To Kenya and back...

ARRIVAL... My dad and I flew out from Boston wednesday evening and met up with the rest of the team in Amsterdam. We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday night, and everything seemed to proceed smoothly and uneventfully. Friday morning, our team of 14 headed off for Siaya in 2 vans with the promise of many bumpy roads... (check out the map below - the green arrow marks Siaya http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=siaya&ll=-0.906334,35.59021&spn=3.498167,4.421997&z=8&om=1).

Check out those potholes!

We traveled long distances by van everyday.

LOST AND FOUND... because one of the roads was under construction, our driver led us through an alternative route via dirt roads. Although the path was bumpier (literally I had to brace myself against the armrest most of the way), we also saw WILD zebras, monkeys, warthogs, and many other animals. The point to point distance between the 2 cities is only about 200 miles, but the entire trip took us about 11 hours to complete. By the time we arrived at the Mwalimu Guest House in Siaya, it was already 10:30pm. At that time, we found out that our luggage and medical supplies, which we had sent ahead of us in a large white truck, had not arrived yet - and due to mechanical problems, it would not arrive until the morning... hopefully. The news went from bad to worse when we heard that our third van, which held some luggage as well, had been held at gunpoint by thieves - and the status of both the drivers and our belonging was unknown.

Our room at Mwalimu Guest House

That night we all went to bed with some degree of uncertainty. We had prayed and asked God to return all of our belongings unharmed, but at least for me I was less concerned about the things and more concerned about our safety. We had seen guards and police checkpoints along the way, but we thought they were more for show than anything else. And just a few hours prior to this news, we had all gotten out of the van in the dark to take a picture with the "You are at the Equator!" sign. Yes, that was an ignorant, American-touristy thing to do, especially as we had not heeded the worried voice of our driver at that stop.

The next morning, we got up, and after our group devotions and breakfast, we received news that the white truck was already in town (at a different Guest House), but the other van was still at large. About 2 hours later, the white truck pulled up, and we had our supplies and medications - hooray! Even more amazing was somehow, 3 of the 5 suitcases we thought were on the 3rd van had somehow found their way to the white truck. Even now we are not exactly sure how that happened, but we knew that God had heard our prayers and was watching over us closely...

Prepacking the medications :)

We immersed ourselves into sorting and prepackaging the medications into dose-packs. About 20 pastors and translators came to help us. We all enjoyed chatting with and getting to know each other as we worked together, and the day flew by. Late in the day, Steve, the third van driver, arrived. Thankfully, he was unharmed. The thieves had planted a nail in the road, which had punctured his tires and created a flat. While he was changing the flat, they approached the van with guns and told Steve to lay down in the bushes. Then they rummaged the van for about 2 hours. Turns out, the thieves were much more interested in the Kenyan drivers’ stuff – which they recognized and could used – and they left pretty much all of the team’s stuff – other than an empty suitcase and some food – alone, including expensive medical equipment. They took all of the drivers’ money and even his shoes, however. L Thankfully, they did not harm them. Praise God. This was the beginning of a series of “lost and found” events during our trip – which I think was a theme God was reminding us of to assure us that He is GOD and that He is watching over us. J

An armed soldier guarded the gate of our Guest House. It wasn’t safe to go out alone, so we were confined within the gates of the property. L Although I was quite grateful for the guards after what happened, I still wish I could have rambled around more independently…

JOY IN WORSHIP... we split up into groups of 2 or 3 and went off to various churches to share and preach on sunday. I was in a group with my dad and Shandria, a wedding planner & Sunday School teacher from NC, and we visited Uhanya Baptist Church, which was dedicated by the team that came 2 years ago. Although we didn't coordinate ahead of time, my dad talked about the gift of salvation/adoption (Eph 1), I talked about justification by faith (adapted from Paige Brown's class :) from Romans 8, and Shandria talked about faith (Heb 11). The pastor of the church, Pastor George, spoke prophesy over all of us - that my dad would go preach the Gospel in China, that God would bless me in my profession as a doctor, and that Shandria would be back in Siaya next year. :)

This wooden frame welcomes 30+ joyful worshippers every Sunday. :)

A feast! :)

Clothes are scarce, so they are worn for a long time... the second boy from the right is wearing a pajama top as a shirt. The lack of shoes leads to various injuries and infections... and also allows parasites to invade their feet.

We had set out that day to bless the churches, but truly we were the ones that were blessed. I fell in love with their praise choruses immediately. The words are so simple, yet they contain such profound Truth. The world is filled with Jesus and sorrows. We are climbing a slippery slope, and we need Jesus our Rock every day to keep on climbing. Take me to heaven, Jesus, take me to heaven!

Then, after that, they hosted us for lunch, which was delicious. We had rice and ugali (a rough corn meal that is boiled and pressed into a cake-like shape, then cut and eat. The name means "what is it?" - just like "Manna" in the Bible! :) with chicken and beef. The Elder and Deaconess/Praise Leader of the church live right behind the church, as they were the ones who had donated the land for a church site to begin with. They, like everyone else in the community, live in mud huts with thatched roofs. Although they have little, the joy in this small family and community of believers was immeasurable. Of all the days on our trip, this was definitely my favorite. :)

The Elder and Deaconess live right behind the church.

Inside the hut...

Yes, women really do carry heavy objects on their heads - as much as a 50 kg (120 lb) sack of sugar! Many of them came to the clinic complaining of "back and chest pain... when I carry a heavy load." ;) They really appreciated the "Rubem" (a variation on Ben-Gay) we gave to them. :)

In the afternoon, our group split up. I headed with a group to treat some children in 2 local orphanages. My dad went with a group to look at the local churches - to assess their needs and also to see some tin roofs that had been erected with the money given by the team last year. Because the walls are made primarily of mud, a roof has to be placed on a wood frame before walls can be filled in. Their needs are definitely great, but unfortunately, progress is slow because the day to day struggles of food, health, and shelter often drain any available resources rapidly…

All the local villagers crowded the van as we were leaving, hoping to get some medication. Siaya has the highest rate of endemic malaria in the world. The vast majority of the people do not have access to electricity and clean water (including well water).

The children at the orphanage we treated - note that the setting is a mud hut with mud walls - this hut was actually one of the nicest church buildings we saw. It even had a thatched roof!

A NEW CHURCH EVERY DAY! Our typical day started at 6:30AM with a loud, cheerful greeting from Gary, the oldest member of our team (age 65 :). After a brief time with God on our own, we met for group devotionals. Interestingly, this is the first missions trip that I've been on where we didn't spend any time singing. However, we did spend a lot of time sharing and reading God's Word, which was wonderful. I enjoyed each person's sharing time immensely, as they were all unique and very thoughtful in their own ways.

We all took turns sharing during twice daily devotional times.

At 8AM we had breakfast, and at 8:45 we gathered to pray before setting out for our site that day. Each day we went to a new site - the first day it was a school, the second a small clearing near a few huts, the third a small town, etc, and all of them were about 1 hours' driving time from our Guest House. Each patient that arrived would receive a card with their age and name on it. They would be triaged with a list of chief complaints on their card, and then they would pass to one of our five providers - including a cardiothoracic PA (who also did wound care - he was our assistant team leader and had been here the year before), a 2nd year Peds resident, a doctor from a neighboring town (Kisumu - you'll see this name again later :), a retired Kenyan RN who used to run a private clinic but now serves as a Pastor, and me. After a quick H&P, they would pass over the the evangelism team, where they would hear the gospel. Then they would go to the pharmacy for their medications, and last of all they went to wound care or eye care as needed.

People came in droves and waited for a long, long time. We did our best to keep them in the shade, too.

I was very thankful for Teresa, my translator, who was very sensitive to the Spirit and also eager to pray for patients when the opportunity came up. :)

Emily picked 5 dead flies out of a pus-filled ear on the first day. EW!

Pharmacy

Wound care

Our days were hot and long - although our team leader Tony went through heroic measures to make sure that we stayed in the shade all day. We saw anywhere from 700 to 1100 patients each day (with a grand total of a little over 4300 patients through the 5 days). I was thankful for my translator, Teresa, because she was very sensitive to the Spirit, and also because she often took the time to help me understand the stories behind the villager’s lives. For example, the boy on the far left is the woman of the far right’s older sister. Both parents died of malaria. One of the other two kids is the child of her husbands’s other wife. That wife already died as well. Such stories were typical.

It was fun getting this family to smile - they were so solemn at first! :)

I also had the privilege of praying with and for patients. Many of you have heard about the woman with possible ovarian cancer – who accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior, and who I believe God also healed physically – although He did not allow us to see the fruit with our own eyes.

Another woman came who had been menstruating for 2 years. We encouraged her with the story of the woman who was healed by touching Jesus’ robe (Mark 5) – especially with what Jesus said at the end: “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (emphasis mine) – and then we prayed for her physical needs. Yet another woman claimed to be a Christian, but upon a few further questions, it was evident that she could not answer even the most basic questions about the Gospel. She claimed that she could not read her Bible because her eyes hurt at night. I copied John 3:16 in Luo for her and told her to memorize the Scripture – so that even if she could not read it all the time, she could begin to hide God’s Word in her heart and meditate on it. There were countless other stories of broken families, polygamy, infidelity, orphans of parents who died from HIV or Malaria, sexual abuse (possible STD in 7 year old girl!), and so much more. We also saw many patients with diseases in advanced stages, especially cancer and HIV, and patients with physical deformities. My Dad said he felt like he was back in the time of Jesus, and he felt honored to be doing what Jesus did: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matt 10:35)

This man had a severe Herpes Zoster (aka "shingles" - it also extnded to the back in the same dermatome) with a bacterial superinfection. Did he also have HIV??? He denied it, but

My Dad worked in the evangelism station the whole week. His translator was a pastor named Walter, who would match my Dad’s pitch and gesticulations, so it was actually quite fun to watch them work together. One major frustration my Dad faced, though, was the “Culture of agreement.” In a few words, this was basically peer pressure to the max. Most people would answer “yes” to all of his questions, e.g. “Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior,” or, “Do you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.” Almost all of his groups would always pray the prayer of salvation with him – and soon he began to doubt the whether his role of the trip was meaningful. Dad repeatedly stressed that “saying yes” meant nothing to him, as God examined their hearts regarding their sincerity. In the end, we rejoiced, because the Word of God was preached – may God grow the seeds that have been planted!

Around 4pm, we would pack up, but before heading home we would dedicate a new church near or at the site we had had clinic. Throughout the day, the pastors and evangelists would remind the villagers to come back Sunday for more Spiritual Food. :)

Dedicating the church site (day 1)

We got home most days between 6 and 7pm, and we gathered again at 7:30pm for group evening devotions. Then we had dinner at 8pm, after which we would have group reflections/sharing about the day. By the time we rolled back to our rooms, it was about 10-10:30pm – and we all quickly went to bed.

The true free range chicken. All around the countryside, chickens, cows, goats, and sheep just roamed around freely. It was really tempting to touch them, especially these little chicks! ;)

On Wednesday and Thursday the patients we saw were a little better off – they were still subsistence farmers, but the conditions (irrigation, soil, etc.) in the area allowed for a little bit of excess which could be sold for money. It struck but also saddened me how slightly better conditions greatly improved the quality of life of the patients… For example, some of the poorest people cannot afford to buy cow dung to be smeared on the floor of their houses – therefore, they get parasites that burrow into their feet, forming painful pockets of pus that need to be individually I&D’d. L

Once again I am thankful – for everything that I have that I often forget many people in the world still live without.

CELEBRATION OF GOD’S GOODNESS… On Friday night all the translators and pastors gathered with us to celebrate what God had done during the week. We presented the Kenyans with bicycles, Bibles, and some funds for building projects, and they also presented each one of us with a gift. J

A LONG JOURNEY HOME... At 3AM Saturday morning, we left Siaya. After driving all night, we arrived at Nakuru National Park – where we saw a leopard, many warthogs (you guys have to come watch the video of them running across our path – their legs move so fast!), gazelles, tropical birds, zebras, baboons, monkeys, water buffalos, lizards, rock hyraxes (aka large Kenyan rats), and many other animals. This park is actually most famous for its flamingos – just imagine a lakeside, entirely pink! It was definitely a sight worth seeing. J

We drove on towards Nairobi, where we barely had time to shower and head for the airport – by the time we got to the gate, the flight was almost completely boarded! Definitely not suited for the super-cautious Asian style. But thankfully, we made it onto the plane – and then after a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam and a 2 hour delay in Detroit, my dad made it to Boston and I made it to NYC – a 49 hour trip!

One of the van got two flat tires, so my dad caught a snooze while we were waiting. ;)

PLEASE PRAY FOR KENYA!!! Our brief work in Siaya is done, but there is still SO much more to pray for! If you ever look at the map and think of Kenya, remember to think of these things:

1. Siaya is considered part of the emerging church – many people have heard the Gospel, but the foundation of the church still needs much strengthening. Most people don’t have any copy of the Word, and already there are many many cults deceiving the people out there. Just as Paul had to write so many letters to the early church to straighten out issues, these people need:

- SOLID teaching of the Word

- Continued training and discipleship of the Pastors/leaders

- COPIES of the Word (literacy rate is decent)

- The Conviction of the Holy Spirit – that they would say “yes” to God because they know in their hearts and minds that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – not just because their neighbor also said “yes…”

Please especially pray for Pastor Joseph – and Man who loves and fears God, and who is a leader among the churches in Siaya and Kisumu (a larger city nearby). Joseph’s testimony, Joseph’s solid knowledge of theology and of local cults, Joseph’s desire to get a degree in theology, Joseph is respected by local leaders – was arbitrator, Joseph has team of 10 evangelists and has a passion for evangelism. Yet because of his devotion to God’s work, Joseph’s children often wake up in the middle of the night, crying because they are hungry.

What a sobering thought – that as we enjoy such plenty here at home, a devoted servant of God may be going to bed hungry…

Please remember Joseph in your prayers – and pray that God will raise up more leaders who are grounded in Him to partner with Joseph!

That's Joseph on the far left. The guy in green was one of our drivers, Milton. He's posing as our bodyguard here - hee hee hee. ;)

2. Physical needs – not only health, but basic things like food, clothing, and shelter. Along with this comes a self-centered focus of “what do I need” among the pastors and leaders which really discouraged me on the last day. May God give us wisdom of how best to help them for their daily bread and their Daily Bread (physical and spiritual food)!

3. The rest of the 10-40 window- which contains many many many unreached people groups, and many many Christians who are still being persecuted for their faith. Check out this website to find out more information - http://www.persecution.com/

Thank you so much, everyone, for your prayers! :)

Baku Jesu – praise Jesus!