Overdue Update

I realize that I have done a terrible job of keeping my blog updated. And it's been even longer since I've sent out a general e-mail update! I have recently had quite a few requests for an update on our life, so I'm going to make a brave attempt to be brief and yet still bring you up to speed!

A few months ago, at the end of June, our clinic began going through a time of transition. At that time I was asked to step in and assist with some administration activities. During that season we were already in full swing with teams and interns coming to volunteer for the summer. So over the last few months I've been working with clinic administration, running the Mama-Baby clinic, treating sick patients and coordinating logistics for teams and interns in both Kipkaren and Illula. As my dear Aunt Betty so aptly put it I'm "Running like a cat on a hot tin roof!" The beautiful thing though is that I actually LOVE everything that I'm doing! Some days I just wish there were a few more hours in the day. But I honestly don't know if I have ever felt so satisfied or fulfilled in my work before. It is a wonderful, beautiful, crazy, busy time of life!

William is now working as an assistant to the Kipkaren ELI director. I'm not sure exactly how to describe what he does because it seems to me like he does a little bit of everything. From setting up media presentations, organizing workers at the training center, putting in time in the ELI gardens, driving back and forth to town, repairing broken stuff, managing the guest cottages, to helping sort out village conflicts! I consider him the ultimate fire-putter-outer and trouble-shooter in our area!

We have had quite a few teams and interns come through since May. Just a few highlights from their projects were:

• Getting the Training Center dorms remodeled
• Running an incredible optometry clinic
  
• Helping to host the annual youth camp
• Running pastors and women's conferences
• Reinforcing the walls of the Children's Home buildings

I've had a handful of nurses, students and other medical professionals come and spend some time with us in the clinic.

One recent interesting clinic case I had involved a boy who fell on a stick and has leg impaled with it. The five inch stick broke off and could be felt under his skin but not visualized. I wound up having to use a scalpel to slice the skin open and remove the stick, irrigate then sew him back up.

We have also had some interesting (read crazy-challenging) deliveries lately. A few times I was just praying that we wouldn't lose the baby. One case involved a 15-year-old delivering her first child. I had several interns from the USA assisting with the delivery. As things got really challenging I began to think that the baby probably wouldn't make it. This particular baby was born with the worst cone-head (medical friends please forgive my lay-language here!) that I have ever seen. He was floppy, bluish and not breathing. I just kept thinking that this would be a terrible way for the interns to end their experience if the baby didn't make it. I was praying over him while I worked on him and then he began to breathe. When we have cases like this particular one I always wonder as the baby goes home how he/she is really going to do. Well this particular mom came in today with her beautiful six-week-old son Joshua Kipchumba. Not only does he no longer have a cone-head he is doing terrific!

I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by. This month we are looking forward to hosting a team from Oregon who will be helping with quite a few projects while they are here. In Oct we have a powerhouse medical team coming from Iowa. Then in November it looks like my parents and youngest sister may be coming to visit us!!

I have a passion for preventative medicine and I've been hoping to incorporate more and more education into our work in the clinic. This month we are looking forward to hosting our first education outreach. We are starting with some women's health care classes and hope to move into general educational classes by next year. I'm also preparing for my first meeting with the adolescent girls at our local public school. I've been asked to give a lesson on personal hygiene and sexuality. We have tentatively scheduled Sept 14th for this initial class. Both the teacher and myself are hoping that I can begin building relationships with some of these girls over the next year. We have a pretty high teenage pregnancy rate in our community.

Well so much for my attempt at brevity! Our life is just too full to get it packed into a few paragraphs. I'll try to be a little more faithful in keeping the blog updated. Until next time may the peace of our Lord and Savior go with you today!