Alice had a day off from the hospital today, so I went for a couple of hours over to Kitoben to try to take some pictures of individual kids, and go through our files to review where all the kids are with school and life. It was fun being with Alice, just the two of us, and it seemed kind of like old times. Things have been a little strained between us off and on, I think because of the huge need before her. Today I felt like we were pulling in the same direction. That was very refreshing.

If I were an orphan, I would absolutely want Alice to be my adopted mom. She knows pretty much every detail about all 100 kids. She has a list of all the kids with their birthdays  When they come home for break, she has someone bake a cake and then they have a birthday party for everyone who had a birthday when they were away at school. Over and over she said, this or that was happening in their lives... single mother died, slave to relatives in different ways, only parent mentally ill, relatives not feeding them... So we took them in. It is just matter of fact, there is a need, and we met it. I believe this passion for the kids is totally God given, because no one could do this in their own strength.



Saying goodbye from the back of a hatchback

Also, she is doing individual fund raisers for each of the ones in college to meet their tuition. The money that some of us send through Nations to Nations is barely enough to get them through high school. One friend of ours and Alice's, Karen Tanksley, has talked about an idea where we could figure out financing for college loans. She had thought about trying to get sponsors, have the kids take out a loan for college, and pay half of it back. If anyone knows of any microfinance organization or other way to go about doing this, please let us know. It is a big need now and will get much bigger in the years to come. It would be great if we could do this college stuff thru another organization that was set up for loans.

When I first arrived today, Alice wasn't there. She was out sharing about Jesus door to door. She said "You said tell others, so I went to tell others. I went on this side (she pointed) this morning, and will go to this side this afternoon. A friend is gathering some people on the corner at noon for me to share with them. This Saturday we will have a children's rally on the lawn for all the kids on the airstrip. I will buy them something small and share with them, then our children will do D groups with them." WOW. Somehow in America I have made things more complicated than they need to be.

Our attempt to do D groups with the kids way surpassed whatever we had pictured in our minds. Tommy and I took the oldest 6 kids and did a group and then the older kids each took several younger kids and repeated the process.  I think I'm always a little shocked when kids do what I suggest! Our verse card for yesterday was about God having a wonderful plan for each of them, and that He would never fail or abandon them. The story we did was about Jesus calming the sea. We gave the kids in standard 4 and up each one of the little red booklets (parts of which are shown below) with their name on the front.  They were treasuring them.  The sight of the kids spread over the lawn doing the groups with each other was pretty cool.  Tommy was quite the inspirer.  He was talking to the boys about revival starting at Kitoben, and was drawing pictures of how multiplication can reach the world! They love the verse keychains too.  Right when we pulled up yesterday, they greeted us and immediately ran to the meeting room, waiting to get their next verse addition.  I guess you and I can really do this stuff, because we feel pretty clueless.

The boys doing D groups

The girls praying over the C for commit portions in twos

Today we are going again and have several visitors that want to go with us.  Should be fun. Thanks again for praying for us and for Tommy's call, it went good.  One down 3 or 4 to go. We continue to be so very grateful for our friends!!

Jet lag is such a real thing for me. We arrived at the Nairobi airport at 8pm, noon KC time. It was as I had expected with the international terminal burning down a few weeks ago. Ramp off the plane to the tarmac, bus to the makeshift tent for immigration, and of course a free for all when they finally let us into the tent with our luggage. That was fun. Grab a bag, grab a cart, lose Anne, find another bag far away, one more bag that is of course black, find it, find Anne. Perfect. Head out to the mob of people waiting with little signs that have names in all sizes written on them. I took the short cut and yelled out Samaritan's Purse, Kettler family very loud and out came our driver smiling and happy that I had made it easier. There were no mishaps on the plane as I did not hit Anne in the nose with falling luggage this year. They, whoever they are, reassigned our seats to Nairobi from Amsterdam and Anne sat next to a fairly large man who looked like a bad guy in a movie. Anne said animated movie. He drank no less than 7 bottles of wine on the trip and said less than 10 words. He was of course the aisle seat so I not only felt trapped but was. We made it, and we made it to Tenwek, no harm done. The first night we woke up very early. Anne said it seems like we just went to sleep, but it's 5:30. I said, you didn't change your watch, it's 1:30. We talked and laughed for a couple of hours. That's how jet lag starts. Then when you need to stay awake there is no way to do it. We have been here for 6 days now and it's a lot better. No more afraid to look at the clock for fear it will be 12:30.

I like the way Anne put the pictures in so I will try and take you along my journey at the hospital at times. I am in the endoscopy unit filling in for one of the long term missionaries, Dr. Steve Burgert. He is a gastroenterologist and has things really running smoothly. I go back 15 years here at Tenwek, to a time of overhead paging, like M.A.S.H., and scopes that worked not so well. I did them when I could get away from my work in the wards, and became more proficient as the demand for more complicated things arose. I have now done almost everything except ERCP's. It's challenging and the team in endoscopy is fun and good at what they do. I brought over a scope that was repaired by a Kansas City company, that we have had a relationship with through College Park for years. A small world. The service they have provided Tenwek is amazing, repairing scope after scope. Anyway, the patients receive probably the best care in East Africa, with scopes and equipment that are top quality, and a team of providers that really care about serving. Since a lot of the care centers around esophageal cancer I am happy to say the men and women who work here have not grown cold and cynical, but continue to treat people with dignity and love, praying before each case and showing concern over small details. Many patients cannot swallow and are in pain, so it makes a difference.

I was on call last night and before I went over to casualty (the ER) to evaluate the five or six admissions I had waiting for me I wrote the following in my journal.  The air here is cool with a mild breeze and I can catch a glimpse of a rolling hill several hours walk from here. A lot of people are milling around: visiting family members, staff, patients that can walk. Tenwek has 300 beds so it can be quite action packed at times. I just finished a full day of endoscopy. Lots of cases, all different. It was peaceful out here until just a few minutes ago. An older woman and two younger women tore through here screaming and wailing. Tearing at their clothes and being restrained, they came from the vicinity of the intensive care unit. I could only assume that a family member had died. Grieving here is loud and out in front of anyone and everyone. Death is so in your face here. It seems that very few escape the untimely death of someone in the extended family. Dealing with the endoscopy unit this week has brought me back to "life isn't fair." Cancer, complications, chronic illness, unmet potential, it goes on and on and comes in the door over and over. Being here allows me to be exposed. I cannot hide. I don't want to hide. I draw near to God as they do that suffer. Asking questions that cannot be answered and praying for strength and faith. I pray a lot here.

On the lighter side I made rounds this morning after a pretty good night on call. The two interns I made rounds with were Paul and Barnabas, go figure. The charts are sometimes entertaining to me.
Sick looking = ill
Elderly = anyone over 30
HOB = hotness of body = elevated temp
Loss of pulses = the best I can tell is that the patient has died.

It says pull in this direction, but there is no arrow

This is the staff toilet in endoscopy. The reading material is well, think about it.

 

I will leave you with this. You do not want to be an elderly sick looking mother with HOB just prior to loss of pulses. 

Fun group of International medicine fellows from
 David Platt's church in Birmingham.  They were "Radical!"

Good news!  Today the two ladies with pemphigus were both sitting up having chai and ndazis and watching an African worship video!  A remarkable improvement from the day before.  Their skin still looks pretty bad, but they obviously feel much better.  Thanks for praying for them.

Yesterday, two new friends and I went to Kitoben to visit, share and hand out the first of part of a keychain thing that we brought with bible promises and verses on it.  Mikelan made them for us at the last minute :))))  There are two things we are aiming to do this time with the kids at Kitoben.  The first is to give out these verse keychains, and try to give a story or word picture with each portion that helps it stick. The second is to start D groups with the older kids and encourage them to do the same at school and with the younger kids.  D group is a term I think coined by All Nations and it is just an easily reproducible kind of discipleship group/church with three ABC elements:  A for ask (thanksgivings and prayer requests), B for bible ( a passage read and discussed in a very specific and simple way) and C for commit (stating who you will pray for and tell this story to, and practicing how to tell it).  Its funny, but somehow doing these things  make me pretty nervous and are surely out of my comfort zone. I struggle to teach and communicate in that environment, and wish I had Julie or Kathy in my back pocket.  Anyway, the first one went great I think.  Whitney and Hannah helped and shared with the kids; they were amazing.  Whitney shared about God having a special plan for each kid and that we are all one big family in Jesus.  Their eyes and smiles were so expressive as she shared.  Hannah shared about how important it is to work hard in school and finish.  I think if I would have asked Alice and Samwel to script two talks, they would have been exactly right on!  We will try to do the D groups this weekend sometime.  We are praying that God's promises stay in their heart forever, and help get them through the rough times ahead.



Alice's sister Sharon (Brian's mom) and brother Benard who both care for the kids.  Hannah (middle)
just graduated from Wheaton and is working for Tenwek.  Whitney is an international adoption counselor
from Birmingham.  Whitney and Hannah were awesome sharing with the kids.

When we visit, we will  hand out the card for that time, share about it, and then the children
 bring them up for us to write their name in the space.  Hopefully the promise will become very personal to them. 

Last year we sat around the dinner table and talked about happies and crappies for the day. This is actually a great way to stay in touch with each other.  My happy yesterday was that Samwel told us that he and Alice took all the kids third grade and under out of school 3 months ago and hired 3 teachers to teach them at home.  They divided the building that Michael, Big Mike, Colin and Roy built last year into 3 classrooms and are using that as a school house.  They realized that this was financially wise and I think it will be great for the kids as well.  It is always gut wrenching to put a ceiling on how much you will give because the needs are endless, but this was very encouraging for us.  They are wisely making the best of what they have.  My crappy was that Mercy, a different Mercy, has developed a disease called scleroderma and is starting to have joint contractures, trouble swallowing, and some bad skin changes.  She is so quiet and timid anyway, so my heart breaks for her.  I will try to see if I can get her started on some treatment, find someone to follow her here, and get some braces made for her arms back in the US.


The Kitoben kids yesterday. Many home for break and 20-25 are there year round.  The high school  kids that are able have begun going to their home villages for breaks to reconnect so they have a place to go when they graduate.

I walked in to say Hi to Tommy today in the endoscopy lab, and he was helping Lando Justice (yes, that is his most awesome real name) were removing a piece of goat rib bone from someone's esophagus.  It was quite a struggle because it was lodged horizontally, but Lando triumphed and got it loose.  The man ended up spitting it out, so we were all happy to know it wouldn't get stuck again.  Apparently meat is considered more fresh here if it has bones in it...maybe not a good thing. Tommy is on call Friday and Monday, which is actually a real reason to be nervous.  Please pray for the mind of Christ and strength for him.




The funniest carrot I have ever seen!

Hello from Kenya! We made it. Communication has been challenging, but wanted to let you know that we are here and have begun work at the hospital. We also got to drop by the children's home the first day we got here and everything looks great! The buildings and playground are being put to full use, the crops are growing, two of the cows are giving milk, the water tanks are full, there is some electricity, and a lot of life! About 50 of the kids were there and it was so much fun to see them, the place was buzzing. We would appreciate your prayers for our work at the hospital, and especially pray for our time with the kids. We plan to talk to them about discipleship and living out their faith in Jesus. We will write more when we are less jet- lagged. Thank you for your prayers and support, Love Tom and Anne


Playground built by Mike Kokinos

Beans and other crops in the distance





The newest building in the distance and the retaining wall
that Michael Gromer, Colin and Roy worked on last fall



Some of you remember Brian.  He has grown!



Immigration at the Nairobi airport temporary tent.  The international portion was destroyed by fire recently.  Baggage claim was a ZOO!

 

 

Blogging is all new for us, but we decided it was the best way to get some pictures mixed in since Michael, the facebook whiz, is sadly not with us this time. We have had a packed full few days. I just have to start out with the highlight so far, and I can't really imagine anything else taking over its place as #1. This morning we were sitting in morning report at the hospital when a young woman caught my eye. She smiled and waved shyly at me, and my brain said "Is that... no it can't be... maybe??..." And indeed it was!!! Mercy, one of the many Mercys at Kitoben Childrens Home, graduated from high school and started Clinical Officer training (like a PA at home) almost a year ago, and is doing a clinical rotation at Tenwek!!! She is one of a sibling group of three that Alice and Samwel welcomed in 12 years ago. You can imagine our sense of joy in seeing her there and realizing again how much she has overcome with God's help! 

The brightest moments always seem to come after discouragement, maybe that's what makes them so bright.Last night was kind of a low point, the usual thoughts and questions flooded in: "What in the world are we doing here?" "Can we even think straight any more, much less remember the name of a disease process or a person that we know?"  "How in the world do we communicate the immensity of your love and trustworthiness to these kids? "Will I ever get to sleep and can I just throw all technology away once and for all?"  "How does anything we do really make a dent in problems this big?" and of course, "There is no way we have what it takes!?" And surely we don't, but we do have to arrive at that very point by a different road every time we serve. And we all do. The bright spots are awesome, but God's movement is so very often underground or over our heads, out of our sight and recognition. Our only hope is to just keep walking along by faith, one foot in front of another. As we do that, He is working in ways we can't even dream up. He describes it in Ephesians as " beyond, beyond what we can imagine or think." So once again we set our minds and hearts like flint to believe God, and "look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal, brief and fleeting, but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting" (2 corinth 4:18).

On the hospital front, The dermatology consult business has been busier than ever. I have seen some really challenging and unusual cases already, even life-threatening, which is not my standard fare for the US of A. There are two ladies in the hospital with pemphigus vulgaris, a serious blistering disease that is somewhat like being a burn victim. Please pray for their rapid healing and that they would feel God's presence as they endure this awful condition. Another woman has a blistering diesease of pregnancy which we are treating, but she needs prayer for the health of her unborn child. This morning a man was admitted with a tumor on his head almost the size of another head. He was humiliated and I don't know whether they will try to operate or not. I pray that they all experience the love of Jesus here, and I am thankful that there are chaplains here that share Good News with the patients in their own heart language.  Tommy is enjoying endoscopy and has great people to work with.. They are a fun group, and he keeps them laughing. He is gathering stories to write about, so he will be keeping us all laughing too:)) As always, the residents and interns are so much fun to work with and most of them love to learn.  This year there are so many young visiting doctors and their families, and that always keeps things lively.  Yesterday we had lunch at A-Aron's house.  Tomorrow morning I have four young women going to Kitoben with me. Two of them asked me if I would take them there and then the group kept growing. One of them was on the track team at Wheaton with Ian McGregor, and one is interestingly an international adoption counselor with Lifeline Children's Services. Please pray that we can love well, present truth in a way that lasts, and that faith would be increased all around. 

With much love and gratitude, Anne

Old friends Eliud and Julius.  We DID remember their names.



Mercy Chepngeno at Tenwek now in Clinical Officer training.  Came to Kitoben with her
brother and sister in 2001 after the death of her single
 mother due to HIV