Hello all,
Where did we last leave off? It is hard to remember. Since we last wrote things have been in a little bit of a whirlwind. We planned to go Thursday a few weeks ago on vacation down to the coast for a week because it was going to be our last chance to go away as a family for a long time, plus, we needed it! Anyhow, with proposed rallies and such that week, we all felt it would be safer to leave on Tuesday, so in a whirlwind Sunday evening we changed reservations, flights, etc in a very short time and made everything happen.
The ride in for Sarah Monday morning to Nairobi was hard on the bumpy road, but we made it. Our time at the coast was good. We met some interesting people who we hope to stay in contact with in the future, namely another missionary couple here in Kenya and a family from Alaska.
We did see some sad things. The place we stayed at was at about 1/4 capacity, despite this being the high season, because people are afraid to come into the country. The coast, however, is so quiet and peaceful. Local boys on the beach say that their income is decreasing and costs of living are increasing. They showed us several hotels and resorts that are normally bustling that had no guests. The violence is affecting everyone in the country in some way or another.
We arrived back last Monday afternoon in Nairobi and began the shopping blitz. On the way into town from the airport we passed Uhuru Park where all of the proposed political protests and rallies are to take place. We were planning on this being our last trip into Nairobi before the baby is born. Then that Tuesday amongst all the things that we were doing we heard that Tenwek did not want us to come out on Thursday because of more proposed rallies. It was then determined that the best thing for us to do would be to fly out back towards Tenwek on Wednesday afternoon.
So, that is what we did. We hussled around Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning doing the last of our shopping. We had a 1 o’clock chartered flight with AIM (African Inland Mission) AIR. The plane was a small one-prop that couldn’t hold all of our groceries or supplies. We had to weigh every piece of luggage and box. We packed it so tight, with us aboard. It was only a 40 minute flight from Nairobi to the airstrip about 45 minutes away from Tenwek. The view was unbelievable. We flew over the Kibera slums that were so affected by violence, which was surreal to see. Maggie loved the flight. Plus, it gave a much needed reprieve from the brutal roads. When we arrived at the airstrip 2 cars were waiting for us to take us and our stuff back. After we flew in the pilot turned around and flew back with 2 other people to Tenwek, along with the rest of our stuff. We learned that both flights cleared the weight limit by 7 kilograms (about 15lbs). It was a miracle. We and all of our supplies arrived back safely. (I have lost enough weight since arriving here and if I hadn’t we may have had to leave something behind!)
The funny thing was that as we arrived back on Wednesday, we learned that the proposed rallies for the next day that people were fearful of had been cancelled. That is just how unpredictable things are. Things are still safe and quiet around Tenwek. Thursday I did a lot of administrative work and helped some around the house. Friday was my first full day back at work. The inpatient wards were the quietest they have been since I have been here, but the outpatient clinic is a little busier. We do have some visiting doctors and our new interns here, which is a tremendous blessing to help with the work load.
The weekend was quiet and a chance to relax. That Monday, however, we were greeted with some disturbing news. Some of the hospital employees of a particular tribe received threats the night before and had been moved to hiding. That morning the hospital decided to evacuate all the members of that tribe out of Tenwek, leaving us with 4 out of our 5 new interns and 3 of my 4 FP residents. Fortunately they were all evacuated safely.
That same day some other missionaries were returning to the compound coming through one of the towns where mobs and roadblocks appeared, causing 3 straight hours of navigating these hazards. Fortunately they arrived back to Tenwek safely.
Things were busy at the hospital with less staff, but were quiet and going well. We were consistently seeing arrow and gunshot wounds from outlying areas. Then Thursday violence broke out again as in the area nearby us a member of parliment was gunned down, prompting an outlash of retaliation in the local area with roadblocks and stores being closed. Some hospital staff were stranded in different areas, but fortunately all ended up returning safely.
All of these events made us realize that things were still very uncertain in our area. Although we felt very safe at Tenwek, Sarah and I began discussing whether or not we should stay. That evening there was a compound-wide meeting to discuss what we should do about visitors and the next day the missionaries for the country were going to meet to discuss safety issues and evacuation plans.
That evening Sarah said maybe we should call her parents to stop them incase they were ordering tickets. We wanted to wait until the meetings finished that weekend to decide what to do. When we called her mom (who we normally can get) we could not contact her. We then called her dad at his office, which we usually do not do. He said that their friend who would be traveling with them was ordering the tickets right then. If we had waited 5 more minutes we would have been too late!
Friday morning we asked to meet with one of the couples who would be representing Tenwek in the meetings that afternoon about safety and evacuation issues. When we discussed that we were trying to decide what to do, they told us that they felt we should leave. We agreed with this and began making preparations. I had a meeting with some of the hospital leaders a little while later who supported our decision. Everyone we talked with thought we were doing the right thing and said that they would likely leave as well if they were in our situation.
We broke the news to our househelpers who were very sad, but supportive of our decision. We then began the process of packing. We also began making arrangements for our return to the states. Within hours of letting people know this we received our tickets, had job offers, and Sarah an OB. The Lord was confirming this difficult decision.
Saturday began a long day of packing. Fortunately our house helpers came to help us, along with so many families and friends on the compound coming to help us in so many ways. By that afternoon I had to get out of the house, so some of us decided to join the expedition to the bat caves.
At the side of the Tenwek dam behind the hydroelectric plant there are some small bat caves. A large from the compound gathered to go down and explore. The group was spearheaded by our CEO, John Wright. It was so much fun. The kids who went were so excited and John built it up. He made sure as many of us as possible had headlamps. It was hilarious. The caves were only about 6 feet high and there were not that many bats, but one of the compound dogs flushed some more out.
After about 30 minutes of this he next took us into the hydroelectric plant for a short tour. It was very hot that afternoon, so some people decided to swim in the river. At first I was not going to, but decided why not. The water felt so good and it was lots of fun. I did not strip down like some of the local kids did.
After this excursion it was back to work. One of the things that was decided that afternoon was that we should sell as much of our food as possible to the other missionaries. As you know, only about a week or so earlier we had returned with enough food from Nairobi for about the next 3 months for not only us, but our family and guests as well. God had provided greatly for our colleagues. Some of them had not been to Nairobi since November and this was a great blessing. We moved all of these items to the basement of the house next door and set up a makeshift grocery story. This was a win-win for everyone involved.
Later that evening we had a birthday dinner for one of our friends. It was a great time to relax and reflect. We did some work later on that evening, but were very tired.
Sunday morning I woke up earlier. After church we returned and went back to work packing. Fortunately our friends were providing meals for us so we did not have to cook. We did some major packing that afternoon and began coordinating plans for our trip out. We decided to have a local driver load up our belongings on Monday morning and take them into Nairobi ahead of us. That meant we would have a lot of work to do. That evening we went to a going away that was held in our honor. It was nice to hear how the Lord had worked through us and that our decision to leave had been supported. They prayed over us and said if we were missionaries in Africa, why couldn’t we be missionaries back in the states as well? (Which we agreed with).
After the party we finished packing and weighting the boxes and had them ready for Monday morning. We finished around 1 AM. That morning, however, there was an event that was to take place an hour later- the Super Bowl. The White family had hooked up a satellite and were going to show the game live. I wanted to go, but was so exhausted I could not make it. A large crowd did attend.
A few hours later the sun was up and Donald, the local driver, came to pick up our belongings. Miraculously all the boxes and bags were able to fit into his car. The next to come was the most difficult. I went up to the hospital to meet with the interns, my last FP resident, and the outpatient staff. It was so hard to tell them that we were leaving, but they understood and were supportive. We told everyone that we did not know when or if we would return. However, if God made it as clear to return as He did for us to come out initially, it would be an easy decision.
That afternoon I met with the medical superintendent for a few hours to discuss issues and tie up loose ends. It was a good meeting. We also found out that we had a chartered flight scheduled for 4 o’clock the next afternoon, which would get us to Nairobi in plenty of time for our flight at around 11 PM. There was another station meeting that evening to discuss the results of the weekend meetings, but we did not attend so we could finish packing and rest.
Tuesday morning we woke and finished packing our last things and tying up loose ends. We finished everything at 1 o’clock right before lunch. I’m glad we did because as we sat down to eat, we received a call that our flight was coming early and we had to leave in 30 minutes! We ate quickly and gave out hugs and good byes before we were rushed off to the airstrip. The driver was allowed to borrow our friends’ car to give Sarah a smoother ride.
We were so happy that the last of our bags fit into the small Cessna nicely. The flight was safe, but I felt so sick once again. We got to Nairobi and were created by 2 of our driver friends from Samaritan’s Purse. One carried us and another carried our bags (20 in all). We arrived shortly thereafter at the international airport and we were the first one’s there for our flight. It took over an hour to weight and check our bags, but it was done with no problem and went very smoothly. We then went through immigration without any questions. We had the next couple of hours to eat and walk around before our flight. The airport was so quiet and empty it was almost creepy.
Once we boarded our flight it did not take long before we all fell asleep, and actually slept well. We freshened up in Amsterdam, but fortunately had a short, well timed lay-over. Maggie was much more active this flight, but still slept and was cooperative. When we arrived in Detroit I was dreading customs, but God was still in control. We went through immigration with no trouble. I quickly found an airport employee who got carts and helped to gather all of our bags, which all arrived safely. The customs officers heard our story and allowed us to pass through without checking a thing. The same guy who helped with our bags also helped to direct us to our next flight. What a blessing! We ate lunch and a few hours later we were in Richmond. All of our bags arrived.
Sarah’s mom and my parents were there to greet us. It was a nice reunion and Maggie was very happy. Miraculously we got all our belongings into the vehicles (and we quickly appreciated the smooth roads).
This began our transition to life in the states. I am contemplating job offers and we are praying about what to do next. We’ll likely stay with Sarah’s parents outside of Richmond for about a week, then head down to NC to go to Samaritan’s Purse to discuss things, then head down to Greenwood to settle back in. We know that this is not the end of our mission story and can’t wait to see where the Lord leads us next. How long we will be in Greenwood or in the states is still to be determined. Our minds are still jetlagged and in a whirlwind, but we know God is in control and we have so many family and friends that are willing to help us. We know that God will direct us and bless us during this time of transition. We’ll keep you all posted on where we will go next on this great adventure the Lord is leading us down.
Please continue to pray for us, our fellow missionaries, and for peace in Kenya.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Vacation Adventures
Hello all,
Where did we last leave off? It is hard to remember. Since we last wrote things have been in a little bit of a whirlwind. We planned to go last Thursday on vacation down to the coast for a week because it was going to be our last chance to go away as a family for a long time, plus, we needed it! Anyhow, with proposed rallies and such last week, we all felt it would be safer to leave on Tuesday, so in a whirlwind Sunday evening we changed reservations, flights, etc in a very short time and made everything happen.
The ride in for Sarah Monday morning to Nairobi was hard on the bumpy road, but we made it. Our time at the coast was good. We met some interesting people who we hope to stay in contact with in the future, namely another missionary couple here in Kenya and a family from Alaska.
We did see some sad things. The place we stayed was at about 1/4 capacity, despite this being the high season, because people are afraid to come into the country. The coast, however, is so quiet and peaceful. Local boys on the beach say that their income is decreasing and costs of living are increasing. They showed us several hotels and resorts that are normally bustling that had no guests. The violence here is affecting everyone in the country in some way or another.
We arrived back on Monday afternoon in Nairobi and began the shopping blitz. On the way into town from the airport we passed Uhuru Park where all of the proposed political protests and rallies are to take place. We were planning on this being our last trip into Nairobi before the baby is born. Then on Tuesday amongst all the things that we were doing we heard that Tenwek did not want us to come out on Thursday because of more proposed rallies. It was then determined that the best thing for us to do would be to fly out of here back towards Tenwek on Wednesday afternoon.
So, that is what we did. We hussled around Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning doing the last of our shopping. We had a 1 o’clock chartered flight with AIM (African Inland Mission) AIR. The plane was a small one-prop that couldn’t hold all of our groceries or supplies. We had to weigh every piece of luggage and box. We packed it so tight, with us aboard. It was only a 40 minute flight from Nairobi to the airstrip about 45 minutes away from Tenwek. The view was unbelievable. We flew over the Kibera slums that were so affected by violence, which was surreal to see. Maggie loved the flight. Plus, it gave a much needed reprieve from the brutal roads. When we arrived at the airstrip 2 cars were waiting for us to take us back and our stuff. After we flew in the pilot turned around and flew back 2 other people to Tenwek, along with the rest of our stuff. We learned that both flights cleared the weight limit by 7 kilograms (about 15lbs). It was a miracle. We and all of our supplies arrived back safely. (I have lost enough weight since arriving here, if I hadn’t we may have had to leave something behind!)
The funny thing was that as we arrived back on Wednesday, we learned that the proposed rallies for the next day that people were fearful of had been cancelled. That is just how unpredictable things things are. Things are still safe and quiet around Tenwek. Thursday I did a lot of administrative work and helped some around the house. Today was my first full day back at work. The inpatient wards were the quietest they have been since I have been here, but the outpatient clinic is a little busier. We do have some visiting doctors and our new interns here, which is a tremendous blessing to help with the work load.
Continue to pray for peace in this land.
Where did we last leave off? It is hard to remember. Since we last wrote things have been in a little bit of a whirlwind. We planned to go last Thursday on vacation down to the coast for a week because it was going to be our last chance to go away as a family for a long time, plus, we needed it! Anyhow, with proposed rallies and such last week, we all felt it would be safer to leave on Tuesday, so in a whirlwind Sunday evening we changed reservations, flights, etc in a very short time and made everything happen.
The ride in for Sarah Monday morning to Nairobi was hard on the bumpy road, but we made it. Our time at the coast was good. We met some interesting people who we hope to stay in contact with in the future, namely another missionary couple here in Kenya and a family from Alaska.
We did see some sad things. The place we stayed was at about 1/4 capacity, despite this being the high season, because people are afraid to come into the country. The coast, however, is so quiet and peaceful. Local boys on the beach say that their income is decreasing and costs of living are increasing. They showed us several hotels and resorts that are normally bustling that had no guests. The violence here is affecting everyone in the country in some way or another.
We arrived back on Monday afternoon in Nairobi and began the shopping blitz. On the way into town from the airport we passed Uhuru Park where all of the proposed political protests and rallies are to take place. We were planning on this being our last trip into Nairobi before the baby is born. Then on Tuesday amongst all the things that we were doing we heard that Tenwek did not want us to come out on Thursday because of more proposed rallies. It was then determined that the best thing for us to do would be to fly out of here back towards Tenwek on Wednesday afternoon.
So, that is what we did. We hussled around Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning doing the last of our shopping. We had a 1 o’clock chartered flight with AIM (African Inland Mission) AIR. The plane was a small one-prop that couldn’t hold all of our groceries or supplies. We had to weigh every piece of luggage and box. We packed it so tight, with us aboard. It was only a 40 minute flight from Nairobi to the airstrip about 45 minutes away from Tenwek. The view was unbelievable. We flew over the Kibera slums that were so affected by violence, which was surreal to see. Maggie loved the flight. Plus, it gave a much needed reprieve from the brutal roads. When we arrived at the airstrip 2 cars were waiting for us to take us back and our stuff. After we flew in the pilot turned around and flew back 2 other people to Tenwek, along with the rest of our stuff. We learned that both flights cleared the weight limit by 7 kilograms (about 15lbs). It was a miracle. We and all of our supplies arrived back safely. (I have lost enough weight since arriving here, if I hadn’t we may have had to leave something behind!)
The funny thing was that as we arrived back on Wednesday, we learned that the proposed rallies for the next day that people were fearful of had been cancelled. That is just how unpredictable things things are. Things are still safe and quiet around Tenwek. Thursday I did a lot of administrative work and helped some around the house. Today was my first full day back at work. The inpatient wards were the quietest they have been since I have been here, but the outpatient clinic is a little busier. We do have some visiting doctors and our new interns here, which is a tremendous blessing to help with the work load.
Continue to pray for peace in this land.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Refugee Relief
Hey friends,
Today was one of the hottest days we’ve had here yet. Church was full, which it hasn’t been for several weeks for several reasons.
As things started to get back “to normal” this past week, we were all made aware of a new, and probably long-term, problem- displaced people, or refugees. There are an estimated 250,000 across Kenya currently. Many are around police stations. We were told that there were some in Bomet, but most had left. We sent one of our clinical officers out Wednesday morning to investigate this as we heard some of the people there were sick. When she returned with her info, we learned that most people had already been sent to other areas, but there was still a lady there with a 1 week old baby and 2 year old child. She was sick and they brought her into the clinic. I called Sarah and told her about the lady. Sarah quickly called around and helped to gather her some food and clothes. When she took them up to her, the lady was so happy she began crying.
While Sarah was doing this we had a large hospital task force meeting to determine how we can help the refugees. Apparently the Red Cross wanted us to help primarily with medical needs. We met for about 2 1/2 hours and decided we’d go to a camp with 700 refugees in the town of Mulot, which is about 1/2 hour away. We created a team of about 50 people that with community health’s leadership, would have a medical clinic, chaplains, educators, and give out much needed supplies.
That afternoon another doctor and myself began going through medicines and supplies to take out and Sarah called to organize people for a pill packing party. We’d decided at the meet to go out on Friday, less than 48 hours, so we had to get busy.
The next morning John Spriegel (who also has a public health background) went out with a few people on a fact-finding mission to Mulot. They discovered that most people were doing well physically and there were about 500, not 700. There was also a Catholic clinic and church near by that had about 100 refugees. When John returned we all met again that afternoon and it was decided to carry a much smaller team that provided mainly supplies. There were still several supplies to organize that night, so we had another, and much larger, pill-packing party.
Friday was the big day. I was so happy to be asked to go out with this team. It ended up being about 20 of us going out. We picked up blankets, soap, and a few other supplies in Bomet on the way. On the way there was a burnt car, a burnt kiosk, and rocks and barricade items along the road as signs of the violence from the days before. Otherwise things were like normal.
We finally arrived at the refugee camp. It was at the police station in the equivalent of a large empty pasture. We met the police officers who cleaned out someone’s living quarters for us to set up our small clinic. Once things were organized we went and addressed the groups, telling them what we were doing and why we were there. There seemed to only be about 300 people, but learned there were so many babies which made the number about 500. They were divided into 4 groups based on tribe, yet only set feet apart and got along well with each other. Each group had a leader. Apparently they had no physical belongings as most of them fled for there lives leaving their homes to burn days before.
We gave out the supplies by family and saw those who had medical needs. After this another guy and I took out a football and played with the kids for awhile while the adults were receiving instruction on future plans. The people overall seemed happy and content and were very grateful for our visit.
While most of the activities were going on, John and some of the team went and visited the Catholic clinic. He also went out and did some fact-finding at the other refugee sites. When the rest of us were getting ready to head out, we were given a snack of soda, chipati and sausage. It took a long time to get back because we were on a bus the eye team uses and people wanted to be dropped off all over Bomet to do errands. The town was so busy. I was fascinated by a random cow in the middle of town. How did he get there? We did arrive back in time for me to be on call that night. We then ate supper with some friends and rested.
Saturday was a big day, Sarah’s birthday! We did some things around the house as a family, including letting Maggie swim in her new swimming pool. We also planted and watered the plants around the house. Maggie then took a nap and Sarah and I sat outside, mainly to make sure no one or no thing accidently got into the pool. Later that afternoon Sarah had a tea in her honor with some of the ladies on the compound. When Maggie woke up she swam again and then we went and picked some more zucchinis from our garden. (It is looking much better thanks to the assistance of our helpers). That evening we had dinner again with some friends and rested.
Things continue to be calm overall around here, but there are still occasional isolated attacks. We remain safe and a group of our fellow missionaries went into Nairobi this weekend and we anxiously await their report.
Today was one of the hottest days we’ve had here yet. Church was full, which it hasn’t been for several weeks for several reasons.
As things started to get back “to normal” this past week, we were all made aware of a new, and probably long-term, problem- displaced people, or refugees. There are an estimated 250,000 across Kenya currently. Many are around police stations. We were told that there were some in Bomet, but most had left. We sent one of our clinical officers out Wednesday morning to investigate this as we heard some of the people there were sick. When she returned with her info, we learned that most people had already been sent to other areas, but there was still a lady there with a 1 week old baby and 2 year old child. She was sick and they brought her into the clinic. I called Sarah and told her about the lady. Sarah quickly called around and helped to gather her some food and clothes. When she took them up to her, the lady was so happy she began crying.
While Sarah was doing this we had a large hospital task force meeting to determine how we can help the refugees. Apparently the Red Cross wanted us to help primarily with medical needs. We met for about 2 1/2 hours and decided we’d go to a camp with 700 refugees in the town of Mulot, which is about 1/2 hour away. We created a team of about 50 people that with community health’s leadership, would have a medical clinic, chaplains, educators, and give out much needed supplies.
That afternoon another doctor and myself began going through medicines and supplies to take out and Sarah called to organize people for a pill packing party. We’d decided at the meet to go out on Friday, less than 48 hours, so we had to get busy.
The next morning John Spriegel (who also has a public health background) went out with a few people on a fact-finding mission to Mulot. They discovered that most people were doing well physically and there were about 500, not 700. There was also a Catholic clinic and church near by that had about 100 refugees. When John returned we all met again that afternoon and it was decided to carry a much smaller team that provided mainly supplies. There were still several supplies to organize that night, so we had another, and much larger, pill-packing party.
Friday was the big day. I was so happy to be asked to go out with this team. It ended up being about 20 of us going out. We picked up blankets, soap, and a few other supplies in Bomet on the way. On the way there was a burnt car, a burnt kiosk, and rocks and barricade items along the road as signs of the violence from the days before. Otherwise things were like normal.
We finally arrived at the refugee camp. It was at the police station in the equivalent of a large empty pasture. We met the police officers who cleaned out someone’s living quarters for us to set up our small clinic. Once things were organized we went and addressed the groups, telling them what we were doing and why we were there. There seemed to only be about 300 people, but learned there were so many babies which made the number about 500. They were divided into 4 groups based on tribe, yet only set feet apart and got along well with each other. Each group had a leader. Apparently they had no physical belongings as most of them fled for there lives leaving their homes to burn days before.
We gave out the supplies by family and saw those who had medical needs. After this another guy and I took out a football and played with the kids for awhile while the adults were receiving instruction on future plans. The people overall seemed happy and content and were very grateful for our visit.
While most of the activities were going on, John and some of the team went and visited the Catholic clinic. He also went out and did some fact-finding at the other refugee sites. When the rest of us were getting ready to head out, we were given a snack of soda, chipati and sausage. It took a long time to get back because we were on a bus the eye team uses and people wanted to be dropped off all over Bomet to do errands. The town was so busy. I was fascinated by a random cow in the middle of town. How did he get there? We did arrive back in time for me to be on call that night. We then ate supper with some friends and rested.
Saturday was a big day, Sarah’s birthday! We did some things around the house as a family, including letting Maggie swim in her new swimming pool. We also planted and watered the plants around the house. Maggie then took a nap and Sarah and I sat outside, mainly to make sure no one or no thing accidently got into the pool. Later that afternoon Sarah had a tea in her honor with some of the ladies on the compound. When Maggie woke up she swam again and then we went and picked some more zucchinis from our garden. (It is looking much better thanks to the assistance of our helpers). That evening we had dinner again with some friends and rested.
Things continue to be calm overall around here, but there are still occasional isolated attacks. We remain safe and a group of our fellow missionaries went into Nairobi this weekend and we anxiously await their report.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A sense of calm
We’ll friends, it seems as if a sense of calm is beginning to return to the land. Yesterday patients began returning to clinic as apparently the roads are beginning to open up. Some rock barricades are present, but unmanned. However, some are not traveling still for several reasons. One is because of tribal affiliations. Another is because the costs of travel is so high (about 3x normal) right now that many do not want to take transport in.
One of the missionaries went into Bomet yesterday and said the grocery store we usually shop at was open as usual and he felt very safe. My FP residents are requesting to begin the normal lecture schedule again so that they may resume a sense of normalcy.
I held my first regular Tuesday morning session with the residents today. It was the first we have had in weeks. We are also beginning our normal morning routine in the hospital this week. I was even able to go to administration today and take care of some business as everyone is back in the office.
There still remains some apprehension in the air. The large proposed nation wide rallies across the nation were cancelled today. Instead there are to be some peace negotiations today, with the 2 candidates having a face to face meeting scheduled for this Friday. Things seem calmer everyday, but only time will tell.
There are people station in different areas of the country now who have been displaced from their homes. In Nakuru, a town north of here, there are reported 100,000 refugees alone. We will let you know soon how you may help aid these people in the near future if you are interested.
Continue to pray for us as we are awaiting the status of our work permit. We are praying that we will know if it will come in soon so that we may make appropriate plans. So many are praying for us and Sarah commented on how everyday over the past week or so her devotional has pointed to scripture that reassures us of God’s provision and that he will provide us with an answer and direction as He always has in the past.
On other notes, Sarah and I have started going out and throwing the frisbee some. The locals have not wanted to play and have been doing their share of staring. We’ll have to join them in soon. Maggie is showing some signs of wanting to start potty training, but we will see. Today she went “swimming” in a tub in the backyard.
This morning I woke up late and did not have a chance to fix breakfast, which I need. As I walked up to the classroom at the hospital I smelled something. Chai and mandazis were sitting outside the main door. They were delivered for the surgery meeting which had been cancelled today. God had provided once again!
One of the missionaries went into Bomet yesterday and said the grocery store we usually shop at was open as usual and he felt very safe. My FP residents are requesting to begin the normal lecture schedule again so that they may resume a sense of normalcy.
I held my first regular Tuesday morning session with the residents today. It was the first we have had in weeks. We are also beginning our normal morning routine in the hospital this week. I was even able to go to administration today and take care of some business as everyone is back in the office.
There still remains some apprehension in the air. The large proposed nation wide rallies across the nation were cancelled today. Instead there are to be some peace negotiations today, with the 2 candidates having a face to face meeting scheduled for this Friday. Things seem calmer everyday, but only time will tell.
There are people station in different areas of the country now who have been displaced from their homes. In Nakuru, a town north of here, there are reported 100,000 refugees alone. We will let you know soon how you may help aid these people in the near future if you are interested.
Continue to pray for us as we are awaiting the status of our work permit. We are praying that we will know if it will come in soon so that we may make appropriate plans. So many are praying for us and Sarah commented on how everyday over the past week or so her devotional has pointed to scripture that reassures us of God’s provision and that he will provide us with an answer and direction as He always has in the past.
On other notes, Sarah and I have started going out and throwing the frisbee some. The locals have not wanted to play and have been doing their share of staring. We’ll have to join them in soon. Maggie is showing some signs of wanting to start potty training, but we will see. Today she went “swimming” in a tub in the backyard.
This morning I woke up late and did not have a chance to fix breakfast, which I need. As I walked up to the classroom at the hospital I smelled something. Chai and mandazis were sitting outside the main door. They were delivered for the surgery meeting which had been cancelled today. God had provided once again!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Chaos in Kenya
Well, I haven’t said much about what has been going on with the election, and for good reason, mainly to keep people back home from unnecessarily worrying.
National elections are held here every 5 years. They are usually very peaceful. However politics are a very big, passionate subject here. People do not only get excited along party lines, but tribal lines as well. Tribal affiliations are very strong. To make things more confusing, there are 43 different tribes (I think that is right), that are in Kenya alone.
The election date was not announced until some time in October and it was held on Dec. 27th, which was a holiday. Up in the time surrounding the election there was rioting and violence amongst tribes trying to displace people and keep them from voting. None of it was aimed at Westerners. This, though, is the reason we did not go the Christmas conference we had written about earlier because there had been violence in on the towns near where the retreat was. Fortunately everything was okay there at the time of the retreat itself.
The election itself was peaceful, but as the votes came in the violence did as well as it was very close and the outcome was controversial. It lead to an eruption of violence through the country. I won’t say any more about the election itself- you can read about this on any of the news websites.
The violence has been terrible. It has been mainly in the larger cities, but there have been shooting, looting and burning in Bomet and Silibwet- the 2 towns near us. Things are very safe at Tenwek and security has been ramped up. Members of other tribes that work here intially went into hiding to protect themselves and their families. Some of our interns and nurses are away and cannot travel in because of violence and blockades people are setting up along the roads. Some of these are beginning to be opend up now. Some visiting staff have been told to delay their entry. Ones that did fly in are hanging out in Nairobi until it is deemed safe to ride or fly in here. One family had to delay their departure several days, but where finally able to fly out.
All of these events kept peoples New Year celebrations somber as curfews were in place in the big cities. There were also media bans on news in country for now as well. Gasoline is running out and no one wants to bring it in. The local dukas are running out of suppies as well. We had a get-together on the compound on new years eve, but the mood was different. Now some of the gas trucks are starting to get in and some businesses are beginning to open up.
It also affects the patients as well. The outpatient department has been eerily quiet as no one wants to come in. The inpatients cannot go out to get CT scans or if they are discharged they do not want to leave the hospital or cannot until family is able to arrive. We have had several patients walk in. One mom came in with her child after walking 50km and when the family arrived, the child collapsed and died. Last night I did not have any babies admitted to the NICU. I asked the OB team about the quiet night and they said there were many deliveries the night before. Unfortunatley, all the babies were and because ladies had obstructed labor and were not able to get in.
Fortunately, as things begin to quiet down, roads open up, and things attempt to begin to return to normal, we continue to Praise God for the safety we have had and pray that peace will be restored to this land.
It was reassuring to have a patient today say that he could not sleep. He said that he was not a Christian, but did want to be one. We shared with him that Christ could give him the peace that he needs. This was true reminder for all of us.
National elections are held here every 5 years. They are usually very peaceful. However politics are a very big, passionate subject here. People do not only get excited along party lines, but tribal lines as well. Tribal affiliations are very strong. To make things more confusing, there are 43 different tribes (I think that is right), that are in Kenya alone.
The election date was not announced until some time in October and it was held on Dec. 27th, which was a holiday. Up in the time surrounding the election there was rioting and violence amongst tribes trying to displace people and keep them from voting. None of it was aimed at Westerners. This, though, is the reason we did not go the Christmas conference we had written about earlier because there had been violence in on the towns near where the retreat was. Fortunately everything was okay there at the time of the retreat itself.
The election itself was peaceful, but as the votes came in the violence did as well as it was very close and the outcome was controversial. It lead to an eruption of violence through the country. I won’t say any more about the election itself- you can read about this on any of the news websites.
The violence has been terrible. It has been mainly in the larger cities, but there have been shooting, looting and burning in Bomet and Silibwet- the 2 towns near us. Things are very safe at Tenwek and security has been ramped up. Members of other tribes that work here intially went into hiding to protect themselves and their families. Some of our interns and nurses are away and cannot travel in because of violence and blockades people are setting up along the roads. Some of these are beginning to be opend up now. Some visiting staff have been told to delay their entry. Ones that did fly in are hanging out in Nairobi until it is deemed safe to ride or fly in here. One family had to delay their departure several days, but where finally able to fly out.
All of these events kept peoples New Year celebrations somber as curfews were in place in the big cities. There were also media bans on news in country for now as well. Gasoline is running out and no one wants to bring it in. The local dukas are running out of suppies as well. We had a get-together on the compound on new years eve, but the mood was different. Now some of the gas trucks are starting to get in and some businesses are beginning to open up.
It also affects the patients as well. The outpatient department has been eerily quiet as no one wants to come in. The inpatients cannot go out to get CT scans or if they are discharged they do not want to leave the hospital or cannot until family is able to arrive. We have had several patients walk in. One mom came in with her child after walking 50km and when the family arrived, the child collapsed and died. Last night I did not have any babies admitted to the NICU. I asked the OB team about the quiet night and they said there were many deliveries the night before. Unfortunatley, all the babies were and because ladies had obstructed labor and were not able to get in.
Fortunately, as things begin to quiet down, roads open up, and things attempt to begin to return to normal, we continue to Praise God for the safety we have had and pray that peace will be restored to this land.
It was reassuring to have a patient today say that he could not sleep. He said that he was not a Christian, but did want to be one. We shared with him that Christ could give him the peace that he needs. This was true reminder for all of us.
Christmas in Kenya
Christmas Blog
We thought you’d all be interested in how Christmas was for us over here in Africa, so we’ll tell you all about it.
First of all, let us tell you what Christmas is like here for the Kenyans. From most that I talked to Christmas is a holiday, but not to the scale that it is for Westerners. It is not nearly as commercial. A small, practical gift from someone is very appreciated and there is very little, if any, decorations around here. This is much more Westernized in Nairobi. Most of the Kenyans spend time with family, having big meals and going to church on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day. Kenyans also celebrate another holiday, Boxing Day, on the 26th. Here that is the day when people open all the presents they have received.
The 24th is not a holiday, but the 25th and 26th are. This year the 27th was declared election day, so that was a holiday and then it was announced the 28th would be as well to give people a chance to rest and get back home after voting.
So this is how our Christmas went. The 24th was a very busy day. That AM I returned the drinks from the prison ministry to the dukas. We spent the day around the house fixing cookies and treats to give out to our neighbors as gifts. We also had dinner with Lisette and the Ganeys and afterwards had a Christmas eve service at the church. We took our time walking back with our friends and looking at the Christmas lights with our special holographic glasses we had received. We then came back and relaxed and watched “The Nativity Story” while drinking hot chocolate.
I worked on Christmas day itself. Fortunately things were fairly slow. A group of us had lunch at the Robert’s and then I finished up at the hospital. That afternoon we called and talked to our families and to some of our friends on Skype. It was fun.
I was off on the 26th. We spent the morning preparing for lunch with our house helpers and their families. They each gave Sarah a menu what things they’d like. We had 10 guests- our helpers, their husbands, children, and a few cousins. Because of house size constraints, we sat up and ate outside. We had a big meal. The menu was beans, rice, chipatis, sweet potato casserole, turkey, dressing, and gravy, along with dessert. After the meal Maggie and kids (all girls) blew bubbles and played with side walk chalk. The adults went in and watched Charlie Brown Christmas. I stayed outside and watched the girls eat popcorn while this was going on. We then went outside for desert, followed by us giving gifts, a prayer and then we released our guests (you have to tell your guests they are released before they will leave).
After all this Maggie took a nap and we cleaned up. Then we set out Maggie’s Christmas stuff. She was overwhelmed and appreciative of what she received. We then ate leftovers and rested.
On the 27th, well, all I could say is that for us it was a day of much needed rest. We did nothing but relax, which was nice.
We thought you’d all be interested in how Christmas was for us over here in Africa, so we’ll tell you all about it.
First of all, let us tell you what Christmas is like here for the Kenyans. From most that I talked to Christmas is a holiday, but not to the scale that it is for Westerners. It is not nearly as commercial. A small, practical gift from someone is very appreciated and there is very little, if any, decorations around here. This is much more Westernized in Nairobi. Most of the Kenyans spend time with family, having big meals and going to church on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day. Kenyans also celebrate another holiday, Boxing Day, on the 26th. Here that is the day when people open all the presents they have received.
The 24th is not a holiday, but the 25th and 26th are. This year the 27th was declared election day, so that was a holiday and then it was announced the 28th would be as well to give people a chance to rest and get back home after voting.
So this is how our Christmas went. The 24th was a very busy day. That AM I returned the drinks from the prison ministry to the dukas. We spent the day around the house fixing cookies and treats to give out to our neighbors as gifts. We also had dinner with Lisette and the Ganeys and afterwards had a Christmas eve service at the church. We took our time walking back with our friends and looking at the Christmas lights with our special holographic glasses we had received. We then came back and relaxed and watched “The Nativity Story” while drinking hot chocolate.
I worked on Christmas day itself. Fortunately things were fairly slow. A group of us had lunch at the Robert’s and then I finished up at the hospital. That afternoon we called and talked to our families and to some of our friends on Skype. It was fun.
I was off on the 26th. We spent the morning preparing for lunch with our house helpers and their families. They each gave Sarah a menu what things they’d like. We had 10 guests- our helpers, their husbands, children, and a few cousins. Because of house size constraints, we sat up and ate outside. We had a big meal. The menu was beans, rice, chipatis, sweet potato casserole, turkey, dressing, and gravy, along with dessert. After the meal Maggie and kids (all girls) blew bubbles and played with side walk chalk. The adults went in and watched Charlie Brown Christmas. I stayed outside and watched the girls eat popcorn while this was going on. We then went outside for desert, followed by us giving gifts, a prayer and then we released our guests (you have to tell your guests they are released before they will leave).
After all this Maggie took a nap and we cleaned up. Then we set out Maggie’s Christmas stuff. She was overwhelmed and appreciative of what she received. We then ate leftovers and rested.
On the 27th, well, all I could say is that for us it was a day of much needed rest. We did nothing but relax, which was nice.
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