Ordinary Days in Kenya

Since returning from Tenwek, we have fallen into a pattern of work, exercise, social time with people, and Bible and language study. It’s amazing how quickly you can begin to adapt to a new place. We are beginning to see more opportunities to learn and grow here as we get to know the people, system, and culture a little more. Our weeks are beginning to develop a little more of a routine…

Sunday – church, rest and relax, 8pm Bible study with the missionaries.

Monday – 6am walk/run, breakfast, and devotions; 8am group study of Psalms and prayer; work at the hospital (Jason – rounding on surgical wards, performing surgeries and seeing patients in clinic; Meridith – teaching nursing students, helping in clinics and wards, learning in the operating rooms, cleaning out the Samaritan’s Purse container, and sorting supplies); evening is time to relax, catch up on things at the house, and spend time with people (dinner here is usually around 7-7:30pm). This Monday will be a little different as I have a 9am appointment to get my hair braided like a Kenyan! (They say it will take about 4 hrs or so…) Should be fun.

Tuesday – same schedule as Monday with language lesson from 5-6pm at our home.

Wednesday – 7:30am worship service at the hospital that is led by the Kenyans; 5pm Kenyan women’s Bible study that is led by one of the missionary wives at her home.

Thursday – same as Monday with social activities in the evenings (we were having get-togethers with the nursing students but many of them are on break as of this week). This past Thursday we had 11 people over to our little house for dinner. It was a lot of fun – ending with one of the doctors playing guitar while we all sang together.

This week we have Thanksgiving!! We are looking forward to celebrating here with the missionaries, but at the same time very much missing our families and the comforts, traditions, and joys of being with them at home.

Friday – same as Tuesday (with language lesson at 5pm), often with activities in the later evening – movie nights, dinner at someone’s house or hosting people at our house, etc. This Friday night we had one of the doctors over for some AMAZING gluten-free pizza that Jason made from scratch! (with no recipe as our electricity went out and our computers were dead). He also made incredible gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! Yes – he is so crazy good to me and spoils me more than he should! :)

Saturday – This day is flexible and free for the most part. Jason will often go into the hospital in the morning to check things out and see if there is any help needed. The weekends are mostly emergent surgeries and the doctors take turns being on-call. Yesterday we made breakfast at our house for several people, and then left around 8:30am to hike a near-by mountain called “Kipkinur”. We are guessing that it is around 6-7 miles to the top (took about 3.5 hours one-way). The entire hike was absolutely beautiful! We would stop occasionally to watch large black and white monkeys swinging in the trees, or to take pictures of the scenery. There is a large rock ledge at the top that you can sit / lay on. We stayed up there for about 1.5-2 hours – eating food we brought, talking and relaxing, and soaking up the sun and view. A group of 6 of us went, including our Kenyan guide and his cousin.

We arrived back to Kapsowar around 5pm or so. I almost immediately fell asleep on the couch and slept for a little over an hour. When I awoke, Jason was setting up a bonfire at our neighbor’s house. We had a lot of fun roasting hot dogs, eating s’mores, showing some Kenyan friends these traditions, and just visiting with people. (hot dogs can be found in Eldoret, but the ingredients for the s’mores were all brought by one of the missionaries from outside the country) It was a fun treat and an overall great day.

As of today, we have a little less than two weeks left here at Kapsowar, and slightly less than 3 weeks in Kenya altogether. On December 3^rd we will head to Eldoret and then on to Nukuru. We are planning to spend one or two days in Nukuru as many people here have recommended it as a fun alternative safari to the Masai Mara. (Nukuru is actually right on the way we need to go anyway). Apparently, there is a very large collection of flamingos, along with many of the other African animals that we were able to see last year. We will then head to Kijabe for a day to tie up loose ends in preparation for the research project, and then back to Nairobi for a few days before flying out. We are also planning a 3-day layover in London, England to rest, relax, experience some of Europe for the first time, and debrief together from this trip. We are really looking forward to our remaining travel and adventures, but we are also continually praying that we will live fully in each day God gives us. It is so often that when you are home, you long to travel, and when you are travelling, you long to be home. This phenomenon is true of so many areas of our lives. We are often looking for the “next thing” to satisfy, excite, and fulfill us. We hope that as we continue to grow, we will keep learning how to embrace and rest in today.

For those of you who have been faithfully praying for us – thank you!! We are so grateful for each of our family members and friends. Here are a few updated prayer requests… (please let us know how we can be praying for you as well!)

Our hospital duties and relationships with patients and staff – Please pray for continued insight, wisdom, cultural relevance, and opportunities in our work at the hospital. We want to make the most of our time here, and still often struggle with how to be most helpful.

Language Study – This is our first attempt at formal language study, and although it is not completely necessary for this trip, we are hoping to at least gain some good experience in learning another language. While Swahili is supposed to be an easy language to learn, it is at times already a little overwhelming for us (especially because here in Kapsowar there are very many different local languages and dialects mixed in with the Swahili). We appreciate your prayers for quick learning, retention, and patience with ourselves as we continue this new challenge.

Our Family – There is a lot going on with my family back home and they could very much use your prayers. All of my siblings, along with my parents, are in some major transitions in their lives right now. Please pray for them.

Thank you all again for your interest and time in reading these posts and praying for us. We love you so much!!

    - Meridith -