In Kenya, you must be flexible... because everything changes at the blink of an eye!
I was unable to go to the park with the kids because I guess there was a headcount done a while ago and there was no room to fit one more person. So instead, I went into the city with Jacob and his friend Boiz. We ran a few errands and went to the Masaii Market. I'm pretty sure I got a decent deal on some banana leaf pictures. I also got a bag for the non-white person price. So I felt accomplished.
I was supposed to hang out with Cat and her family today, but unfortunately, Cat has classes today. She's working on her masters in business admin while working full time at the airport. She just started classes this past monday so she didn't know what her schedule was going to be.
So here I am in cyberland on a Saturday. I am going to list some random things I've noticed about Kenya:
-There are no traffic laws, everyone goes when they want. Stoplights are only suggestions.
-Kenyans do not yell for someone... they go find them.
-Kenyans talk verrry softly... almost like a whisper... so make sure you have a hearing aid if you're hard of hearing
-Walk like you know where you're going and no one bothers you
-The toilet handles are on the right side... arent toilet handles in america on the left?
-People hug each other on the right side and then the left... i'm still failing at that and almost kissing people
-don't be quick to judge people... your initial assumption is a cultural miscommunication
-everyone LOVES Barack Obama... you see a picture of him everywhere and you'd almost think that he's the president here
-Kenyans listen to Reggae, R&B, Rap, and Gospel... you will hear a variety of 70's, 80's and 90's music.
-People don't sit around adn feel sorry for themselves... they make do the best that they can.
-The children in the slums are no different than kids in the U.S.... they don't know how bad they live because they don't know it any different.
-Kenyans like their food bland... i've surprisingly grown to love cooked cabbage... its an aquired taste! The one thing that I'm looking forward to is a mocha from Starbucks (which luckily there is one in London) and a burger with cheese fries from Meat Heads. I also miss Mexican food. But to be honest, the food isn't too bad. I'm used to eating a lot of rice already, so eating it all the time is no big deal. They also have chips (french fries), so I'm not totally starved for American food...but its just different tasting.
I'm told that London increased their security measures with all flights heading to the U.S. They seemed pretty tight with security when my team went through there at the end of December. I tried looking at the London Heathrow website, but I didn't see much on there besides suggestions for traveling with less baggage.
Well, that's all I got... I'm assuming this is the last blog, but with Kenyan time, everything changes haha.
Goodbye for now!
Love,
Stacy
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Update from Friday, the 22nd
Today is Friday... the trip is slowly coming to a close.... sadly :(
I recovered from the bug that I had without having to go to the doctor. Shadrack's rest remedy proved to work well. The next day I was feeling back to normal again. Its strange how your body acts when it lacks rest. With doing the medical clinic and then working at the school, I guess my body just kind of glitched. How strange! I'm just glad that its over with because I was seriously worried. Even if it was Malaria, its almost as common as getting a cold, so people don't really freak out about it.
The past week I've been going to the REM school and teaching creative arts to the kids. There was one class that began cheering when I came into the room. All of the kids are great. I wish I could smuggle them into the states with me. Some are small enough to fit in my carry-on. It's kind of weird seeing the kids be so small. Most are that way from malnourishment or from just having HIV. The kindergartners look like they are 3 yrs old. The pre-K kids look like walking babies.
Tomorrow, I'm going to a big park with the kids from the orphanage (they call it the children's home). I'm told that there is a waterfall and boats that you can ride on. It sounds like a lot of fun. During the evening, I'm going to hang out with Cat's family again. I'm not sure what they have in store for me, but I'm sure it will be fun. Cat told me that her family loved me when I visited last Sunday. They are all really funny.
Sunday I'll be going to church and then hanging out with teacher Edwin. We will hopefully go to a market and pick up some last minute souvenirs before my plane leaves monday evening.
I unfortunately was not able to go to Gong to see the land that Pastor Shadrack had picked out. Apparently the owner of the land is now unwilling to show it to Shadrack. I guess that the land process takes a long time because you normally form a friendship with the owner. Shadrack said that the owners will not negotiate a price unless you have cash in hand...so its hard to tell how low an owner will go without having something for a down payment. Shadrack says that land in Nairobi is like gold and is very expensive. Now with the economy, the price of land will rise every year and that is why Shadrack wants to move quickly and buy some land. I gave Shadrack those land questions but I'm assuming that he wont get it back until the last minute. I'm also not sure how much he can fill out now that this land fell through. Shadrack says that he will now have to start the process again of finding land. He not only wants land for a building but also for a missionary dorm, and also land to have animals so that the secondary school will be self-sustaining. It sounds good, but I wonder if 4 acres of land could provide for all of those needs?
I'm assuming that its okay to tell Shadrack about where the remaining team money will go, but I'll just tell him I wont have a definite amount until the end of the trip. The GOYA board decided that the money will go toward fixing a leak in the orphanage and also fixing a leak in the 8th grade building. All remaining money will go toward the payment of the construction crew for building the 8th grade classroom.
I just looked at the weather forecast for London on Tuesday...it looks cold! April left me hand and toe warmers so I'm probably going to be putting those to good use while I'm there. I'll probably need to get a hat and gloves while I'm in London since I didn't pack a winter coat...just a fleece zip-up. I only have 6 hours this time in London so I'm just going to see the Tower of London Bridge and then go to the infamous store called Harrods. I figure I can waste as much time as I want inside Harrods.
I'm pretty sure that I wont be able to blog anymore, so this might be my last blog from Kenya. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers! I heard about Haiti, they play CNN here. It looks devastating.
Mom and Dad: I hope grandma is recovering well. Dad, I hope the MRI goes well. I'll see if I can talk to Peter the driver about Safaris... he has his own travel company. See you on Tuesday!
Love,
Stacy
I recovered from the bug that I had without having to go to the doctor. Shadrack's rest remedy proved to work well. The next day I was feeling back to normal again. Its strange how your body acts when it lacks rest. With doing the medical clinic and then working at the school, I guess my body just kind of glitched. How strange! I'm just glad that its over with because I was seriously worried. Even if it was Malaria, its almost as common as getting a cold, so people don't really freak out about it.
The past week I've been going to the REM school and teaching creative arts to the kids. There was one class that began cheering when I came into the room. All of the kids are great. I wish I could smuggle them into the states with me. Some are small enough to fit in my carry-on. It's kind of weird seeing the kids be so small. Most are that way from malnourishment or from just having HIV. The kindergartners look like they are 3 yrs old. The pre-K kids look like walking babies.
Tomorrow, I'm going to a big park with the kids from the orphanage (they call it the children's home). I'm told that there is a waterfall and boats that you can ride on. It sounds like a lot of fun. During the evening, I'm going to hang out with Cat's family again. I'm not sure what they have in store for me, but I'm sure it will be fun. Cat told me that her family loved me when I visited last Sunday. They are all really funny.
Sunday I'll be going to church and then hanging out with teacher Edwin. We will hopefully go to a market and pick up some last minute souvenirs before my plane leaves monday evening.
I unfortunately was not able to go to Gong to see the land that Pastor Shadrack had picked out. Apparently the owner of the land is now unwilling to show it to Shadrack. I guess that the land process takes a long time because you normally form a friendship with the owner. Shadrack said that the owners will not negotiate a price unless you have cash in hand...so its hard to tell how low an owner will go without having something for a down payment. Shadrack says that land in Nairobi is like gold and is very expensive. Now with the economy, the price of land will rise every year and that is why Shadrack wants to move quickly and buy some land. I gave Shadrack those land questions but I'm assuming that he wont get it back until the last minute. I'm also not sure how much he can fill out now that this land fell through. Shadrack says that he will now have to start the process again of finding land. He not only wants land for a building but also for a missionary dorm, and also land to have animals so that the secondary school will be self-sustaining. It sounds good, but I wonder if 4 acres of land could provide for all of those needs?
I'm assuming that its okay to tell Shadrack about where the remaining team money will go, but I'll just tell him I wont have a definite amount until the end of the trip. The GOYA board decided that the money will go toward fixing a leak in the orphanage and also fixing a leak in the 8th grade building. All remaining money will go toward the payment of the construction crew for building the 8th grade classroom.
I just looked at the weather forecast for London on Tuesday...it looks cold! April left me hand and toe warmers so I'm probably going to be putting those to good use while I'm there. I'll probably need to get a hat and gloves while I'm in London since I didn't pack a winter coat...just a fleece zip-up. I only have 6 hours this time in London so I'm just going to see the Tower of London Bridge and then go to the infamous store called Harrods. I figure I can waste as much time as I want inside Harrods.
I'm pretty sure that I wont be able to blog anymore, so this might be my last blog from Kenya. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers! I heard about Haiti, they play CNN here. It looks devastating.
Mom and Dad: I hope grandma is recovering well. Dad, I hope the MRI goes well. I'll see if I can talk to Peter the driver about Safaris... he has his own travel company. See you on Tuesday!
Love,
Stacy
Monday, January 18, 2010
Recap!
Here are some recaps as to what I have been doing... but unfortunately, my days have been running together... so I'll just summarize it.
I was able to visit almost all of the teachers' homes who live in Kibera... the 2nd largest slum in the world. Kibera is like its own city... sans paved roads. There are 2 million people living there. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of it inside since I don't want to get my camera stolen. It's already bad enough walking there and being a white girl. I'm told that there are some white people that live there, but they are considered hard core. Kibera is actually much nicer than Mitumba.
The one thing that I've been lacking is faith that the same God who I know and have a relationship, also lives here in the slums of Kenya. One of the teachers prayed for me inside one of the homes and all we had was candlelight. Regardless of where I was, God showed up. I felt extremely comforted knowing that God not only takes care of me, but also these people.
I was able to meet up with Laurie's friend. Laurie and I went to school together. Laurie has been in Kenya twice and met Cat's family at a church she was serving in. I was able to meet Cat and her family yesterday. Her entire family works at the airport in the cargo section. They want me to visit again this Saturday. I got to eat dinner with her family... we watched a tv show called "Sakata"-- which is similar to America's "So you think you can dance?" program. It was very interesting to see Kenya's different dancing style. Their style is mostly foot stomping/tapping. I also helped invent a new dance called the Mosquito Dance. All you do is clap your hands alot in hopes of killing a mosquito.
For the past 3 days or so, I've been feeling very sick. Every night, I'll go to bed with a fever, chills, and achyness. I took anti-malaria tablets when we had the medical clinic about 2 weeks ago for future prevention. I'm currently taking paracetimol...which is Kenya's version of Tylenol. It may be malaria, but there's no point in taking more anti-malaria tablets, if I've already had it. Pastor Shadrack said he had the same thing last week and it was just fatigue, so he ordered me to take a day off today and rest up and see how i'm feeling tomorrow. If I'm still the same, then we will go to the doctor.
Shadrack plans to take me to Gong on Wednesday to take a look at the land for GOYA. I'm not sure what questions Jim tackled and I'm pretty sure that Jim took those questions back to the U.S.
It's getting really difficult knowing that I'm going to leave here in a week. I'm already depressed about it.
P.S. Mom and Dad: GOYA will be picking me up from the airport on tuesday, the 26th, but I will need to be picked up from the cybernautics studio in Normal. I think it will be later in the evening... around 8 or 9? Regardless, I'll call you once I get into the states.
Pray for my immune system and protection!
Love,
Stacy
I was able to visit almost all of the teachers' homes who live in Kibera... the 2nd largest slum in the world. Kibera is like its own city... sans paved roads. There are 2 million people living there. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of it inside since I don't want to get my camera stolen. It's already bad enough walking there and being a white girl. I'm told that there are some white people that live there, but they are considered hard core. Kibera is actually much nicer than Mitumba.
The one thing that I've been lacking is faith that the same God who I know and have a relationship, also lives here in the slums of Kenya. One of the teachers prayed for me inside one of the homes and all we had was candlelight. Regardless of where I was, God showed up. I felt extremely comforted knowing that God not only takes care of me, but also these people.
I was able to meet up with Laurie's friend. Laurie and I went to school together. Laurie has been in Kenya twice and met Cat's family at a church she was serving in. I was able to meet Cat and her family yesterday. Her entire family works at the airport in the cargo section. They want me to visit again this Saturday. I got to eat dinner with her family... we watched a tv show called "Sakata"-- which is similar to America's "So you think you can dance?" program. It was very interesting to see Kenya's different dancing style. Their style is mostly foot stomping/tapping. I also helped invent a new dance called the Mosquito Dance. All you do is clap your hands alot in hopes of killing a mosquito.
For the past 3 days or so, I've been feeling very sick. Every night, I'll go to bed with a fever, chills, and achyness. I took anti-malaria tablets when we had the medical clinic about 2 weeks ago for future prevention. I'm currently taking paracetimol...which is Kenya's version of Tylenol. It may be malaria, but there's no point in taking more anti-malaria tablets, if I've already had it. Pastor Shadrack said he had the same thing last week and it was just fatigue, so he ordered me to take a day off today and rest up and see how i'm feeling tomorrow. If I'm still the same, then we will go to the doctor.
Shadrack plans to take me to Gong on Wednesday to take a look at the land for GOYA. I'm not sure what questions Jim tackled and I'm pretty sure that Jim took those questions back to the U.S.
It's getting really difficult knowing that I'm going to leave here in a week. I'm already depressed about it.
P.S. Mom and Dad: GOYA will be picking me up from the airport on tuesday, the 26th, but I will need to be picked up from the cybernautics studio in Normal. I think it will be later in the evening... around 8 or 9? Regardless, I'll call you once I get into the states.
Pray for my immune system and protection!
Love,
Stacy
Last team day update
Sorry Folks!
I forgot to mention that on our last team day, that we went to a baby elephant orphanage and we also went to a giraffe place where you get to feed them.
The baby elephants were taken from the wild. Their mothers either abandoned them or were killed from predators, or starvation. The babies are then revived back to full health in the orphanage and then they are released back into the wild when they are old enough to live on their own. They are usually taken to a national park to roam free.
After that, we went to a giraffe feeding place. They had 9 giraffes, but only one came up to us for the feeding. We stood on a tall deck so that we were eye to eye with Laura the giraffe. I got a picture hugging her... but unfortunately I can't upload photos until I get back to the states.
After that, our team went to Mitumba to say their goodbyes to the children and teachers.
We went back to the YMCA and I helped the team load their luggage into Peter's van. I said my goodbye to them as they drove to the airport. I later talked to April and she said that they had no troubles with their flights. Their flight pattern went from Nairobi to Paris to Chicago. They had time to see the Eiffel Tower... but unfortunately, they weren't able to go up it due to a routine maintenance.
They all made it home safely
I forgot to mention that on our last team day, that we went to a baby elephant orphanage and we also went to a giraffe place where you get to feed them.
The baby elephants were taken from the wild. Their mothers either abandoned them or were killed from predators, or starvation. The babies are then revived back to full health in the orphanage and then they are released back into the wild when they are old enough to live on their own. They are usually taken to a national park to roam free.
After that, we went to a giraffe feeding place. They had 9 giraffes, but only one came up to us for the feeding. We stood on a tall deck so that we were eye to eye with Laura the giraffe. I got a picture hugging her... but unfortunately I can't upload photos until I get back to the states.
After that, our team went to Mitumba to say their goodbyes to the children and teachers.
We went back to the YMCA and I helped the team load their luggage into Peter's van. I said my goodbye to them as they drove to the airport. I later talked to April and she said that they had no troubles with their flights. Their flight pattern went from Nairobi to Paris to Chicago. They had time to see the Eiffel Tower... but unfortunately, they weren't able to go up it due to a routine maintenance.
They all made it home safely
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Update from the lone one
Well the team left the other day and I am here by myself... but technically I'm not on my own. The teachers from the school are walking me home every day and Kristin (from TX) will be staying at the YMCA with me Thursday night through Sunday night.
I'm assisting Kristin by teaching creative arts and also helping her in the school clinic-which is basically acting as the school nurse.
I talked to Pastor Shadrack, and I will be working on doing some type of womens ministry with some of the women living in Mitumba. I'm currently working on that.
I had a professor who graciously offered to extend my trip by an extra 6 days, but unfortunately, the charges for the flight would be $600 extra... so that wont work out. So I'll enjoy my final 2 weeks here.
I've been doing some praying and I feel like God is asking me to continue my Peacecorps application. I started it around October or so, and I'm feeling confirmation from him that doing that is my next step after my trip.
Please pray for my safety and protection while I'm here. These teachers are like my brothers and I feel incredibly safe when I'm with them. Also, Pray for the womens ministry.
Much love!
Dr. Stacy
I'm assisting Kristin by teaching creative arts and also helping her in the school clinic-which is basically acting as the school nurse.
I talked to Pastor Shadrack, and I will be working on doing some type of womens ministry with some of the women living in Mitumba. I'm currently working on that.
I had a professor who graciously offered to extend my trip by an extra 6 days, but unfortunately, the charges for the flight would be $600 extra... so that wont work out. So I'll enjoy my final 2 weeks here.
I've been doing some praying and I feel like God is asking me to continue my Peacecorps application. I started it around October or so, and I'm feeling confirmation from him that doing that is my next step after my trip.
Please pray for my safety and protection while I'm here. These teachers are like my brothers and I feel incredibly safe when I'm with them. Also, Pray for the womens ministry.
Much love!
Dr. Stacy
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Safari Excursion
Yesterday (Thursday), our team had a break day and went to the Ambrosia National Park. For all you climbers/hikers, it is home to Mount Kilimanjaro. We took our new friend from Texas, Kristin, on the excursion with us... to give her a little break from the Kenyan life that she has been living for the past 7 months.
We traveled on many dirt roads...full of bumps, since Peter, our driver likes to drive like a true Kenyan (crazy). Unfortunately, there was road work on the paved road, so that's why we had to take a dirt road. Kenyans are great about being resourceful. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for road block barricades, they use trees and brush from the wilderness to block the road. We traveled into what is called Massai land. The Massai are a tribe that are herders. They wear colorful garments and live in poop/mud/stick huts. We saw many of these huts on our way to the park. The huts are clustered and have giant sticks/brush surrounding them to keep out the lions. It was really cool to see. If you get a chance, google Massai and see what comes up.
We were told that we see just as much wildlife on the way to the park, than just inside of the park. That makes since because the park is just the natural habitat, with miles upon miles of no civilization. Peter, our driver said that we can sometimes see Giraffe. I kept my eyes peeled since I know that my Aunt Lona would be upset if I missed one. I saw a baby giraffe off in the distance, but that was all that I saw.
For the first 5 hours, we didn't see much.... but then... we spotted a hippopotamus. After that, things looked up. It felt like we were in jurassic park. There was no civilization anywhere besides the random safari trucks we passed. The park has 4 lodges, but due to corruption, 3 of the lodges were shut down. We saw one of the lodges, it was a ghost town. Very errie. The wire fences were pushed through...probably by elephants. As we went past the gate... there, under a tree was a male lion, panting. A few yards in front of him was a freshly dead buffalo carcus. We snapped a few shots and went on our way to find right next to the road an entire herd of wild buffalo. Their horns were massive. Next we saw elephants in the distance. We tried taking some photos, but they were too far away. We next drove near many safari trucks pulled to the side. We were told there was a cheetah sitting under a tree. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything, but assumed it was there. A little farther from the cheetah was an entire clan of baboons. They were huge. Jim decided to coax a baboon over with a banana. I was fearful for my life, since I was told that last year, a baboon JUMPED into the car, grabbed all the food, and then jumped out. Luckily, the baboon took the banana Jim had and ate the entire thing in two bites. April has a lovely photo of it, looking like its about to attack us. We decided to turn around and saw a herd of gazelle-like antelope running... we only assumed that it was the cheetah about to attack them. Next, we went past another herd of elephants, but this time, they were much much closer to us, and decided to stop and eat lunch there. We got our first team photo of the entire GOYA trip in front of the elephants. As we started to head back toward the gate (which was a 45min drive), we stopped at a den of hyennas. There were two cubs and a mother off in the distance. Hyennas are massive... i would definitely fear for my life if I were on the ground near one.
As we stopped at the exit gate, Peter, our driver asked if we could take his friend to Nairobi with us. We didn't really have much of choice, and said sure. The man we were taking worked for the national park and so he was considered a Kenyan police officer. As we left the park, one of the Massai herders had a heard of giant camels. It was a really weird sight to see, so we stopped and snapped some pictures. The Massai man was NOT happy. And demanded that we pay him for every picture we took. (Side not, for some reason, the massai try to capitalize off of tourists and make them pay for a picture). Luckily, we had the Kenyan police officer who told him (in Kiswaili) that he should throw him in jail for trying to make us pay for a picture. The guy luckily backed off and we went on our way. A few miles further, we saw another camel herd and asked peter and the guy if we could take more pictures. They said yes, and yet again, the herder was mad. This time, this guy was even more upset than the first. I was afriad the guy was going to punch the police officer. Eventually we moved on.
The day was wonderful up until that point. It started to rain, and luckily it didn't rain until after we left the park. Peter was driving his usual crazy style, and then, we saw an entire herd of giraffes. We skidded to a stop, startling them, but they kept munching on the trees and we took pictures. Since it was raining, it was hard to snap photos. We moved on and it had stopped raining. We saw another herd of giraffes, probably 7 or so, and Paul jumped out of the car, only to scare them somewhat. We got pictures, but sadly, they weren't as close as we'd like for them to be. So Lona, I hope you can live vicariously through me and take comfort in knowing that wild giraffes do exist.
All in all, this trip was amazing. I felt like I stepped into a National Geographic episode on the discovery channel. What a great day!! I think that our team really bonded better with the clinic out of the way. We were all cheerful and happy to have done something like that.
We traveled on many dirt roads...full of bumps, since Peter, our driver likes to drive like a true Kenyan (crazy). Unfortunately, there was road work on the paved road, so that's why we had to take a dirt road. Kenyans are great about being resourceful. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for road block barricades, they use trees and brush from the wilderness to block the road. We traveled into what is called Massai land. The Massai are a tribe that are herders. They wear colorful garments and live in poop/mud/stick huts. We saw many of these huts on our way to the park. The huts are clustered and have giant sticks/brush surrounding them to keep out the lions. It was really cool to see. If you get a chance, google Massai and see what comes up.
We were told that we see just as much wildlife on the way to the park, than just inside of the park. That makes since because the park is just the natural habitat, with miles upon miles of no civilization. Peter, our driver said that we can sometimes see Giraffe. I kept my eyes peeled since I know that my Aunt Lona would be upset if I missed one. I saw a baby giraffe off in the distance, but that was all that I saw.
For the first 5 hours, we didn't see much.... but then... we spotted a hippopotamus. After that, things looked up. It felt like we were in jurassic park. There was no civilization anywhere besides the random safari trucks we passed. The park has 4 lodges, but due to corruption, 3 of the lodges were shut down. We saw one of the lodges, it was a ghost town. Very errie. The wire fences were pushed through...probably by elephants. As we went past the gate... there, under a tree was a male lion, panting. A few yards in front of him was a freshly dead buffalo carcus. We snapped a few shots and went on our way to find right next to the road an entire herd of wild buffalo. Their horns were massive. Next we saw elephants in the distance. We tried taking some photos, but they were too far away. We next drove near many safari trucks pulled to the side. We were told there was a cheetah sitting under a tree. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything, but assumed it was there. A little farther from the cheetah was an entire clan of baboons. They were huge. Jim decided to coax a baboon over with a banana. I was fearful for my life, since I was told that last year, a baboon JUMPED into the car, grabbed all the food, and then jumped out. Luckily, the baboon took the banana Jim had and ate the entire thing in two bites. April has a lovely photo of it, looking like its about to attack us. We decided to turn around and saw a herd of gazelle-like antelope running... we only assumed that it was the cheetah about to attack them. Next, we went past another herd of elephants, but this time, they were much much closer to us, and decided to stop and eat lunch there. We got our first team photo of the entire GOYA trip in front of the elephants. As we started to head back toward the gate (which was a 45min drive), we stopped at a den of hyennas. There were two cubs and a mother off in the distance. Hyennas are massive... i would definitely fear for my life if I were on the ground near one.
As we stopped at the exit gate, Peter, our driver asked if we could take his friend to Nairobi with us. We didn't really have much of choice, and said sure. The man we were taking worked for the national park and so he was considered a Kenyan police officer. As we left the park, one of the Massai herders had a heard of giant camels. It was a really weird sight to see, so we stopped and snapped some pictures. The Massai man was NOT happy. And demanded that we pay him for every picture we took. (Side not, for some reason, the massai try to capitalize off of tourists and make them pay for a picture). Luckily, we had the Kenyan police officer who told him (in Kiswaili) that he should throw him in jail for trying to make us pay for a picture. The guy luckily backed off and we went on our way. A few miles further, we saw another camel herd and asked peter and the guy if we could take more pictures. They said yes, and yet again, the herder was mad. This time, this guy was even more upset than the first. I was afriad the guy was going to punch the police officer. Eventually we moved on.
The day was wonderful up until that point. It started to rain, and luckily it didn't rain until after we left the park. Peter was driving his usual crazy style, and then, we saw an entire herd of giraffes. We skidded to a stop, startling them, but they kept munching on the trees and we took pictures. Since it was raining, it was hard to snap photos. We moved on and it had stopped raining. We saw another herd of giraffes, probably 7 or so, and Paul jumped out of the car, only to scare them somewhat. We got pictures, but sadly, they weren't as close as we'd like for them to be. So Lona, I hope you can live vicariously through me and take comfort in knowing that wild giraffes do exist.
All in all, this trip was amazing. I felt like I stepped into a National Geographic episode on the discovery channel. What a great day!! I think that our team really bonded better with the clinic out of the way. We were all cheerful and happy to have done something like that.
Asking for Team Prayer
Jambo-
We come before each and everyone of you and ask for prayer. This trip has been very challenging for each and everyone of us. We (Jim, Paul, April, and Stacy) are each here for different reasons. Some are for self-satisfaction, some are for humanitarian reasons, some are for the purpose of God, some are for undetermined reasons. This has really put a damper on this "team." We have not been a team of 4. We have been teams of 2. They have changed throughout the time. Sometimes is it Jim and Paul, Jim and April, April and Stacy, April and Paul, etc. But concerning the "team" we have not been a team of 4-Jim, April, Paul, and Stacy. We want this and we discussed this at dinner the other night. We all found it sad that we had not had one group picture yet. For the first time in 10 days we got a "group" picture, yesterday.
We pray that you each pray that we come together and not stand divided. We don't want to be divided. We understand that God has a plan for each and everyone of us, some more than others! We want to also see what God wants from us as a team of 4 Mzungus...
We tell you each this to not be ridiculed or called failures as a team but rather with humble hearts to say we need God to show us His plan for the four of us.
We were very fortunate enough yesterday to have a free day and we went to the base of Mount Killmanjaro to Lake Ambrosia. We laughed, we told jokes, we were relaxed, and we had a team photo. Please pray that this continues.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers. Each one of us needs and WE need it! Pray that there is more time in prayer, bible devotions, and God centered conversations.
Keep the Faith,
Dr. Jim, Dr. Marz, Dr. Paul, and Dr. Stacy
We come before each and everyone of you and ask for prayer. This trip has been very challenging for each and everyone of us. We (Jim, Paul, April, and Stacy) are each here for different reasons. Some are for self-satisfaction, some are for humanitarian reasons, some are for the purpose of God, some are for undetermined reasons. This has really put a damper on this "team." We have not been a team of 4. We have been teams of 2. They have changed throughout the time. Sometimes is it Jim and Paul, Jim and April, April and Stacy, April and Paul, etc. But concerning the "team" we have not been a team of 4-Jim, April, Paul, and Stacy. We want this and we discussed this at dinner the other night. We all found it sad that we had not had one group picture yet. For the first time in 10 days we got a "group" picture, yesterday.
We pray that you each pray that we come together and not stand divided. We don't want to be divided. We understand that God has a plan for each and everyone of us, some more than others! We want to also see what God wants from us as a team of 4 Mzungus...
We tell you each this to not be ridiculed or called failures as a team but rather with humble hearts to say we need God to show us His plan for the four of us.
We were very fortunate enough yesterday to have a free day and we went to the base of Mount Killmanjaro to Lake Ambrosia. We laughed, we told jokes, we were relaxed, and we had a team photo. Please pray that this continues.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers. Each one of us needs and WE need it! Pray that there is more time in prayer, bible devotions, and God centered conversations.
Keep the Faith,
Dr. Jim, Dr. Marz, Dr. Paul, and Dr. Stacy
Medical Camp Recaps
The day before Day 1 of the clinic, April and I went to the chemist (the pharmacy) to retrieve medications with Dr. Charles. When Kenyans say that it will take about 1 hour, what they really mean is that it will take 8 hours. In Kenya, every price is negotiable. So not only did we have a huge order that the chemist had to run around all day to get our mass quantities, we also had to haggle for a price. Luckily, Dr. Charles did all the talking. April did the dispensing of our money and I was just there for moral support... or maybe not even that... i guess to give April some company haha. We got to the chemist around 11am and we stayed there until 4pm... leaving Dr. Charles behind to wait on our order. Dr. Charles didn't leave the chemist until 8pm when we picked him up. We still had to wait another 30 minutes while they tied the boxes shut with string.
Thankfully, God has graced me prior to this trip with patience. That's the name of the game in this trip... flexibility and patience and not to mention great bartering skills.
Day 1 of the clinic was Friday and we were all trying to get into the groove of things. We started off with April, Kristin (our wonderful RX helper/savior from TX) and Jim in the pharmacy, Paul as a pre-exam (triage), and yours truly as a check-in/medical records recorder. Thankfully, there was a translator with me while recording information. The clinic ran fairly slow with patients due to Kaisha the night prior (Kaisha was the all night prayer/celebration of the new year). So many people were resting and recovering. This was a good day for us since we were trying to figure out how to run things smoothly and get comfortable with our positions.
Day 2 of the clinic was Saturday and we saw a variety of people and saw 61 patients with over 200 prescriptions filled. We saw several malnourished and dehydrated babies. They were given oral re hydrating salts and some antibiotics. The process of the day was better than day one. We were very thankful for the Kenya Medical Support we had and the Kenyan translators. While many of the patients speak English we wanted to make sure they understood the importance of their medications and their sicknesses.
Day 3 of the clinic was on Monday. We saw another 61 patients and filled 250 prescriptions. Pastor Shaddrack told me that there was a clinic that visited Mitumba not that long ago and they were giving expired medications, so many people were at first weary of our clinic. Shaddrack said that now that the initial patients were starting to get better with all of their prescriptions, others let their guards down and started coming to the clinic. We do not and will never bring expired medications for our clinic. People will know when they see GOYA Medical Clinic that it will be good, safe, and for the well being of the patients.
Day 4 of the clinic was on Tuesday. There were another 50 patients seen and over 240 prescriptions filled. We had to move the location of the pharmacy this day because we had originally been in a classroom. School started this day and we moved to their dining hall. This was great because we arranged the tables to be within arm reach of everyone. Kristin, Jim, Paul, and April could easily access everything. We saw people who were coming for more antibiotics even though they had already been through the clinic before. They were just looking for the bottles we were giving the medication inside. This was irritating because some mothers who had sick children were at the clinic for the first time did not get a number so they were never seen. We had been working all week for 2 hours a night by torches (flashlights) because there was no electricity in the buildings we were in. Tonight we were in a building with light however there was no fuel for the generator because it was used up the night of Kaisha. Shadrack wanted us done by dark and told the mothers they had 4 other days to bring their children to the clinic rather than on Tuesday night at 3pm. We understood that we had to be done before dark b/c the placement of this building did not allow for the moons light to be used. It was completely pitch black where we were located.
Day 5 was to be for the children only!!!! We were to only dispense medications for de-worming. Violet (the School Administrator) made this very clear. But guess what....mothers sent their green snotty nosed, high fevered, dehydrated, cut, scraped, sick children to school. So you know what that means... WE and I mean WE saw more patients. When Dr. Charles was at the clinic for the 5th day with us, that meant people wanted to be seen. With each child we sent for their mothers and they had all been to the clinic. April and Dr. Charles asked each mother why they had not given the medicine we prescribed to their children during the clinic. The mothers each gave different reason. As Americans we look at this and get a little irritated. Why do they not care for their children, why do they not give the medication? The answer is simple in their eyes: "Because I need to use it when they are more sick because I can not afford to give it every time." We just gave them grace and gave them more medicine.
Another patient today was myself...While having a tour inside the slum with April and Kristin I sliced my baby toe on a rock. I was such a brave girl :) The children all crowded around me while it was being cleaned by Paul. The children looked on with excitement, scared, and quizzy faces. In all actuality I wanted to send them all away and back to their classes but I didn't.
April and I walked back to the YMCA and she used her First-Aid Survival skills she has just taken in school and finished in October. She removed some of my skin (big flap people, big flap), cleaned it, took out tiny pebbles, put on Bacitracin ointment, Hydrogen Peroxide, and a band aid. The best part was that God numbed my foot the whole time. I was thankful for that. As April says, "that will leave a mark!
Thank You all for your prayers and support for this Medical Mission Trip. We saw over 650 people which includes the children's exams and over 1,000 prescriptions were written and dispensed. It was a very hard and rewarding 5 days, but we did it! Asanti Sana Everyone!
Keep the Faith,
Dr. Stacy
Thankfully, God has graced me prior to this trip with patience. That's the name of the game in this trip... flexibility and patience and not to mention great bartering skills.
Day 1 of the clinic was Friday and we were all trying to get into the groove of things. We started off with April, Kristin (our wonderful RX helper/savior from TX) and Jim in the pharmacy, Paul as a pre-exam (triage), and yours truly as a check-in/medical records recorder. Thankfully, there was a translator with me while recording information. The clinic ran fairly slow with patients due to Kaisha the night prior (Kaisha was the all night prayer/celebration of the new year). So many people were resting and recovering. This was a good day for us since we were trying to figure out how to run things smoothly and get comfortable with our positions.
Day 2 of the clinic was Saturday and we saw a variety of people and saw 61 patients with over 200 prescriptions filled. We saw several malnourished and dehydrated babies. They were given oral re hydrating salts and some antibiotics. The process of the day was better than day one. We were very thankful for the Kenya Medical Support we had and the Kenyan translators. While many of the patients speak English we wanted to make sure they understood the importance of their medications and their sicknesses.
Day 3 of the clinic was on Monday. We saw another 61 patients and filled 250 prescriptions. Pastor Shaddrack told me that there was a clinic that visited Mitumba not that long ago and they were giving expired medications, so many people were at first weary of our clinic. Shaddrack said that now that the initial patients were starting to get better with all of their prescriptions, others let their guards down and started coming to the clinic. We do not and will never bring expired medications for our clinic. People will know when they see GOYA Medical Clinic that it will be good, safe, and for the well being of the patients.
Day 4 of the clinic was on Tuesday. There were another 50 patients seen and over 240 prescriptions filled. We had to move the location of the pharmacy this day because we had originally been in a classroom. School started this day and we moved to their dining hall. This was great because we arranged the tables to be within arm reach of everyone. Kristin, Jim, Paul, and April could easily access everything. We saw people who were coming for more antibiotics even though they had already been through the clinic before. They were just looking for the bottles we were giving the medication inside. This was irritating because some mothers who had sick children were at the clinic for the first time did not get a number so they were never seen. We had been working all week for 2 hours a night by torches (flashlights) because there was no electricity in the buildings we were in. Tonight we were in a building with light however there was no fuel for the generator because it was used up the night of Kaisha. Shadrack wanted us done by dark and told the mothers they had 4 other days to bring their children to the clinic rather than on Tuesday night at 3pm. We understood that we had to be done before dark b/c the placement of this building did not allow for the moons light to be used. It was completely pitch black where we were located.
Day 5 was to be for the children only!!!! We were to only dispense medications for de-worming. Violet (the School Administrator) made this very clear. But guess what....mothers sent their green snotty nosed, high fevered, dehydrated, cut, scraped, sick children to school. So you know what that means... WE and I mean WE saw more patients. When Dr. Charles was at the clinic for the 5th day with us, that meant people wanted to be seen. With each child we sent for their mothers and they had all been to the clinic. April and Dr. Charles asked each mother why they had not given the medicine we prescribed to their children during the clinic. The mothers each gave different reason. As Americans we look at this and get a little irritated. Why do they not care for their children, why do they not give the medication? The answer is simple in their eyes: "Because I need to use it when they are more sick because I can not afford to give it every time." We just gave them grace and gave them more medicine.
Another patient today was myself...While having a tour inside the slum with April and Kristin I sliced my baby toe on a rock. I was such a brave girl :) The children all crowded around me while it was being cleaned by Paul. The children looked on with excitement, scared, and quizzy faces. In all actuality I wanted to send them all away and back to their classes but I didn't.
April and I walked back to the YMCA and she used her First-Aid Survival skills she has just taken in school and finished in October. She removed some of my skin (big flap people, big flap), cleaned it, took out tiny pebbles, put on Bacitracin ointment, Hydrogen Peroxide, and a band aid. The best part was that God numbed my foot the whole time. I was thankful for that. As April says, "that will leave a mark!
Thank You all for your prayers and support for this Medical Mission Trip. We saw over 650 people which includes the children's exams and over 1,000 prescriptions were written and dispensed. It was a very hard and rewarding 5 days, but we did it! Asanti Sana Everyone!
Keep the Faith,
Dr. Stacy
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Here is an update from today from team member Paul Czapar:
"Today was the best day so far. Today was the first day that I really felt like I was doing what we came to do. Today is a day full of stories. I performed surgery twice on two small children. They had abscessed cysts and we were able to reduce them and treat them with antibiotics. We also had many children with wounds that needed treating. There were a number of photos and even a video taken of one of the reductions."
I will post more updates as they come in.
~Roxanna
"Today was the best day so far. Today was the first day that I really felt like I was doing what we came to do. Today is a day full of stories. I performed surgery twice on two small children. They had abscessed cysts and we were able to reduce them and treat them with antibiotics. We also had many children with wounds that needed treating. There were a number of photos and even a video taken of one of the reductions."
I will post more updates as they come in.
~Roxanna
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Random thought by Stacy (Jack)-Handy
We made it safely around in Nairobi. We had many problems through security because we had large carry-ons...we eventually had to convince security that we were carrying medical supplies. Eventually we made it through. I didn't get any jet lag thankfully. London was good...but raining and cold. Kenya is nice... mostly in the high 70's...perfect weather! The only problem is that it has rained about 3 times. VERY bad in the slums.... the rain water mixes the sewage and then the children and people drink the water and get very bad diseases. Yesterday was the 2nd day of the medical clinic. I have been checking people in... doing all the medical history work. I have very good helpers who have been helping translating. I have seen all diseases...including something called amoeba... apparently it is non-existent in America. I've seen HIV, Cholera, amoeba, skin problems such as ringworm and boils. Yesterday was the most stressful. It was getting dark and the last child seen was a young boy... probably 2 or so. He was very sick. Vomiting, diarrhea. We are told cholera is going around. He was at the point where he needed to be taken to the emergency room...but his mother could not pay for it. The boy's eyes were rolling into the back of his head and was going in and out. The doctor, Dr. Charles, gave him electrolytes. It was really scary. Apparently the mother was single and basically had to work, so she left him alone with another baby.
Its really sad to see that HIV is so rampant, so everyone is depressed, has sex for recreation, has children that they don't care about and just leave their children to fend for themselves.
I'm warning you right now that I will most likely have reverse culture shock, and I may want to just return to Carbondale immediately to unwind and process with people from my church who have been on many mission trips. Please don't take offense to this idea.
Anyway, I survived the squatty potty... I'm actually getting pretty good at it now and it doesn't feel weird. The YMCA is what i would consider fine-camping. We have a roof and a toilet that isn't a latrine..it flushes. We have a toilet in our bedroom. it is basically an above ground toilet like ours that does not have a toilet seat on it. you use that toilet only for number ones... we use the squatty for number 2. It smells pretty gross. They call them the "choo". The choo in Mitumba is actually way nicer than the Y's. Every morning we get 3 pieces of bread... not toast!, a fried egg, and a sausage link with either coffee or tea. The sausage is good...it's goat sausage.
I'm adapting very well to everything. I'm what Paul calls "refreshing" and Jim calls me flexible. April, my roommate, is still coming up with the perfect one word to describe me!! I haven't had any complaining... I'm just rolling with the punches.
The children in Mitumba are so adorable. It breaks my heart knowing many of them have HIV and that their quality of life is not good. There is a boy that has some sort of mental retardation. He can not talk and drools a lot, but he understands everything you say. April and I think that he just may be autistic. In Kenya, people do not implement special education programs so many of the natives don't know how to deal with people who have special needs. He has become a student in the schools since last year when April was here. He now makes eye contacts, smiles, gives a thumbs up, and nods when you ask him a question. Violet (Shadracks wife and the REM School Administrator) said that this boy was recently electrocuted by live wires in Mitumba and he almost spoke and cried for help. This was the first time he almost said an actual word-HELP.
Please pray for our team! Thank you and Keep the faith.
Love,
Dr. Stacy
I'm warning you right now that I will most likely have reverse culture shock, and I may want to just return to Carbondale immediately to unwind and process with people from my church who have been on many mission trips. Please don't take offense to this idea.
Anyway, I survived the squatty potty... I'm actually getting pretty good at it now and it doesn't feel weird. The YMCA is what i would consider fine-camping. We have a roof and a toilet that isn't a latrine..it flushes. We have a toilet in our bedroom. it is basically an above ground toilet like ours that does not have a toilet seat on it. you use that toilet only for number ones... we use the squatty for number 2. It smells pretty gross. They call them the "choo". The choo in Mitumba is actually way nicer than the Y's. Every morning we get 3 pieces of bread... not toast!, a fried egg, and a sausage link with either coffee or tea. The sausage is good...it's goat sausage.
I'm adapting very well to everything. I'm what Paul calls "refreshing" and Jim calls me flexible. April, my roommate, is still coming up with the perfect one word to describe me!! I haven't had any complaining... I'm just rolling with the punches.
The children in Mitumba are so adorable. It breaks my heart knowing many of them have HIV and that their quality of life is not good. There is a boy that has some sort of mental retardation. He can not talk and drools a lot, but he understands everything you say. April and I think that he just may be autistic. In Kenya, people do not implement special education programs so many of the natives don't know how to deal with people who have special needs. He has become a student in the schools since last year when April was here. He now makes eye contacts, smiles, gives a thumbs up, and nods when you ask him a question. Violet (Shadracks wife and the REM School Administrator) said that this boy was recently electrocuted by live wires in Mitumba and he almost spoke and cried for help. This was the first time he almost said an actual word-HELP.
Please pray for our team! Thank you and Keep the faith.
Love,
Dr. Stacy
First Day in Kenya
We landed in Kenya after a fairly rough flight, and after a short delay in the Visa line we breezed right through customs without even a stop. We were met by Pastor Shadrack and Peter, the Driver just outside of the terminal. After brief Jambos and introductions we were taken to the awaiting van where we loaded all of our luggage (14 bags) that arrived on time and the only thing missing was a green strap that was on one of April's checked bags. She was rather unhappy about this(because the shifting of the supplies), but all things considered I think the travel was great. We arrived at the YMCA South C Hostel and I found the accommodations to be much more luxurious than I had expected. The bed is soft and clean and in a room with only one other bed (2 beds total) which I share with Jim. There is a private bathroom and a closet.
After we got settled and Peter ran our supplies to Mitumba, we met back up and received a tour of Nairobi. Peter took us to many places of interest in the city, and finally to the Nakumatt. The Nakumatt would be the equivalent of the Wal-mart back home. We were able to get large jugs of filtered water, as well as needed items to substitute meals if we were not able to get back to the YMCA in time for a meal. We also ate lunch at a restaurant attached to the Nakumatt. Peter took us back to the Y where we were all able to get in a nap until our evening meeting where we would go over the itinerary for our time here. After the meeting we went back to the room and none of us were very hungry for a meal from the restaurant, but we did have a PB&J before we went to bed.
All in all it was a nice first day to get acquainted with this city we will call home for the next two weeks. "I am just putting it out there!"
Keep the Faith,
Dr. Paul
After we got settled and Peter ran our supplies to Mitumba, we met back up and received a tour of Nairobi. Peter took us to many places of interest in the city, and finally to the Nakumatt. The Nakumatt would be the equivalent of the Wal-mart back home. We were able to get large jugs of filtered water, as well as needed items to substitute meals if we were not able to get back to the YMCA in time for a meal. We also ate lunch at a restaurant attached to the Nakumatt. Peter took us back to the Y where we were all able to get in a nap until our evening meeting where we would go over the itinerary for our time here. After the meeting we went back to the room and none of us were very hungry for a meal from the restaurant, but we did have a PB&J before we went to bed.
All in all it was a nice first day to get acquainted with this city we will call home for the next two weeks. "I am just putting it out there!"
Keep the Faith,
Dr. Paul
London England
Greetings from London-
We arrived safe and sound in London. Other than the luggage setback in Chicago we were doing well as a team. We all slept (some more than others) while on the plane. We knew we were arriving early morning London time. We had a 12 hour layover which we knew we had to be adventurous and walk fast in order to see all the amazing sites. Jim has no problem walking fast but Paul, Stacy, and myself needed some mental preparation. When we landed Stacy and I were smart and checked our carry-on bags into a luggage holder at the airport. This was the best $24 spent all day. When we finally found the correct terminal to exit the city we were very surprised to feel the freezing air, rain, and wind. We were not mentally prepared for this either. The guys had their luggage and no umbrellas, just simply their coats while Stacy and I had no luggage and umbrellas. Now you tell me who planned ahead :)
We hit the London ground running, or at least at Jim's pace!! After exchanging money and buying a ticket to get around London there were certain stops we wanted to see. The first one was the Buckingham Palace. We were very excited to see the Changing of the Guards. We hurried to make the scheduled time, only to realize they were not doing it on the day we were there. They do this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We were there on Tuesday!!! This was a huge blow to our site seeing wishes. So instead we entered the Buckingham Palace Gift Shop. Too funny, yet close enough!
Next Stop Big Ben-Per Paul this was on his to-do list. We walked right past it and took pictures. Right across the street was a wonderful Irish Man playing his bagpipes. Paul was gracious enough to take a picture with me and the man.
We then saw the the London Eye. Since it was foggy we didn't pay to take the Eye. It was huge and nice to see through the foggy sky.
Again on Paul's to-do Fish and Chips. Paul was a man on a mission to have us/introduce us to so much in London. He had done some research and knew what the sites were. We walked in the rain in order to find a nice London Pub which served real Fish and Chips. While inside we were greeted by a grandfather wearing a suit and bow-tie with his very well behaved grandson. They were telling us stories about life and the city. This moment in time could not be explained but just know that it was very refreshing to see a loving bond between these two gentlemen. The child, a 9 year old, knew the public train system forwards and backwards. His g-pa had taken him downtown once a week every week since he was a toddler. The boy told us how to get back to the airport since we had no idea where we actually were! We walked so much in the rain in every direction we didn't know what to do. Thank God for this 9 year old child.
We made our way back to the airport and we were ready to go to Nairobi. Jim, Stacy, and I had our bags searched. Paul lucked out on this one because his wife was a phenomenal packer and everything fit into a tiny carry-on sized back pack. Stacy and I had bags which were a little to large for Kenya Air. I was telling them my bag was filled with Medical supplies, and after searching they let me through along with Stacy. Jim had his bag ransacked by a woman working the machines who didn't want him to get everything into Nairobi (we just assume she was having a bad day...she was taking random items from other people in line).
When we hit the gate at London for our Nairobi flight they took our over sized bags after all and told us to pick them up in Nairobi. At this time the lovely attendant in London told us our bags were not scheduled to be on the flight with us. They were stopped in London. Our flight left late, I only assume it was because many of the peoples bags were not on the flight. Our tags said they were to go to Nairobi, but that was not the case until they realized the flagged alert on the computer.
After a 12 hour layover we were safe and sound and on the plane to our final destination: The Mitumba Slum of Nairobi Kenya!
Keep the Faith,
Dr. April Marz
We arrived safe and sound in London. Other than the luggage setback in Chicago we were doing well as a team. We all slept (some more than others) while on the plane. We knew we were arriving early morning London time. We had a 12 hour layover which we knew we had to be adventurous and walk fast in order to see all the amazing sites. Jim has no problem walking fast but Paul, Stacy, and myself needed some mental preparation. When we landed Stacy and I were smart and checked our carry-on bags into a luggage holder at the airport. This was the best $24 spent all day. When we finally found the correct terminal to exit the city we were very surprised to feel the freezing air, rain, and wind. We were not mentally prepared for this either. The guys had their luggage and no umbrellas, just simply their coats while Stacy and I had no luggage and umbrellas. Now you tell me who planned ahead :)
We hit the London ground running, or at least at Jim's pace!! After exchanging money and buying a ticket to get around London there were certain stops we wanted to see. The first one was the Buckingham Palace. We were very excited to see the Changing of the Guards. We hurried to make the scheduled time, only to realize they were not doing it on the day we were there. They do this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We were there on Tuesday!!! This was a huge blow to our site seeing wishes. So instead we entered the Buckingham Palace Gift Shop. Too funny, yet close enough!
Next Stop Big Ben-Per Paul this was on his to-do list. We walked right past it and took pictures. Right across the street was a wonderful Irish Man playing his bagpipes. Paul was gracious enough to take a picture with me and the man.
We then saw the the London Eye. Since it was foggy we didn't pay to take the Eye. It was huge and nice to see through the foggy sky.
Again on Paul's to-do Fish and Chips. Paul was a man on a mission to have us/introduce us to so much in London. He had done some research and knew what the sites were. We walked in the rain in order to find a nice London Pub which served real Fish and Chips. While inside we were greeted by a grandfather wearing a suit and bow-tie with his very well behaved grandson. They were telling us stories about life and the city. This moment in time could not be explained but just know that it was very refreshing to see a loving bond between these two gentlemen. The child, a 9 year old, knew the public train system forwards and backwards. His g-pa had taken him downtown once a week every week since he was a toddler. The boy told us how to get back to the airport since we had no idea where we actually were! We walked so much in the rain in every direction we didn't know what to do. Thank God for this 9 year old child.
We made our way back to the airport and we were ready to go to Nairobi. Jim, Stacy, and I had our bags searched. Paul lucked out on this one because his wife was a phenomenal packer and everything fit into a tiny carry-on sized back pack. Stacy and I had bags which were a little to large for Kenya Air. I was telling them my bag was filled with Medical supplies, and after searching they let me through along with Stacy. Jim had his bag ransacked by a woman working the machines who didn't want him to get everything into Nairobi (we just assume she was having a bad day...she was taking random items from other people in line).
When we hit the gate at London for our Nairobi flight they took our over sized bags after all and told us to pick them up in Nairobi. At this time the lovely attendant in London told us our bags were not scheduled to be on the flight with us. They were stopped in London. Our flight left late, I only assume it was because many of the peoples bags were not on the flight. Our tags said they were to go to Nairobi, but that was not the case until they realized the flagged alert on the computer.
After a 12 hour layover we were safe and sound and on the plane to our final destination: The Mitumba Slum of Nairobi Kenya!
Keep the Faith,
Dr. April Marz
Friday, January 1, 2010
Updates from Kenya
Sorry about the delay of this update, but I (chad) have had limited internet connectivity. But here is everything I've heard from the team so far:
TRAVEL
The team arrived in Chicago and O'Hare International with no problems, and they were able to meet up with April Marzullo as planned. The only hiccup at the airport was that American Airlines charged them $50 per bag for each of the second checked bags. Fortunately they learned that we can get that money reimbursed from American when they return by simply calling American's sales office. They were all able to sit together on the plane from Chicago to London. I haven't heard anything from the team about their time in London, but they did arrive in Nairobi on time and with all checked and carried on bags!! A huge answer to our prayers. But even better...they were able to make it through customs without any trouble. Praise God!
BUDGET
The only questions I've had so far from the team have been regarding money, there were some surprise budgetary questions that came up about paying the in-country Doctor that will be with them during the clinic. Please pray that the chemist (pharmacy) will donate his time like they did last year.
KAESHA (sp)
Kaesha is the churches new year's eve service. It lasts full 24 hours and doesn't end until early on New Year's Morning. The team participated and Kaesha and had a great time! On New Year's Eve they were also able to buy all of the medicine they needed to start the clinic and some of them were able to go into homes throughout the community doing repairs to some of the slum homes. I'm sure this was a huge blessing to the folks they worked with!
Hopefully they team will get a brief moment to stop at the Internet Cafe to post the next update but if not, I'll do my best to keep everyone posted as I receive updates via the GOYA phone.
Please keep the team in your prayers and PLEASE be praying about the lives that will be effected by their work throughout the community in Mitumba. Pray for healing, both physically and spiritually and pray that the people of Mitumba that don't know the lord will see the Love and Hope of Christ through the work that our team and the REM staff are doing there.
Chad (on behalf of the 2010 GOYA Medical Team)
TRAVEL
The team arrived in Chicago and O'Hare International with no problems, and they were able to meet up with April Marzullo as planned. The only hiccup at the airport was that American Airlines charged them $50 per bag for each of the second checked bags. Fortunately they learned that we can get that money reimbursed from American when they return by simply calling American's sales office. They were all able to sit together on the plane from Chicago to London. I haven't heard anything from the team about their time in London, but they did arrive in Nairobi on time and with all checked and carried on bags!! A huge answer to our prayers. But even better...they were able to make it through customs without any trouble. Praise God!
BUDGET
The only questions I've had so far from the team have been regarding money, there were some surprise budgetary questions that came up about paying the in-country Doctor that will be with them during the clinic. Please pray that the chemist (pharmacy) will donate his time like they did last year.
KAESHA (sp)
Kaesha is the churches new year's eve service. It lasts full 24 hours and doesn't end until early on New Year's Morning. The team participated and Kaesha and had a great time! On New Year's Eve they were also able to buy all of the medicine they needed to start the clinic and some of them were able to go into homes throughout the community doing repairs to some of the slum homes. I'm sure this was a huge blessing to the folks they worked with!
Hopefully they team will get a brief moment to stop at the Internet Cafe to post the next update but if not, I'll do my best to keep everyone posted as I receive updates via the GOYA phone.
Please keep the team in your prayers and PLEASE be praying about the lives that will be effected by their work throughout the community in Mitumba. Pray for healing, both physically and spiritually and pray that the people of Mitumba that don't know the lord will see the Love and Hope of Christ through the work that our team and the REM staff are doing there.
Chad (on behalf of the 2010 GOYA Medical Team)
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