Back in Kenya

We have now been back in Kenya for almost a week and I am finally sitting down to write. Nathaniel did incredibly well on the flights but has had a hard time adjusting to the 8-hour time change. He is doing better each day and night though so I have hopes that things will soon be back to “normal” with him. He slept 8 hours last night and is now taking a good morning nap! Hence the ability to blog… :)

My mind is full of a variety of thoughts this morning. I am staring out the window of our nice one-bedroom apartment - the view is stunning; volcanic mountains in the distance, rising out of the Great Rift Valley. Right outside our window is a tree budded in pink flowers. The air is fresh and slightly cool, and the other morning we were greeted with monkeys swinging from the trees. This place feels new yet familiar somehow.

I wasn’t sure how it would feel to come back to Kenya after the way we left it. I found myself feeling a little nervous the days before we left the States. It surprised me though when our plane landed and we walked into the airport in Nairobi – I felt happy and excited to be here. It was wonderful to be greeted by a friend, Peter, our taxi driver. It was fun to introduce Nathaniel to him. We very much enjoyed spending time with our discipleship group from Nairobi Baptist on Sunday at church and over lunch. They are all Kenyans from various tribes and backgrounds. These were the people who were there when we needed them. They helped us pack up our entire apartment in 3 hours and gave the things we couldn’t bring with us to those in need. They carried bags and boxes up and down many flights of stairs at our old apartment in Nairobi when Jason was too weak and I was too pregnant to carry much at all. They took us to the airport and helped us get our luggage to the baggage claim. They then faithfully prayed for us – for Jason’s healing, my strength, and Nathaniel’s safe arrival into the world.

My heart overflowed when one of the men in this group saw Nathaniel for the first time, gave us huge hugs, and then said “I am glorifying God right now because you all are here and well”.

Thank you Lord!!!

The time with these friends seemed short. We are now at Kijabe for 4 weeks, with some possible travelling on the weekends that Jason is not working. We are no longer doing the research project that we were a part of on our previous trip, as Jason is now back in residency. We are now here for Jason to do a surgery rotation at this mission hospital. He is excited to do a lot of operating this time. We are easy walking distance from the hospital and I’m enjoying the time we have together. We have been going on walks in the evening, having dinner together every night so far, and we even got a lunch break together yesterday!

Over the weekend we had in Nairobi, we took Nathaniel to an elephant orphanage, a giraffe reservation, and a museum of Karen Blixen’s home (the true story of this woman’s life can be seen in the movie “Out of Africa” or read in the book by the same title). Nathaniel was much more interested in the people everywhere we went. :)

Some of the daily realities of being here with a baby have been challenging. The biggest issue came up right after we got off the plane. When we picked up our luggage, we realized the car seat was missing. We had checked the car seat with our baggage for the entire trip and weren’t aware of any problems because we didn’t have to pick up our luggage in London. I filed a missing luggage report, which took quite a long time, and the man told me that it hadn’t been seen since BNA (the Nashville airport…). It then hit me that we had no choice but to hold Nathaniel on our laps for the car ride. Now, those of you who know me know that I am a pediatric ICU nurse. This means that I see terrible injuries from car wrecks. In addition, Kenyan driving styles are much different than the US, and the roads are not very safe. The drive from the airport to the guesthouse was not too far, so I prayed that the car seat would be found and sent to us before we headed out for Kijabe… Almost one week later, still no word on the car seat. I have tried calling and emailing and haven’t been able to get ahold of anyone yet. God has given me a lot of peace during the drives especially. I know that He has got us in His hands and that we are doing our best to make wise decisions for Nathaniel and ourselves. We are still hoping it arrives soon though!

All this to say, many things have happened the past several days that have made me question if I am a good parent. Nathaniel got a mild sunburn on Saturday because we didn’t realize we would be in the direct sunlight as much as we were, and I left the sunscreen at the guesthouse. This morning he awoke with three new mosquito bites on his arm. He also has started throwing inconsolable screaming fits a few times since we’ve been here. It’s always been when he is really tired and something makes him angry, so I’m really hoping this is related to jet lag and not a new phase. One of these fits happened at the mall in Nairobi on Sunday and several people stopped and asked me what was wrong with him as he was flailing and screaming in my arms. I was really embarrassed and just told them that he was tired but ok. I also get continual questions about if he is warm enough. The Kenyans dress their babies very warmly and since the temperatures don’t vary much, the 60s are considered very cold here. I almost daily have people tell me that it is too cold to bring him out or that he needs a coat, hat, etc. Nathaniel is very warm natured and is loving this weather, so I just smile and say he is used to much colder temperatures at home and is doing fine thank you. :) Between all of the above, combined with my cluelessness over how to help a baby transition with a major time change, I have not felt like a very wise parent, and have been praying continuously for wisdom.

On that note, my primary prayer request for those interested and praying is for wisdom! Several opportunities have come up already to be involved a little at the hospital with nursing education. I wasn’t anticipating this and I feel the same tension I often feel at home about what to take on and what to say no to. In order to participate in nursing here, I would need to find intermittent childcare for Nathaniel as well as locate or re-make some power-points etc. I’m not sure whether to pursue this, or how to best use my time here. I strongly believe that my primary calling / goal right now is to care for Nathaniel and Jason and to seek the Lord. Both at home and here, I struggle often with what I should add while keeping these things primary. What is adding to these goals in a good way and what is taking away from them? Anyway, I’d appreciate prayer for wisdom and direction from the Lord. I want to use my time well here and at home. I want to pursue the things that He wants me to. So far I have been unpacking and settling into our new temporary home, shopping at the market, meeting new people, taking walks, cooking, reading, playing with Nathaniel, journaling/writing, emails, and taking care of travel arrangements.

Well, I guess this post is probably long enough for now. :)  Nathaniel is just waking from his nap. I am supposed to get together with a missionary mom and her two little boys this afternoon. I’m excited to meet her and hopefully make some new friends! Also, we are hosting one of the Kenyan doctors and his family for dinner tomorrow night, which should be a lot of fun.

Thanks everyone who reads this for your thoughts and prayers. We love you and are so grateful for God’s many and incredible blessings!

Lots of Love from Kenya,

    Meridith