Barriers

    I have been thinking about barriers today,  It started when Michelle, the beautiful little girl in the picture finally figured out how to open doors.  She has been fumbling with the handles and even started knocking for entrance but today she got it. Why this concerns me is all my worldly goods here in Africa are stored on the bottom bunk in a room with no lock.  This means my computer, contacts, lotions are now available to those sticky fingers of an interested eighteen month old
      Barriers are great for many things.  A bandage keeps germs out of a wound, Screens keep mosquitoes out of the house, gates keep robbers away and a club can keep a thief from stealing your car.     I then started thinking about barriers which are not so good. Barriers  we put up to keep people away from us or from getting too close.  Maybe we have prejudices or attitudes that keep us separate or walled off from other people and then there is unforgivness which not only  separates  us from others but from God as well. Eph 4:32 says And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you .
     So my Dear Michelle, climb up on my bunk and we will sing and I will show you pictures of my grandchildren.  I do not want to ever be separated from you .  "Just be careful little hands what you touch,"

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Kenya Relief Provides Relief

     As a young child I grew up devouring the National Geographic Magazine and being horrified at the sight of starving children especially in Africa.   When the opportunity came for me to come I was very interested in coming to this extremely diverse country.  Kenya is a relatively safe place as opposed to it’s neighboring Somalia and Sudan.  I was not prepared for the way my heartstrings would be stretched.  All of a sudden poverty has a face and a smile, a warm handshake and maybe a belly full of worms.

Kenya Relief helped this poor soul to feel humanity in a real and tangible way.  We saw about 200 patients a day with all manner of illnesses.  Eye infections, colds, coughs, fungal infections and worms were the most common.  These can be easily treated with the free medicines the clinic provides.  However, the kidney disease, heart failure and malnutrition from HIV are another matter all together.  When a mother cannot afford to have the kidney biopsy to determine what type of kidney disease her son has it is devastating and makes poverty a real scourge.
     Kenya Relief medical teams operate on a volunteer basis and each team is unique and different.  The one Amah, Amy and I were on had 1 MD (Pediatrician) 1 pharmacist, 2 pharmacy students, 1 pediatric RN and a RNA  (registered nurse anesthetist) plus Ammah who is a retired nurse midwife. The rest of us became jack of all trades master of none but even that was extremely helpful.  The one outstanding thing about working with Kenya Relief was the patience and respect shown each person who came to the clinic.  We took time, asked questions, took pictures  and gave out stickers, cloth diapers ,pins, plastic pants, beany babies  and blankets.  No one was rushed or pushed along as in an assembly line common to American medicine.
     We also got to witness the Kenya Relief orphanage as they presented us with entertainment one evening.  These children appeared to be very happy and lively as they did about 20 minutes of tribal dancing for us. When they dance they come alive and beam with pride.  One outstanding thing about this orphanage is that the children are  cared for and allowed to be African as they are cared for by house parents who are African.  Each child that has a living relative goes to be with them for 2 weeks periodically so to maintain ties to the family, tribe and land rights.
     I came to Africa poor in my understanding of poverty but I am going home rich in memories and a better understanding of God’s love for these beautiful people.  I am grateful to have experienced Africa this way.

Home Visits

Today we did one of my favorite things here in Africa and that is visit people in their homes.  Today we visited five homes and the first one was the home of Rose.  She and her husband have 5 children and one grandchild they are raising. Her husband lost his job after the post election violence and  he has not been able to find much work of late.  They live in a tiny one room house and she told us today that they only eat  1 meal a day as there just is not enough money for food and to pay school fees so their children can go to school.  The mat she is working on is one she made for Abba and Amma.  She does beautiful hand work she learned from her Ugandan heritage. After they paid her, Amma said, "now you can go and buy food" and she replied, " no, this will be for school fees" and she tucked it under her pillow.  We video taped Rose's story to bring back to the US and show people just how great the need is for some people in this world to have basic things like food and the ability send their children to school.

Bad Hair Day

A Bad Hair Day

    In our house in Nakuru we live with George and Nellie and baby Michelle.  There is a house girl named Beatrice who cares for the baby, cleans, does laundry and other assorted jobs and shares a room with Amy and me I..  She is quite shy, does not speak much  English and is extremely curious about us.  She did allow me to give her a hand massage the other night and since then she has been a bit warmer towards me. I did not bring a blow dryer but noticed there was one in our room so I asked if I could borrow it.  At first she said an emphatic “NO” but then nodded that it would be ok.  She came into our room just as I was towel drying my hair and ordered me to “sit”, grabbed the blow dryer and dried my hair.  Oh my, those who know me know how fussy I am about “helmet hair” but folks I went to town with that awful hair….I had bad hair but a good day.  Beatrice I Love You!

They say the road to a friend’s house is never long……

 .......but what they don’t say, is it might be dangerous.   We headed to the van to go to our first clan meeting of “Rhonda”, the newest clan  After sizing up the situation some of us returned for flip flops.  The road was becoming washed away as we drove, but looking at the faces of everyone watching us “what are the crazy mzungus doing now’’ we kept going.  When the van  stalled out completely we started seriously considering if visiting today was a good idea.  Because of George’s optimism, and mechanical skills and Abba’s coaching we were finally on the road again.  Arriving at Lawrence’s one room hut we were escorted over a bridge of stones to a greeting of many smiling faces.  It was truly a trip worth making.  We had a time of praise, prayer and teaching after which we were served cups of hot chai and bread.  After a final blessing on this sweet home we again crossed the bridge of stones. ….yes the road was dangerous but  so worth it to be with our friends.

Gifts of gold!

Petranilla came for a visit and tea. Amma gave her a box of pins and some new scissors. She was overjoyed to receive such a simple but wonderful gift to help her in her business as a seamstress. She jumped up from her seat and gave hugs and kisses.