Back Home!

Hello, again, to everyone!  We are back home!  We are almost finished unpacking--one more suitcase to go.  Lots of little things to put back in their places spread out on the dining room table.  Looks very similar to the way it looked befor our trip. 

Because I don't know how long it will be before I have a chance to tell you all personally, I want to thank you via our blog for all of your prayers and encouraging words regarding our journey.   A passage that was special to our family as we began preparations for our trip and then started out on our journey was  Isaiah 41:9b-10--"You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  God certainly did do all of this as we traveled to, from and within Africa.  There was not a single detail that concerned us that didn't first concern our Heavenly Father.  I just knew that we would surely encounter those typical eastern US thunderstorms on our arrival back to the states, given that we were landing in Atlanta at 2:00 and in Raleigh at 7:00.  We never saw a single one--what an unusual afternoon for our "neck of the woods."  He went before us in so many ways.   Our prayer is that He will even now go "behind" us as the Holy Spirit uses whatever service we were able to provide or seeds planted to continue to be an encouragement to those we met. 

Tenwek Hospital (Bomet, Kenya) and the Coggins/Sanctuary of Grace Primary School (Uganda) are special places and now hold a special place in our hearts!   Though living for our short time in Africa exposed us to the many challenges of everyday life there, it made us appreciate like we never have before the simple things of life.  Pray that we will be able to maintain a focus here in Fayetteville on those simple things, letting go of what tries to complicate life.  

Here are some final pictures that we wanted to share with you. 
One thing you may not be able to see in the OR picture---The team is praying over the patient before they begin the case--see Elijah's hands folded together at the patient's head.  That was routine for every case at Tenwek. 

Enjoy the pictures.  We hope to personally see all of you real soon.  So good to be back home! 

May you be encouraged to serve the Lord wherever you are--with No Reserves, No Retreats, and No Regrets--the message of Dr. David Stevens, Executive Director of Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA), at Sunday's church service at Tenwek. 

Praying before the case

Ashley shares silly bands in peds ward



Ashley and Lydia in peds ward



Saying good-bye to Lydia--harder than it looks!



Ben scrubbed in with Bill on thyroid case





Sign in front of hospital - the taller round building on the left is the OR--called the "Theater"

 


Ben and Isaac fishing with homemade pole/rig;
Notice the lady washing clothes in the river

 Love, Bill, Donna, Ben, and Ashley 

A Great Week

Hello Everyone! 
We have had another busy week at Tenwek Hospital but a good one! 

Thank you for your prayers.  Bill's work schedule did "let up" some.  I think the initial flood subsided and settled down to a normal pace for Tenwek--he was still busy and it seemed every time he would come out of surgery, there would be someone just outside the door waiting to see him in clinic.  The structure of each day is not as it is back home.  The one thing he has decided for sure is that he needs to recruit some of his ENT buddies to come to Tenwek so they will have better coverage. 

He has seen some amazing things this week.  We'll look forward to giving you the details when we get home. Ben, Ashley and I got to go into the OR with him--something we could never do in the US.  We were able to see him train one of the residents (Elijah) on a tonsilectomy.  We also got to see Bill in action--the resident did one side and Bill did the other.  Bill feels real good about the resident's ability to do some basic ENT procedures--another prayer answered.   He and Elijah spent much of the week together. 

This place is a revolving door--a 4th-yr med student from VCU-Richmond arrived Wednesday.  He is interested in general surgery so Bill scooped him right up and gave him all the exposure he could to the OR.  (We prayed for some assistance!!)  This is such an incredible opportunity for guys like him.  They can come here and get exposure to the OR and to cases they will never see in the US.  One of the cases he and Bill worked on this week was a 2-sentence part of a lecture that he vaguely remembers, he said.  The professor said something to the effect--"you'll probably never see this in your whole career."  They saw it this week at Tenwek. 

Ben scrubbed in with Bill later in the week to see a thyroidectomy.  I graciously declined.  Ben loved it. 

Other highlights of our week (and I'm sure I'll forget something):

Ben and I went to Harvest maize on Wednesday.  One of the local orphanages plants corn for their food and to sell to raise support money for the coming year.  We just happened to be here during the harvesting week.  We were a team of about 50, I would say--a work team from Charlotte, NC and every teenager we could round up in the missionary compound.  The corn stalks had already been cut and piled in the field.  We had to work the piles --remove the ear from the stalk, shuck it and throw it into a pile.  The corn was essentially dry.  Some similarities to pulling corn back home.  We worked in the morning, finished around noon; itched like crazy and breathed in all sorts of things flying through the air as 50 of us were shucking and throwing corn everywhere.  It's a wonder somebody didn't get hit with an ear of corn--I still am not sure how that didn't happen!!  It was fun and hardwork--and just like working in the garden back home--good fellowshipping. 

Wed afternoon, waiting for the rain to clear to go back to our house, I wandered into Lisa's office (Lisa is the Visiting Staff Coordinator) and asked if there was anything I could do for her.  She was not hesitant to put me to work.  My banking experience and my experience putting together BSF groups were both helpful.  I was able to help her restore some formulas in her spreadsheet to make her billing process more efficient and then I was able to help her do the housing assignments for a Cardiology Team of 35 coming in November.    
The rain cleared fairly quickly --but my work with Lisa continued through Friday morning!!! 

My experience with Lisa is a pretty good commentary for our work here at Tenwek.  We never really knew from time to time what we would be doing.   The Samaritan's Purse folks instructed us to just be proactive and make ourselves available--we have and there hasn't been much down time. 

Ashley, Lydia and I went to the pediatric ward today and colored with the children.  What an experience.  Some of the children had been there for two weeks and still awaiting surgery (this Wed in one case).  There were some very sick patients and then some that looked fairly healthy.  It seemed most of the children had at least one parent who had been with them the entire stay.  The children and the parents wanted a coloring sheet and crayons.  Just a simple thing to us - but it seemed to brighten their day like you wouldn't believe.  After we colored, Ashley and Lydia handed out silly bands.  You should have seen the expressions/smiles on their faces when the children realized that those little rubber bands were in recognizable shapes of animals, etc. 

The children have enjoyed the other children in the compound.  Ashley and Lydia have really become great, new friends.  They are going to have a tough time saying good-bye tomorrow.  Lydia is doing well from her tonsilectomy.  She is Bill's poster patient!!  Life on a missionary compound yields a different picture of the recovery period.  She will be 10 days post-surgery tomorrow and is doing great. 

Ben has felt much better after his tubes.  Allergies have settled down, too.  Again, thanks for your prayers. 

We are all packed and ready for a good night's sleep tonight.  We will attend church in the morning at the Tenwek village meeting room.  We understand that the CEO (I think??) of CMDA is preaching tomorrow--another blessing in terms of the timing of our trip.   After church, we leave around 11:00 to make the drive back to Nairobi and begin the return flight home. 

Pray for our safe travel and readjustment to life in Fayetteville.  We look forward to seeing you all back home.  

Love,
Donna, Bill, Ben, and Ashley

Photos from Tenwek and Masai Mara

Here are a few photos to go along with our last blog. 

ben's post to norris family / safari details

hi norris family how are you? i am enjoying africa beyond measure. i used not a knife but a lawn mower that is just a bent two edged swordand it is a load of work you never know what will jump out @ you.  i'm in africa so anything is possible.  as 4 the flies i havent had the chance to use any of them yet.  nor have i had the chace to give any of them away.
safari details: we saw lions leopards cheetahs impala (more than 1) every type of gazelle on the face of MASAI MARA CONSERVACY elephants hippos wildebeast ostriches crocodiles and we took a game walk and saw a tarantula throughout the trip we also saw lots and lots and lots of birds.

First Days at Tenwek

Hello, everyone!  It's been a while since we've blogged.  Lots going on.

Two versions:

A.  If you just want to know the basics and that we made it to Kenya:
--Arrived on Tuesday afternoon to Tenwek Hospital
--Bill hit the ground, running--OR and clinic schedules are full
--Donna, Ben and Ashley got us settled in and met most of the neighbors
--Went on a safari in the Masai Mara Conservancy over this past weekend--amazing!
--We're doing well!


OR
B.  If you have an hour or so and want the details:
Where to start. . . . . .

Arrived at Nairobi on Monday night and had a great night at Mennonite Guesthouse.  Left out early Tuesday morning with a driver.  Quick stop at the Supermarket to purchase all the bulk of our groceries for 12 days.  Received a call from Tenwek to let Bill know he already had patients waiting for him and to immediately come (to the hospital that was four hours away!)  SO. . . .As we were doing 50 in the aisles of the market trying to put together menus in our heads, assessing Kenyan name brands, thinking through house cleaning products, etc, everybody grabbing random things---the lights went out!!!!---twice!!!   It's pitch dark in the Nairobi supermarket when the lights go out.  Sure makes the kids stay close by!!

Well, we arrived at Tenwek, unlocked our house, opened the trunk --Bill got out his doc bag and was gone.  Here we were on the beautiful grounds of the missionary compound to set up home sweet Kenyan home!!  I held Ben off as long as I could with the unpacking--you see, the Mara River runs behind the hospital.  At 5:00, we took our first hike down to the see the water falls and the famous hydroelectric plant that powers Tenwek hospital.  We established that trips to the river would only happen with an accompanying adult.  So, I'm getting a workout---it's all downhill to the river--which means an uphill climb home!!  

Afterwards, Ben joined in an immediate game of rugby--even tho' he had no idea how to play--basically in our front yard.  Ashley met another Ashley and Lydia who are her best buds here.  Their first sleepover would be Wednesday night.

We met neighbors real fast!  Everybody was very helpful as we knew nothing about the set-up.  The first three days' meals were provided for us at the Guesthouse so, we met Bill for dinner.  After dinner, discovered the racquetball court down at the guesthouse--Ben has a new sport he enjoys.  Ben enjoyed a long bath and then the rest of us had a cold shower or gave up till we could figure out the hot water the next day. 

Wednesday:  Bill had a full OR schedule already!  Morning at home was productive, too.  Ben discovered that we have a booster for our solar-powered water heater (no more cold showers); we found the cistern where rain water is collected from the roof--providing our source of "clean" water to be filtered and used for drinking, brushing teeth, cooking, ice, etc.;  someone showed us that what I thought was a big coffee pot was our water filter; a sweet neighbor let me use her washing machine to wash a load of clothes (dirty from Uganda); we found the clothesline that we are to use;  we established internet access with the IT department at Tenwek Hospital Business Office--all before lunch.

Joined Bill in the hospital "restaurant" for lunch.
After Bill got home Wed night, he had two house calls--at our house.  One was Lydia, a missionary's daughter within the compound--scheduled her for surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids Thur am.  The other one was Ben!!  Apparently from the flights and elevation changes and all the allergens here, Ben's ears were socked in tight with fluid.  He was miserable and in quite a bit of pain.  Bill concluded that tubes would relieve the pressure--something he might could have done in his office at home,  but here it required a trip to the OR.  I think Ben would have done anything at that moment for relief.  We had the first "I want to go home" meltdown.  And that wasn't an option. 


Thursday:  Our wake-up call was Bill calling to say that after going in extra early to line everything up, Ben was first on his OR schedule.  Ben walked to the hospital.  Ben and I just hung out in the OR recovery room and watched their morning routine until Bill came and got him and took him back.  About 30 minutes later Bill rolled Ben back into the recovery room; 30 minutes later, he was dressed and ready to go home.    And then, Ben and I walked home.  Surgery--Kenyan style!

A quiet afternoon for Ben and me.  An afternoon of making "Welcome home Lydia" banners  for Ashley. 

Friday:
Friday afternoon we left for a Safari excursion to the Salt Springs Camp in the Masai Mara Conservancy.  We stayed in a luxurious 5-star tent!  Luxurious means it zipped from both sides and had mosquito-proof screens for windows!!  It was quite nice--actually.  The meals were wonderful--all but one served under the main hut which overlooked a hippo pool and vast plains of the conservancy.  Sat night's meal was served in the "bush"  with a nice, warm campfire.  As we were eating by lantern-light and sitting in an otherwise pitch-black night, the camp employees--all cousins of one Masai family--surprised us with a presentation of the Masai warrior dance and songs!!!  (Reminded me of the Indians' surprise at Tweetsie Railroad.) The night ended with a huge thunderstorm as we raced for the tents. 

On the Safari drives we saw almost every animal you can think of except the rhino--lions, leopards, cheetah, elephant, zebra, giraffe, gazelle, impala, mongoose, cape buffalo, ostrich, hippo, hyena, warthog, tarantula, terrapin, and the wildebeest--I'm probably forgetting something.  The highlight was watching a pride of lions stalk a wildebeest herd for an afternoon meal.  We missed the actual attack because we went to see a cheetah (report from another guide) and returned minutes after the lions dragged a wildebeest into a ditch and devoured him.  It was like watching a National Geographic feature.  We were literally feet away from all this action.  The animals seem not to be affected at all by jeeps of tourists and cameras clicking every second.  On our Sunday morning early drive we got to see another pride of lions (including mama and 4 cubs) make their way back across the plain after a night hunt--apparently to rest in the sun, bellies full. 

Back to Tenwek late this afternoon for week #2.  Ashley and I are planning to visit the nursery to rock babies tomorrow.

Pray for Bill:   1. Stamina for long days at work.  There is esentially no ENT coverage here at the hospital so a huge demand for his time.  That's part of why we are here.   2. Clear mind and good judgment.  Many of the cases are ones he's never seen outside of a textbook or journal OR severe cases of  things he has seen, so his work is intense--all day long. 3.  Some assistance in the OR.  He usually has minimal people scrubbed in with him to assist; a challenge given the nature of the cases.  AND, 4. Someone to train.  He is supposed to be training surgery residents to do some of the routine ENT cases to help meet the needs after he is gone.  Some of them are away right now and others are scrubbed in on other cases.  Hopefully, this week, he will be able to train some of them so that there won't be such a void of ENT care when Bill is back in Fayetteville. 

Tenwek Hospital is a busy place.  It is amazing to see what they do with the resources they have.  It doesn't look like Cape Fear Valley but delivers excellent medical care over a wide area--with a fraction of the resources.

We miss our family and friends but are enjoying our time here.  We are challenged but are learing much from how God is meeting our needs as we take one step at a time.  We are looking forward to getting involved in some of the local ministries this week.

I apologize for the long blog - wanted to share as much as we can about our last few days. I'll try to send some pictures real soon.   

Happy (belated) Birthday, Mama!!

Love to you all,
Donna (with help from Ben and Ashley, while Bill prepares the hospital devotion he will give on Wed. morning)

 

Ashley's Post of Adventure

Today we went to the Sanctuary of Grace School again for Sunday School.  65 kids attended while their parents attended "big" church at the village church down the road.  I was amazed at how well the kids sang.  The adventure comes Jater this evening.  Ben and I saw a hen with 7 chicks.  Then Tasha, the guard dog, scared the chicken and all the chicks scattered.   Ben and I had to collect all the chicks and return them to the mother.  It took about 20 minutes.  The chicks weighed 1-2 ounces and chirped so softly and din't peck.  

ben's post

We are in Uganda and are having a good time.  Today, we saw the local village and it really got to me about how much we waste. here they only make $5-$6 a day. ( u.s. currency ) so they dont have the best homes. their clothes are almost always dirty and they eat goats, pigs, chickens, and cows.