Thursday: a last day before beginning the journey home

LOOKING FOR THE LION

 We are are Sweetwater Tented Camp for a one day "rest."  But it's hard to be still, it's hard to disconnect (especially in this WiFi, Facebook age).  I look up now and see a family of warthogs watching me.  We spent our morning riding  through the game park with the peaks of Mount Kenya in the distance.  The scenery is awe inspiring and the animals abundant.  Yet we wander and wander looking for the lion or leopard or cheetahs. Just like life, we often ignore the beauty right in front of us because our focus in on seeking out something else, something better, something dangerous or exciting.  Lord help us see your creation right in front of us.

 got to go... there's a rhino in front of my tent!

Satuday June 18 to Tuesday June 21                                         The Methodist Bio-Intensive Agricultural Training Center

Youth from Zoe (orphans empowerment program) and a street children's rehabilitation center received a two day training course at the Bio-Intensive Agricultural Training Center.  Students pictured with trainers and staff. Students ages range from 14 to 22.  Many are heads of their households.  Two of the boys are residents of the Street Boys Rehab and Counseling Center (a new ministry of Maua Hospital)

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After both classroom and hands-on learning, the students receive certificates for which they are very apreciative. Many past students have used this training as a springboard for very successful farming enterprises. 

GUMC team used our time at the center to build a new rabbit hutch and shop for rabbits for the new rabbit project.

the farm of Judy a serious local farmer from whom we bought rabbits.  Judy's compound impressed us. 

Saturday through Tuesday

 

Rural Community Health Day

This day we traveled some distance from Maua to two rural schools to give all the students and teachers deworming tablets.  Visiting the schools is always so joyful. These children value so much the opportunity to be in school.  We dewormed over 600 children and this will help them with their general health and nutrition.  Also lessons were given on good hygeine and handwashing.

We helped the hospital Community Health Department staff set up and run a rural health cllnic in which over 240 patients were seen.
Tomorrow we will be leaving Maua (and our wifi connection) and will be at the BioIntensive Agricultural Training Center hosting 10 orphans.   They will learn skills that will help them grow food to sustain their families and produce income.  We will not be able to post any more information on the blogsite until Wednesday.

Growing MCK Clark ECD School

Thursday Visit to Clark ECD School and House completion and Dedication Ceremony

 Work continued on the house Thursday morning, with painting and final touches while Ed, Leda, Cheryl, and Maureen visited Athiru Giati MCK Clark ECD School.  This school started in 2011 for orphans and vulnerable children has grown from a hand full of students in one room to a large conplex with over 300 students.  It now is a resource center for the entire community.

The dedication ceremony for the house was held Thursday afternoon. Grandmother Susan received amazing support from the Women's Fellowship Group of her local church.  The women cooked all morning and then turned out in mass for singing and celebration.  The event was attended by at lease 100 people and was the most inspiring and spirit filled that we have been a part of.  The local church and Women's Fellowship presented a new bed and beautiful blanket for the new house.  Addionally they feed all in attendence with a bountiful helping of delicious rice, beans, vegetables. The bowls of food were heeping and all were feed.  I was remnded of the fishes and loaves because, despite the large number of attendees, the food never ran out.yeT

Wednesday

Most of the team spent Wednesday working on the house. Leda worked with Dr Inoti , Ophthalmolgist, seeing patients in the eye clinic and examining a donated and very special operating microscope that now completes the eye sugery center at MMH.  Susan had discussions with the Dr Inoti, Dr Tony Mwnyemali, general surgeon and Medical Office Incharge, regarding the current needs at MMH and future plans to expand services.  This is the first time ever that internet wifi access is available to us at the Maua Basin Hotel.  Many team members are posting pictures and comments on their facebook pages. 

 Children at the worksite enjoy attention from us and want to pitch in to help when they can
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House progress at the end of day two is good

Tuesday, June 14, 2016. 

Today our team continued to work on the house for Susan AND her grandchildren. Much of our work today was on the exterior walls and roof.  The trusses for the roof were built and these were lifted manually to the top of the walls.  Most of us have tried, sore muscles tonight. But it was a beautiful, sunny day and we enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the people in the community.  More adventures await us tomorrow.  Leda Phillips.

A New Beginning for a Grandmother  and her seven orphaned grandchildren.

JVyanet Muene, Dupty Director of MMH Community Health Dept with Susan Mwokiesa and four of seven grandchildren

 current shelter in which children have been sleeping

Sunday in Maua

 We had a lovely Sunday beginning with the most energetic St Joseph MCK worship service we have ever experienced.  Multiple chiors and a teaching message from on of the lay leaders.  Though we have not quite gotten our clocks reset and gotten adequate sleep yet we were dancing and singing and feeling imbued with the spirit of love and fellowship with our Kenyan brothers and sisters.  Theses Sundays have always been a day we look forward to in Maua.  The afternoon was just as fun as we visited with our Kenyan family, that of Rev Grace Ncabani.  We were delighted to meet the family we have heard so much about, have tea with them, and meet all the neighbors.  Of course the children make the experience a joy. 

Visiting with family and neighbors of Rev Grace Ncababi

The drive from Nairobi to Maua still takes most of a day.  We had cloudy skies and comfortably cool weather.  The roadsides are ever growing, bustling commerce centers in each little town.  Progress along the route is severely impaired by the exponential growth of speed bumps.  One cannot drive 50 yards without having to slow almost to a stop in order to hurdle the van over a very formidible Kenyan speed bump. While this process doubles the travel time it probably halfs the number of roadside mishaps.  We arrived safely in Maua at 5:30pm.

Stanley and Mary Gitari along with key members of the hospital leadership team joined us for dinner. We enjoyed visiting our dear friends, getting updates about Maua Hospital, and discussing planned activities for the week.

Safe Arrival to Nairobi

We arrived safely at CHAK Guest House last night (Friday).  All luggage arrived.  We were required to pay some import tax on items we brought in for hospital and friends.   A small price for safe arrival with no other no travel hassels.  Will load vans shortly for day-long drive to Maua, the most interesting part of our travels.  Already we are seeing lots of new buildngs and more road construction changes. 

2 More Days!

Our 2016 Kenya Mission Team was commissioned at the 11 am service at GUMC on Sunday and then packed suitcases with medical supplies for Maua Methodist Hospital.  Two days until liftoff!

GUMC Team with Rev Grace Ncabani (Chaplain of Maua Methodist Hospital) at GUMC
Left to right: Rev Grace, Susan, Maureen, Barry, Leda, Ed, Cheryl

GUMC 2016 Kenya Mission Team

Ed Clark (leader)
Leda Phillips
Maureen Cooper
Cheryl Simmons
Barry Smith
Susan Hillebert

We are preparing to leave Memphis on June 9th (just 3 days from now).  Please keep our team in your prayers for safe travels.  Throughout our two-week stay in Kenya we will post to this blog site as much as possible updates on our activities and experiences.  Our itinerary and in-country schedule can be viewed by from the column on the right.  Also view the "More Information" section to see a map and for links for information about where we are going and with whom we will be working.

Last day in Kenya

Our team will begin the return journey home this morning.  We will drive to Nairobi where we will have a chance to visit a bead factory which employs women who have been abused and have no one to help support them. We will also visit the national wildlife conservancy. After dinner we will board a plane for home.  We have seen and experienced many wonderful things in the past two weeks - beauty in the natural surroundings and in the faces of the people.  We hope to share our experiences with you through stories, photos, and videos.  As we begin the long journey home, pray for traveling mercies for the team.  Will be home soon.  Leda Phillips

The Thief - Reflections and Re-entry

We have spent today at Lake Nakuru National Park, taking the opportunity to view God's most amazing animal creations and also preparing for our entry back into a world in which we can drink the tap water and expect flush toilets and hot showers almost anywhere we go  (things we all took for granted just a couple of weeks ago).  We are more aware that our material wealth and comforts are good but often prevent us from relying on God the way we have seen demonstrated here in Kenya.  We have seen those with so little in the way of material possessions express the joy of faith and worship eloquently.  They fully rely on God

 We met a young strong lion first thing this morning. He was hungry and obviously on a search for his next meal.  All throughout the park we saw baby animals and I couldn't help but thinking that one of these could be that meal.  The setting made me recall the many Kenyan mothers I've met this week.  On sleepless nights in Maua I thought of these mothers especially when the sounds of the cold mountain winds rattled our windows.  I imagined the worry of Kenyan mothers huddled with their children and praying for their health, for survival.  For the "lions" are  inadequate shelter, malnutrition, malaria, measles, parasites, disease of
 all sorts, and daily hazards that, like a thief in the night, will take a child away. I think of these mothers and their prayers.  I think also of the orphans who have no mothers to pray for them.  So I am asking you to say an extra prayer for all of them.

 Pray for safe travels for the team as we begin our travel home tomorrow.  If all is on schedule we should be home late Friday afternoon.

Hope Companions Inspire Us

Most team members will say that there are two big highlights of this mission journey; the house dedication ceremony and the Zoe Hope Compnanions certificate ceremony.   We were able to accompany 16 youth and one of the Zoe social workers to the MCK Bio-Intensive Training Center on Saturday morning.  These youth are all orhphans and heads of their households.  Therefore it is critical for their families survival that they learn not only business and trade skills but they know sound agricultural methods so they they have a secure food supply. These youth inspire us by their enthusiasm for learning and their sheer unfiltered delight at receiveing a certificate at the end of this 3 day training course. They all pledge to teach their newly acquired skills their work goups.  We had 16 kids from 16 diffrent work groups, eache work group consisting of 25 to 30 families, each family about 4 kids.  You do the math.

from dairy goats to aquadulture and fish processing

Pride in their accompliments, growing self-confidence, and hope for a better future

Caldwell Guthrie in Kenya

ECD children receiving Art from Caldwell Guthrie

Thanks Mrs Simmons 2nd Grade Class for sharing your art work...The team will be bringing home artwork from Kenya childrren for you.  More opportunities in the future to study cultures, climates, geography, and to compare and contrast.

Medical Supplies and More...a Bigger Story

Friday afternoon while the team carried on with Medical Camp, Sanley, Jim, and I dove back to Maua to recieve the team luggage and distribute medical supplies to various locations.  All items were accounted for, thankfully, and the hospital staff very grateful.  Gratitude came from others as well.  We were able to deliver art supplies donated by Michaels to the ECD Center.  My goodness, they could not believe it.  This donation was a response to the Art Exchange going on between Caldwell Guthie 2nd Grade and the Atiru Gaiti Clark Early Childhood Development Center.  Along with our luggage was the artwork from Caldwell Guthrie....Whew!

Medical Camp and Deworming

FRIDAY The team traveled to 3 schools and administer deworming medication to over 800 children AND CONDUCTED A Medical Camp in which over 200 people received medical treatment

House Dedication

A GIFT FROM GOD. Never this this family believe that the would have such a house

ELIZABETH was born with severe lower limb deformities. She propels herself about with her hands on the ground. She is pictured here with her daughter Mercy and 2 of 5 grandchildren in front of the house they have been living in.