Many people pass this way!

Rainwater collection

Water Purification for drinking and staying well

Yesterday was an interesting day!  Running a mission hospital takes the skills of many people.  Obviously the  physicians, nurses, physical therapists, etc are key but there are also the people who come to construct and maintain the physical plant.  There are three men here now who are from North Carolina and are working to repair and update the waste water system.  When you think of it, this is certainly a key to running the whole place!  There is another couple who have been coming for 10 years and go out into the villages to partner with the village and build wells.  They run their non profit from Virginia but come yearly to check on things and establish new contacts. They are so faithful and committed.

At lunch in the hospital restaurant,  Marv and I met a young woman who is in the Peace Corps.  She lives in a village somewhat near here. She walked for an hour and then took a mattu (taxi of sorts) the rest of the way. She was here to network with the water people and also to spread the word about an event  she is sponsoring on International Women's Day to promote womens education.   She has enlisted the support of the chief and plans talks on HIV/AIDS, family planning, sanitation, starting a business, savings and loans!  Now that is your tax dollar at work through a very courageous, thoughtful young American.

Next time let me tell you about an interesting man we met who is from Mt. Pleasant SC!  It is a small world  believe me and a mission station is a microcosm of the world.  It takes all kinds of talents and gifts to make it run fairly smoothly.  Thank you Lord for all of these people.

The twins are doing well, but alot has changed. I will fill you in on that as well.
love to you all,
Mom and Dad,
Micki and Marv

Nursery Pictures

Nyanya=Nana

I haven't written in a couple of days because I have been very busy becoming a Nyanya to two beautiful little twin girls born on January 6,  2012  (4 days before our  grand daughter Tess was born in SC). They now weigh about 3 pounds each and require feeding every three hours.  Normally their mother would be breast feeding  them and Nyanya would only be a helper.  Sadly, their  mother died a few days after they were born.  She came into the hospital thinking that she would deliver at thirty weeks and instead she received the dire news that she had terminal liver cancer.   The mass that she thought was her pregancy hid a cancerous mass.   She was able to see the twins and hold them.  Her husband,  the twins father,  is an elderly farmer who has five other children ages 12 and under and does not know how he will take care of these babies.  He did come in to visit yesterday and talked with the pediatrician about the future.

My comfort in this situation is that I know that God loves these babies and knows them by name.  They are precious to Him as they are now precious to me.  I am loving and bonding with them in hopes of giving them a good start, but my heart is heavy when I think of what their lives might be like.   I don't think I could bear this situation if I did not trust the Lord to watch over them.   Please remember them and the many children around the world that only Jesus loves.

Obstetrics 101

Ready for March Madness at the Tenwek Guest House

Tenwek Hospital has an abundance of obstetrical referral patients.   What is obvious since my previous visits has been the continued growth in patient volume and acuity of care.  The challenge is how to provide the basics of care to this expanding population.

There have been some obvious changes with a new CAT scan installed and expansion of the educational and research activity...more papers and posters on the walls.   The nursing school continues to attract and train competent and committed students.   

What also is true is that we continue to meet medical students who come here and are committed to serving.   Kenyan interns and residents are eager to learn along with their American colleagues.  

So the answer here at Tenwek to the “care” challenge is an educational strategy that shares knowledge and tools with nurses, physicians and therapists in order to provide the basics of care.   What is also a part of the answer is how to “sustain” the beginners who can be overwhelmed by challenge.  

What you can do is pray for all the learners and teachers at this place who have been called to serve these patients.   What we take for granted educationally is a precious resource.

Marvin

p.s. We live on the top floor just to the left of the Michigan Flag!

Joys of Friendship

We had a refreshing night of sleep and loved hearing the patter of rain on the roof during the middle of the night.  Marv set off early for the hospital and I decided to unpack and to take it easy today as I am still trying to get rid of my cold. About 9 AM the phone rang and it was Helen , the young lady who helps around the guest house where we stay. She excitedly said, Sarah is here and she wants to see you! What an unexpected surprise and great way to begin my first day at Tenwek. Sarah is a woman whom we employed during our last trip here and who became a good friend to me.  Although I have often thought of her,  I have not corresponded or seen her in two years. I ran down the steps from our third floor apartment to greet her and the first thing she said to me was thank you for praying for my family as she gave me a bear hug! This took me aback as it would not have been the first thing I would have expected her to say nor would I have said it to her. How powerful it was though! I had prayed for her, probably not as often as I should have, but we had formed a strong bond and over the years I have remembered her in my thoughts and prayers. What a reminder that committing to pray for a friend is an awesome responsibility and a sacred trust. We reminisced for a few minutes before she had to get to work, but she wants to help me out a day a week which is terrific! 

I finished unpacking our 4 suitcases and putting the Nakumatt groceries away and then met Marv for lunch at the hospital "restaurant". On the way to the restaurant I had another surprise encounter.  I literally ran into my friend from the Neonatal Nursery, Karen Tonui.  She was on her way to work and we bumped into each other.  We have been emailing for the last couple of years, but it was still amazing to see her! I am going to go into the Nursery tomorrow.  She assures me that there is work for me to do!  I really hope so as getting involved is what makes these experiences meaningful. 

What a great day!  To reconnect with people who have been meaningful in your life is one of the greatest joys you can experience.

with love,

mom   (and dad)

micki and marv

First Day in Kenya

Mayfield Guest House - Nairobi

Nakumatt Shopping

Rift Valley

We stepped off a giant KLM 747 about 8:45 last night after a really nice, but long flight. Wow what a giant of a plane! How in the world does it get up into the sky!  We proceeded to the visa line, which was long but moved quite quickly compared to past experiences.  They fingerprint both set of digits, hand write a receipt and then ask for 50 crisp American dollars apiece and let you into the country!  From there we went to the baggage claim and thankfully retrieved our 4 suitcases amidst the chaos.  Just a hint for world travelers, tie some Christmas ribbon on the handle, it sure helps in identification. With four cases stacked high on our trolley we went outside to look for our driver from Samaritan's Purse among the hundreds of drivers waving their signs.  What fun to see our names clearly printed and held high!  Jonathon loaded us up in his Toyota van and off we moved at a snails pace out of the completely disorganized parking lot!  Once you are out of the parking lot Nairobi traffic isn't bad at 11 PM and we arrived at the Mayfield Guest House quickly.  There is a lot of new construction, but many of the roads that were being built last year are still under construction today! 

We slept under malaria nets last night as the room was stuffy and we wanted to open the windows.(no screens)  Breakfast was served promptly at 7:30 and we ate with a couple from England, another from Michigan, and a young missionary from an island North of Madagascar!  Small world!  About 9:30 am another driver, Onessious, picked us up and we were off to the Nakumatt, Kenyan version of walmart, to shop for groceries for a month.  It is always fun to shop for food in another culture.   Finally we were on our way to Tenwek about 11AM.   The trip was 4 hours long and very dusty as this is the dry season. At times we could barely see the road for the squalls of dust that would blow.  We did manage to see a large family of baboons along the side of the road from grandma to small toddlers.  The landscape became cooler and greener as we climbed in altitude and approached Tenwek.   

We are now in our one room apartment and had dinner with a few of the other guests this evening.   I think bed in going to feel mighty good a few minutes from now!  Thank God for safe travel and for the blessing of serving in Kenya.

with love,
mom and dad

We're here!!!

Arrived in  Nairobi about 10 PM their time, 2 PM your time! We had great flights just a little bouncy over the Sahara Desert which always happens.  Very tired, turning in. Travel to Tenwek tomorrow leaving around 10AM after doing our grocery shopping for the month.
Love to you all,
mom and dad

We are leaving

We will keep you updated on our progress.
From Raleigh, NC
M&M

Microlearning

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"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."  Matthew 10:18-20 (The Message)

Microlearning, a new word for most of us, is more like microfinance and how we connect to the developing world.  What we know is that sometimes small, local solutions are more productive than large global initiatives.

But how do we see the developing world?    The person who has recently given us big new views of our world and health has been Hans Rosling.  But the question for most of us is not the statistics but how to empower people/communities.  Will it be economic strategies or an educational response?  My answer, particularly as it relates to health, is an educational response that is focused, small and relational.

The catalyst for microlearning are the new tools that provide immediate responses in clinical educational/learning communities, a problem based learning strategy that uses social networking tools.   It is realtime and occurs within the context of the care.  It provides learners with answers to immediate problems and shares it within the community of learners.   

Marvin

p.s.  We leave tomorrow.