Waiting on the Lord

Has it really been 3 months since I last updated? Time has flown by like a whirlwind!

Since April, I have been to 2 conferences, nurtured an abandoned puppy, lost my Ipod, struggled with internet, conducted several “fish or cut bait” meetings, and my computer charger cord died and resurrected.

I have seen God provide, but also challenge me to grow through trials.

At the end of May, one of my good friends, Nancy, had a baby boy. The problem was that she had chicken pox when she delivered. Baby and Mother had to be kept apart until Nancy had recovered. The first night I saw them, the baby was in the ICU and Nancy was in the Private ward. The baby, Russell, was in the ICU not because he was horribly sick but because there was no other place for him. He could not go to the nursery because he had been exposed to chicken pox. He could not be with his mother because she had chicken pox. Then, the hospital made a mistake in their paperwork or discharge procedure and Nancy and Russell had to spend an extra night in the hospital (on the hospital’s tab). The hospital transferred Russell to a private room so they could use the ICU bed for someone else and one of Nancy’s friends stayed the night to care for Russell. Since Mother and son had to be separated, Russell could not breast feed and instead, we had to feed him formula every four hours. Every ounce was carefully measured and feed via a needleless syringe.

I did the 7pm and 11pm feedings and Nancy’s friend did the feedings during the middle of the night and early morning. Also, because I had chicken pox as a child, I served as the go-between between Russell’s room and Nancy’s. As any new mother, Nancy wanted to know everything about her son. How much did he eat? Was he warm enough? What does he look like now? Is he sleeping? Etc... Though tiring, I enjoyed every minute of it. I used her phone to take a picture of him so she could look at him whenever she wanted and even held him up to the window of the room so Nancy could safely see him.

After a week, Nancy was fine and allowed to nurse her son. I visited her and the baby a couple of weeks later.

Holding Russell in the ICU

Russel is ready to travel (yes, he is in there!)

The months of June was so full of meetings and travel that, by the end of the month, I was exhausted.  I had meetings and conferences every week and to add to everything else, my Ipod disappeared, with my entire schedule, when I was on my way to the first conference so I had to remember my entire schedule from scratch in my head.

My display at one of the conferences

I am raising a puppy. Two missionaries found him in abandoned in a trash pit near RVA when they were out walking. He was probably about 3 weeks old. He was very hungry, looked malnourished, and had an injured back leg. I volunteered to care for him until we could find his mother and/or owner. This involved feeding him a special milk replacement (There is no actual puppy milk replacement in Kenya, so I made my own based on several recipes I found on websites) every 4 hours for the entire first week. So engineer meets maternal instinct and the puppy ends up nursing from the fingers of my disposable rubber gloves.  My neighbors have 4 kids 10 and under and they, along with their friends, decided to name the puppy “Arthur Maxwell”. I had avoided naming it myself for fear of becoming too attached to something I was not sure would survive or stay with me long. But the name stuck and Arthur grew!

After about a month, I took Arthur Maxwell to the vet for a checkup and advice on his leg. I knew he had worms because I had seen them, but the vet said that his bloated belly and lethargy was probably a result of the innumerable worms in his little belly.  I got dewormer from the vet and started the vaccination sequence. God provided people to care for the puppy when I had to be out of town overnight and at conferences.

The cool thing about Arthur Maxwell is his relationship with me. Until this week, he stuck right next to me everywhere we travelled together and his favorite position is sitting with his head on my shoulder like a baby. Right now, we are going through the “terrible two’s” of puppyhood. I am teaching him manners and proper behavior. He is “pushing the boundaries”.  He loves rearranging my house (read this as clothes, shoes, blankets, laundry hampers, etc..). I feel like I have a toddler, but I would not trade it!

Arthur is now about 4 months old and growing fast. He leg is completely healed. When he came into my house, he was a mere four pounds. Now, he is close to a whopping 20 pounds.

So enough about my puppy, what you really want to know is what I am actually doing in my work. Well, as the title of this post implies, I am in a period of waiting. No, it is not easy. I am not naturally a patient person and I hate not knowing the future. 

Back at the end of March, I was given an ultimatum; either get the LIMBS System use up to at least 100 per year in the next 6 months (starting in March) or LIMBS International will pull out of Kenya.  Now there is only a certain amount I can do to achieve this goal, most of the necessary action lies with the Kenyans themselves. I believe the LIMBS Prosthetic System is a world class, high functioning, low cost system, but it is the Kenyans that I have to convince to use it. I have received differing amounts of resistance from everyone from the prosthetist to the patient. From an American perspective the complaints are petty. “The knee doesn’t look like a normal knee.” (But the knee is always covered by pants or a skirt) “It costs too much” or “it doesn’t cost enough to be high quality.” “We would love to use the LIMBS System, how much will you pay us to do so” (This is from someone we were offering a sponsored leg) I am basically trying to “teach old dogs, new tricks.” 

Four months later, I am trying to finalize a working relationship with the only prosthetics training college in Kenya (KMTC), follow-up with each of our national prosthetists, and promote the system to anyone who will listen. LIMBS International even developed a LIMBox, a box containing everything needed for an above knee prosthesis except the socket and cosmetic covers. This was to combat the most common complaint that it is hard to find the other necessary components for above knee prosthetics. 

PLEASE PRAY:

• That God’s Will be done and that I will be content with His plan.
• If things don’t work out in Kenya, I have been asked if I would move to Asia to work in Bangladesh and India. They are currently making orders in the thousands and LIMBS would like to have someone there as a contact and for quality control. Pray that if God wants me in Asia, I would trust His provision and follow His lead.
• That things would work out here in Kenya so I can stay and continue the work God has put in my path.
• That I might have patience, but also push those that need to be pushed.
• That God would bring stability to the Country of Kenya and LIMBS to those in need.
• My hands are covered in scabs from accidental wounds caused by sharp puppy teeth.

Praises:

• God gave me a puppy to nurture and raise so I am not so lonely.
• God provided someone to bring me a old Ipod to replace the one that was lost and that person lived close to my parents.
• God provided the needed rest and restraint after a busy and stressful month.
• God gave me wonderful parents to guide me when trouble comes or I "freak out"
• God has given me a team of prayer warriors in my home church. I can feel their prayers! (Don't ask me to explain, its hard to describe.)
• Even when my ATM account was hacked, God was there and allowed ease of communication during the fraud report process (Also, please pray that all this will be resolved quickly)

GOD BLESS!!!!!!

Home again

After the whirlwind known as the last month, I am glad to be home in Kijabe.

Between my brother’s wedding and planning and carrying out the LIMBS Training in Nairobi, I was exhausted. Last week, I was running nonstop from 7:30am until 10pm Sunday through Friday managing logistics during this long awaited training. Seriously! I even forgot to tell my parents that my childhood friend from Rwanda was coming to visit me before attending an educational conference in Kijabe. Normally, I would not be able to keep my mouth shut because of my excitement; but not this time. In fact, my head was still spinning when I arrived (via driver) at the airport to pick up Katharina.

We spent Saturday through Sunday watching a family’s kiddos while their parents attended a missionary marriage retreat. Now, before you say poor thing, hear me out. This distraction was exactly what I needed after a LONG HARD week. I was able to cook some great meals (involving LOTS of stress reducing chopping), laugh at the cheesiness of a sci-fi movie with the older girls, and was encouraged by the youngest; a 7 year old, ’s enthusiasm to go with me to the local church’s praise team pre-church rehearsal (at 7:30 AM!).

On Sunday, Katharina and I moved 2 doors over to another missionaries house to watch their dog and housesit this week. Right now, RVA, the missionary school here in Kijabe, is on break and many families are taking this opportunity to take much needed vacations! This can cause a dilemma however, because many of the missionaries in Kijabe have animals and/or pets they have to find accommodations for while the family is away. Enter a single missionary female who loves animals and doesn’t mind house sitting for other missionaries. This is a win-win situation; especially since this young lady has only one bed in her house and has a friend visiting her! Therefore, I had the privilege to watch a VERY laidback dog in a BEAUTIFUL house with high speed internet for 5 days. The house help still came every day so I did not have to do dishes or clean the house.  It was an ideal place for me to get my head back on straight! Plus, I got to hike Mt Longonot on Monday with some friends and got to see at least three giraffe fairly close up!

I returned to my quaint little cabin today.

First, I want to tell you all the ways God has blessed me this month. One, God caused my flight to the USA at the beginning of March to be delay by 24hours and by doing so,  got me over jetlag very quickly! You see the international flights out of Nairobi are all late at night. Mine was scheduled for just after midnight. At first the plane was just delayed, but finally at 5:30 am, because of mechanical problems, the flight was postponed until the next night. Because I had been awake all night, I was ready to hit the sack and did so after getting something to eat at the hotel that the airline booked us into. So by the time we boarded the plane that night, I was pretty much on Eastern Time. I was even upgraded to main cabin extra for my flight from London to Raleigh, NC. Secondly, the place where the LIMBS team and I stayed during the training last week was wonderful and accommodating. The walk to the school hosting the training was short and my boss even complimented me on my choice of lodging for the team. Also, God arranged that one of my best friends growing up would come and arrive from Rwanda at the same time I was scheduled to travel from Nairobi back to Kijabe so I could pick her up from the airport and we could travel back together. Then, God provided the distraction I needed by watching kids (actually high schoolers and a first grader) and then spending a week house sitting for another family.

I am VERY blessed!

Now it might sound like the last month was not too bad, but with the blessings come the challenges. First, travelling to the USA and back in one week requires a lot of cultural adjustment; fast. Then, add to this the fact that even while I was setting up my brother’s wedding, I was still trying to iron out the details for the training at the end of March (last week). Then, after I returned to Kenya, the mother of my contact at KMTC (where the training was hosted) died suddenly. His substitute did not have contact information or details about one of the patients we were using for the training. During the training, public transport went on strike forcing half the attendees/participants at the training to walk across town to reach the school on foot. One of the demo patients and attendees couldn’t make it from Mombasa; 3 out of 4 of the attendees did not show up for their slanted training sessions. There were misunderstandings about transport between Nairobi and Kijabe during a scheduled team visit. Katharina’s flight from Rwanda was late arriving and even then the arrivals board said, “to be advised.” Meetings from the last week require a large amount of follow-up and drafting. And last but not least, I have been having mini anxiety attacks every evening.

Everything needs to be balanced. I know I have a lot of work and pressure on my during the next few weeks, but I also know that I need adequate rest.

Praises:

•  The Training went fairly well.
• Transport worked out in the long run
• I got to spend 4 days with a wonderful friend
• My cat was there to greet me when I returned to my little house (in fact he will not leave my side now)

Prayer Requests:

• My anxiety seems to be getting more cumbersome. Please pray for peace!
• What happens during the next 6 months will determine what happens with LIMBS in Kenya in the future.  Pray God’s will be done and that  I will be at peace with what He does.
• I have several conferences to attend during the next several months. Pray that the details will work out.

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!

Around the World and Back Again!

For those who don't know, I spent a month in the USA at the end of last year. I left November 22nd and returned on December 31st/January 1st. It was a busy trip. I traveled about every 3-4 days the entire time. While outside Kenya, I spent time in North Carolina (Durham, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte), Texas (El Paso and Longview), Georgia (Rome/Berry)and Grand Cayman.

I wish I had more pictures, however, my camera broke shortly after I left Kenya. Therefore, you will have to rely on my words alone.

First of all, I want to tell you GOD PROVIDES!

Kijabe is about an hour away from the airport. I took 2 large suitcases and 2 carry-on sized suitcases with me to the USA. This made using public Kenyan Transport difficult to impossible. I found a friend in Nairobi that was willing to take me from Nairobi to the airport, but I still needed to find transport from Kijabe to Nairobi. God did one better! He provided me with transport from Kijabe directly to the airport with some other missionaries travelling the same day.

The journey did have its' hiccups. Somewhere between my seat on the plane to London and the International terminal in London, my "total pillow" travel pillow got lost. It was never found. In view of everything that could have gone wrong, this loss was minor. Especially since all my luggage made it and i was met by my entire family at the airport in North Carolina! =)

When I have a chance I will try and tell you more about my adventures during my month outside Kenya. But for now I am focusing on God's provision during my international flights.

Fast forward to December 31st......

I did not sleep much the night before I left to return to Kenya. Even with my mental fog, I made it to the airport to check in with all my bags.

CUE GOD'S PROVISION!

When the ticketing agent checked me and my 6 bags into the system, the extra baggage fees came to about half of what they should have been! That's a savings of $360!

Security went smoothly and I was off.

While waiting at the gate, I checked my messages and email and found out the transportation and lodging I had all planned out before I left Kenya, fell through! I sent off some messages, but because of the time difference I didn't expect anything back for several hours.

My flight of the three leg journey was booked solid so I got assigned the first seat on the small American Eagle Plane; seat 1A. The cool thing about this seat is: 1. You can look out your window and see down the breezeway, 2. The breezeway seems to come straight at you when it approaches the plane, and 3. You can talk to the flight attendant during take-off and landing because he/she is sitting right in front of you, looking at you. Also, Because  I was in the very front of the plane, I overheard the exchange between the gate agent, flight attendant, and pilots before the door closed. Apparently, the plane was overloaded (I wonder why? =P Could it be the passenger who checked 340 lbs of luggage?) and the airline wanted to take a British couple off the plane. However, if this happened, the couple would miss their flight connection to London.
By rearranging some carry-ons under two empty seats, utilizing the crew storage compartment, and the pilots working a little "magic", we were finally released from the gate with all passengers on board. The plane took a little extra runaway to take off and land due to the weight, but other than that, everything was fine. I had a good chat with the flight stewardess and when we landed she gave me some water and juice to carry with me. Once I reached the gate for my flight to London, I had a wonderful last american meal of leftover pizza, apples, and the juice from the flight attendant. While I was eating I checked my messages/emails to find out if their was any progress in finding a place to spend the night in Nairobi after I reached the airport.

NO RESPONSES FROM THE GUESTHOUSES!

Before I boarded my flight to London, I called and said good bye to everyone on my US cellphone.

The flight from JFK to London was mostly empty and I had an entire row to myself. Though I still did not sleep well, it was nice to stretch out a bit. In London, I had to change terminals and reenter security at the International Terminal. Security is one of the hardest things about London. Everyone in line has been through security at least once before and probably just arrived off another long haul flight. Without fail, I am always sweating by the time I get through and head to the main waiting area. In London, gates are not announced until 50 minutes before a flight. This means you have to watch the clock because some gates take 20 minutes or more to get to and the gates close 15 minutes before a flight's departure time.

I was in one of the last group to board the flight to Nairobi so the overhead storage above my seat was full. Thankfully, I found some storage a few rows back.

AND STILL NO RESPONSE ABOUT HOUSING OR TRANSPORT!

The flight to Nairobi was full and I was anxious. What was going to happen when I got to the airport? How would I find a place to stay? My phone had run out of credit. As much as I try to trust God to provide, it takes divine intervention for me to actually do it. The flight wasn't bad, though my entertainment system/screen locked up half way through the flight.

As many of you have heard, the international arrivals terminal at the airport near Nairobi burnt down. Therefore, when our flight landed we were loaded onto buses and taken to the temporary "arrivals" area. (Read this as a large warehouse/hanger type building divided into pre and post immigration areas.) Since our flight got in at the same time as another flight, twice the people had to funnel through the makeshift immigration booths. Soon after passing through immigration, I found out that the chaos of the immigration lines was nothing compared to collecting luggage. The airport was only running 2 small carousels, 1 for each flight. Also, they must have been using only one baggage train/cart because it was at least 20 minutes between each baggage offload. It took me over an hour, but I did collect all 6 of my bags!

ENTER GOD'S PROVISION!

There were several other people from Kijabe (RVA) on my flight, a family and two young ladies. The two ladies ended up at end of the immigration line. So rather than checking their trunks every time they passed on the baggage carousel, I pulled them off and sorted each one's luggage into a separate stack. AND GUESS WHAT?! It's 11:30pm and I still don't have transport or a place to stay!!!!

One of the ladies, an RVA teacher, let me use her phone to call the AIM guesthouse, Mayfield, and they had room for me. YES, I found a room! Now I just needed a LARGE taxi to get there!

WELL, GOD DID ONE BETTER!

It turns out that the guy I called to drive me back to Kijabe the next day, was the same guy who was picking the two young ladies up from the airport and then heading straight to Kijabe. They were willing to take as much of my luggage as space allowed so I wouldn't need to carry so much in the taxi. WELL, GUESS WHAT!? All the ladies' luggage fit in the back of the driver's car and ALL of mine fit into the roof rack perfectly. (I mean like JIGSAW PUZZLE PERFECT) Also, because everything fit so well, I was able to ride with them all the way back to Kijabe THAT night and in my own little house by 2:30 am!

Now onto the next adventure......... JETLAG!!!!!!

The Roller Coaster of Life

It has been too long since I last updated this blog. I got so focused on trying to put together my support letter for my next 2 year term with LIMBS International that my brain burned out. If any of you following this would like a copy of my letter and have not gotten one already, please let me know and I will email it to you.

A lot has happened since I last updated.

I got the opportunity to join the Local AIC Kijabe church on their annual missions trip to Amaya in East Pokot the last week of August. While there, I met a 12 year old boy named Kipilat. He was born with only one leg. His parents 

died when he was young and he has been passed from neighbor ever since. Because of his limited mobility and poverty, Kipilat has not had access to education until this year when the local east pokot church stepped in and enrolled him in preschool. Before I arrived, no one knew that anything could be done for the boy. After I told them about the LIMBS prosthesis, the boy was brought to CURE in Kijabe where we measured and fabricated a prosthetic leg just for him. By the end of September, Kipilat was walking on his own for the first time in his life!

Me and Risa's Mother and sisters

Part of my job is following up with patients using the LIMBS leg. Risa is a Maasai who lost his leg when he had an epileptic attack as a child and fell into the cooking fire. Traditionally, the Maasai are a nomadic people moving from place to place, caring for goats and cattle.If a man cannot walk, he cannot herd animals and therefore is a burden to the community. Many with physical disabilities are ignored by the community or hidden away. This was the case for Risa until he got his LIMBS prosthesis.
 You see, Risa sustained massive burns across his lower body and right side. Doctors were able to save his left leg. However, the knee is completely fused. Therefore, the only prosthetic option for Risa is a leg with a free moving joint and the LIMBS knee is not only a low cost free moving joint, but also works like a normal knee does, locking when loaded with weight. Once Risa started using this leg, he was able to rejoin his community. I finally got a chance to visit Risa in his homeplace. The community has given him some goats to care for and he watches over both his and his uncle’s animals. He cares for his mother and siblings just like any other oldest son would do. His mother and aunt presented me with a Maasai necklace. I felt VERY honored!

On September 21st, Westgate Mall, outside Nairobi, was attacked and held under siege for 3 days. On this particular weekend, I was in Kijabe looking after a couple children for a missionary family while their parents were away. I did not find out about the siege until they got home and turned on the television. For the next few days, most of us were glued to the television watching as the situation unfolded. Many ex-pats and missionaries frequent this mall so it hit everyone hard. Tension was high during the first hours of the siege as everyone called everyone else they know to make sure they were okay. Only two Kijabe-linked families were in Westgate Mall when the attack started, but both quickly escaped. After the siege was over, some tension was relieved but the attack left the country in shock. Clean-up has begun as lives are moving on. We are healing. Kenya has been wounded but not broken. Nowadays, extra vigilance is taken and many in Kijabe make sure that others know where they are going when leaving Kijabe. LIFE CONTINUES.

October was a busy month. The first week, I went to Malindi, on the coast of Kenya, for an Orthopedic Technology Conference.The only bus directly to Malindi is a night bus. So, because I was presenting on the first day of the conference, I left Kijabe a day early. The extra time allowed me to acclimate to the heat and humidity and spend some time with Orthopedic Technologists working in the Ministry of Health.  We visited the Malindi District Hospital, the beach, and had lunch at a local café. God’s provision was evident that day because this informal time with these top government people allowed me to get to know them better and even discuss the future of LIMBS in Kenya. The next few days of the conference were busy but went well. I returned to Kijabe after the conference on Friday so I could be back by Saturday when I was expecting a guest. WELL, I got sick. I was able to entertain a little, but slept most of the day. I spent the entire next Sunday in bed. The rest gave me enough strength to return to work on Monday. 

Then sorrow struck, a young translator friend of mine died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism. This young man was only 30 years old. He was working hard to make a difference in his poverty stricken community. His death hit everyone hard. I attended the funeral along with most of his community and some members of RVA (Rift Valley Academy, where he worked as a librarian). Everyone was emotional.

Time helps heal wounds and so have the last couple of weeks.

A few weekends ago, I went to visit a friend’s, Linda’s, family in Nairobi. She is a student at Kenya Medical Training College studying Orthopedic Technology. She is on attachment for 3 months at CURE. I really enjoyed spending time with her family. However, the entire weekend was overshadowed because my wallet was stolen. I lost my Kenyan ID, Credit Card, ATM Card, and some money. Thankfully, I will be back in the States at the end of November so I will only have to live without them for a few weeks. If it had to happen, now is the best time. God is in control so I don’t have to worry about it. God provides!

Two day Vacation

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been doing a lot of business travel recently with mostly disappointing results. Therefore, I decided I needed to get away for a couple of days to relax before I head to western Kenya on the 18th. It just so happens that a friend of mine is in Mombasa right now, so, on Thursday, I took a bus to visit her. In addition to the comfort of relaxing with a friend, the 80 something degree weather made a nice change to the "high of 60" weather here in Kijabe.

Mombasa is on the coast of Kenya along the Indian ocean. Although the city itself is built on an island, most of the surrounding coastal region is referred to as Mombasa. You may have heard in the news about turmoil in Mombasa. This unrest is not targeted at foreigners specifically, but at the Kenyan Government.

Have you ever heard of Texas pride? Well, that is the closest description I know to the attitudes of Mombasa natives. Like Texas, Mombasa has threatened on multiple occasions to separate from the rest of Kenya and the Mombasa culture is entirely different than everywhere else in Kenya. The people move slower, talk slower, socialize more, and in general take friendliness to a whole new level.

Yes, Mombasa has its problems like any other major city in the world. Almost all, if not all, major cities have areas to avoid at certain times, situations and things to watch out for, and safe & unsafe methods of transport.travel. As long as you know what to look out for and what to avoid, you are fine. My friend grew up in Mombasa and knows all about the city and surrounding area.

I was so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent the first day of my vacation relaxing within earshot of the palm trees and the ocean and just reading. It was great to do nothing!! I cooked dinner that night and got lots of compliments from my friend and her friends. What an esteem builder!

Sukuma Wiki, a common Kenyan Dish made
with Kale/Spinach, tomatoes,  and garlic or onions.
Usually served over a starch or as a side dish.

Saturday, we moved to Mombasa itself and I went to a bakery, helped my hosts' son build a "tent" (made of towels, chairs, and a broom), and WENT SWIMMING!! I loved being in the water and working out in it, but I also realized just how out of shape I am. One lap and I was winded! Eventually, I built my endurance up a bit and got a great workout! By the end my legs were jelly, but I truly enjoyed my time in the water. One of the things I miss most about North Carolina is swimming. Growing up, I got to swim every summer as well as visit the ocean. In Texas, I got to play a bit in a pool once, but that was all. Kijabe is TOO cold to swim. I don't think the temperature ever rises much above 75 Fahrenheit here. Therefore, this trip to Mombasa was almost like paradise! The ocean, the heat, the pool, the company, etc.

I got back to CURE this morning and am leaving tomorrow for western Kenya until late Thursday night, but last week seems like months ago. I am emotionally, mentally, and physically refreshed. (Ok, so right now I am a little sleep deprived and ate something my body didn't like yesterday, but these are minor things compared to how I felt before.)

Me and the Mombasa Sunset

Prayer Items:

• I am headed to Kitale and Eldorat for a mobile clinic tomorrow. Please pray for travel mercies and for those we will minister to both physically and spiritually.
• My Alien Registration card is not ready yet. It is supposed to take 5 weeks to process, but it has already taken taken that long. This card serves as my legal ID in Kenya and until I get it, I have to carry my passport with me everywhere I go.
• I am discouraged about the LIMBS progress here in Kenya. Other than project sponsored patients, there have been no new patients fit with the LIMBS Knee this year. Pray for guidance!
• I am getting over a cold! Pray for healing!

PRAISE THE LORD!

• First, God allowed me to get involved with several missionaries (both long and short term) in Kijabe.
• MY COMPUTER IS FIXED!!!!!!!!!! Now I just need to find safe transport for it from the USA to Kenya!
• God provided the opportunity for me to travel to Mombasa to relax with a friend. AND, and added bonus, I had the best seat in the bus on the way there!

My view (in Nairobi) headed to Mombasa.

• I got to the bus station an hour and a half early and therefore, was able to enjoy a cup of tea and read my Bible for AN ENTIRE HOUR before the 8.5 hour bus ride! =) 
• God brought me safely from Mombasa back to Kijabe!