Dear Blog-followers, friends and family,

Welcome to ‘the story’ of our first week adjustments to Tenwek….every year it becomes easier. It reinforces our commitment to this venture that God has ordained for us.

We are back at the guest house- and in our ‘old’ room (freshly painted I might add). We miss Livingston, our previous cook, but Emmanuel is striving – and succeeding, in filling those cooking shoes. However, there was ONE meal that none of us could determine exactly what the entrée was----chicken (most votes), fish, or pounded beef patty, breaded and served on a hamburger roll. The next day we confirmed it was fish----tilapia (clearly very mild, and tasty enough that it didn’t matter WHAT it was) !

We re-acquainted with long-term missionaries within minutes of arriving.  Barbara has taught at the nursing school here for > 30 yrs. She saved lunch for us since she knew we were arriving. Her traditional sukuma wiki (spinach, kale, or collard greens?- I KNOW mom, you said I would like it someday), rice and carrots and homemade sherbet were, as always, a welcome delight to our taste buds AND heart while catching up with her.

We were able to make rounds with our new respective teams that afternoon. We both believe they are the best interns we have ever had.  Prayer starts our days together, ends our days together and is woven throughout the day with EVERY patient interaction. We both continue to struggle with situations that over-step our comfort zones, but God always joins us, especially at those moments, and leads us thru. He comforts us with the hospital mantra, “ We Treat, Jesus Heals”.

 

The hospital itself is always attempting improvements. This year there is an expanded library with individual department areas. It provides opportunities to meet, discuss patient needs, and have access to books, without interfering with other users.

We have only a few other visiting doctors at the guesthouse this year.  Mark is a pediatric cardiologist from the Univ. of Michigan, performing and teaching echocardiograms in preparation for upcoming visiting cardiac surgery teams. It is sad to acknowledge that only a small number of high priority patients will be selected from the incredible numbers who suffer from cardiac anomalies.  Oh, did I mention...Mark, his wife and 5 children ‘just so happen’ to live 2-3 blocks from my sister Jackie in Ann Arbor?!  John is a radiologist with the military and is experiencing his FIRST mission trip ever…. his 4 daughters ‘just so happen’ to live in Michigan also.  Avital is an Israeli/US citizen who is doing her neurosurgery residency at the Mayo Clinic, and is working here with a long-term missionary she knew from residency.

The Ob/Gyn group has also been in flux this month. Cheryl and Dean are in the states raising funds to continue their long –term missionary work here. Joy Draper is on maternity leave as her husband Bill, and son Walter have all been welcoming the new addition to their family….2 yr. old Frank (see pictures).  Joy will be back in the hospital in 10 days. God has granted me the opportunity to work along side her for a third year…what a blessing!  Their family was overcome with gratitude for the clothing donations my office staff sent for their new son, Frank. He donned shirt after shirt on top of each other—which is a typical Kenya style of dress despite his roots being Ugandan.  His American influence? Ketchup (“please”) on every food on his plate!

The patients continue to woo and break our hearts. The unbelievable amount of maternal health issues are overwhelming---hypercoaguable conditions + pregnancy =blood clots and pulmonary emboli. I have 6 pts. on service now with those issues. The hypertension, the consanguinities, the 1 out of 20 pregnancies with twins lead to likewise serious struggles. The stillbirths and birth defects seem overwhelming. The pastoral staff is an integral part of our team.

We had attempted to connect with Ryan and Shannon Potter in Kijabe/Rift Valley Academy this weekend. Shannon was one of my first medical students that I met through CMDA bible studies ~ 10 yrs. ago. . Ryan became her husband during her third year of medical school while he finished his masters in Engineering.  Following her residency, they embarked on a missionary outreach to the Congo where she felt God had been leading her to open a fistula correction hospital.  Political pressures led to an abandonment of that dream after 18 months.  This was followed by a short stay at a Togo mission hospital, and more recently a teaching post for Ryan at Rift Valley Academy –where ~ 60 different nationalities of missionary children attend school. It is world- renowned.  Shannon is currently a stay–at-home mom to their 2 children while preparing for her OB/GYN Board exams. She is available to help at Kijabe, another African Church/Samaritan Purse mission hospital on the same hilltop as Rift Valley Academy.  Despite our best efforts to visit them on our weekend off-call, transportation became an insurmountable problem, and THEN the on-call doctor for the weekend had a family emergency and asked Randy to cover him----Ahhh, so God appeared to have other plans for us!…. Others over self….

We miss our American friends and family, but are building our old relationships while promoting new ones – all the while following God’s hand across the Tenwek Hospital grounds…

LaLa Salama! (good night), Marilyn and Randy

Lovin' my new clothes!...how may shirts can I get on at once?!

New high tops too!