Up, Down, and All Around

So much has happened since the turkey story, I am not even sure where to begin. This past weekend, I took a trip into Northern Kenya. The place was called Isiolo and is the last place north you can drive safely. After Isiolo, you need a police escort on the road due to the number of bandits. Isiolo is considered dry country and has heavy Islamic presence. There are several tribal groups present in the North that are also present in southern Ethiopia. Once you make the turn to head into the village, the bumping begins. The roads are all gravel or sand and pretty rough. Also, camels and thorny bushes become the norm on the side of the road. It is definitely hot there but it is dry heat so it still doesn’t have anything on Mississippi in July and August. Humidity is not something I have missed! I loved the people and area. The women are beautiful and there is such a need for medical care.

On Monday, I relocated to Kijabe. Kijabe is a village located on the slope of the Rift Valley, so it overlooks the valley and is beautiful. It is also cooler here due to the wind and elevation. I am living in a guesthouse within walking distance from Kijabe Hospital where I am working each day. I am just helping with a database in the nursery. I will be here throughout the month of April helping and hopefully I’ll get to observe some. The children go back to visit relatives during their school holiday in April. I am extremely interested in learning what medical missions looks like so this was a great opportunity. Also, any information that I can gather to better educate myself is a plus. It amazes me, every time I enter into a hospital ward, how eager I am to start school so that I can be the one at the bedside talking about treatments and “how to proceed”. I never realize how much I love it, until I’m in it. At Kijabe, medicine is even more interesting because you are treating patients from a country you will never belong to, and you’re working next to individuals from all over the world. It’s such a testament to the family of Christ.

Well… I have halfway through my time here in Kenya and can believe the first half went by so quickly. Of course, I would not have realized it was the halfway mark if my mother and Pam had not taken upon themselves to mark the very day on the calendar! I would like to say thank you again for all your prayers and support. I have been encouraged daily by the calendar so many of you filled out. And, the letters and emails from home have been such a blessing to my spirit. You will never understand how much it has meant to know that I have a group of believers completely behind me, halfway around the world. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for the next half of my time and pray that I will be obedient to the leadership of the Spirit.