Time flies when you're having firsts....

Where did the week go?  That was the question that I was asking myself starting Thursday. This past week was full of more learning, new experiences, and demonstrations of how the Lord is at work. 

 The majority of the week I worked at the hospital, where it seemed that each day I was doing something new. Monday, I helped the team apply three hip spica casts to children. Wednesday, I cut off my first cast and trimmed another. Thursday, I helped place traction pins into a patient. Friday, I took out my first set of sutures, turned in my plans for the standing frame to be built for the hospital, and introduced plastic wrap to their wound care technique to enable a form of moist dressing. Another first that has been a huge blessing is being able to work so closely with Josh. When he is not in the operating room, he is on the ortho ward, where a large percentage of my day is spent. It is great that we have been able to work as a team in this capacity and encourage each other.

On Tuesday I met the 7^th place finisher in the ’97 Boston Marathon, made a lot of babies cry, and rode a passenger van over dune buggy trails for 2 hours. All of these things were accomplished on my Community Health outing. I have been interested in public health and figured that this would be a good way to investigate that interest a bit further. So, on Tuesday morning a group of about seven of us (5 Kenyan, 2 American) headed out in the Land Rover….. until it broke down about a tenth of a mile up the road. So we came back to Tenwek and waited about an hour until we could get the Tenwek passenger van. We eventually left and headed toward the villages that were expecting us that day.

I am very impressed by the organization and effectiveness of the Community Health team. They visit a different set of villages each day and then return one month later on the same day of the week. The clinics administer vaccinations to babies and expectant mothers, Depo shots, free HIV testing to expectant mothers, education on how to not spread HIV through delivery, antenatal/perinatal examinations,  and post delivery check ups.  The mothers are educated on when to come back to receive the needed treatment for themselves and their children. Many mothers walk for several hours to make it to these clinics.

So, if you haven’t guessed it already, my “firsts” experience for Tuesday was giving immunizations! After watching a few times, Edward, the nurse who was with me at this clinic handed me the needle and bottle and said “you try.” I tried to play it as cool as possible and then successfully gave my first shot. I learned the difference in subcutaneous vs. intramuscular and got the approval from Edward on my shot skills. I gave several babies vaccinations and of course they started wailing.

As we were leaving the clinic I noticed  a large group of school children standing near the entrance waiting for us to come out. Edward said they were purely trying to catch a glimpse of the muzungu (white person). In fact a group of about 20 of them walked a quarter mile with us down the road  just out of curiosity. On the drive home I was sitting in the front with the window down and I would here “Muzu…..” followed by several screams and little children turning to look at our van. Edward explained that it might have been the first time several of them had ever seen a white person. Yes, I felt like a celebrity.

  Each day this past week I have been greeted with Gideon’s beautiful smile and excited eyes.  He now tries to race me in his wheelchair every time I pass him in the hospital. He will reach for my hand for the traditional shake as a greeting, but then he holds on, feeling of each finger and not wanting to let go.  He definitely has  a new light in his eyes and I only wonder what the Lord is doing in his life. His father asked me for a Bible for him this past week. I was thrilled to be able to get him one in Kipsigis, his own language. I have seen him in the chapel several times watching the Jesus Film with some other children. Even though a language barrier exists I can still see that the Lord is working in him in some way. This urges me to pray all the more for him and his unknown future. He continues to have disabilities and a father who will eventually die of HIV/AIDS, leaving him an orphan. I take great peace in the knowledge that our Lord is sovereign over everything, especially things such as these. Gideon was discharged last week but remains at the hospital because his father has been unable to pay the bill (much different than the U.S.). His father explained that relatives would come soon with money so they would be able to return home, but in the meantime he was sure to tell me to “come see your child.”