Tales from Tenwek: "Kenyan Kindness"

Despite some of the trials over the past few days, there have also been some wonderful moments spend with the local Kenyan people both in and out of the hospital, and some great times getting to know some other short term missionaries.

Over the past couple of days I have had the pleasure of getting to know the Hoover family, who is part of the wonderful organization called Friends of Tenwek that provides support for its many outreach efforts. Dr. Hoover, the son of the founder of Friends of Tenwek, is actually a pediatric surgeon at Wake Med in Raleigh, just down the road from me in Chapel Hill! The short term volunteers and I have spent a few nights playing cards including a fast paced and very aggressive game called "Nertz," which I am quite bad at but love anyway! We also played Family Feud one night and I learned that one of the volunteers here was actually on the show with her family recently!

I've also spent some wonderful time with my friend Vicki who lives in the village. We took a walk together at dusk along the beautiful Rift Valley country side. Afterwards she invited me to her home, which is in the rural village surrounding the hospital. I was blown away but how little she has but how generous and selfless she is. She lives in a tiny room half the size of a normal bedroom without electricity and with a flashlight and lantern for light. She cooks with a fire outside her home and due to the rain, has not cooked on a fire for about 6 months! Adorning her walls are newspaper clippings and other hand-made decorations. The place still felt so cozy and was filled with so much love. She wanted to show me something she made for me--a list of words and phrases translated from English to Swahili and Kipsigis (local tribal). Many of the phrases were ones that were particularly useful in the hospital. We went through all of them aloud, practicing the beautiful phrases.I couldn't believe she had taken the time to hand write a personal dictionary for me! One of the sweetest gestures I've ever received! I asked her a few of her favorite praise songs and we sat on her bed singing worship songs that both of us knew. Such a cool, humble moment! She talked about some of her past and the death of her parents at a young age. Although she has very little, she still sends clothing to her family members that have even less than she does.

One of my favorite patients from last week, sweet teenage girl excited to go home!

Vicky and me shopping in Bomet

Rustic, colorful beauty of the countryside

Yesterday I was met by her and the tailor in the hospital--they had my hand-made skirts and shirts outside of the NICU waiting for me when I was done with rounds! Wonderful to see her smiling face while at work. I met up with her later that evening and took a taxi to the nearby town Bomet to get a few things at the grocery store and use the ATM. The town was quite busy after a funeral for a famous singer from the town who had just been tragically killed. I absolutely love the outfits that the tailor made and wore the skirt today at work!

One of the medical officer interns (Victor) and I

Today I also was able to get off early enough to make a trek up to the overlook of the Rift Valley called Montigo Mountain. I encountered numerous group of curious young children along the way, many of whom followed me for a short distance. Unsurprisingly, I took a wrong turn and when I finally realized it, it was going to be too late for me to still make it back before dark. To my rescue was a kind local man who owned a taxi motor bike and also a pastor. He drove me to the base of the mountain and along the way we picked up a local woman named Sophie who is actually an x-ray tech at the hospital. She was so sweet and invited me into her home! Her home is located near a school, and Ba throng of school children in uniforms greeted and followed me like a celebrity! Her home is a small 1 room house on a patch of farmland where she has several cows, chicken, and grows various fruits trees and vegetables. With bright blue paint, it was a lovely site against the lusch green valley below. I can't believe she has time to work a full job then come home and milk cows, work in the garden, entertain guests! Inside her home I sat on the couch with not only her 4 children, but about 8 other local village children! The pastor/motor bike driver also joined us for a bit. I asked the children their favorite bible verses, songs, and other questions. We all enjoyed a nice cup of hot chai tea which definitely hit the spot after riding in the cool rainy air. After a while I then walked the short path to the top of the mountain, led by the throng of children, many of whom walked up the muddy trail without shoes. The view from the top was just breathtaking. I could see a 360 degree view of the valley below, with patches of farm land painting the hills. The settling fog and setting sun gave an erethreal quality to the landscape. On the way back I nearly made it before dark, and then another Good Samaritan offered to drive me the last 1/2 mile or so. He talked about how he had met many volunteers at Tenwek and was very thankful for their help.

Talk about God truly being creative and being a provider. If I hadn't gotten lost, I would never have met these wonderful people and had such amazing encounters! Just more examples of the spirit of true hospitality and thoughtfulness of this culture of people.

Tonight's evening ended with a big dinner (homemade guacamole and chocolate chip cookies!) dedicated to celebrating the Friends of Tenwek organization and discussing some of the upcoming strategic plans. I am definitely inspired to support this amazing organization and hope to somehow give back to them on a regular basis.