Some thoughts as I travel

The trip to Tenwek was awesome! It was a 4+ hour drive across Western Kenya- saw many small towns, tea fields, and even a stretch of road where there were about 2 dozen baboons hanging out. Tenwek is not at all what I expected- not that I know what I expected. It is a busy place for sure. I knew it was in a rural area, but I think the facilities were more primitive than I was expecting. They do have some state of the art area, but I wasn’t in those parts. I had spotty wifi so I didn’t get to post anything while there. I left yesterday morning, and am now sitting in the Bangkok airport waiting for my connecting flight to Chiang Mai.

Before I share a “travelogue” of my recent activities, I wanted to share a quick reflection- with more to come. As most of you know, I lived outside the US for a number of years. I’ve struggled through the humiliation of learning a new language (twice). I have been exasperated with the “weird way” you do things. But now that I live and work in the USA, I think I choose to remember mostly the good parts of living the missionary life- being up close and personal with lostness, the many relationships that enriched my life, and being a part of work that felt significant. However, the experiences this past month have reminded me of the sacrifices and challenges that go along with the missionary life. Not knowing the language and struggling to learn it. Water issues. Being confused a lot of the time. I am especially appreciative of the sacrifices of those serving in the rural area of Tenwek. People adapt of course and I doubt any of them would complain or regret their decisions. (When I went back to the apartment where I was staying Monday afternoon, the TCKs (Third Culture Kids) were all out in the yard playing and riding their bikes- they were happy and enjoying life.) For me though, in my heart, I am reminded of the challenges of cross-cultural living and witness, and feel more compelled to support them in my prayers and support. I met so many impressive folks who are doing incredible work for the Lord. I have been enriched and my understanding of missions has deepened.

So, what was my day like at Tenwek? I was able to meet with the psychiatric provider- it seems they are close to where we would be in the USA. He says the number of visits they have (200-300/month) is increasing, perhaps in relationship to his community work. I also met with some of the nursing students who were doing their psych rotation. Because of the stigma attached to psychiatric issues, no one wants to be a psych nurse! I spent the afternoon touring the nursing school- they have developed a well respected program within the country and their students do very well on the national exams. It costs $3000 approximately for the education, from start to finish. They (school leaders) shared how financial support has been life changing for some of the students. The big event of the day was the dedication of their new lab- again, I am not sure what I was expecting but not what I saw! It was well attended, a great deal of appreciation was given for the work the lab assistants do- in health care we know how critical labs are in helping to develop a treatment plan, but the lab people rarely see the patients. It was a long ceremony (over 2 hours), many people spoke, then some of the long term leaders of the lab were recognized- two were NA ladies and they were given African dresses (they were whisked away to put them on!) and also a clock with their picture on it. Then there was the whole cake celebration, and individually feeding everyone with a piece of cake. Cheryl told me later that was a very cultural event- I was thankful to be a part of it.

I also spent some time in the Mother Child Clinic in the afternoon and was able to observe the resident CRC has sponsored in action. They work hard and long! We all had dinner Monday and it was encouraging for me to hear their stories and challenges. All of them shared the challenges of balancing work life balance. The program demands a lot of them, and they struggle to rest and invest in their families. I brought some NH Maple Syrup as a gift so we had fun talking about that. We FaceTimed with our pastor, Don Willeman, and he showed them the snow in his driveway which led to a whole discussion about weather differences. It was 75-80 degrees while I was there and yet I saw many people wrapped up in winter coats and blankets. Again, it was heart warming for me to meet these students, to hear their stories and see their desire to not only be Christian disciples and provide excellent health care to their people, but to be Godly husbands and wives and parents. For those of you that are part of CRC, the investment we have made in the OB/GYN residency is such a worthy one! I am thrilled that I get to be a part of that!

My flight leaves soon for Chiang Mai- I will spend this last week with by sister and BIL and learn more about their ministry. I think I will have better internet access so hopefully I can catch up sharing some of my experiences and thoughts!