We finished our week at Maua Methodist Hospital and it has been a hard week physically with the work, but also emotionally and physically as we have seen lots of poverty and sickness. Our team has continued to work hard laying brick, slinging mortar and building a wall for the staff flats. It's quite a process and the scaffolding is basically sticks held together with twine. OSHA would be scared stiff . . . but we have had no injuries and lots of good memories have been made.
Karol spent another day in the OR (also referred to as the theatre). She did a three hour surgery on a little girl who was burned by hot tea. Her right arm was completely devoid of skin and their were burns on her torso as well. The did skin grafts and hopefully she will escape infection and have a full recovery. However the family will struggle to pay the bills however small they seem to us.
Michelle spent 4 hours making rounds with the hospital chaplain. We began on each ward and prayed with the most sick. There is no privacy in the hospital and it is communal, so everyone participated and was roused from bed. On the units where people were being discharged, we did some singing, dancing, preaching, and praying. My heart was breaking as we consoled a mother who lost a one-year old child overnight due to burns. I hope God heals her spirit.
On Saturday, we spent a little time shopping for African fabric in Maua before we departed for the Meru farm. On our way we were stuck in a massive traffic jam because one of the local universities was having graduation and all of the families were trying to leave at the same time. The locals took over the streets and on a two lane highway, the cars began travelling 5 lanes deep the same way. May the best car win. It was very scary at times, but thankfully there were no accidents.
On the farm, we work early for breakfast and spent the day doing work projects for them. The farm is simply amazing. It is a microcosm of Africa and is used to teach farmers how they can raise animals AND grow food for them and their families at the same time. It teaches them how to be self sufficient with little land. We have helped cook in the kitchen, milk the cows (Brittani, Michelle, Cynthia), paint a worker's shed, paint the cow barn poles, move gravel and spread it down the road. We are pooped, but in a good way! By the way, one of our team members, Liz, came down with a bug and has been very sick for almost 24 hours, but now feeling a better. Please pray specifically that she feels better soon.
We are looking forward to departing in the morning at 7 a.m. and boarding a regional plane to Masiamara where we will go on Safari for two days. Upon return to Nairobi, we will go to the Elephant Sanctuary and do some last minute shopping before boarding our plane home at 11:45 p.m. It will be the longest Saturday in history for us going back in time!
This is probably the last time we have the opportunity to blog before we come home. Once home, we will upload some pictures so you can see the sights we describe and understand more fully what we have done. Thank you for blessing us with your prayers. We feel surrounded by them and know that God is at work in Kenya. We love you!
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When I was in Kenya in 2002 doing pretty much the same trip you are doing, I felt the same way about the farm. It was amazing how efficiently and effectively the land was being used. Is John Mwalimu still there? I'm sure he would not remember me, but I remember him as a very caring and creative person.
ReplyDeleteYes, John and his family is still there. His son and daughter-in-law are pretty much running the day to day operations and they were delightful. Hard work, but worth the effort!
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