Back in the USA! (or "Misery Loves Company")

For those of you that haven't seen us in person just yet, we're back! We arrived according to schedule yesterday afternoon at O'Hare, picked up our baggage and cleared customs with no real hassle, and hopped on our bus headed for Madison. We arrived at Blackhawk around 4:00 to a crowd of friends and family waiting to pick up each team member.

That all sounds lovely and quite smooth. And were I to stop there you might never know the drama that unfolded before we ever arrived Stateside!

[Note: This tale is humorous only because we are all back (the feasibility of which at one point was certainly in question), we have mostly all recovered from the lingering effects of nausea, and we have had a good night's sleep in our own beds. Continue reading at your own risk - aka if you have a strong stomach.]

After a great couple of nights on safari, staying at a fabulous resort with amazing food (or so we were lulled into thinking!), we set out on Friday morning for our return trip to Nairobi. The morning was clear and on our way out we were able to see the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Six hours, a flat tire, and a truckload of dust later we had arrived back at our hotel to shower and repack for the long trip home. While there one of our team members who shall remain unnamed (initials: CT, smallest person on our team for those of you that might know her =) began to show the effects of what we would soon assume was food poisoning, vomiting multiple times that afternoon. By the time we loaded up the luggage and arrived at Prestige Plaza for dinner, another team member had thrown up, and one of our Kenyan drivers was starting to feel ill. A full 12" pizza later another of our guys (tall, lanky fellow with a sly grin and seemingly bottomless stomach) also let loose (how many different ways are there to say it?). On a traffic-riddled ride to the airport, in the bus that we will now refer to as 'The Vomit Comet,' there was more of the same. And when we arrived at the entrance to the airport no less than 3 people used the bushes while the rest of the team unloaded the luggage.

Inside the airport was no better. At one point half of our team is checked through to the gate, and we are sorting out some ticketing issues with the other half. While that is going on, one of our team members (who had just used the bushes outside) was being detained because it appeared she didn't look 'flight-worthy.' What exactly might not flight-worthy about a person who can hardly stand, sporting a greenish tinge, possibly hyperventilating, and breaking out in cold sweats, I'm not really sure, but the closing line was that we had to wait for a Kenya Airways doctor to determine whether she could get on the plane. Attempting to hold it together between waves of nausea, myself, I certainly had the thought "There is no way we are getting on this plane."

This image is captured in my mind from that harrowing evening: Letters R-Z of our team are attempting to stand to the side at the check-in counter while other people move forward and check in. 'Attempting' because of tidal waves of nausea. Tim is in the office behind the ticket counter trying to understand why they can't find itineraries for that half of the team in their system. Clare can barely stand at this point, and Lisa is providing much needed support (and plastic bags). I accompany Cammie, her capable nurse Maggie, and a Kenya Airways doctor to a side room with 1-way glass. We are asked to wait outside, but Dale brandishes his MD credentials to gain access to the consultation. What is being said inside there, I cannot really know, but I'm confident it's not good. I wait outside the door, sitting down for the first time in all the chaos, hoping not to puke, myself. Moments after I sit down, Andy begins moving quickly away from the check-in counter (in my direction), filling a plastic bag on his way with Maggie then directing him to the location of the nearest bathroom. The door opens to the consultation room and the Kenyan doctor quickly exits, pausing briefly to spot the nearest accessible trash can. She grabs it and scurries back into the office, only to return a moment later for the mop bucket nearby. So I'm pretty sure that's not going well. Tim makes his way to the far end of the check-in lobby with a manager, to get things squared away on ticketing. Amy is reading a book.

In the end, they let Cammie go and charged us a nominal fee of $10 USD for the consultation. If that was a bribe (which is not always easy to tell), then it was probably worth it, and they issued us a receipt and clean bill of 'health' which I thought was quite professional. And the rest of the team proceeded to the gate. I waited to enter the security line at our gate until I took care of what I had been bordering on doing for the last hour (again, how many different ways can you say it?), and then Holly and I joined everyone inside. A few minutes later we were boarding the plane, and avoiding questions about why we needed sprite and ginger ale. We were in!

More team members continued to join the club, and at last tally (with Tony's initiation happening somewhere over the waters of Lake Michigan) the club was 10 or 11 strong, including one of our Kenyan drivers. But we were happy to be together, and to be on our way to our own homes and beds and toilets! In all seriousness, there was a lot of praying that night, and Holly and I were fully expecting to be spending the night in a hospital with one or 2 other members of the team. So we thank God for his provision for our team and keeping us all together for the return trip. Besides, misery really does love company!

So thanks again to all of you who were praying for us. We'll continue to post pictures and stories to fill in some of the gaps!

Joel

See You All Soon!

Sadly enough, our time in Kenya is dwindling. We are spending the day saying our goodbyes at Beacon and debriefing together as a team. We will leave for Safari tomorrow morning and return Friday to catch our evening flight. So this will likely be our last post until we are back in the States! Thanks so much for following along with us and for all of your prayers and thoughts! We have certainly benefited from them! So for now, Kwaheri (bye), and we will be home to see you all very soon.

Until then...
Joel

Beacon of Hope Medical Camp

Saturday's free medical camp at Beacon of Hope was a HUGE success! When our team arrived at 7:30 am, there were already a few hundred people lined up ready for the doors to open at 8:30 am. The camp was held in partnership with Gertrude Children's Hospital. In addition to seeing physicians, attenders were also able to receive HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, medicines, nutritional counseling, and lab tests. Our team was dispersed throughout the camp to help with a variety of tasks - checking blood pressure/pulse, giving medical examinations, filling prescriptions, ushering people to specific areas, cooking for staff, testing and counseling for HIV/AIDS, and musical entertainment for those waiting. By the end of the day, we had provided services to 2000 people which was a new record from previous camps where 1300 people had been seen.

From a personal point of view, I was impressed with how organized things seemed to flow as well as how members of our team were willing to do whatever was needed to be done. Two days prior to the camp, two team members each day traveled in a van, with a generator in the back and a PA system, throughout the community for 4 ½ hours each day advertising the medical camp. They listened to the same announcement over and over again while trying not to get carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator fumes. They were a bit dazed when they returned but yet their task was a success based on the many people who attended.

I enjoyed being a part of the music entertainment at one point in the day. It was our goal to sing and play some songs for the many people who were waiting to be seen. What started out as Joel and the group turned into an interactive Kenyan karaoke band. Regardless, it helped pass the time while waiting and we were able to hear various versions of several songs.

At the end of the day, some of us were tired and some were sunburned but I think we were all pleased with the success of the day and grateful to have been a part of it.

Lisa

Machakos Medical Camp

Wednesday, July 15 marked the date of our Medical Camp at Machakos! We woke up at Ken's mother's home and were fed a hearty breakfast, complete with Kenyan oranges (which are actually green) and with drinking chocolate, a big team favorite! We loaded up our things and drove down the dusty mountain road to the school which was our clinic site. Classes were canceled for the day so the empty classrooms were transformed into examination rooms, a pharmacy, and a staff multi-purpose room. An open-air waiting room was set up outside using about 50 of the students' chairs.

When we arrived at the school at 8am, there were already people there waiting for the clinic to open. Local folks learned about the camp through churches in the area. And by “local” I mean that some people had walked 3 or more hours to attend!

From the moment of our arrival, time flew by as we scrambled to organize ourselves and decide what each team member's role would be. Many of us didn't know what we would be doing at the Medical Camp until minutes before we started registering patients! Our team members were so flexible and willing to serve wherever there was a need. Some great examples of this flexible attitude were Joel and Tony. These guys had never laid hands on a stethescope, and yet they took a 30 second crash-course in taking blood pressure, and then spent the entire day working in triage taking blood pressures, pulses, and temperatures! When everyone is trying to work as fast as possible, it is NOT easy to learn a new skill and put it into practice at the drop of a hat. We estimated that each of us in triage took vitals for at least 150 people!

Joel and Tony did a great job. One story that we've been laughing about comes from an experience that Tony had working in triage. For some reason, kids were frequently fairly afraid of Tony. There was often an inconsolable child screaming at his station. On one occasion, he had offered to hold a young child while his mother stepped onto the scale to be weighed. The mother took one look at Tony and then set her baby down on the ground! Maybe there isn't a career in pediatrics waiting for Tony, but he definitely was a trooper!

The camp was a success. We saw about 1000 individuals between 8:30 and 4:30! Each team member played a key role whether it was pharm tech, doctor, nurse, or crowd control. The staff from Beacon of Hope exemplified great patience and skill, and the staff from the Machakos Clinic were a pleasure to work with. The Wathome family also lent helping hands throughout the day.

It was difficult to turn away people at the end of the day because the clinic needed to close. There were still many people waiting to be seen. We have discussed as a team the need to recognize that our small team is not capable of bringing healing to the entire village of Machakos. Healing comes from the LORD, and we need to remember them in our prayers. We must trust that God will care for the people of Machakos and meet their needs.

The clinic concluded with a prayer circle formed by all of the individuals who had worked at the Medical Camp. It was the perfect way to end our hectic time there.

We packed up our things, and began the long and bumpy ride back to Nairobi. We grabbed dinner at the Prestige Plaza around 8:30pm, and then crashed for the night back at Gracia. This was an exhausting day for everyone, and there are so many more stories to share! Machakos was a great experience, and we have really bonded as a team. As I am typing this update, we are preparing for our next Medical Camp at Beacon this Saturday.

Asante sana (many thanks) for your interest and support!
Clare

Meet the Wathomes

The vision of Beacon of Hope comes from a couple named Jane and Ken Wathome. Both affluent Kenyans, they have taken their passion and giftings, along with their influence throughout Kenya (Ken leads Bible Studies with some of the most powerful government officials in the country) to make a HUGE difference in the community and throughout Kenya.
Beacon of Hope was created in 2002 because Jane saw a need in the community to help lift women affected by HIV/AIDS out of poverty. Please take a look at the Beacon of Hope YouTube site to learn more about its creation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPhD7kjjcqA

As mentioned in the previous entry, Machakos is a rural mountain village surrounded by BEAUTIFUL, breathtaking landscape. It is Ken's birth place (literally . . . he was born on the estate that we stayed at) and the town which he considers “home.” Because Kenya has such a hospitable culture, it took A LOT of work to host our team of 16 (plus about 10 other volunteers from Beacon that came with us). It was quite an honor to be asked into this village, and the Wathomes made sure that we were treated well. We stayed at Ken's mother's home, but she wasn't even in the country while we were there. However, she and Jane recruited several women from the village to help make our stay there amazing. Jane met with this group of women for a couple of different meetings to work out every meticulous detail of our stay. We were fed like royalty, with meals big enough to feed an army. One of my favorite things was eating the fresh avocados taken from the tree out back. (Side note . . . as I'm sitting in a conference room at Beacon writing this entry, a staff member just walked in to take our morning tea dishes. She is singing. I asked her what she is singing and her response . . . “I am praising the LORD!” Very cool) All of these women were true servants of the LORD, and seemed to have much joy in honoring him while serving us. We left Beacon on Tuesday morning around 10:00, and after about 90 min. came to Machakos Town. We then traveled another 25 min “off road” (or so it seemed) before reaching Ken's home. It was on a beautiful piece of property surrounded by lush bushes, avocado and guava trees, and other greenery. Except for the whole mountain thing, there were times I felt as if I could be in northern Wisconsin. It surprised me to see Kenya had parts like that. We unpacked our things and headed to the clinic which took place at a school about ½ mile away. We set up the pharmacy, lab, and doctor's office and headed back to Ken's. That evening we shared some sweet music and prayer time around a campfire with our team and our other Kenyan friends. It was really cool to worship together in that environment. The section of Machakos that we were in does not yet have electricity (it is supposed to be there sometime in September), and although the house we stayed in did have a generator, the mountaintop we were on was completely dark. We all saw some of the brightest, most beautiful stars we had ever seen. It was awesome. We went to bed relatively early in preparation for the clinic the next day.

Ah! This entry is getting so long and there are so many more things that I want to share. I want you to all know the details of the sounds, the smells, and the sights that we're experiencing. I want you to be able to see the smile on the children's faces, hear the laughter in their voices. See the differences and similarities between the Kenyan and American cultures. Know that we are feeling so thankful for being here and covet your prayers over the next 10 days. Thank you for being part of our team!

Until next time,
Amy

Prepping for Machakos (catching you up from Monday)

It's another beautiful day in Kenya! We've been fortunate with the weather so far, with warm sun and beautiful blue skies each day.

Today began with an early breakfast at our hotel, Gracia. After breakfast (which is really similar to home, as we enjoy fresh pineapple that's tastes more like heaven than fruit), we met up with our drivers, Anthony and Jorim, for the bumpy trek to Beacon of Hope. We made it to Beacon just in time for their devotional time, which they host daily for teachers and students. After a bit of worship time (some songs sung in Swahili, and a couple familiar tunes), and a short devotional by David, the lead instructor in the weaving program here at Beacon, we were off and running for a busy day of preparation for the medical camp we'll help with on Wednesday.

We've counted thousands of pills and filled hundreds of medicine bottles with medications that we hope will help the hundreds of people that will come to the medical camp on Wednesday – people who might otherwise not have access to such amenities as anti-inflammatories, anti-fungal medication, and cough syrup. We'll travel tomorrow (Tuesday) to Machakos, a rural mountain village about 70km from Nairobi, where Wednesday's camp will be held, to set up. In the past, these medical camps have yielded anywhere from 800-1200 patients. This will be Beacon's first attempt at a medical camp in Machakos (and incidentally, the first ever medical camp in Machakos), where they hope to eventually have a partnership with an existing clinic in the village. We hope to help re-establish the villagers' trust in the existing clinic, so they might see it as a resource for them in their own community.

The experience so far in Kenya has been beyond eye-opening. It's incredible to be on the opposite side of the world, fellowshipping and worshiping with believers in the same Lord – in English, Swahili, and other tribal languages. It's unlike any other experience... watching these faithful followers of Christ, as they live out their faith in many of the same ways we do – thanking him for his Goodness, Love, Provision, etc, even as they struggle to feed their families, and send their children to school. Their faith is unmovable, counting on the Lord for – literally – their every need. It's quite an example, and illustrates such a fantastic picture of the Body of Christ.

Thanks for your prayers. We are all well, and look forward to telling you all about the people here, and all that we've learned. Kwaheri (goodbye) for now.

Cammie

Checking in...

Hi everyone! It's 10:30 on Wednesday evening and we just got back from our two-day adventure in Machakos. Due to some computer issues on Monday and a lack of time/resources in Machakos, we have been unable to post a blog entry since Saturday. Our apologies to all of you loved ones who may have been worried :) Now that we are back, we will work on getting caught up once we're rested. We have lots to share...including how we saw around 1000 people at the medical camp today! Looking forward to telling you all about it...and getting some much needed zzzzz. Lala salama (sleep well)!

Holly, for the team.