Preparing to Say Farewell to Kenya

Today we have spent the day getting ready for our long travels home. There are many mixed emotions, but all of us would say that we are ready. Our time in Kenya has been filled with adventure, wonderful learning opportunities, new found friendships, and continue recognition of God's faithfulness. Here are some of our favorite trip highlights:

-getting attacked by a swarm of biting fire ants while our entire team was crammed in a van.
-watching countless deliveries in a Kenyan labor and delivery unit
-getting stuck in the mud and having to get out of our safari jeep in the middle of the wild.
-being encouraged by so many hardworking and dedicated staff members at all the places we visited
-trying to buy things at the Masai market while getting pulled in every direction
-feeling humbled by watching so many people follow God's call in their life which many times results in many orphans getting taken care of.
-all the many hours we spent in the van with Francis, our driver.
-being able to worship Christ with Kenyans in various church services
-seeing the different ways that Americans were coming together to serve Christ with Kenyans
-getting to see Tenwek Hospital
-being able to serve the mothers of special needs children at Heshima by painting their nails.

We just want to thank all of you for your continued prayers and support as we embarked on this journey. Please keep your eyes peeled for the countless pictures that will be posted on facebook within the next few weeks. Please continue to pray for all the places we have mentioned and their ministries and also for safe travels as we all take different flights home. Pray that we will be able to effectively share all that God has done in our hearts while in Kenya. Pray that we can process well and that God will show us how we can continue to serve Him here in Kenya in unique ways. Thanks again and God bless!

-The WGM Kenya Team 2012

last night in KENYA!

Happy Memorial Day from our last night in KENYA!

First of all, we thank all our military men and women who serve our country and make it such a great place to live!

So this morning was an early morning. 7 am at the crack of dawn we hit the road and headed to a new orphanage Robyn hadn’t been to yet. It was a children’s home called Hawa. It is a refuge place for young boys who have been living on the street. Once it has been determined the boys don’t have any family, they are able to be cared for at this home. These children cannot be adopted, but the children seem to be loved on and thriving. We watched as they kicked a rubber ball in the dust, chased each other around playing football (Soccer) while their flip flops occasionally fell off, caught grasshoppers, and in the end it turned out to be quite an event! They eagerly set up chairs as one by one each of the 24 boys were weighed and given an index card on which all their medical information would be written. After waiting patiently they were seen for a check up and given the oh so tasty deworming pills. Fortunately, we were able to assure them that their multivitamin given afterwards was much sweeter. However, others were given additional medications which were not quite as popular. I feel like we really did help the boys and addressed some pertinent medical issues. I think one of the coolest things about this children’s home is that it includes a few acres that they use as farmland to sustain themselves. We got a tour of the farm where we saw the growing onions, watermelons, and the green houses where they grow more vegetables. They boys help in the gardens and they are able to use the food they grow to feed themselves and pay for the continuation of this organization! So great! The director has plans to expand and farm more of the land as well. So far, this place is off to a promising start where so many boys can find a home.

After we left we headed to the Bells! We all love going there to just be encouraged by their ministry and get the opportunity to love on these abandoned babies! Dave and Jen Bell made us a spectacular American Memorial Day lunch, which consisted of hamburgers and mac and cheese! It was quite relaxing just being able to hold the precious babies one last time before we made our way back to Nairobi. Dave and Jen Bell have an incredible ministry where you can just feel Jesus’ love overflowing onto the children around them.

While we were at the Bells, we heard news of an explosion that occurred in Nairobi. Nairobi is where we are staying with Robyn but none of us were affected by it! We are all safe, and we continue to feel safe here. So please do not worry! J

Thank you for your prayers and support! We are eager to see our families again and share all our stories! Please continue to pray for safe travels as we leave late tomorrow night.

We love and miss you guys!

Page

PS: I’m getting married in 12 days!! Ahh!   

Nakuru

     We just returned to Nairobi from the last two days spent in Nakuru at the Africa Gospel Church Baby Centre.  It was an incredible and challenging experience for all of us.  As many of us processed together in the van on the way back, we acknowledged that it may take quite a while for us to fully process everything we have encountered on this trip.  The Baby Centre is a temporary home to 70 children under the age of 4 in Nakuru, working to find them their "forever home" while providing hope, health care, and most importantly the love of Christ to the children who have been abandoned, abused and neglected.  Please feel free to 'like' their page on Facebook AGC Baby Centre to see pictures of the children and read about each of their stories, as we are not allowed to share pictures or information on the children.  During our time there, each of us had the opportunity to hold countless infants and toddlers, and bring smiles and laughter to their faces.  We were overwhelmed when we walked into the toddler room as children swarmed us begging to be held and loved.  We came to the Baby Centre with posters and information to teach the workers about normal and abnormal growth and development for different age groups, and had the opportunity to teach many of the staff members who were eager to learn.  We were also blessed by the caregivers of the children who truly show love and compassion for the children.  Their job is incredibly draining and challenging, and it was eye-opening to all of us as we helped them take care of the children the last two days.  We also had the opportunity to observe as Robyn assessed several children from the community and the new babies at the Baby Centre.  We learned a lot as she examined them and took the time to explain and teach us about different disease processes.  After our time in Nakuru, we met Jim and Alice Vanderhoof, the World Gospel Mission Field Directors for Kenya, for lunch and spent time getting to know them.
     We are eager to come home and share the stories of the children and adults we have met through our time in Kenya, as they have quickly found a place in our hearts.  Their stories are captivating and inspiring to each of us, and we know you will be inspired as well.  Thanks again for all of your prayers and support as we finish strong these last few days in Kenya!

-Lindsay

Trip Day 10!

For the past two days our group has been split in half and have gone to the same places but at different times. I will give you a brief synopsis of each place!

Heshima Children's Center is a school for special needs children in Nairobi. Here in Kenya, children with special needs are looked down upon and are often seen as possessed. Parents often hide their children from society and mothers are often ridiculed for having such different children. Heshima is one of only a few schools that these kids can go to. It also provides a jewelry business for the mothers to work at while their children are at school because they often do not have jobs. All the proceeds from this cute shoppe go straight to Heshima. While at the school, we played with the kids, sang songs, helped with feedings, and observed different areas of the school.

Then we spent the night at Mahali pa Maisha infant rescue center. We worked with Dave and Jen Bell who are an amazing couple from Indiana who have been called to come work with orphans. They are contacted when an abandoned baby is found, and then they take the infant into their home if they are between the ages of birth and 2 years. Often times, they have the children for long periods of time until a suitable home is found for the babies. Currently, they have nine babies (two of which are their own) living in their house. Even with the help of hired caregivers, it is still pretty hectic over there; however, it was so encouraging to see their love for Christ and children displayed in all their hard work. We spent the night at their home and helped love and care for the babies. Some of us even assisted in measuring the babies and recording the information on growth and development charts.

Lea Toto Kibera is a pediatric HIV clinic in Kibera slum which is the second largest slum in eastern Africa. 20% of Kenya is HIV infected, and just like children with special needs, children with HIV are also looked down upon in this society. They are often made fun of or talked about and not socially accepted. Lea Toto is a place where kids anywhere from birth to 18 years come once a month to receive a check up and receive free USAID medication. They are educated on the disease and the importance of drug compliance and proper nutrition and are even often work with social workers to help with the psychosocial aspect of the disease. At Lea Toto, we spent a lot of time observing the staff of the clinic. We were given soooo much information on HIV, and we were able to compare what HIV is in the States and what it is in Kenya with the workers. We helped with making and organizing new files. We helped with assessments and worked in the pharmacy.

Today, we were all reunited, and we got the opportunity to feed some giraffes and see some orphan baby elephants. We also went out to lunch and got to do some shopping! Then we returned to Heshima as a group to give the kids and their mothers cupcakes and paint the girls' nails as ways to show that we care for them.

Tomorrow, we are departing early for Nakuru where we will be spending the night at a baby center that is home to over 70 orphan infants. Tonight, we have prepared posters for the staff of the center to educate them on growth and development of kids ranging in age from birth to three years!

Please pray for our team as we continue in our travels. Pray for safety and a good night's rest tonight! Also that we will be able to love well and begin to think about how we can end this trip well! Thank you so much for all of your love and support!

Emily =]

And here are the pictures... :)

Hey guys! It is currently after 9 PM here in Nairobi at Robyn's apartment. We left the safari this morning and drove the 6 hours back here. It's hard to believe that it has already been a week since we left home! So much has happened and yet it's also gone very fast. We have been very blessed to meet so many wonderful people and have such great experiences already. Here are some pictures to highlight what we've been up to, some of which we've already posted about. :)

On Friday we helped with the health fair at the Tenwek 75th Nursing Celebration. We mostly helped with dispensing medications into smaller containers which the doctors then gave to the patients, and taking blood pressures. 

Hard at work counting pills and pouring some medicine into containers.

The crowds here were amazing. It seemed that everyone in the nearby village wanted to come see us! This is just a small portion of the long lines of people we were able to help.

On Saturday we drove out to the Masai Mara to go on safari. It was the most amazing experience that most of us have ever had. We were very privileged to see the well known animals like zebras and giraffes, and also some that are a bit more rare, like lions and cheetahs. 

I think that the sunrises and sunsets added so much to the adventure. The "winter" weather here is gorgeous and balmy 60-70ish degrees! Here's part of our group enjoying the landscape while watching for deadly animals...haha. :)

We were also privileged to attend a staff church service on Sunday at the safari lodge where we stayed. It was a big blessing to see so many passionate Christians at work there and encouraging us. Robyn shared some about our group and from Psalm 139, which talks about the Lord always knowing our steps and being ever faithful.

The safari was a much needed rest and re-charge time as we are looking forward to next week, when we will be working with some special needs children, abandoned infants, and some sick babies. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support, they are much needed and appreciated! Continue to pray for our health as well, that we would all be in the best condition to take care of the children here.

We miss you all! 

~Jaki

P.S. Happy 16th Birthday to my sister Ginny yesterday!! :) They won't let me bring you a lion cub but I'll try to find something just as good. Love you!

From Massai Mara Safari

Jambo!


We have internet here! We wanted to take a few minutes to update everyone. It's been an eventful few days. Yesterday and the day before, we visted Tenwek Hospital. It was eye opening and inspiring at the same time... definitely a learning experience. Several of us were able to see births, which was absolutely crazy compared to what we've witnessed in American hospitals. Kenyan women are tough, let's just say that. I think I learned more about OB last night than I did my entire OB clinical rotation. A few of us are very interested in returning to Tenwek someday as nurses. We'll see. Yesterday we celebrated 75 years since the first missionary nurse arrived at Tenwek Hospital. There was a health fair going on at the same time, so we helped with blood pressures and medication adminstration. Hundereds of people from the community came to the fair, and it really opened our eyes to the overwhelming need there. It was heart breaking to have to turn people away at the end of the day. Our leader, Robyn, spoke at the celebration because she has served Tenwek Hospital for 31 years.

Today we drove to Massai Mara for our safari adventure. We were literally within 10 ft of 5 or 6 lions. They were surprising calm, so that was exciting. Our trusty driver, Wilson, kept us safe and taught us all about the animals we saw.

Tomorrow is our last full day of Safari, and we are hoping to see elephants and maybe cheetas if we're lucky. We will return to Nairobi Monday morning, and embark on a week full of jam packed activities. Stay tuned!

Lauren and Emily

P.S. Along with previous prayers mentioned, please pray for the health of some of our team members who are not feeling their best.

Thoughts from 4 am...

Hellooo jet lag! Greetings from Page, Lindsay and Lauren.  We totally should have taken the missionary's advice and medicated ourselves so we could sleep.  Unfortunately, we are not that bright.

"being immobile for 24 hours from flying can make you a little gassy"--anonymous

"at least it doesn't smell..."

"i feel like there's an animal in my stomach desperately trying to get out.  Good thing I took my malaria pill at 1 am."

We leave in three and a half hours to go to Tenwek Hospital.

We are trying to listen for monkeys right now, but all we can hear is our angry stomachs.

we are singing ourselves to sleep to the tune of "5 o'clock--T-Pain", it's not really helping, but it's alright.

Baby girl, good night.