April 2015 Medical Ministry Camp

Sunday, April 12, 2015

The sun is beginning to set after a beautiful day here in Kenya.  The team is finishing up packing the last of the medications to get us started for medical camp.  Day One starts tomorrow.  The team is excited to start seeing patients and finally implementing what we have been working so hard to accomplish over the last few days.

A little recap from our first days in Kenya:

On Tuesday and Wednesday, team members spent many hours traveling from the States over to Kenya.  Flights went smoothly and all of the luggage arrived on time.  Praise God! 

On Friday, we spent the morning at Village Market.  We shopped at the Maasai market, where we walked through rows and rows of vendors with everything from jewelry to hand carved bowls to Kenyan artwork.  We also had the privilege of meeting Philip Njoroge, a world-class marathon runner.  The afternoon was spent filling prescription bags with the necessary pills and labeling each of the bags with the correct medication label and a Bible verse.

The team was up bright and early on Saturday morning as we left the Hampton House, our hotel in Nairobi, around 6am to head west across Kenya.  After several stops for food and bathroom breaks, we made it to Eldoret nine hours later.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Dr. Douglas’ home, prepared by his wonderful wife.  What a treat!  Another hour in the car and we finally made it to Kitale, where we will be staying for the next week. 

This morning (Sunday), we attended church service at the church where Medical Ministry Camp will be located.  The church is in a village called Natwana about 30 mins from Kitale.  We were blessed with chai and butter sandwiches as soon as we arrived.  It never ceases to amaze me how gracious the Kenyan people are; families living in mud huts who struggle to put food on their own table are happily welcoming us into their homes, serving us with huge smiles on their faces.  A humbling experience for us all and a perfect example of what it means to live like Jesus!

We all enjoyed church this morning as well.  The choir was amazing!  Many of us were brought to tears by the beautiful Kenyan voices.  Towards the end of worship, a dove flew into the church and perched on one of the rafters.  Throughout the service, the dove quietly sat in the same spot overlooking the whole room.  Gary gave the message, and one woman committed her life to the Lord for the first time!  It wasn’t until the end of the service that the dove quietly flew out of the church.  As the dove represents the Holy Spirit, it was beautiful reminder that God is with us always.  

On the way home from church, we stopped at Agape Community Heath Centre, which is the clinic where Dr. Douglas practices.  Douglas was eager to show us the improvements at the clinic since API has chosen to sponsor the clinic. 

This afternoon, we have been reorganizing all of the medical supplies and packing more medication.  It can be a tedious process, but so worth it.  There is nothing better than being able to provide free medical care to these people who desperately need it, yet have no way to get it. 

Thank you for all of the prayers!  Please pray for tomorrow as we begin Medical Ministry Camp.  Pray that the sick would be able to come and get the necessary medication they need.  Even more importantly, please pray that God would work in their hearts and people would come to know Him and that they would feel His love through each of our team members.  Please pray for strength and energy for each of the team members. 

Bwana Asifiwe!

God Bless!