Joy comes in the Evening...

WAIT WHAT!?

Tuesday was my birthday. But the day was far from pleasant. First, I didn't sleep well the night before. Then, when I went to update the LIMBS patient database, several patient bios were missing. After extensive searching I found all but two, which still cannot be found. Both the hard and soft copies have disappeared. The only identifying information I have is the serial numbers from their knees. GRRRRR!! Then, to add to everything else, there was the prospect of spending my birthday evening alone in my house.

By the end of the work day, I had decided enough was enough. Whether I had anyone to celebrate with or not, I was going to make the night special! SO THERE!!!!!

After work, I trekked up to the shops and bought ice cream, meat, and an extra liter of milk; all luxuries for me, bought only for special occasions! On my way to my house from the shops, I decided to stop by and say hi to a friend, a widow from Australia, I've made here in Kijabe. When she found out that it was my birthday, she came down to my house and we had a wonderful evening chatting and celebrating. Her visit and our “party” made my whole day worth it!

Now I am not saying that my family and other friends ignored me. In fact, I heard from every single member of my immediate family, a few friends, and received over 30 facebook posts. But it is not the same as having someone here in person to celebrate with you.

Thursday, started out slow and rough but got better in the afternoon. I usually attend a ladies Bible study from 1-2 pm on Thursdays. Well, right before I packed up to attend Bible study; I got an email announcing a delivery of raspberries to the school up the hill. These raspberries are too ripe to export or even sell in Kenya so somebody at the school has arranged to pick up some and bring them back to Kijabe. We just have to pay transport; about $1 a gallon. WHOA! What a treat! Usually, raspberries cost at least a couple of dollars for a tray of just 12 berries. 

Ok, so back to Bible study. Several of the ladies wanted some raspberries but since the delivery was scheduled right smack dab in the middle of our Bible study time. However, I offered to go up and get them.  I had already arranged to borrow a container from another missionary at Moffet, so along with the 2 other containers from the missionary at Moffat and 3 from the ladies at the Bible study, up I went to collect raspberries; all 24 liters! (4 liters for me, 8 for the lady who lent me the container, and 12 for the Bible study ladies. FYI: Each container holds 4 liters)

Mercifully, God provided someone to carry me to and from the delivery location so I didn’t have to carry all those raspberries by myself! I did mention that these raspberries are REALLY ripe, right?

DELICIOUS!!!!!!

I caught the tail end of Bible study and afterwards “helped” divvy up the “spoils”! And of course you know “helping” means consuming close to a cup of raspberries in one sitting!! Hehe!!

Oh how I enjoy helping people, especially if I’m already heading in that direction anyway. I don’t know what made me happier;  getting the raspberries or helping others enjoy the same!!

As I mentioned earlier, I stopped by a friend’s house the evening of my birthday.  The people she is staying with were planning a trip to Nairobi on Friday. As it happens, I needed several things from the grocery store in Nairobi and had been asking and praying for transport into town this week; either Thursday or Friday. I had all but given up hope. Well, God knew what he was doing because what I intended as a polite pop-in to say hello, God meant as a provision for me and my friend’s needs.  Not only did God provide me with birthday company and the opportunity to go into Nairobi, but He also provided the opportunity for my friend to get out of the house and spend some time away from her housemates! I had no idea that she was dreading the trip into Nairobi because it meant following her housemates, a couple, around clothing stores all day.

God knew we needed each other and provided in a way only He could do!!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!

When Trials Come...

“When I am down and oh my soul so weary, when troubles come and my heart burden be. Then I am still and wait here in the silence, until you come and sit awhile with me.

             You raise me up so I can stand on mountains, You raise me up to walk on stormy seas. I am strong                            when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up to more than I can be.

There is no life, no life without sorrow, each restless heart beats so imperfectly. But when you come, I am filled with wonder. Sometimes I think I’ve glimpsed eternity.” (Josh Groman)

These words have meant a lot to me during the last few weeks. 

I have struggled quite a bit since returning to Kenya after a month in the USA. Maybe it was exhaustion from such a busily scheduled trip in the USA. Maybe it is the increased stress during the last month. Maybe it is spiritual warfare.

Whatever the case, times are tough. I am having interpersonal relation problems with some of the people I work with in the orthopedic workshop at CURE.

 Every time I try and sit down and write this update, I got writer’s block. Recently, it seems as if my head is attached physically, but detached in every other sense.

I can feel myself burning out and at a time when I need more enthusiasm not less. I have a little more than a month to finish planning and preparing for the first LIMBS training to be held since I came to Kenya in 2011.  

Also, this year is the 10 year anniversary of the start of research on the LIMBS knee. In celebration of this, LIMBS is providing the prosthetic components to fit 500 above knee amputees around the world. However, there is a catch. As some of you know, LIMBS work here has not gotten off the ground the way the organization would like it to. Therefore, I have been told that if 100 or more knees are not fitted to patients in Kenya this year LIMBS may pull out of Kenya entirely. I have been trying everything I can think of to get the program running here, but with little success. So you can add the stress of sink or swim to my life. Though I know in my head that failure would not be entirely my fault, I still feel like if LIMBS does fail, it would be my fault because there must have been something I could have done to make it succeed.

Also, over the last 5 weekends, I have been unwell three of them. The first was jetlag. The next was over a conference and caused by the food. The last was last weekend and was caused by contaminated water.

Last weekend, I was so sick that once I came home from work on Friday, I barely left the house until Monday morning. Yes, I know I am in a developing country and water systems do get contaminated. But what frustrated me about the whole thing is the lack/refusal of communication about the water situation. Water contamination happens in the USA as well, however, the contamination is communicated quickly and thoroughly so that few people are at risk of getting sick because of lack of communication. 

As an American, I like to come at things head on. However, many Kenyans care more about appearances and relationships than solving the issue quickly. They are two completely different approaches to solving problems and are heavily based on the culture they were developed in. Both have their merits and pitfalls.

Having said all this, I still believe God wants me here in Kenya and so I will stay until He tells me otherwise.

Prayer Requests:

Some of these are new and some are ongoing

• The LIMBS Knee Evaluation would continue getting off the ground and that it would run smoothly
  
  
  That I will catch on and learn Swahili quickly
• Use of the LIMBS prosthetic system would pick up in Kenya
• Better communication between me and those I work with
• Patience and Loving-Kindness toward those co-workers that frustrate me
• Better interpersonal skills with those around me
• That preparations for the upcoming LIMBS training would go smoothly 
• That the training would run smoothly
• That those you are supposed to attend this training will be able to
• That I would stay healthy
• For God’s provision for my finances
• For God’s guidance in my life and work in Kenya
• That my new passport would arrive in time for me to go to my brother's wedding in March. I applied for it this week and it should be here by the end of the month, but if anything goes wrong .....)
• Strong walk with the Lord
• Wisdom in relationships
• Punctuality in Updates
• Patience under pressure!
• Reliable Internet
• Good Business Relations with those around me!
• Adjustment to life and culture in Kenya
• That I will be able to properly write up patient stories and edit their videos
• Productivity- I want to make the most of my time here in Kenya
• Wisdom-To know when to give money and when not to
• My Mental Faculties - That I will remember what I need to buy, where to buy it, and when.
• Health and Sleep
• Spiritual Growth
• That I will make good friends quickly!