Our time at Tenwek is nearing an end and we are once again ambivalent about our upcoming return to “the world”. We have made so many friends here – both old and new. To think about leaving produces sadness about those we will be leaving behind, but also anticipation and excitement about what lies ahead. This year we had the pleasure of spending time with short-term volunteers from Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, Montana, Texas (San Antonio!), and Toronto… brothers and sisters brought together out of our mutual love for the people of Kenya and our love for Jesus. What an amazing experience it has been to share time, work, meals, and worship with this community. “It’s nearly impossible to express with words the feeling of being here” is how one of our new friends, a thoracic surgeon from S. Carolina, puts it…and we couldn’t agree more. We have come to love the warmth, friendliness, stoicism, and simple faith of the rural population of Kenya. It is both a joy and a privilege to join in the good work that the long-term missionaries are doing here, and to try to help bring some small measure of comfort and relief to the incredible suffering that occurs. Since my last communication, both of the young men mentioned in my previous post have passed away, and now their families are left to grieve, and to try to put their lives back together. It’s difficult for us to imagine what that experience must be like. We feel so blessed to have our health, and to have ready access to healthcare for our loved ones and ourselves…something that we will not likely ever again take for granted. As we get ready to depart Kenya, we are looking forward to reconnecting with some dear friends from the Netherlands – Peter and Petra Axt, a physician couple that we met several years ago while serving together in Guatemala. We are planning to meet in Prague for a few days and “catch up” with them on happenings in our lives and families. This will be our third annual “after Kenya” meeting, and we are very excited to see them. In addition, we are very much looking forward to the upcoming arrival of our first grandchild later this year (sometime in early November)! We are anxiously awaiting his arrival, and the chance to meet him when we travel to Minnesota to see Brad and Natalia at Thanksgiving. So, in spite of the sadness that we feel about getting ready to leave this place, there is much that we are looking forward to as well...the chance to reconnect with many of you! Hoping to see you soon…
With love,
Randy and Marilyn
No comments:
Post a Comment