Saying goodbye and enjoying the last few days

Kyle was on call Friday evening and spent most of the night in the emergency room and ICU in the hospital and had 2 patients pass away. We were daily challenged to pray for the patients and those who faithfully served them. This morning in the church service the speaker reminded us that Jesus came to give people sight and that we are a part of His work by encircling them with prayer for God to open their eyes to a personal relationship with the Savior.
Sat morning we had breakfact with Dr. Roberts and his family and then visited patients, staff, visitors and other who have been serving here at Tenwek, saying our good byes.
We walked through the market that borders the hospital and enjoyed talking to the locals. Everyone is so friendly and enjoyed us coming into their livelihood, even inviting us to their homes. We purchased from some of the merchants and I got my shoes shined for 10 shillings which is about 15 cents. It drew a crowd to see this old grey haired white man sitting in the chair getting his shoes shined. I took pictures with the digital camera and then gathered an even bigger crowd when I showed them and zoomed in close up on each one of them.
Hudson found a friend while here at Tenwek, in Enoch (a little boy about 5 who has been at the hospital for about two months) who enjoyed pushing Hudson around the hospital grounds in a wheelchair. His parents left him some time back to go get money to get him out of the hospital. Here they cannot leave till they pay their bill. Little Enoch has become a favorite of ours as he greets us each day. He sleeps on a bed with another mother and her baby during the night and runs around the hospital grounds during the day like any little boy would want to do. He had major burns on his body and had had skin grafts but is doing well.
We went to two different African churches this morning and enjoyed the singing and sharing time in both.
We are packing up since our vehicle will pick us up on Monday morning for the 4 hour rough road trip back to Nairobi for our flight out at 11:25 p.m. We should be home Lord willing on Tuesday evening.
Thanks again for all your prayers and comments on our blog.

Down the last stretch

Another fantastic finish for the week - I got to suit up and watch a cataract surgery on Weds and then Kyle found me and said they had an opening for two of us to go out for the day with the Tenwek Community Ministry team. What an experience - 9 of us crammed into a Land Rover and about an hour out into the country side. Kyle was so helpful for the Tenwek Community Ministry staff since they do not have doctors normally go with them. They really enjoyed learning from him and thanked him over and over. We had many children and mothers and pregnant mothers that came for medication and treatment. You can see more on Kyle and Vanessa's blog which is http://www.joneshousehappenings.blogspot.com/
Marvin and Jan - Marlene's twin brother who are missionaries in Africa for the past 26 years -came to visit us on Thursday and spent the night with us. We had fun laughing together after eating some Kenyan candy that turned all our tongues red. Marvin spoke to the chaplains this morning and did a wonderful job challenging them.

Yesterday I did the chapel service for the hospital staff at 7:30 and about 60-70 people attended. I spoke to them about Preparing for War and that Satan was against them and they needed to put on the full armor of God every day for the mighty work that that are involved in at Tenwek.
Today I had a chapel service in the nursery for the workers and new mothers. I was holding the little boy that the hospital staff had named Joseph since his mother had tossed him into a pit the day he was born (about a month ago) and left him. I told them the story of Joseph in the Bible and asked them to pray for little Joseph that he would one day grow up to be a great man of God and a leader of men and women. I also asked them to pray for his mother who had done this to this little child. I asked the women if they had any prayer requests and then prayed for them all.
As I was leaving there was a family picking up a family member who had died so I helped them carry the casket over to the bereavement chapel and then one of the chaplains did a short service and then asked me to say a few things and pray for this family. Another car pulled up with a casket and so they asked me to speak to them as well. The lady was 103 years old named Sarah and many people were there to pick up her body. I shared Eccl 7:1-2 and we rejoiced together since she was a Godly mother and grandmother. Even one of the Kenyan doctors came over to give his respect. These people are so special. We have grown to love them and encourage them as we have been so blessed.
Marlene and Vanessa and the boys (Jude and Hudson) are a magnet to the Kenyans. Everywhere we go we draw a crowd because of them and have the opportunity to talk about the Lord. We have enjoyed our time here but are looking forward to coming home.

Open My Eyes that I might See

Another wonderful week so far. The Tenwek eye ward was packed with men, women and children - some with two people to a bed. I was on visitation with Simon the chaplain who was assigned to that ward for this week. We did something unusual when we gathered up all the men and talked to them as a group rather than going from bed to bed. I share Ps. 119:18 about asking God to open our eyes to the things of God and translated that into a message that God not only wanted to give them physical sight, but also spiritual sight. I shared some other passages and then opened it up for questions. They asked me how to trust God with all the injustice going on in Kenya. I shared from the book of Habakkuk about trusting God even in the tough times. They told me they were weak in their faith and asked if I would stay in Kenya and teach them about how to be strong men of God. Pray for Kenyans to learn to be strong in their faith. We did the same with the women and saw a similar response.
This morning I went back and visited with them after many had had surgery on their eyes and then gathered them all up together and shared from Ps. 46 about God being our refuge and strength. One young mother had just been told that she had HIV and so did her 5 year old son (her husband had died of AIDS), so we visited with her and shared some words of encouragement reminding her that Jesus was her Husband to take care of her now.
We got a call to come visit a family that had lost a mother. It just so happened that Kyle had been with them at 2:40 in the morning when their mother had passed away so it was a special time of rejoicing for this woman named Sarah who went into the arms of Jesus. Her 3 daughters - Helen, Annette and Janet were grieving but as we looked at Eccl 7:1-2 we were reminded that this is the greatest day in their mother's life, to now be healed and in the arms of Jesus. We sang together (in Swahili) and prayed together and they thanked me so much for all the care they had received at Tenwek and for Kyle being on call in the middle of the night to cry with them as their mother slipped from this earth, but all the time rejoicing that she knew Jesus and they would see her again.
Marlene has been out in the community and visiting in the children's ward and praying with mothers and children. They love her and feel comforted by her being on the ward.
God has opened our eyes to see His love for the Precious People of Kenya who are always so thankful and content. May we be more thankful and content. Thanks for praying.

Weekend ministries and relaxation

Sat morning we took a hike to the waterfalls near Tenwek. We were reminded of the steadfast footing the Lord gives to us when we trust in Him as we saw cows up on the cliffs above the river right next to the edge eating grass on sloops that would scare a mother, but the cows moved along without any fear just eating the fresh green vegatation.
Sunday morning we attended the local church here at Tenwek at 9 and then helped with the children's ministry. The singing in church was beautiful in both English and Swahili. At about 11 we got a taxi and went out to one of the local churches down the bumpy roads about 20 minutes away. Alfred one of the interns Kyle works with had invited us to come to his church meeting (which lasted till about 12:45) and aftewards to have lunch with he and his wife Florence and two kids Abigail and Lucus, in thier home. They had begun church at 7:30 - 9 in the morning for the neighboring children. One of the biggest problems they have in their community is alcoholism. Many of the adults are making homemade alcohol and get drunk every day. They were sharing that what they teach the children in the mornings comes back to them in the version that the kids came home with, repeated back to Alfred and others that work with the children, from the drunken parents in the afternoon. That is the reverse of Ps. 71:17-18, with the children reaching to the older generation. They feel that it will have an eternal impact in their community through the ministry to children. Please pray for this little church called Tiagaga African Gospel Church. They have a passion for reaching their community. AIDS and death are a big problem and more and more orphans are living in their community. Alfred and his wife want to begin an orphanage to help these little ones. This is true religion in practice according to the book of James.
It was a tough weekend at the hospital again (which for them here it is about normal) with 10 more patients dying over the weekend. The hospital morgue stays pretty full. I visited the morgue and they showed me how they clean up the bodies for the families to come and collect them. They have a small chapel called Bereavement Chapel that they do a service for all those that have died in the hospital. The chaplains have a great passion to share about how to have confort in death when they give their life to Jesus. What a great ministry here at Tenwek and we thank God for allowing us to be a part of this work. Thanks for so many of you that are praying.

Friday - A Day with Jude

Our grandson Jude was my priority today. Marlene, Vanessa and Hudson went to visit an orphanage so I volunteered to take care of Jude. They were planning on being back by noon. Jude is 7 months old and one of the smartest little boys I know. He worked me pretty good today. At nap time, if I was not right next to him, he would let me know when I just made the slightest attempt to leave. We took some strolls around the housing area and visited with folks. Everyone loves our grandkids and stops to speak to us. It was about 3:30 when Marlene and the kids got back and Jude was no longer tricked by my feeding techiques. Mom (Vanessa) was a welcome site. They had a great visit but got stuck in the mud on the way there and got a flat tire on the way home. We will be sharing some ways for you to help feed some of these kids in the orphanage for like $15 a month. Most of the kids in the home lost there parents to AIDS which is a huge problem here in Africa.

What a beautiful Country Kenya is.

We were just thinking today that we have told you about the people of Kenya but very little about the area we are working in. We are at an elevation of 6500 feet and the temperature is high in the low 80's and in the low 60's in the evenings. We are in the rainy season so about noon each day we have a downpour which sometimes lasts most of the afternoon into the evenings. The trees and hills are some most beautiful we have ever seen. Tenwek Hospital and the other buildings here are nestled between the hills. Walking around, there are a lot of inclines and steps everywhere which is giving our lungs a good workout. Because of the rainy season, things are particularly beautiful here.
Our windows and walls are thin, so in the very early morning we can hear footsteps ,from people walking the road below our window up to the hospital area, even though we are on the second floor. We share a small 3 bedroom apartment with Kyle and Vanessa and the boys.
We have not had the time yet to go on walks, but there is a waterfall and swim hole nearby that we have heard about. Maybe this weekend we can go see it.

Yesterday and today we had more opportunities to do visitation in the hospital, praying with patients and their family members. Travis has "preached" a couple of times, just in the waiting areas or outside with patients sitting on benches. Marlene gave a brief testimony to young mothers who have new babies. One young mom asked for prayer afterwards for her child, who is not nursing well, and for her children at home.
Janet, who has come a few times to help with cooking and cleaning, has not come in a couple of days, because her daughter, Mercy, is sick. Please be praying for these moms and their children.

Tomorrow, Friday, some of us are going to an orphanage to visit. Most of the children's parents died from AIDS, which is a huge problem here. We hear the adoption process here is really a long, difficult process. A 1 month old little boy in the hospital nursery was abandoned at birth by his mother. She had thrown him into a pit in a plastic bag. He is the cutest little guy. The staff has named him appropriately, Joseph. Everyone is praying for him, knowing God has great things in His plans for little Joseph. Many are saying they would like to adopt him. Pray that he would be placed into a Godly home.

Riches are not based on Possessions

These past few days have been unbelievable. Last week I was asked the first day I was here by my son Kyle if I could donate some blood to a young man 20 years old who needed blood. That was an experience, but well worth it since he lived until this morning when I had a chance to pray with him just before he died. Last week one of the interns that Kyle is working with had a chance to introduce him to Christ as his personal savior. He thanked me for praying for him even though he was in such great pain. I asked God to either heal him or take him home to heaven. God answered that prayer in about 20 minutes and this young man named Bennett now has a perfectly healed body in the presence of the Lord. Another young man across from him also died as we were visiting the other patients in the ward this morning.
I love talking to the patients everyday but I am always amazed at the sickness, disease and death that happens everyday here at Tenwek Hospital. Daily we are seeing children, women and men and newborn babies die and the people overall are so thankful for all that has been done to help them to get well. The water tower at the entrance says 'We treat, God heals". So many of the patients tell me how much they love the care they receive at this hospital. One man who was 51 and a school teacher told me he was going to give a testimony of the loving care he had received here. He wants to retire in 4 years and preach about Jesus the rest of his life. He knows 7 languages. I shared with him my favorite verse in the Bible Ps. 71:17-18 and when I was finished talking to him about 15 minutes, he repeated it back to me word perfect. "Since my youth O God, You have taught me, and to this day, I will declare your marvelous deeds, Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come." I was again humbled by these people who have nothing, but love God and thank Him for His greatness in their life.
The land of Kenya is still in turmoil and needs your prayers for peace. Daily the Kenyans pray for their country. Please join them in praying for God to restore peace.
Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.
If you would like to know more, check out Kyle and Vanessa's blog at http://www.joneshousehappenings.blogspot.com/ We had three of the young Kenyan interns over for dinner tonight that Kyle is overseeing while he is here at Tenwek. They love God and also shared how much Kyle has been such a testimony to them in his love for others, as Christ is seen in his life.

Marlene's update

Wednesday, the 9th, I went with another volunteer to the hospital to do visitation in the children's wards. We passed out color sheets and crayons, praying with some of the mom's for their sick babies. Some understand and speak English, and some do not. We did not have an interpreter this time. One little orphan girl had recently prayed to receive Christ, and she was excited to receive a new Bible. Many of the children already know Jesus, attend church and love to have us come pray with them. They love getting their picture taken and then seeing it.

Next week I hope to volunteer in the Infant Nursery at the hospital and hold and "cup" feed some babies. The mom's express milk for these feeding for when they can't be there. I still don't know why they don't use bottles, or how it works to cup feed?? I guess I'll find out this week.



We enjoyed a great experience going on an African Safari this weekend to the Massai Mara area.

The only discouraging thing was that Jude was sick all weekend. He had a fever, so was fussy when the Motrin wore off every 5 hours or so. He seems to be feeling better this evening.

He and Hudson actually slept almost all the way to and from the game park, which is about a 2 hour drive down the worst roads I have ever seen - muddy, and extremely bumpy. I don't know how they slept through it!

Hudson loved the animals, and we all enjoyed them too. We saw just about everything - lions, elephants, gazel, impala, zebra, giraffe, hyenna, dik diks, ostridge, etc. The first time out (of 4) we got stuck in a huge mud hole. They had to call for help to pull us out, thankfully right before sunset! We were the only people at the game park - the 6 of us, and one other couple from Tenwek. Business has been slow due to the recent crisis and rainy season. But they served us well, and the tent cabins were very nice.



One amusing thing has been getting Hudson to take his malaria pills. Kyle smashes up his pill, and mixes it with either peanut butter or something else to disguise it. Tonight he put it in Hudson's pudding when Hudson wasn't looking. Hudson had been looking forward to the pudding, but when he took one bite, he said "something's wrong". Kyle then took another pill, smashing it up and put it in an orange drink. Hudson was excited to have orange drink, but taking one sip, said, he pushed it away and said "here, Dad, you drink this". We laughed so hard!!

He's too smart. He had gotten a few spankings when he didn't want to eat it with the peanut butter, then finally ate it. Now we are starting to see that it must really taste bad, but we are afraid to taste it ourselves!



All for now.

Marlene

The fields are white unto Harvest

We had a great flight from Nairobi to a city about 40 minutes by car to Tenwek Hospital on Monday. Upon arrival we were greeted by Hudson calling out the window 'Hello Papa and Grammy". He speaks to everyone and says "I really love you".
This week all the missionary medical doctors have taken off to have a staff retreat beginning Weds and will be gone all of next week. This will put a load on the visiting medical members. Kyle is one of the senior folks that are left for the next week and a half with 300 patients in the hospital. Thanks for praying for these servants who will be overseeing the hospital and for the regular staff as they go away to be refreshed. We had dinner with a couple of them before they left.

On Tuesday morning I began meeting with the hospital chaplins for a time of devotion at 8 and then off to see patients for the rest of the day. What a shock to see the conditions, with many patients two to a bed, but a great love for all those who come for help. They have a passion for praying with each patient and learning about thier needs. My first experience in a men's ward had two grown men in a bed laying side by side in what we have in America as a twin size bed. The needs are great and they loved talking with us and then we enjoyed praying for their needs and reading some Scriptures with them. After lunch I went with a different chaplin and we visited the vision ward where we saw two patients who had had eye surgury that morning. Both said they were not Christians. I shared Ps. 119:18 "Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things from your Word". Then I shared how God had sent his Son to open their eyes to the good news of the Gospel. Both asked Jesus into their life. One was a Massai women named Edna and the other one was an older man whose son was visiting with him. The son said he had been praying for his father for years.
On Weds I spent the morning in the nursury ward with all the babies and their mothers. Some of these babies were around 2 lbs. It was cool to see the mothers come in every couple of hours and take their babies out of the boxes (which looked like chicken crates) and wash them with a bowl of water and rub oil on them and them tenderly feed and love on them. We prayed with all the mothers. After that I went to the women's ward and visited with a lady who had been in the hospital for 3 weeks because of complications with her pregancy. She was lonely and discouraged. We prayed with her as tears flowed down her cheeks.
On Thursday morning - We visited with a young lady who had tried to commit suicide. She had been brought in on Tuesday in a comma. She was very poor, without work and living with her mentally disturbed mother. The young lady had taken rat poison to end her life. She had even tried to kill her little child a few months ago. We asked her to forgive us for trying to save her life, but she said that was good. She too invited Jesus into her life. I asked her what we could be praying for her about and she asked us to pray for her mother and others to come to Jesus as the tears fell to her hospital gown and soaked it. Her name was something like Masse
I visited a young orphan man age 14 who had been in for a serious infection in his leg. He did not remember who Jesus was so I explained about his love for him and how Jesus wanted a relationship with him. He knew English and so the chaplin had to leave to go on an emergency visit with someone else. I had the chance to introduce him to the Lord as his personal savior.
Every day we have many opportunities to share Christ. thanks for praying for us.

The Wild Life in Africa

On Saturday afternoon, Marvin and Jan took us to one of their favorite camping spots in Africa – about 80 miles from Nairobi at Crater Lake and wild game sanctuary. It was magnificent as we drove around in the bush in the early evening and after dark and spotted giraffe, warthog, zebra, élan, cape buffalo, impala’s, grant’s gazelle, owl, Thompson gazelle, kangaroo rats and many other wild animals. We were disappointed that we did not see hippos but it was really cool. In the morning after breakfast on the camp fire we drove around in the early morning and saw many of them in the light. We then hiked up to the rim of the Crater volcano and looked into the water filled hole and saw flamingos and other creatures. There is a hotel right on the inside near the water that we got a cold drink and they showed us the tent cabins that guests rent for $170 to $220 a night. Did I tell you it was expensive to live in this country? It is also very needy. The slums are full and every home and apartment has guards 24/7 because the crime is rampant. Security is one of the biggest businesses in all of Africa.

Chinese - Travis is going overseas

Saturday morning I attended the Chinese International Pastors Conference where Marvin was one of the featured speakers. He was fantastic and really challenged the attendees to reach out to the people of Africa who are being pursued by the Muslims in every area of the country. They wanted a group picture of the attendees and when I objected they insisted that I be in their picture that will be sent all over the world to Chinese Churches and pastors. If you happen to see me one day – I just smiled and participated like I was part of the family. They too are compassionate people who want to reach the world for Christ. I was impressed with their zeal.

Students and Families

Thursday –Friday – Marvin and I headed out early to Diguma Bible Training Center where he was teaching on how to understand and reach out to the Muslims. Marvin is an excellent teacher and spent 5 hours on both Thursday and Friday with the students. Did you know that there are 1.3 Billion Muslims in the world and they are rapidly growing because of the wealth of oil? Islam is expanding rapidly all over the world with the building of mosques, schools and hospitals as a method of outreach to attract more and more people to their faith.
Each morning I had the opportunity to open the sessions with a topic for the students. One day I taught about the passion Christ had for connecting people to the Father and the second day I taught about “Becoming a Fisherman”. The students loved the teaching time and were eager to learn more about reaching the Muslims in Kenya. The students were with Word of Life Bible Institute and had moved to this camp as a result of the riots in January. There camp in Nairobi was threatened by an angry tribe called the Mungiki who said they were coming into the camp and taking some heads of the students and staff. God is protecting his people in the land of Kenya. Continue to pray for these students and others who are growing in their faith.
Friday afternoon – Marlene and I were transported out to a bush church where we spoke to the folks on how to have a Godly Marriage and Family. The people are so poor- most of them live on about $125 a month and have to walk over dusty roads and get on crowded little buses to go into other areas to work, but they were so gracious and interested in learning about how to have a Godly marriage. The questions were interesting and they begged us to come back and tell them more the next week if we could. I told them we would get them a great book called The Word Filled Family by Dr. John Barnett and they were very excited to learn more and share it with others. They shared how they felt like their country needs a revival in Godly families and they wanted to help others families learn what we shared in our short visit of about 3 hours.

Nairobi Women's Ministries

Thursday – I, Marlene, went by bus into downtown Nairobi with Jan, where a lot of poor Muslim people live. Jan said she has never seen another white woman down in that area before. She visits several Muslim women once a week. I met about 6 of them. Jan has been developing relationships with them over the years, all the while, loving them with Christ’s love. I enjoyed the experience, but getting around was something else, dodging buses, vans and bicycles and heavy pedestrian traffic, holding on tightly to my camera and bag! By God’s protection and trust she does this alone every week!
From there she and I went to the church where she leads a Bible study. I was introduced to the 6 ladies, with one of the leaders asking me some questions, to which I was able to share a brief testimony of my love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jan has been teaching on Creation and the fall of man using storytelling with pictures. She does an excellent job and keeps their interest. One or two are believers, the others are seeking.
After the study they have a sewing class, where they are being taught how to sew. It is a good friendship/fellowship time.

Africa is expensive - I did not realize that

On Monday we visited the AIM offices and had tea, bread and a time of singing and prayer. Then we headed off to Rift Valley Academy and saw the school that was begun in 1905 and that Marvin and Jan's kids attended. We visited the Kibabe Hospital and got a tour. The facilities are so primitive but great love is shown to the patients.

ON the way back to Nairobi we stopped at the the overlook to the great Rift Valley which travels across Africa. We were attacked by peddlers and purchased some items that I am sure will be in our garage sale one of these days. We got a good laugh when we got back in the car and heading down the hill (8,000 ft elevation observation lookout) and realized that none of us even got a picture. Tourist for sure!
We visited the Giraffe Center and fed them from our hands and even from our lips. They have rough tongues and are very slobbery but also very antiseptic so we are good for a while longer.
We visited the Nairobi Safari Walk and saw all kinds of animals. At one point a baboon came out on the trail and walked along beside us just looking at us. We know what it feels like to be looked at like animals in a zoo now.
We visited Kazuri Bead factory which is a neat story of helping locals to help themselves. You can check them out at www.kazuri.com
On Tuesday we had a more leisurely day. Kyle and Vanessa and the boys left for Tenwek. It was neat to see as we loaded them into the van and prayed for their trip, that little Hudson reached up to the big African van driver and grabbed his hand as we prayed. Hudson is a great little ambassador where ever he goes. He loves the little African children and they love him.
On Weds we walked down to the market in the morning and purchased some fruit and veggies.
After lunch we went to visit the Kibera Church that was burned in the riots. IT was damaged very bad on the roof, but can be repaired for 170,000 dollars or so. The attendance had been around 2,500 people each Sunday till the burning and now they are scared to attend for fear of more problems. They only had 200 last Sunday meeting under the balcony area that was not as damaged. The pastor is discouraged but commited to ministering to these very poor people. You may have heard of the Kibera slums - the church is right across the street from the slums where a million or so people live where much of the rioting happened. One of the members of the church took us over to the slums and showed us how he makes a living. The smells were beyond what I have ever smelled, the people where everywhere. I loved the passion of Pastor Andrew. I would like to see others that are interested in this outreach to these poor folks to take part in some way. I will get more info later if you are interested in helping them. We visited with the Mother's Love Feeding Center that deals with women in great needs and orphaned children through the church. They are reaching out to these poor folks like the Bible tells us too.

The cost of living here is unbelievable. Gas is almost $6,00 a gallon, my internet access has been about 9 cents a minute till I came to an internet cafe today where it is only 3 cents a minute, a box of cereal was about $4,00 for a small box, cars are about twice or more the cost of what we would pay in America, etc.
We are blessed in America