Today was another Blessing. I went in the morning to spend time with the church burn victims. We had a great time and they wanted "school" even though it's a Saturday! We had an English lesson and I'm so impressed with how good these kids English/spelling are. Especially Mary. She is VERY bright and wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She could be anything she wants to be. These kids are amazing. It is so easy to get close to these people. They are so loving and warm. As I had the lesson with Mary, we laid on her hospital bed and she hung her two burnt legs over my lap. I had to hold on to them to keep them from slipping off. It felt so comfortable. I don't think we have that kind of comfort with people in the states. It's sad. After "school" I got out my camera to get pictures with the kids. They LOVE being in the pictures and REALLY love taking the pictures. They all had turns taking pictures of me with each of them. They especially love to run over to the camera and view their image. It is very sweet.
When I got back from the hospital, there were two short term Missionary couples waiting on the stairs of our apartment for their ride to Nairobi. One of the couples is heading back home to North Carolina and the other couple are from Australia and are here another 2 weeks. Their ride was very late, so I opened our apartment door and invited them to sit and use the phone, etc. There is a term "Kenyan time" here and apparently when they say I'll be there around 9:00am, that can mean just about anything! It turned out that their ride was still in Nairobi, bringing up some new short term missionaries. I started making lunch for Mitch and I and ended up making lunch for all 6 of us. It was a special time sharing and learning form these wonderful Godly people. I love that we could just spontaneously get together and enjoy time with each other. We get too busy at home to enjoy moments like that. It's unfortunate. We had the British Medical Student over for dinner and had a great time with them. We laughed a lot and they are really neat guys. It's been fun to learn about the different cultures as well as Kenyan culture. What a blessing!
I look forward to telling you about church in Africa! We are looking forward to it!
Blessings,
Amy
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Out Patient Department (OPD)
Good Morning! I thought I would spend a little bit of time sharing some patients I have seen in the OPD. The crowding experienced in the inpatient ward is less when comparing it to the crowding in the OPD. People travel from all over Kenya to be seen for every type of ailment. They wait all day for their visit, labs, and to get their medication to take home for the next several months or until their next visit. The halls and seats in the clinic are always full which leads to people lounging around on the hospital grounds throughout the day. It can be almost a festive atmosphere. Several afternoons the hospital would have people playing music with and an electric keyboard and others singing. This helps pass the time for all the family members and patients that are spending the day at the hospital. This is often followed by and evangelist sharing a message and praying for the people that are there.
A few short stories of patients I have seen;
I saw a 17 year old boy with bad sickle cell disease who was hospitalized earlier in the year for a sickle cell crisis. He was accompanied by his father. He appeared to be 11 years old due to the stunted growth he has experienced from his disease. He and his father were here from several hours away to have his blood count checked and get his malaria prophylaxis and pain medication. All was okay and he went home to come back in two months for follow up. Both he, but especially his father, had infectious smiles and the best spirit...I was immediately drawn to them. I will pray for them and whatever their future holds.
I was asked to see a theology professor and his wife in their 40's from the Congo. They, too were okay, although she was just diagnosed with bad diabetes and we spent a lot of time discussing how she was going to manage her disease back home. I share this because it exemplifies the challenge for people who need basic medical services in the interior of Africa. They had just left Johannesburg, South Africa where he obtained his PhD in theology and they were in Kenya in transit back to the Congo where he was to teach at the University in the Capital. All medical providers are on strike in the Congo, so they are not sure when they will ever be able to see a physician again. Therefore, they made a point to stop in Kenya, a whole different country, almost 1,000 miles away for medical care on their way to the Congo. It makes the inconveniences we face in our health care system seem so trivial.
The last patient was a wonderfully graceful 40 year old male with recurrent lymphoma in his face. It had relapsed after good (but suboptimal) chemotherapy in Nairobi. He was here for another opinion prior to returning to Nairobi. In America with appropriate chemotherapy and radiation I believe he would be cured. Here, I am concerned he will not survive this relapse.
Much more stories exist. Please pray for these patients. They love God with all their heart and I KNOW God loves them, too.
Blessings,
Mitch
A few short stories of patients I have seen;
I saw a 17 year old boy with bad sickle cell disease who was hospitalized earlier in the year for a sickle cell crisis. He was accompanied by his father. He appeared to be 11 years old due to the stunted growth he has experienced from his disease. He and his father were here from several hours away to have his blood count checked and get his malaria prophylaxis and pain medication. All was okay and he went home to come back in two months for follow up. Both he, but especially his father, had infectious smiles and the best spirit...I was immediately drawn to them. I will pray for them and whatever their future holds.
I was asked to see a theology professor and his wife in their 40's from the Congo. They, too were okay, although she was just diagnosed with bad diabetes and we spent a lot of time discussing how she was going to manage her disease back home. I share this because it exemplifies the challenge for people who need basic medical services in the interior of Africa. They had just left Johannesburg, South Africa where he obtained his PhD in theology and they were in Kenya in transit back to the Congo where he was to teach at the University in the Capital. All medical providers are on strike in the Congo, so they are not sure when they will ever be able to see a physician again. Therefore, they made a point to stop in Kenya, a whole different country, almost 1,000 miles away for medical care on their way to the Congo. It makes the inconveniences we face in our health care system seem so trivial.
The last patient was a wonderfully graceful 40 year old male with recurrent lymphoma in his face. It had relapsed after good (but suboptimal) chemotherapy in Nairobi. He was here for another opinion prior to returning to Nairobi. In America with appropriate chemotherapy and radiation I believe he would be cured. Here, I am concerned he will not survive this relapse.
Much more stories exist. Please pray for these patients. They love God with all their heart and I KNOW God loves them, too.
Blessings,
Mitch
The Maasai Market
Today I went into Nairobi with 8 other missionary women to go to the Maasai Market. The Maasai is one of the tribes here in Africa. The other tribe that is slightly larger it called the Kikuyu. We are seeing many of the members of both tribes while we are here, but mostly we are seeing "Kenyans". Back to the Market...
The market is held every Friday in the upper level of a very nice shopping center in Nairobi. Many vendors are there selling their handmade goods. It is standard to barter, so after a while that can get a bit tiring. The goods are beautiful, from wraps, baskets, beautiful wooden bowls, jewelery, carved native animals, etc. Everywhere I walked I heard "sister, sister"-they see my white skin a mile away and believe that the English are all rich, and I suppose we are compared to them. It was a fascinating day and I enjoyed being with the other missionary wives the most. I did quite a bit of shopping and am excited to bring my African treasures back to the states. In light of the past few days, it seems a little selfish, but I consider the blessing in experiencing the culture and spending time with the lovely missionary wives that serve here.
We had dinner (African cuisine) with one of the missionary families that I traveled with today. They have been here over 22 years. They moved to Kenya when their oldest son was 7 weeks old. Dr. Rich is a dentist/orthodontist and has always practiced in Kenya. They are from North Carolina, but Kenya is their home. They are wonderful people and we are impressed with their commitment to this place.
I will be heading over to Bethany Kids tomorrow to start working with the burn victims. I am looking forward to that very much. I also hope to find my Friend Miriam at the local vendor market, my sister-in-law Amy said I should give her that big hug, so I think I will!!
Blessings from Kenya,
Amy
The market is held every Friday in the upper level of a very nice shopping center in Nairobi. Many vendors are there selling their handmade goods. It is standard to barter, so after a while that can get a bit tiring. The goods are beautiful, from wraps, baskets, beautiful wooden bowls, jewelery, carved native animals, etc. Everywhere I walked I heard "sister, sister"-they see my white skin a mile away and believe that the English are all rich, and I suppose we are compared to them. It was a fascinating day and I enjoyed being with the other missionary wives the most. I did quite a bit of shopping and am excited to bring my African treasures back to the states. In light of the past few days, it seems a little selfish, but I consider the blessing in experiencing the culture and spending time with the lovely missionary wives that serve here.
We had dinner (African cuisine) with one of the missionary families that I traveled with today. They have been here over 22 years. They moved to Kenya when their oldest son was 7 weeks old. Dr. Rich is a dentist/orthodontist and has always practiced in Kenya. They are from North Carolina, but Kenya is their home. They are wonderful people and we are impressed with their commitment to this place.
I will be heading over to Bethany Kids tomorrow to start working with the burn victims. I am looking forward to that very much. I also hope to find my Friend Miriam at the local vendor market, my sister-in-law Amy said I should give her that big hug, so I think I will!!
Blessings from Kenya,
Amy
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Amy's day
Today was another great day. I've had many questions asked about the RVA, so I will try to answer some of those. They have capacity for 500 students. They currently have about 325 students from all over Kenya that board there. They have another 100 or so that live in the surrounding area and commute to school. They have a little over 100 staff. The cost for African Inland Mission (AIM) sponsered missionary's is around $1000.oo/term. A term is 3 months. If the family is not part of AIM, the cost is double. I worked there again this afternoon for a couple hours and met a few more of the staff. Everyone is very nice there.
The early part of my day was amazing. I went down to the Bethany Children's hospital this morning. I met with the Chaplain, Mercy and she showed me around so that I can start to work there on my own. I don't know exactly how to sum up the emotions that I felt while I walked through the various wards. A mix of sadness, compassion, joy. There are too many stories to write in one blog, so I will tell you a few for now. I met 4 young children ages 13 and younger-Mary, Mercy, Anthony and Jedidah. They were all in the burn ward. Their church was burnt by a rival tribe while they were worshipping. Over 200 people were injured by the fire. These 4 children have been at Kijabe getting skin graft/surgery for the past 5 months. Mary told me that they will be there another 3 months. I will be taking pictures of these beautiful children and hope to add them to the blog once we have high speed. I talked with Mary the most (her English is very good) She is a beautiful strong young woman, who will have scars the rest of her life, not only physical scars, but emotional as well. She continues to smile and has a joy that can only come from the Lord. I will be going back every day and "teaching" the 4 since they are not in school. I'm sure I will have much more to tell you about these 4 amazing young people.
The second story I will share is when we went to the ward where the babies/children with hydrocephalus stay with their mothers. In Africa these children are considered a curse, so the mission is to share that we are all God's children and these kids are blessings. I met a young mother whose 3 year old had just passed away a few hours before. My heart still hurts for her. I don't remember her name, but God does, so if you could pray for her. She was sitting and mourning with other mothers and their special babies. While I was there a white women came up with an adorable little hydrocephalic African baby in a stroller. Marcus is two and was a twin. The mother took the "healthy" sister and left Marcus in the Hospital. Nora, or "Mama Marcus" became his foster mother and is now in the process of adopting him. He may have a deformity, but once he smiles---all you see is a beautiful mouth and pair of eyes! He is also very smart and understood much of what was being said and done around him. Mama Marcus had come to the hospital to share with the other mothers what their children will be capable of. She showed them how Marcus can sit and is starting to crawl. It was awesome to watch the hope in these mother eyes as they realized that their child is special!!
After my visit, I came "home" and loaded up a pillow case with the gifts that I had brought from the states. As I went through the wards, I felt like Santa Claus!! I gave recorders (flutes), harmonicas, bells, coloring books and crayons and many beaded bracelets that my daughters, Ashley and Casey and nieces, Jaqueline and Kelsey had made--they were a hit!! (Girls---remember the small ones that you made, The mothers wanted those for their babies! They were perfect!!)
I could go on and on about today, I will never forget it, I will try to give you a little more each day and appreciate your continued prayers.
Blessings,
Amy
The early part of my day was amazing. I went down to the Bethany Children's hospital this morning. I met with the Chaplain, Mercy and she showed me around so that I can start to work there on my own. I don't know exactly how to sum up the emotions that I felt while I walked through the various wards. A mix of sadness, compassion, joy. There are too many stories to write in one blog, so I will tell you a few for now. I met 4 young children ages 13 and younger-Mary, Mercy, Anthony and Jedidah. They were all in the burn ward. Their church was burnt by a rival tribe while they were worshipping. Over 200 people were injured by the fire. These 4 children have been at Kijabe getting skin graft/surgery for the past 5 months. Mary told me that they will be there another 3 months. I will be taking pictures of these beautiful children and hope to add them to the blog once we have high speed. I talked with Mary the most (her English is very good) She is a beautiful strong young woman, who will have scars the rest of her life, not only physical scars, but emotional as well. She continues to smile and has a joy that can only come from the Lord. I will be going back every day and "teaching" the 4 since they are not in school. I'm sure I will have much more to tell you about these 4 amazing young people.
The second story I will share is when we went to the ward where the babies/children with hydrocephalus stay with their mothers. In Africa these children are considered a curse, so the mission is to share that we are all God's children and these kids are blessings. I met a young mother whose 3 year old had just passed away a few hours before. My heart still hurts for her. I don't remember her name, but God does, so if you could pray for her. She was sitting and mourning with other mothers and their special babies. While I was there a white women came up with an adorable little hydrocephalic African baby in a stroller. Marcus is two and was a twin. The mother took the "healthy" sister and left Marcus in the Hospital. Nora, or "Mama Marcus" became his foster mother and is now in the process of adopting him. He may have a deformity, but once he smiles---all you see is a beautiful mouth and pair of eyes! He is also very smart and understood much of what was being said and done around him. Mama Marcus had come to the hospital to share with the other mothers what their children will be capable of. She showed them how Marcus can sit and is starting to crawl. It was awesome to watch the hope in these mother eyes as they realized that their child is special!!
After my visit, I came "home" and loaded up a pillow case with the gifts that I had brought from the states. As I went through the wards, I felt like Santa Claus!! I gave recorders (flutes), harmonicas, bells, coloring books and crayons and many beaded bracelets that my daughters, Ashley and Casey and nieces, Jaqueline and Kelsey had made--they were a hit!! (Girls---remember the small ones that you made, The mothers wanted those for their babies! They were perfect!!)
I could go on and on about today, I will never forget it, I will try to give you a little more each day and appreciate your continued prayers.
Blessings,
Amy
The Hospital
Well...Amy has been sharing so many wonderful things, and I know she has more from today to share. But I thought I would add a little to the blog about my time in the hospital. African Inland Church (AIC) Kijabe Hospital is a mission hospital and a teaching hospital. All the doctors including the Kenyan interns and residents are Christians.
I was asked to manage a service of inpatient medical patients. Normally a service is managed by a "team" of doctors to include the attending staff, resident, intern and medical student. Since they are so "short" on doctors, I have my own service without any interns or residents. A very fine British medical student named Chris is assigned to work with me. He started the same day as me so we are figuring out the ins and outs of the hospital together. We have a nursing student assigned to translate for us every morning. Although the official language in Kenya is both English and Swahili, very few patients speak English.
It has been a challenging experience for me for two reasons. The supporting systems that we so depend on in America to care for patients, such as lab tests and radiology tests, are so limited. In addition the scope of diseases that I am caring for is very different.
Now about the hospital. There are two main wards; the men's and the women's. On each ward there are approximately 50 beds, but only four rooms or bays. The beds are so close to each other that it is hard to squeeze by to examine the patient. Patients are in the hall on gurneys. There is one restroom (Choo) for each ward. At the same time each morning the nurses bring buckets of water to each patient with a cloth. Everyone stands up next to their bed and gives themselves a bath with the cloth (if the patient can't stand up and family member is there to help bathe them). Sheets are quickly changed during that time. Breakfast is a piece of bread, a hard boiled egg and milk. There are no trays, the food is just placed on the bed or wherever there is space near the patient. Lunch is often soup brought in a large kennel and scooped into a bowl at the bedside.
Each patient is responsible for the charges they incur. Family members drive to Nairobi to buy medication such as antibiotics that the hospital does not have on formulary and brings that to the ward for us to administer. Once discharged, patients are not allowed to leave until their charges are paid, since once they leave they may never be seen again.
I have seen two oncology consults since I have been here. The first was a 12 year old girl who has a sarcoma on her thigh about the size of a football. The question from the surgeon to me was their anything that could be done to prevent an amputation. Unfortunately there is not. A surgery to perform and complete dis articulation from the hip down is planned for her in the near future. Another was a wonderful, Godly 44 year old man with recurrent lymphoma in his mouth/nose/sinus. He is being sent to Nairobi for salvage chemotherapy (which I do not believe they offer due to costs, etc.)
All medical lectures begin and end in prayer. I experience an amazing Staff Chapel service for all the hospital staff. God is living through these people, they have an understanding and trust in God I hope to have some day.
Blessings to all of you. More to come soon.
Mitch
I was asked to manage a service of inpatient medical patients. Normally a service is managed by a "team" of doctors to include the attending staff, resident, intern and medical student. Since they are so "short" on doctors, I have my own service without any interns or residents. A very fine British medical student named Chris is assigned to work with me. He started the same day as me so we are figuring out the ins and outs of the hospital together. We have a nursing student assigned to translate for us every morning. Although the official language in Kenya is both English and Swahili, very few patients speak English.
It has been a challenging experience for me for two reasons. The supporting systems that we so depend on in America to care for patients, such as lab tests and radiology tests, are so limited. In addition the scope of diseases that I am caring for is very different.
Now about the hospital. There are two main wards; the men's and the women's. On each ward there are approximately 50 beds, but only four rooms or bays. The beds are so close to each other that it is hard to squeeze by to examine the patient. Patients are in the hall on gurneys. There is one restroom (Choo) for each ward. At the same time each morning the nurses bring buckets of water to each patient with a cloth. Everyone stands up next to their bed and gives themselves a bath with the cloth (if the patient can't stand up and family member is there to help bathe them). Sheets are quickly changed during that time. Breakfast is a piece of bread, a hard boiled egg and milk. There are no trays, the food is just placed on the bed or wherever there is space near the patient. Lunch is often soup brought in a large kennel and scooped into a bowl at the bedside.
Each patient is responsible for the charges they incur. Family members drive to Nairobi to buy medication such as antibiotics that the hospital does not have on formulary and brings that to the ward for us to administer. Once discharged, patients are not allowed to leave until their charges are paid, since once they leave they may never be seen again.
I have seen two oncology consults since I have been here. The first was a 12 year old girl who has a sarcoma on her thigh about the size of a football. The question from the surgeon to me was their anything that could be done to prevent an amputation. Unfortunately there is not. A surgery to perform and complete dis articulation from the hip down is planned for her in the near future. Another was a wonderful, Godly 44 year old man with recurrent lymphoma in his mouth/nose/sinus. He is being sent to Nairobi for salvage chemotherapy (which I do not believe they offer due to costs, etc.)
All medical lectures begin and end in prayer. I experience an amazing Staff Chapel service for all the hospital staff. God is living through these people, they have an understanding and trust in God I hope to have some day.
Blessings to all of you. More to come soon.
Mitch
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Day 3
Today was another good day, The weather was perfect. I think that this must be the best time of the year to be here--it's just going into spring. I worked at the RVA again today. I will try to find out the detail on the number of students and staff that live there. I am impressed each time that I am there of the sacrifices that so many make in the name of Christ. Today as I filed and organized new student information I prayed for the families who's paperwork was in front of me. These are missionaries from countries all over the world, too many to mention.
At 10:30, I joined the staff for "tea". It was nice to meet some of the teachers and share. we had a prayer time and sharing. It was wonderful. I am impressed on the many people who have committed their lives to this place and call it home. Our two weeks seems insignificant, compared to the years and decades that others do.
At lunch time, Mitch and I walked to the vendor market that I visited yesterday. Miriam wasn't there, but I bought some vegetables for dinner. We hope to post a picture for you...we have dial-up here, so we'll see...
I wasn't able to make my contact for the children's hospital today, so I'm hoping tomorrow. There is an Orphanage in Nairobi that I'm hoping to visit on Friday. We met the two young missionaries that run it. The wife is a graduate of the RVA and her African husband is a pastor. They are a very cute couple and really wanted us to come visit them. They have over 150 kids in their orphanage. They told us that many of the orphanages are having to close down due to the high fuel costs therefore everything is costing more. They said it's so sad because the country was really starting to get a grip on the situation and now with so many orphanages closing, kids are back out on the street. I asked them how much it is costing and they said what used to cost $30.00/month to support a child is now near $100.00! That's a big difference. Please pray for this young couple and their work in Nairobi. I hope to see them and will report to you what I see.
I will make Mitch tell you about the Hospital...I visited it with him today and it is very sad. The halls are packed with people waiting to receive care. I met the Medical Director and he said we have no idea how much they need Mitch here right now. Apparently September is a transition month and they are understaffed. God knew the timing.
I still miss my kids...as I write this, my girls are just getting to school. I hope to bring them back here with us, so that they can experience what we are. Thanks for your continued prayer, you are all so special to us.
Blessings,
Amy
At 10:30, I joined the staff for "tea". It was nice to meet some of the teachers and share. we had a prayer time and sharing. It was wonderful. I am impressed on the many people who have committed their lives to this place and call it home. Our two weeks seems insignificant, compared to the years and decades that others do.
At lunch time, Mitch and I walked to the vendor market that I visited yesterday. Miriam wasn't there, but I bought some vegetables for dinner. We hope to post a picture for you...we have dial-up here, so we'll see...
I wasn't able to make my contact for the children's hospital today, so I'm hoping tomorrow. There is an Orphanage in Nairobi that I'm hoping to visit on Friday. We met the two young missionaries that run it. The wife is a graduate of the RVA and her African husband is a pastor. They are a very cute couple and really wanted us to come visit them. They have over 150 kids in their orphanage. They told us that many of the orphanages are having to close down due to the high fuel costs therefore everything is costing more. They said it's so sad because the country was really starting to get a grip on the situation and now with so many orphanages closing, kids are back out on the street. I asked them how much it is costing and they said what used to cost $30.00/month to support a child is now near $100.00! That's a big difference. Please pray for this young couple and their work in Nairobi. I hope to see them and will report to you what I see.
I will make Mitch tell you about the Hospital...I visited it with him today and it is very sad. The halls are packed with people waiting to receive care. I met the Medical Director and he said we have no idea how much they need Mitch here right now. Apparently September is a transition month and they are understaffed. God knew the timing.
I still miss my kids...as I write this, my girls are just getting to school. I hope to bring them back here with us, so that they can experience what we are. Thanks for your continued prayer, you are all so special to us.
Blessings,
Amy
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Day 2
We're still here! All is going well here. We started some of our "duties" today and have decided that "Missionary support" may be the main reason that we are here. The weather has been good. Nice and not too hot during the day and then both yesterday and this afternoon we got heavy rains and thunderstorms with a Little flooding. It's very reminiscent of what we had in San Antonio. AS I write this I can still hear the winds and heavy rain falling, but is is now night time, so it doesn't matter too much.
Today I walked up the hill to the Private Christian Academy called Rift Valley Academy (RVA) it is where the missionary kids from all over Africa go to school. It is a private boarding school and very nice. The students just came in yesterday and started school today. It is a little crazy around there right now ans there is a ton of paper work, so I jumped in today and started sorting and organizing the new students various forms that they fill out. It was my first "Missionary support" duty. Everyone there is either a Missionary, or a child of a missionary. I hope to go up a couple hours each day and help them however I can. I am hoping to also go to the Children's Hospital tomorrow and serve there as well.
After working at RVA, I walked up to the market here called the Super Duka (Duka means Market) It is actually very small and had a limited supplies, but I was able to find a few things that I needed. Across the street from the Super Duka is a curio's market where the locals come and sell their various goods. I bought some pineapple and papaya and bananas to go with the mangoes and coconut that I bought in Nairobi...the fruit here is wonderful, very much like Hawaii, maybe even better, because it's so much cheaper! I met a beautiful women named Miriam in the Market, who was a dwarf. She didn't stand any higher that my knee. She was selling scarves and I sat on the ground next to her and looked through her scarves and visited with her. I told her that her name was the same as Moses sister form the bible--she was the song leader. She smiled so big and I just wanted to hug her right there, but I didn't want to scare her!! Of course I bought a couple of beautiful scarves from her and I plan to go back to the market and see her again. She touched my heart and was so lovely. I am going with one of the missionary wives to Nairobi on Friday to the large market, where tribes form all over Kenya come to sell there goods. I'm hoping to get some Christmas shopping done, and am looking forward to experiencing more of the culture.
I could go on and on about the day, but don't want to bore anyone. I will post again soon,
Love to all,
Amy
Today I walked up the hill to the Private Christian Academy called Rift Valley Academy (RVA) it is where the missionary kids from all over Africa go to school. It is a private boarding school and very nice. The students just came in yesterday and started school today. It is a little crazy around there right now ans there is a ton of paper work, so I jumped in today and started sorting and organizing the new students various forms that they fill out. It was my first "Missionary support" duty. Everyone there is either a Missionary, or a child of a missionary. I hope to go up a couple hours each day and help them however I can. I am hoping to also go to the Children's Hospital tomorrow and serve there as well.
After working at RVA, I walked up to the market here called the Super Duka (Duka means Market) It is actually very small and had a limited supplies, but I was able to find a few things that I needed. Across the street from the Super Duka is a curio's market where the locals come and sell their various goods. I bought some pineapple and papaya and bananas to go with the mangoes and coconut that I bought in Nairobi...the fruit here is wonderful, very much like Hawaii, maybe even better, because it's so much cheaper! I met a beautiful women named Miriam in the Market, who was a dwarf. She didn't stand any higher that my knee. She was selling scarves and I sat on the ground next to her and looked through her scarves and visited with her. I told her that her name was the same as Moses sister form the bible--she was the song leader. She smiled so big and I just wanted to hug her right there, but I didn't want to scare her!! Of course I bought a couple of beautiful scarves from her and I plan to go back to the market and see her again. She touched my heart and was so lovely. I am going with one of the missionary wives to Nairobi on Friday to the large market, where tribes form all over Kenya come to sell there goods. I'm hoping to get some Christmas shopping done, and am looking forward to experiencing more of the culture.
I could go on and on about the day, but don't want to bore anyone. I will post again soon,
Love to all,
Amy
Monday, September 1, 2008
In Africa
I can't believe I'm in Africa. It has been a long, but good journey here. As Mitch said earlier we arrived in Kijabe this morning. Our guest quarters are very nice and comfortable. I'm already planning how to bring our kids next time we come.
Kenya is absolutley beautiful. The people are beautiful and so kind. As we were at the shops today, all the locals were so helpful and friendly. I was out of my element, but they all made me feel at home. I'm looking forward to meeting more of these amazing people.
We had dinner tonight with a Missionary family from Canada. Two medical students from England that also arrived here today joined us. It was so fun to watch our three cultures meld into one common place and really enjoy each other. We shared many stories of our home lands and it was a special time.
I will be making my contacts tomorrow and will start to figure out where God wants to use me over the next few weeks. There is an Academy here for the missionary children throughout Africa that attend school here and they start this week. There is a huge need to be a support there, so I hope to offer a few hours a day supporting the staff there. I will also be checking out the children's hospital and hope to serve there as well. I'm looking forward to getting busy and helping where I can.
We love getting your comments, so please keep in touch with us. We do feel far away, but are enjoying the warmth of everyone here.
God Bless,
Amy
Kenya is absolutley beautiful. The people are beautiful and so kind. As we were at the shops today, all the locals were so helpful and friendly. I was out of my element, but they all made me feel at home. I'm looking forward to meeting more of these amazing people.
We had dinner tonight with a Missionary family from Canada. Two medical students from England that also arrived here today joined us. It was so fun to watch our three cultures meld into one common place and really enjoy each other. We shared many stories of our home lands and it was a special time.
I will be making my contacts tomorrow and will start to figure out where God wants to use me over the next few weeks. There is an Academy here for the missionary children throughout Africa that attend school here and they start this week. There is a huge need to be a support there, so I hope to offer a few hours a day supporting the staff there. I will also be checking out the children's hospital and hope to serve there as well. I'm looking forward to getting busy and helping where I can.
We love getting your comments, so please keep in touch with us. We do feel far away, but are enjoying the warmth of everyone here.
God Bless,
Amy
Arrival in Kenya
We had a fascinating flight from Amsterdam to Kenya. It was almost all during the day. Initially we could see the snow tipped Alps out our window on the left side of the plane. We then made our way down the boot of Italy seeing coastal towns. It then opened up to the bright blue Mediterranean Sea. One of the most amazing images was the sharp white, uninhabited sands of the Sahara against the deep blue ocean of the Mediterranean as we crossed over and onto the African continent. Then as we flew over the Darfur region of Sudan I thought of all the stories and sorrow occurring to the people 37,000 feet below me. Next we crossed into the central part of Africa out of the dessert. The sun was setting and the land became darker with so few of the lights that one normally sees flying at night over the continental US. We then safely landed in Nairobi.
Our driver, Patrick, took us and another short term medical missionary to the Mennonite Guest house where we spent the evening in comfortable quarters. Both Amy and I woke up way to early (time change). We had a wonderful family style breakfast with several other people, mostly lifetime missionaries, that were staying at the guest house during their periodic trip to Nairobi for supplies. Our new driver, Jared, picked us up and took us to the local market where we bought two weeks worth of food. We then drove one hour to Kijabe, our home for the next two weeks. During the trip there were many new images: people walking everywhere, very primitive and crowded living quarters, shepherds with sheep, a pig, many donkeys (some pulling carts).
At Kijabe we were taken to our living quarters...a very spacious 3 bedroom apartment with more than enough room for Amy and I; it could easily accommodate a family a five. We have met a few neighbors, I ran to the Hospital to get this Internet connection going, and we are going to dinner at a full time missionary physician's home.
We trust that our kids are doing well...we talk about them often.
Mitch
Our driver, Patrick, took us and another short term medical missionary to the Mennonite Guest house where we spent the evening in comfortable quarters. Both Amy and I woke up way to early (time change). We had a wonderful family style breakfast with several other people, mostly lifetime missionaries, that were staying at the guest house during their periodic trip to Nairobi for supplies. Our new driver, Jared, picked us up and took us to the local market where we bought two weeks worth of food. We then drove one hour to Kijabe, our home for the next two weeks. During the trip there were many new images: people walking everywhere, very primitive and crowded living quarters, shepherds with sheep, a pig, many donkeys (some pulling carts).
At Kijabe we were taken to our living quarters...a very spacious 3 bedroom apartment with more than enough room for Amy and I; it could easily accommodate a family a five. We have met a few neighbors, I ran to the Hospital to get this Internet connection going, and we are going to dinner at a full time missionary physician's home.
We trust that our kids are doing well...we talk about them often.
Mitch
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Amsterdam
We are half way there!
After a 9 hour flight we have arrived in Amsterdam. It is 8:30 in the morning and we'll board our flight for Kenya in one hour. The trip has been easy so far. We miss our kids. We left them standing in the drive way with their Nanna and Pappa after tearful goodbyes. But we will try to focus on Kenya and for whatever God has for us there. We are thankful for your continued prayers...we can feel them following us here to Europe and know they will go on with us to Africa.
After a 9 hour flight we have arrived in Amsterdam. It is 8:30 in the morning and we'll board our flight for Kenya in one hour. The trip has been easy so far. We miss our kids. We left them standing in the drive way with their Nanna and Pappa after tearful goodbyes. But we will try to focus on Kenya and for whatever God has for us there. We are thankful for your continued prayers...we can feel them following us here to Europe and know they will go on with us to Africa.
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