The wifi has been very limited in the areas I have been
lately so I have not been able to update the blog like I wanted. A lot has
happened…
On Saturday (June 14), we traveled from Maua to the Kingdom Builder's
Orphanage near Lake Nakuru. When the van arrived to pick us up we were told
that one van had broken down, so we had
to leave several of our bags behind—being assured they would be picked up and
delivered to us that evening.
To say some of the roads were very rough is an
understatement. Dr. Lee and I were
traveling in the back seat of our van. We bounced all over the place. Hard hats
should have been worn for that trip! We finally arrived 8 hours later—after stopping
and asking for directions several times. We are in the middle of nowhere!
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Children at the Kingdom
Builder's Orphanage. |
After getting settled we toured the campus and played
with the children. There are 25 children living here and a few older ones that
now attend a boarding school. We had a great time playing until the storm set
in...
It was a dark and stormy night.
Our team enjoyed warming up by the fire during the storm,
and needless to say, our bags didn't arrive as promised. I can't imagine
traveling on these roads at night (there are no street lights or lights from
area businesses). And when the rain is added onto the already muddy and
sometimes slippery roads, it can be very hazardous.
After sleeping in my traveling clothes I had
to decide what to wear to church. Oh my! Electricity out meant no warm water and no lights in the bathroom meant no shower for me.
Instead, I slipped on a skirt I purchased over the pants I traveled and slept
in and borrowed a couple of shirts from Dr. Lee. I didn't have any make up, I
didn't wash my hair, so I dug through our donation bag and found a knitted cap
to cover my hair. I was a really sad sight!!
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Steve Freeman stepping through the
fence to go to church with the orphans
The fence keeps the animals out. |
Luckily, our bags arrived just in time for us to clean up
some and change into cleaner clothes. Praise God! We walked to church with the
children and staff from the orphanage and what an experience we had. The church
had dirt floors and tin sides and roof. But they had a speaker with microphones
and a keyboard. There was also a big homemade sign hanging from the rafters in
the front of the church that read, "Please switch off your phone." Everyone
here seems to have a cell phone wherever we go. The difference is that the
people here purchase airtime a few minutes at a time.
Sunday afternoon we sorted through a lot of medical supplies
donated to Kingdom Builders Orphanage. With Dr. Lee's guidance we grouped
medications and other supplies and prepared for the medical clinic we were
hosting the next day. On Monday Dr. Lee and I helped at the medical clinic –in a
cargo container… out in the middle of a field… a few blocks away. (There was a
generator so we had lights.)
People were lining up outside as we waited for the Kenyan
doctor and nurse to arrive. It took a long time because they were coming from a
nearby town on a motorcycle taxi and the roads were terrible. Three people on a
motorcycle is not uncommon here. They had to stop though because of the road
conditions and the doctor got off while the nurse was driven in and then the driver
went back for the doctor.
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| Dr. Lee standing outside the cargo container clinic. |
We served 58 individuals that day. The Kenyan doctor saw
the patients and Dr. Lee ran the pharmacy and I was her assistant. Thank
goodness for the two ladies who served as translators and helped us out. It was
an interesting day for all of us. The cargo container medical clinic was a
donation made by Clear Lake UMC. It’s
great to see what the Methodist church can accomplish as we all work together.
While I helped at the clinic, other members of our team worked
on organizing a library at the orphanage. Many books have been sent here for
all ages and they have built a large room that is designated as a library.
Shelves are currently being built and some of them now have books ready for the
children to use. We were truly blessed with the time we got to spend with the
children and the staff there. The staff took good care of us and we saw how
they shared the love of God with the precious children.
Tuesday was another day of travel. We rode in the van forever. It feels like
forever when you see the condition of what they call roads here. (Forever = 7
hours.) We arrived at the Fig Tree Camp and were welcomed with cool towels to
wipe off with since we were so dusty!
We are staying in tents. I am actually tent camping now!
It is interesting. The tents have a nice bathroom connected to it! <<insert smiley face - the blog doesn't like emoticons>>
We were instructed to keep the tents zipped up at all times to keep the monkeys
out.
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What incredible creatures
we saw on safari! |
|
We went on a daylong safari today and saw so many
animals: elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippos, Thompson Gazelles, Grant Gazelles,
Impalas, and many more. What is truly amazing is the wildebeest migration. We
have seen thousands of these huge animals. We also saw several Cheetahs and
while driving to see two of them both of our vans got stuck in the mud! Several
other vans came over and the drivers all got out and helped to get us out of
the mud. There we were with cheetahs nearby along with other wild animals and
these men were out of the vans. I can now say I have been mudding and had to
have another vehicle push us out. What an adventure!
I have heard through other team members who received some
emails that there has been some concern for our safety. We are fine and have
felt safe every step of the way. I am eager to get home to share more about our
mission trip and to show you the pictures I have. Thank you for your many prayers!
Blessings!
P.S. It's almost 6 pm here. That means the hot water and
electricity will be turned back on soon. ( this tent camping is interesting.)
I've got to go in hopes of beating Michael to the shower!
