Foreign Bodies and Gifts

 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household  Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

At around 4 am my beeper went off and I was informed of a very unusual situation.  In fact, I asked the Kenyan voice on the other end to repeat the message.   I thought I had seen most of the known obstetric complications, but this was a new one!  I will not go into the details, but suffice it to say it was all about a “foreign body”!

We have been “welcomed” as foreigners.  We brought gifts, but the larger reality is that we have received many more gifts than we brought!  We have met some wonderful people and have been blessed by their friendship and love.   So just when you have thought you have “seen it all” you are surprised and that is a wonderful gift even as a “foreign body”!

In this time of Lent, I pray that we will be surprised by a new faith and strength in a world where separation and alienation are what we most often experience.  May we accept the invitation and be the “welcome” even if we are strangers.

Marv

Reference

 Zantvoord Y;  van der Weiden RM;  van Hooff MH. Transmural migration of retained surgical sponges: a systematic review. [Review] [69 refs]
Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey.  63(7):465-71, 2008 Jul.

Proverbs 3:27-28

“Do not  withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to help them, If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, Come back tomorrow, and then I will help you.”  I read these words in my morning devotions on one of the first days that I was here at Tenwek.  They have haunted me ever since.  These words have pushed me to respond to some of the many, many needs that surround us here every single day. Whether it is the mother at the door begging for food for the day, the father requesting school funds for his eldest daughter, the orphanage director seeking funds to run his facility, the nurse seeking to further her education, the new mom of twins requesting funds to pay her hospital bill so she can return home to her six other children; the list goes on and on.  But in reality there is only so much that we can do here in a short time.  However, there is much that can be done if we join forces as Christians from around the world to help those in desperate need.  The amazing thing about all of these requests was that they completely trusted that God would fulfill their needs. I wish that I could always say that my faith has been that strong.

Today I went into the country, down a bumpy road and up a very steep hill to attend a Women’s Bible Study with about 50 women and a few pastors, some of whom had walked an hour to get there.  It was held at the home of Willis and Marcella and their eight children, the eldest of whom has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheel chair.   Much of what was said was in Kipsigis however; the smiles, hugs, and greetings to me and to my church in the U.S. were easily understood.  In my feeble greetings to all of them I assured them that I would be praying for them as would the people in my church.  Willis and Marcella are the proud owners of a new cow which was purchased for them through the Tabitha Ministries.  This is the same group that helped the women of my circle at First Pres purchase a cow for another friend of mine, Richard. I want to tell the women that Richard is doing well, as are the twins that I nurtured three years ago.  He is a superb father according to all reports!  Not only that the cow is pregnant and due in a couple of months! 

And so another year at Tenwek has passed very quickly!   As expected it has been different from any other year.  It has been fulfilling but also troubling as the needs are greater than ever.  Oh, how blessed we are in the U.S. and we have done nothing to deserve these blessings except we were born there.  Please remember our sisters and brothers in the Lord who struggle to survive each day.  “If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, Come back tomorrow, and then I will help you.” God help us all to live by those words.  We can make a difference.

Love you all and see you soon,

Mom

Sunday in the Country

Yesterday we spent Sunday in the country at the shamba of one of Marv’s Kenyan colleagues, Elijah Terer.  It is about 40 minutes from Tenwek and he was kind enough to come and pick us up. The last 2 miles to his house are unbelievably rocky and rough.   How his tires hold up on this road day after day is unknown to us!  Kenyan tires are amazing!  He built his tiny house about a year ago and is very proud of it, his three cows, two goats, chickens, and his fields of cabbage and tomatoes.  When we asked him why he built so far from the hospital, he replied that this is his village and his people.  That seemed like a good reason to us as we noted how peaceful and quiet our surroundings were. 

Elijah’s wife and his five year old daughter joined us for church which was a short distance from their home.  Last year when I was here we worshipped in a tiny frame building and saw the new church rising next to it. This year the roof is on the new church and worship takes place in it.  The floors are still dirt and the windows are not in yet but it works just fine.  We enjoyed the lively music song in Kipsigis.  The new young pastor was remarkably good and preached on James 3: 1-12 and the tongue.  He was organized and fairly brief! (One hour)  He also alternated from English to Kipsigis for our benefit which was wonderful and I imagine very difficult to do.  Marv and I were both asked to speak which is common for visitors to do. 

The parents of one of the Nursery moms at Tenwek attend this church. It was fun to show them pictures of their new granddaughter and to reassure them that their daughter was doing well.  After that greeting we went to Elijah and Emily’s for some good Kenyan rice, stew and mashed peas, with pineapple and mango for dessert.  Of course it was accompanied by Fanta and Coke as we dare not drink the water.   Since Elijah had a Bible study to lead in the afternoon we did not stay too long and once again ventured onto the rough road.  Sadly we saw people with buckets looking for water.  This area has not had the rain that we had at Tenwek last week.  It is a very urgent problem for them.  We arrived safely back home just in time for a short but restful Sunday afternoon nap!

Mom

A Sweet Style

This was one of the many scenes as we walked to have lunch.  How fun to see the closeness of these families out for a Saturday morning stroll.

M&M

Educational Opportunities

School Class Visiting Tenwek Hospital

I am excited to report that I have found more educational opportunities related to the care of women and children.  There are “people on the ground” who share the vision of improved care through new educational responses.  There is excitement and anticipation of a new fiber optic connection.  There continues to be a wonderful group of young physicians who are committed to make a difference in their Kenyan communities.

I just finished reading the book “Foreign to Familiar” and was reminded that besides the differences in the prevalence of diseases, the educational tasks require a deeper understanding of the cultural differences.  We need to think carefully how the information is delivered, understood and implemented. They are the stakeholders effected by adding new diagnostic and therapeutic responses.

An example is the Bakri Balloon.  The fact that it has been used is only the beginning!  More people need to hear and understand the indications and limitations of its use.  Replacements need to be obtained within the context of limited resources.  There needs to be follow up of its use and effectiveness.

For those who would partner with Tenwek, we need to understand the limitations in our cultural and educational understanding.  Help us to continue to listen and learn about the new educational opportunities in this special place called Tenwek.

Marvin

Lunch at the Brevan Hotel

Hats!

Today was the day we passed out the hats in the nursery!  Lots of excitement as they picked out their favorite from the large assortment that the ladies of First Presbyterian knit.  I told them that ladies from my church in America were thinking of them as they knit.  They loved that and said ”thank you” over and over again.  It does not take much to make them very happy!  So ladies keep your nibble fingers going as you are appreciated in Kenya! 

Today we had a little hymn sing outside in the morning sun!  They were mopping the floor in nursery and so we had to wait to get in.  What better way to spend our time on a beautiful morning than to sing praises!  Many songs are universal and it always is amazing to me as we sing “Jesus Loves Me” or “Amen” in English and Swahili!  The Lord is much bigger than ever imagine.

People often ask me, what do you do over there?  Well the answer is many things that are not so exotic!  For the last three afternoons a friend and I have been sorting through clothing that has been donated for orphanages and needy people.  Right now we have bins stacked up in our living room waiting to go into storage.  So an answer to that question, I do what needs to be done!  We are actually going to have a garage sale here next week of clothing we cannot give away with the proceeds going to the needy people’s fund.

Our power has been really erratic the last couple of days.  We have spent many hours in candlelight!  However, today we have power and more importantly it rained!  It rained hard and long which is truly an answer to prayer.  Tonight we are eating in the guesthouse to celebrate the birthday of the German medical student who is here for three months.  Homemade pizza is on the menu!  We love meeting people from all over who come to serve here.

Till next time,

Hugs,

Mom