of picking up the footlockers for the 2 Redeemer teams with his and my trucks upon arrival in Houston. I went to bed and slept very well indeed!  Thanks be to God for a week that started slowly enough to prepare for larger numbers and for Him enabling us in every way to minister to the needs of all He sent us.

The Vision Clinic ends with a bang

Larry, Howard and Martha were all packed up as we headed to Kiambu for our last day, since they would be staying near the Wilson Airport and flying out Saturday for a safari. When we arrived, there were already quite a number of people waiting in the tents. We set the clinic up one last time and then headed outside for a devotion. First, Pastor Michael read from the end of the 2nd chapter of Acts in Swahili, which was the text I had selected for the closing morning. Here it is from the NIV translation:

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Then, I read this passage to our volunteers and the crowd that had gathered in English. I remarked on how we had been in an early church experience all week, sharing with each other, performing miracles (some blind people would see via cataract surgeries), breaking bread together, praying in "the temple" each day and helping to grow the church. It was the perfect text and amazingly enough, 15 minutes beforehand, I had no clue what my Scripture or remarks would be. Yet another miracle. Thank you Jesus! Larry and Elizabeth started a hymn, with a hand written song sheet in English and the congregation had their Swahili hymnals. Something got lost in translation and they turned out to be two different hymns. Larry picked up on what had happened right away and masterfully transitioned into a whole new set of chords on the guitar. What a blessing it is to sing together, even when we're not always on the same page!
The clinic stayed busy all day long and I thought I had made it clear to close the gates at 1:15 when it looked like we could serve about 425 patients.  I knew we needed to start shutting down and packing up by around 4pm.  God had a different plan. On my next rounds, about 45 minutes later, I discovered another 75 people were there. We worked later than planned and ended up with 496 patients for the day! Much more to follow as time permits. I will be writing during our travel home and will post updates as soon as we return. Thank you Jesus for a wonderful mission!

Thursday was a big day

After another good breakfast at Africa Heart, we rode to Kiambu, got everything setup and then had our morning devotion outside once again in the evangelism tent. It was a gorgeous morning. I did a devotion based on John 20:21, Matthew 28:18 to the end of the chapter and 1Peter 3:15. I talked about why we come as missionaries and then how we are to spread the Word through our own testimonies with humility and gentleness. Larry led us in some more music with great gusto.
The clinic went smoothly from the start and we bad a pretty full waiting area, that tent alone holds about 100 people, for most of the day. When we had finished at around 5:30, the steady drip, drip, drip had added up to over 400 patients. There were many stories to tell and I will recount some of them as time permits before we return home and after we get back. As usual, we are taking lots of pictures and they will be added to the mission trip photo album soon.
We had dinner at a fancy hotel called Safari Park, which was similar to the Carnivore that we had frequented in the past. You eat some salad and bread, after which they bring a red hot cast iron plate and then continue to pile meat on until you surrender. There was chicken,  pork ribs, pork sausage, beef, lamb, crocodile, ostrich, camel, turkey, etc. You get the idea.
Time to get ready for our last day. Stay tuned... Praise God!

Wednesday clinic continues the momentum

After yet another fine breakfast at Africa Heart, we rode the 20 minutes to Kiambu and got the clinic ready to roll immediately before a nice devotion led by Larry with a good Scripture lesson based on Jeremiah and some more music. It was a gorgeous morning, so we worshipped outside.  Nuru had shown a film about Mary Magdalene last night and our attendance was certainly boosted by it. The Jesus Film will be shown tonight. We stayed steadily busy all day long and at the end of the day had served over 300 patients. There were a few times that some areas such as triage got overrun, and it was a real luxury to be able to throw every available team member at various bottlenecks until things smoothed out again.
There has been a fair amount of excitement and some changes in plan from the very beginning of this mission trip. The most recent one was our friend Gus Jacob from Salem having a kidney stone attack out in the field, 8 hours from Nairobi. He was driven to Mombasa and then flown to Nairobi last night. He is in the Karen Hospital near the LCMS offices. He was given fluids and xrays to determine the best treatment. As of this morning, more scans were in the offing. We ask that everyone please keep him in your prayers. We had hoped to go out for one nice dinner as a group, but we haven't been able to arrange it. Instead, we will drive out about 20 kilometers from Kiambu to see the tea and coffee plantations before dark. There are some fabulous scenic overlooks. Since we will be back too late for the 6:30 supper at Africa Heart, we are looking for our driver Allan or Catherine to suggest a good dining establishment. Each of us has many stories to tell from the clinic so far. Pastor Michael and I were helping in triage this afternoon and saw a young man in his early twenties. He had been raised Baptist and still is a believer but kept falling in with the wrong crowd and he knew it was separating him more and more from God's plan for him. Pastor Michael gave him some sound advice about seeking out a good church home and a new set of friends that would encourage him in the faith and also hold him accountable. I gave a testimony about the 25 lost years in my life from ages 20-45 and begged him not to make the same mistake. We prayed over him and I hope that prayer for bringing him back into the fold bears fruit. Well, it's time for bed, if the trend continues, we'll all need plenty of rest. More to follow as the week progresses.