Healing of the Nations

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

                                                                        Revelation 22: 2

Mission trips always come with surprises and new observations and his trip was no exception.   For me the reality of Islam and the challenges to the provision of healthcare was experienced in Kijabe.  Maybe the first clue were the prayers for the Sudan referendum, the next was the presence of the large number of Somalis and the last returning during the turmoil in the Middle East.

There are multiple interpretations and understandings of all these events.   For me, the most important was how the Somalis described Kijabe Hospital as a place where “God Lives”.   I believe that is an accurate description! 

Now back in the US, the issues for the future for missions and particularly healthcare now seem different.   For me, the geopolitical challenges hinge on places like Kijabe where the interaction between Islam and Christianity are taking place every day in the care provided by some wonderful and courageous healing agents...the “leaves on the trees”.

Here are some resources that you might want to read, join or follow:

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/newsroom/entry/wheaton-college-to-become-the-first-american-associate-university-of-the-to/

http://www.healingofthenations.com/

Thanks for being a part of this wonderful experience,

Marv

Last Day

What a full and fun last day at Kijabe!   I began at 8AM going to devotions with Mercy, the chaplain, at the Bethany Children’s Hospital.   Several nurses, the OT named Elizabeth (!), and some students were there and it was a great way to begin the morning.  She presented me with a computer briefcase with Bethany written on the side as a going away gift...very unexpected, but very thoughtful.   Then we went on rounds to the spina bifida wards; always an overwhelming experience.  It is my prayer that through Mercy each mother and her child know that God loves and cares for everyone of them and that they can cast their cares on Him.

After hospital rounds I walked up the Hill for my last visit with the fifth graders.  They have become very dear to me!  Seventeen little individuals to be sure!  At the end of the period I went to say goodbye and they each presented me with a handmade original thank you note.  To say that I was overwhelmed was to put it mildly!  I will treasure these notes and hope to show them to you soon.

After lunch I traveled for a last visit to Thread of Hope to check on the progress our ladies from the IDP camps are making with their sewing.  We were thrilled to see that they had finished 6 skirts and many surgical caps!  They are keeping track of who makes what so that they can be paid accordingly.   Ironically, Miriam made the most money this week!   It was also interesting to see that they are taking an interest in stitching straight, using appropriate color schemes, and finishing the hems by hand.  Their enthusiasm is contagious and we left feeling very happy!   By the way all 6 skirts sold, and we placed orders for several more.  Now the challenge is to come up with a business plan that includes new items.

When I returned home I was so happy to introduce my Kenyan friend Monica whose husband works with Marv to an American friend from Seattle.   Alfred has an opportunity to do an MPH at the U. of Washington and Monica has been a bit hesitant about coming to the US.   The really wonderful part is that the American friend goes to University Presbyterian Church in Seattle and will be able to connect them there as well.   Monica was beaming after a short time and I think that they have bonded!   God works in mysterious ways!

Now I am waiting for Dad to get home. They are working him to the last moment!  Our neighbors invited us for dinner which is great as I have given all of my food away!  We will go into Nairobi in the afternoon and then have a long wait at the airport for an 11:30 PM flight. Ugh.  It will be fun to see London if only briefly.  We are hoping that the airports in the US will be free of snow this week.  It will be hard to leave this temperate, beautiful climate as well as the flowers and of course the wonderful Kijabe wind at night.  But it is always wonderful to go home!

See you soon,

Love,

mom

Potluck



Now that our time is coming to a close I have been asking myself lots of questions.  I know that people will ask me, what did you do over there Miriam? (I have not been called Micki even by Marv for a month and I have grown too really like it!)  We all know that Marv made a medical contribution that is measurable, but what was your task and what did you accomplish? I did lots of activities.   I went on pediatric rounds with the chaplain, I listened to 5^th graders read aloud, I went to Thread of Hope, I delivered food to widows and orphans ,and I tried to interact with the many Kenyans I came in contact with.  Those were all good things and I will always remember them and pray for those causes.   But I believe that the most important reason that I was here was to establish relationships and to listen to people’s stories.  Many of these stories are too personal and confidential to share on a blog but I do believe that the Lord put me here during this month to be a friend to several people.    Being a friend often means just listening and I was blessed to be able to do that.   Being apart from everyday life offers the time, freedom, and objectivity to listen.  That is the blessing of mission trips!

I am not expert on mission trips, but I now know that each one is different and that you will be stretched in ways you do not expect.  It is good, especially as we grow older to be stretched in our faith and in our concepts of the world.  My faith has grown as I have again witnessed the simple faith of a people who are poor in the world’s eyes; but rich in   God’s eyes.  My faith has grown as I have witnessed Moms with sick kids come to Christ and cast their burdens upon Him. My faith has grown as I have gotten to know children living apart from their missionary parents. My faith has grown as I have seen Somali Moslems coming to Kijabe for medical treatment because “God is here”.   My faith has grown as I wonder at how the Holy Spirit is moving among the “closed countries of Africa” and among the thousands now living in refugee camps along the Kenya border.  My faith has grown as I have met first generation Christians from many places in the world   who are on fire for the Lord.

So this month has been a time of growth for me in many ways and for this I am very grateful.  I will pray for the people I have met and with the wonder of technology I will be able to maintain and grow these friendships. Thanks be to God.   Thanks for being a part of the journey. 

Love to all and God bless,

Mom

Tea Farm and other stories

Sorry to have missed a day or so blogging. I came down with a nasty cold and was out of commission for a day or so.  There are lots of germs floating around here especially at RVA. Currently there are 70 kids who are in the infirmary which means that they are running temperatures. Some have been sick for over a week with a respiratory virus.   Because it is a boarding school it is very hard to isolate people.  It must be difficult for these children to be away from their parents and to be ill. Likewise I would imagine that the parents are very concerned and sad about the separation. We all want our “Mom” when we are ill! Please keep this situation in your prayers.  On a joyful note, the student who was in the ICU with malaria woke up this morning after being in a coma for 4 days!  Everyone is very relieved and thankful!

On Monday I gathered a van load of ladies (short termers) for a field trip to a tea plantation which was about 40 minutes from here. We had such a “lovely” time!  Our host was the owner, Fiona, whose ancestors arrived here from England over 100 years ago.  So I guess you could say that she is Kenyan now.  She explained how tea is grown, harvested, dried, graded, and finally shipped out of Mombasa, Kenya’s large port on the Indian Ocean.  Her charming home was built by her grandfather in the 30’s and is surrounded by a beautiful English garden.  They have preserved an indigenous forest on the property and so we took a walk in it prior to having a delicious lunch from her garden in the dining room.   Afterwards we made a quick trip to Nairobi to pick up a few items and then were home around 6PM. It was a fun “chick” day!

This morning I went to my last hospital chapel and sat next to Mercy, the pediatric chaplain. She really lives up to her name and does such good work here. Mercy is probably 60 years old, but she exudes energy and love and is on the wards daily bringing the good news and joy into lives that are going through great challenges.   She is a saint.

Tonight we are having a potluck with the other residents of our “apartment” building.  We come from Canada, Switzerland, Cameroon, Michigan, North Carolina, Kenya and Utah!  Meeting notpeople was all over the world is another joy of this experience!   Talk about meeting people, Dad had a funny experience yesterday.  He came into the hall in maternity and was surrounded by a group of white young people, one wearing a Calvin College t-shirt! The story is that this group has spent interim studying in Kenya and was on their way to Nairobi to return to the states. They had planned to do some college recruiting at RVA but due to the illness they were not allowed to go there.  While some of them toured the hospital Dad went for chai with the others in the hospital restaurant.  He really enjoyed meeting them!

Well I must run up to RVA and read with the fifth graders.  I hope that I don’t give them my cold or they give me one of their bugs.

Love to all,

Mom

Finishing Strong?

Today is the beginning of our last week at Kijabe. The time has gone by very quickly and in many ways it is too bad that we are leaving as I, at least, have just begun to plug into life here.  Marv knew what his assignment was from the very beginning! Thankfully another OB has also arrived so that his workload has been lighter than it was the first week.

We had a fun weekend. On Saturday we hired a driver, John, who took us into Nairobi to do some of the “touristy” things that we have never been able to do. We went to Kazuri beads, the giraffe place, the elephant orphanage that was featured on 60 Minutes in the US, and Amani ya Juu as well as the Nairobi Zoo.   On the way home John took us shopping at his village which was also fun and a real taste of African living for Marv who hasn’t seen as much of the villages as I have.

On Sunday we followed our routine and went to both services, first the African Inland Church and then RVA.   Both sermons were from the book of Philippians.  After a good Sunday afternoon nap we were happy to have the Osoti family come for dinner.   Dr. Osoti is the Kenyan OB that Dad has been working with at Kijabe.  They are a cute family and of course Dad had to work on magic tricks with the boys once again.   I was nervous that they might not like American cooking but the boys devoured their dinner of turkey, corn, squash and rice!

Today I am going to a Tea Plantation with a group of ladies.   It should be a taste of British Colonial times here in Kenya which should be interesting.   It is really chilly here today and I have contracted a nasty cold so it will be good to have a leisurely day!

Till next time, we send our love,

Mom and Dad, Nana and Poppy, Micki and Marv

Kijabe - "A Place of the Wind"

 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”    John 3:8

If there is one thing that I will remember and miss about Kijabe, it would be the winds.  The winds are particularly strong at night and usually by morning the winds have calmed.   The question for me and the people of the community of healing here at Kijabe are what will happen to these relationships?  What I thought about before coming and what still is on my mind...Are there ways to continue to mentor/support the individuals working here at this mission?  Even more specifically, can the task of leadership development be done at a distance?  What are the strategies and techniques of making this happen?

What I have learned and seen is that there are young physicians who are competent, compassionate and in leadership/mentoring settings.  They have been “called” and “sent” and they have not been waiting for me!  If I have served any purpose in their lives it has been to “name” what I have seen and by that naming they see God’s plans fulfilled in their work and future.

What about the institutions/programs that are here?  Like the individuals this place and programs have been commissioned to bring “Glory to God”.  There are high expectations of where God is leading this place.   Its history is a witness of what dedicated leadership and discernment have accomplished.  They have not been waiting for me to come! 

So for me, the answer is to listen carefully to what Christians believe is the work of the Spirit of God.   In contrast to our usual ideas of setting priorities to make these kinds of decisions as to the next steps, it means that by being a part of our faith communities we will be able to clearly see the direction that God is leading us.   We have seen and heard examples of this kind of faith community support and direction in lives at this place.  It works and with sometimes unexpected, unplanned and wonderful results!   If we are a part of the body of Christ and the church he established, we will be lead by the Spirit.

So my prayer for all of us is that we will listen and look carefully for the places in our lives and communities where the wind blows. 

Marv aka Dad & Poppy

Elephant Orphans

Check out this web site.   We adopted an baby elephant named "Sities".  Love, Nana & Poppy

http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/