Weekend #2 = Friends, Fellowship, Fun!!!

What an amazing weekend filled with friends, fellowship, and fun!!!
















On Saturday myself, Nathan, Lyle, Trent, Todd, and Anette journeyed on a 4-mile hike to the peak of Motigo Mountain. It was absolutely stunning!! The views were incredible...I stood in awe of God's creations! It was a morning filled with bonding and fellowship! We took our time on our 4-hour adventure and we were able to capture God's beauty in some of our pictures...I can't wait to post them! On our journey to the top we passed a church that was in the midst of a worship/prayer service. We were welcomed and encouraged to join, so we stopped by to enjoy the music coming from the choir. After a few songs, we continued on our hike to the peak of the mountain! It was a glorious site! The view was breathtaking! We stayed for awhile to take in all the beauty that surrounded us and to enjoy the company of some of the native children! A short time later we began our trek back down the mountain. Thanks be to God, when the daily rain began to settle in we were passing a locals home whom Todd happened to know. We were invited in to take chi tea. To many in the US this home would be considered a shack, but to the Kenyans this home was above standards. It amazes me how very welcoming every Kenya is! We sat as the rain passed over us in this Kenya home, everyone taking chi except me (I don't really care for the taste of chi) and sharing in fellowship! It was an uplifting experience! Once the shower had passed, we continued back down the mountain. As we passed back by the church we were invited to come say some words in front of the congregation. The reason for this "Prayer Day" was in preparation for the high-school exit test. The community gathered to pray over the children as they prepared for their studies. The education system is quite different here...one test can truly determine your future! We all walked to the front of this overfilled church and the pastor welcomed each of us! We each took a moment to introduce ourselves, say a short message, and to thank them for letting us share in their worship. Todd prayed for the children, then we exited the church. On the outside of the church many children stood that were unable to find room on the inside. All of the children wanted to shake our hands and to take pictures with us...we were so very honored! It was an incredible experience! Throughout the rest of our decent we were greeted by children running along side of us...it still amazes me how friendly all the natives are!







On Sunday myself and Lyle were invited to return home with an intern, Elijah, and join him at his church. This morning started off with about a 2-hour ride through Kenya. The sites were breathtaking! Tea leaves are grown throughout Kenya and tea factories exist everywhere! The tea crops are a bright green and make the mountainsides stunning! Our destination was Elijah's parents home. In Kenya anytime guest are expected, food is prepared. We had a wonderful Kenyan breakfast waiting for us when we arrived. I was very honored to meet Elijah's mother, father, and one of his 10 siblings! Large families are traditional and are only beginning to get smaller with this generation. After a wonderful breakfast and being welcomed into Elijah's childhood home, we were able to take many pictures to capture our experience! Shortly after we piled back into the car to head to church. We were among the first to arrive...Kenya time is slow time, so many ventured in late! The service lasted about 2 1/2 hours. It was such an incredible experience!!! About 30 minutes into the service and the entire church was filled...there were no seats left available!! One of my many thoughts was why are the churches in the US not this full?? Why are there seats left available during our worship services?? We have so much to be thankful for in the US...we are so blessed, so why is that the Kenya's who are given so little are so much more thankful?? Why is it that the Kenya's live out their faith so much better than us Americans? I was left baffled by the worship experience that I took part of this morning. Shouldn't every worship experience in every church be so uplifting? My brothers and sisters in Kenya welcomed me before the congregation to say a few words...it was a powerful experience! The sermon was given in part by Lyle with Elijah translating, then Elijah finished up the last half of the message. HIV/AIDS is such a huge issue in Kenya and one that carries a stigma. The topic for the sermon was education/treatment for HIV/AIDS and how to love and care for those carrying the disease. It was a message that was well accepted! The gospel used to support the message was Matthew 15:29-31, "Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel." Jesus healed the sick, so we must treat the sick as Jesus did! The 2 1/2 hours was filled with praise, worship, fellowship, and love! At the end of the service 4 cokes were brought out...one for myself, Lyle, Elijah, and Elijah's wife, Emily. Guest are always greeted with a treat...and in Kenya a coke would be considered a treat for most! For those that don't know me, I have not had a soda since I was in middle school. It was impossible for me to turn down such hospitality...they were honoring me, and it would have been rude for me not to accept! So after almost 18 years I had my first coke today! I have to admit it wasn't bad, but I think I'll stick with my water. As we were exiting the church after service, the crowd continued to follow us to the car. Our car was surrounded with children and adults wanted to greet us, just to shake our hands. Many reached in to the car to touch us...it was a very surreal experience! We made our way through the crowd and began our journey back to Tenwek! What an amazing way to start my Sunday!!!

Elijah's parent's home. His mother made breakfast for us!

Elijah's families tea fields! Tea fields are in abundance in Kenya.

Elijah's family:

Church:









In preparation for this coming week I ask all that are following my journey to pray for the sick here at Tenwek! Pray for those that don't have a relationship with God! And pray for those that live in despair!

While I am praying over those here in Kenya, I am also remembering my church family at the Gathering at Hillvue Heights Church in my prayers! I am blessed to have such a strong group of believers as my church family! I miss them dearly and I pray that they are continuing to preach the gospel in our Bowling Green community and that others are coming to know Christ through them! Be an example...be a missionary as we are all called to be! No matter where you are today, follow Christ and share the gospel!

Tenwek Hospital

After an adjustment period I have truly began to fall in love with Tenwek! The community here is absolutely astounding! Within 11 days I have bonded tremendously with the people of Tenwek! All of the short-term missionaries stay in the guest-house and we have somewhat formed a family amongst the other missionaries! There is Nathan and myself, Lyle Walton (surgical med student from South Carolina, here for one month), Trent Wilson (orthopedic surgeon from Alabama, here for one month), David and Cheryl Lee (internal and pediatric medical residents from Ohio, here for one month), Anette (respiratory therapist from Canada, here for one month), Todd Anderson(engineer from California, here for 1 year), Dolly and Vince Mungillo (part of the long-term missionaries, they welcome visiting staff). We have all been extended very gracious invitations into this community of believers. Every day, although challenging, is so very uplifting! It is quiet incredible! We enjoy our meals together, we fellowship together, we sit around our table each with a laptop and study together. Tonight was movie night and we enjoyed watching The Blindside together! Every morning the body of healthcare providers come together as one and pray. We pray with our patients, we love them, we treat them to the best of our abilities! It is such an amazing lifestyle to be welcome into!

Just a bit about Tenwek Hospital. Tenwek's motto is: We Treat, Jesus Heals! What a true statement that is! While Tenwek Hospital's focus is on treating patients, it's main goal is to spread the gospel! Here are some statics from last year's annual report:

Chaplaincy Statistics 2009
Chapel attendance 46,900
Converts 3,293
Recommitted backsliders 978
Tracts distributed 6,291
Bibles distributed 486
Bereaved families contacted 363

In 2010, over 4,000 Kenyans have dedicated their lives to Christ through hearing the gospel at Tenwek! God is doing an incredible work here!

Linda Spriegels and her family are some of the long-term missionaries here at Tenwek. Linda helps to translate bible studies into Swahili. So far she has started over 100 bible study groups throughout Kenya! That is a true example of following Jesus and spreading the gospel!

How incredible it has been to witness the works taking place at Tenwek! A strong motivation of mine in coming to Kenya was to transform lives through sharing the gospel. While I feel lives are being touched by my presence, I now know that the life that will be the most transformed is mine!

A couple of children have passed over the last few days...please keep their families in your prayers!!

Everyday is Something New

Every Wednesday morning begins with Doctor's Devotional. This morning Dr Manchester spoke about mission work and gave a testimony on how he was led into the mission field. It was a very powerful testimony! The following are reasons why Dr Manchester gave for being a missionary:
1) For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." Acts 17:23-25
2) Joy comes only from doing what pleases God.
3) Missions is THE central theme of the Bible.
4) So many people have not the gospel.
5) Jesus commanded it.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Please watch the following video titled "A Thousand Questions":



"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

A quote by William Booth that describes mission work perfectly: “While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end!”

It was a powerful way to start my day!! Remember that all Christians are called to be missionaries! No matter where you are, be a missionary today! Find someone to witness to, find someone to share the gospel with!

Now I would like to inform you on a few of my patients and a couple of the more traumatic events that took place today.
My 13 yoa girl that was struck by lightening has 75% of her body covered in 2nd degree burns. She is at high risk for infection and this morning became febrile spiking a fever of 103 F. She had tachycardia, tachypnea, hypoxia, and was going septic fast! We started her on a few different antibiotics and gave her some blood transfusions. This afternoon her symptoms seemed a bit better, but please pray for her. She has a long recovery ahead and she is at high risk for infections!
My patient that I felt was most stable pre-rounds was a 4 yoa girl who presented yesterday with coughing spells where she would become hypoxic, vomit sputum, and have convulsions. She was diagnosed yesterday with pneumonia and a reactive airway disease, then started on treatments. The nebulizer that she was receiving seemed to be helping, so I thought we were on the right track! This morning when I looked at her vitals I noticed that her oxygen saturation was down to 80% (you typically want the sat to be > 90%), so I wrote an order for her oxygen to be increased from 1 L to 2 L and to monitor her levels. When I stopped by a bit later her oxygen saturation was at 84% (still under 90%), so I increased the oxygen to 3 L. During rounds something made me decide to go check on her oxygen levels...praise the Lord! As I entered the room I found the father trying to control the child as she started into her coughing spell! She was gasping for air, had a whooping cough (for all you medical people, you should now have your diagnose), was expelling fleem from her mouth and nose...then the situation went from bad to worse. She began convulsing from the lack of oxygen, she became cyanotic, passed out, and stopped breathing!! I ran quickly to the rest of the team, informed them of my patients status, then returned to my patient. Elijah, one of the interns, grabbed the girl and ran with her to the resuscitation room. As Elijah began suctioning the sputum from her mouth and nose, the patient became responsive and began to expel large amounts of thick, yellow sputum. She became very frightened from the events taking place, so as Elijah continued suctioning her I held her hands and rubbed her arms to calm her down. Dr Lee supplied her with oxygen and soon afterward the event was over. Post the event a worm was found throughout the sputum that was vomited up. My diagnoses quickly changed to pertussis and she was also positive for worms. Pertussis is not common in the states because it is a scheduled vaccination in the US. It is as well a scheduled vaccination in Kenya, but many families can not afford to get their children vaccinated. I switched my patient to the right medications and this afternoon she seemed to be improving.

The burn patient:


The last case that I will inform you of was one of Elijah's patients that I was blessed enough to get to observe! Elijah is the intern on call today, so anytime a baby is delivered Elijah must be there. There were two babies delivered today...that is about average at Tenwek. A lady presented in preterm labor with some complications...she did not know how far along in her pregnancy she was. The OB/GYN decided the best option would be to perform a C-section. Peds was paged and myself, Elijah, and Dr Lee went to the ER to prepare for the baby. After about 30 mins the baby was rushed in, presenting unresponsive and not breathing. Elijah had to suction and bag the newborn. After a few minutes the newborn began to cry and take its first breaths of life! Once taken to the NICU the babies weight was determined to be slightly over 2 lbs. It was an amazing experience to take in!

Please continue to pray for the patients at Tenwek Hospital! Pray for the healhcare providers to be given the strength and knowledge to treat their patients, and pray for Jesus to heal these patients by His will!

2nd Week Abroad

So this week started off kind of different. As I expressed before, I am having a bit of trouble adapting to the food here. It is not bad food, just different. As an American we have the luxury of eating what we want, when we want. I have became spoiled to the convenience of only eating food when I enjoy the taste, as opposed to eating food for survival. With that said, I have not been eating enough or staying adequately hydrated since I left the states. Being sleep-deprived, a bit hypoglycemic, and dehydrated does not mix well with high altitudes, heat, and overcoming body odors. While in the middle of rounds in the pediatric unit yesterday I being nauseated, flushed, tingly, very weak, and preceded to pass-out. I spent the rest of the day in bed and waited on by Dolly, a wonderful elderly mission woman that lives in the building beside the guest house. While I felt a bit silly, I do now recognize that I need to take better care of myself and my nutrition while away from home.

Day 2 of this week went much smoother! I spend much of my time in Peds feeling inadequate and under-trained. I've never worked in Peds before and my training in school was minimum with children. The cases that we deal with are quite severe and most are life-threatening! I question most of my decisions and worry many times that what I decide might cost a child it's life! Thankfully I have a team of doctors, residents, and interns that are very bright and are very willing to help and teach me throughout this journey! Today my cases included: a 13 yoa girl who had been struck by lightening and had 75% of her body covered by 2nd degree burns, a 12 yoa girl with sickle cell disease who was admitted during a painful crisis and later developed pneumonia, a 4 yoa girl with pneumonia which was exacerbated by an reactive airway infection, a 4 month baby girl with pneumonia, a 28 day baby girl that lost its mother during childbirth, and a 7 day baby girl that weighs 3.5 lbs and is having increased emesis. Also brought into the NICU today was a child that was born around 28 weeks of gestation weighing only 2 lbs!! She is the smallest baby I have ever seen in person and the chances of her surviving are very slim! There were many births over the weekend, so right now we have about 35 babies in the NICU....and remember these are just the babies that were born needing intensive care and 1 in 5 of these babies won't survive! Two of the children in the pediatrics unit were given a poor prognosis today...there is only so much we are able to do with the resources we have, so both of these children will soon die.

Although I often report on the poor conditions here, I stand amazed at how much the providers are able to do at Tenwek Hospital! The knowledge of the healthcare providers is quite amazing and the amount of care they are able to provide with the resources they are given is astounding. Please continue to pray for the children at Tenwek, and all throughout Kenya! Pray for the healthcare providers...pray that God continues to work miracles through them and that God continues to provide them with the knowledge, the resources, and the strength they need to practice under such poor conditions!

‎"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Mara Safari

The Astonishing Landscape:





It was unbelievable how close we were to the untamed animals!



This is how close I was to the lion in the previous picture!!



We were allowed to walk within about 5 feet of the rhinos, without any barriers!




Jambo!!! (Hello!!!) How do I begin to describe my weekend??? Stellar, amazing, superb, paradise....the list goes on! I was truly surrounded by God's presence this weekend! I had such an amazing experience! So, let me start by filling you in on what I did this weekend.

Of course when most people think of Africa, wild animals comes to mind! Well, I was given the opportunity to go on a safari this weekend...and not just any safari! I stayed at Mara Safari Club, a five-star resort that was rated one of the top world-renown resorts! And all for a amazing $300 US dollars, which included a 3 day/2 night stay, 6 delectable meals, 4 game drives, and travel! The resort has special rates for guest of Tenwek Hospital...and any missionaries visiting Tenwek are highly encouraged to go experience this resort! We had tea/coffee brought to our tent each morning with our wake-up call, our beds turned down each night, massages, personal waiters...basically we were waited on for our every need. And when I say tent...I mean an exquisite bedroom/bathroom with all the extras that you could want...we even had a heating pad placed at the foot of our bed, under the covers, waiting for us when we returned to our rooms each night. The Mara River ran right in front of our rooms, so in the mornings you could walk out onto your balcony and watch the hippos play in the river!! The scenery was majestic, the animals surreal, the staff unbelievable friendly and welcoming. We walked up to a herd of rhinos and stood about 5 feet from them, lions and cheetahs were within 10 feet of our open Landrover. It was such an incredible experience! We saw zebra, giraffes, buffalo, elephants, a variety of antelopes, hennas....and many more. It was definitely a surreal moment in my life. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking! God's creations were seen everywhere...His presence felt everywhere.

While visiting the safari club this weekend, my new friend Lyle (who is a med student missionary here at Tenwek) and I met up with two other girl medical students who are located at another missionary hospital here in Kenya, one Samantha and the other Letizia. Samantha is a follower, while Letizia is not but has a heart for mission work. Samantha and myself bonded right away and share many things in common...we were able to witness and share fellowship with one another which was an incredible experience! We were also able to witness to Letizia, who began to ask questions toward the end of our visit!

On Saturday morning, Cyrus (the staff that cleaned my room) and I ran into one another on the path that leads to my room. He of course sparked up a conversation by asking me how my day was and offering to help me carry my bag. We began to talk and Cyrus mentioned that I had a beautiful Bible...he had seen it in my bed when he was cleaning my room. Cyrus and I began to talk about how we both were followers of Christ, then he informed me that the staff had a small community located next to the resort that had a chapel. The villagers met there EVERYDAY for worship from 1-1:30pm and again from 10-11pm at night. He extended an invitation to me and I immediately accepted! My new friend, Samantha, decided to join me as well. So, at 1pm on Saturday I attended my first Swahili church service! It was quite an experience! They sang two songs...although I didn't understand the words, the spirit and music were so uplifting! Samantha and I clapped and danced around with all the Kenyans. A Kenyan woman led worship...it was centered on 1 Samuel 13, when Samuel rebukes Saul for not being passionate and waiting on the Lord's timing. It was a wonderful and powerful message...and funny enough a message that Samantha and I had chatted about by the pool earlier in the day. After service was prayer time, then they thanked Samantha and I for visiting and worshiping with them and asked us to come to the front to say some words. We were both caught off guard, but the Lord spoke through us and we stood before the congregation as witnesses speaking for about 10 minutes. After service was over everyone wanted to greet us and shake our hands...it was a God loving moment!!

I am so blessed to have gotten to experience such a majestic place...it is a paradise hidden within Kenya! It is so nice to get a different perspective on Kenya, and not just leave here with only being shown one way of life! I am beginning to see how much the presence of God is felt throughout Kenya! It is apparent everywhere...the Kenyans love God! I came to witness to them, but they are doing an incredible job witnessing right back!

Today I was reading "Crazy Love" and found the following passage to be very enlightening: "Maybe life's pretty good for you right now. God has given you this good stuff so that yo can show the world a person who enjoys blessings, but who is still totally obsessed with God. Or maybe life is tough right now, and everything feels like a struggle. God has allowed hard things in life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard. It is easy to become disillusioned with the circumstances of our lives compared to others'. To be brutally honest, it doesn't really matter what place you find yourself right now. Your part is to bring Him glory."

The simplicity of the Kenyan lifestyle does not blind them with worldly distractions. Life is a struggle for most here, but they have found peace and joy through our Jesus Christ! It is the US I have come to feel sorry for...we are given so much and so many let that distract them from the love of our Lord! My prayers are with the US citizens. The Kenyans may not own much on the Earth, but they will have an abundance waiting for them in our eternal kingdom.
" Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will have the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Luke 16:13

It is a beauty that can not be described. I am so thankful I have been given the opportunity to experience this culture! What an incredible journey I am on!!

I have amazing pictures to post, but will have to wait for faster internet speed. Asante! (Thank You!)

The Safari!!!!








This is a picture from the deck connected to my room. The river directly behind me is called "Hippo's Corner" and that is where the hippo's are found each morning!





This little guy decided to crawl out of the bushes directly behind my lounge chair when I was relaxing by the pool! I was quite startled!