Please see picture of Leonard at end of update!

A visit with Leonard

Penny and I went to see Leonard at Mercy Clinic in Olmekenyu last Thursday and had a great visit. Leonard is the 12 yr boy who has TB and as a result the disease caused him to suffer an eating a way of his nose and vocal cords.  For those of you who don't know his situation, he took a  hit to the face by a ball and then came in to contact with Tuberculosis while in a local hospital. His parents had tried for 3 years to get the correct diagnosis and treatment,but failed with the existing health care system in a rural area. So KMO and it's partners combined together with prayer,funds and some determination to finally get a diagnosis for Leonard. Leonard has been on TB medication for  4 months and will continue to take medication for 2 more months. During the visit, Leonard teared up and shared with us he is back in school and has experienced some improvement with his vocal cords. Hopefully Leonard will get a skin graft to make a nose for him after completing the TB drug regime. He had not been in school because of the shame of the disease for 2 years. We can't wait for the team to see him that saw him last year and see how good he looks.

The next day we went to the home of a North Carolina missioner family that we had meet in Narok. They live at the Masi Mara game reserve gate that we go through every year. It is Travis and Laurie Sawyer and there 3 girls Sarah, Summer and Savannah and another on the way. They are with the African Inland Church (AIC). It was good to be around people that sounded like me. Country! They are a very sweet family and he can work on anything and has such a supply of tools like we had never seen. He has a Chevrolet truck that they shipped over with 3 years worth of parts, 2 4 wheelers. They have a big time. There view was unbelievable, they sit on a hill over looking the game reserve and you can see for miles.

There smallest one Savannah is 1 year old and isn't used to seeing white people. She keep running from us and crying. I thought that was so funny we are used to the african children that don't see whites crying but I would have never thought of a white child doing it. There are 3 families that live there on the compound. We meet 1 of the of the other families they had been there for 12 years and had 4 children they seemed to be around the ages of 14 to 6. 

It was good to see how they all lived. Travis and Laurie use solar, wind and generators to run there place. They brought all there appliance etc with them from the states. We were advised not to and for us I think we made the right decision. They live in the bush and we live more in town. He helped us with KMO's generators and was a great help. We had lunch with them and ate American food sloppy joe's with homemade rolls, and fried potatoes. That was so good for me. When there families come I think they bring a lot of food items with them. 

Travis talked of a medical clinic way back in the bush built by a retired dentist that looked like a dentist office in the states. The man that built it wants 12 dentist to sign up for 1 month a year and come back that same month every year. They had very nice looking places to stay and high tech equipment. He had pictures of it.

We had a very good visit and am sure Dollie and I will be back to see them again and we have invited them to come and see us. We learned a lot more of the cultural every time we run into Americans that have worked here for years. Good information. They have been here 3 years and will go home on the 4th and then be back for 3 home on 4th.

Thanks for all your prayers and taking your time to read our updates.

Blessing to all

Penny and Dollie

  

Leonard getting better

A week in Kenya

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well and staying warm I know Penny and I are staying warm here in Kenya. This week has been a week of challenges to say the least. Monday it started off with Penny and I leaving for Nairobi and just outside the town where we live we had a blow out ,so both of us put our muscles together and managed to remove the tire and then a maasai man showed up on the scene and finished the job. After that we went back in to Narok and were in the process of getting the tire repaired, so we would have a spare because you never go without a spare tire here for obvious reasons and then received a call from our guard that our power had been cut off. So we called our landlord who came to the power company and remedied the situation. So after that we had our power on with in the hour-thank God.
While in Nairobi the both of us got a GI bug and have had intestinal cramping followed by diarrhea, so lomotil has became a great friend. But then the water company failed to pay their light bill, so the water supply to the whole town was stopped until terms can be negotiated and we have no water to flush the commodes or shower. So out of the trials one becomes more thankful for what you have when something is stopped or removed and it is astonishing how selfish we humans can be in a given situation.
It has rained here for 3 days this week and we are very grateful for whatever comes to the ground, but I am not sure if the other drought stricken areas have received any relief,but will keep you all posted when I talk to John. We have also asked for food relief from friends in high places to see if we can get some corn for Morijo,so be in prayer about all of this please. I read in the newspaper that the government has offered to buy the starving cattle in the area, but again I not sure if the people are willing to sell their cows even though they are gaunt.

Please keep us in your prayers we are in the middle of a confidential project and have been really busy and we need God's favor,so again continue to pray and we will release news as soon as possible.

Love Penny and Dollie

Settling in

Hello to everyone! We have had a harder time settling in and have been under the weather the past few days. We are feeling better, but a little weak after experiencing  a GI bug.

The big news in Narok is that the water company hasn't been paying their Kenya power bill, so the power company turned the power off so there has been no running water in Narok. That doesn't bother everybody because everybody doesn't have running water but we do! Can't flush the commode, wash dishes, shower etc. They are working a deal to get it back on and a muddy trickle started today. We will see what happens. We will go to the river tomorrow and get water if we need to and I will video it and send to everybody. I want to borrow a donkey and get the water like the locals do:) 

We are to try and see Leonard next Thursday they called to set the time so we hope we do get to see him. We did hear that the family has not been tested and we will try to encourage that.

The grounds at the clinic looked really good and there were daisy's and other flowers growing around the bunk houses and I regretted not taking a picture for all of you to see. I will next week if I remember the camera:)

Thats it for now.

Blessings

We are home in Narok

Hello to everybody, we are home safe and sound! We had a great time in the States and wish we could have visited with more of our friends and family, but we did the best we could with the time we had. Sorry if anybody felt left out that was not our heart. God  guides our steps and we tried to do what he had us to do.

We spoke at NCF in Knoxville and Rockwood United Methodist and had a great time and felt well received by both churches. 

We just got back from Nairobi taking care of some business and getting our internet up dated in hopes of keeping in touch easier on this side. It seems to be going well as of now, but this is just the 2nd day. I'm going to stay hopeful! We have heard that Tabula is doing well and we are in contact with the doctors to set up the last phase of her surgery by getting her implant made. We have heard that Leonard is taking his medicine that he is to be on for 6 months, so that is good and we hope to get up there to check on him in the next few weeks.

All our pets, chickens, dog Valentine, cat Anna were glad to see us. Poor Valentine was sad when we left yesterday to go to Nairobi James said she sat by the gate all day waiting for me. She thought I had left for 2 months again.

We are starting the planning for the May 23 team trip and if  anybody is interested in going let us know or check out Kenya Medical Outreach web site. As of right now they have a low cost ticket that would make your trip a little less expensive, but you would need to act fast. If you e mail me I can give you Sheila Williams phone number if you need more questions answered.

It is very dry here and we are hearing that there is no water in many places. We are hearing that springs that have never been dry have dried up. We are going to check in to this better and see for ourselves, but things look grave for the rural people in the Rift Valley. We have read in the paper that food prices will go sky high by June. We did hear that there is one place that people are standing in line for 24 hours waiting to get water, but as I said we want to check it out and not go on rumors. If it is as bad as we think, we will try to do something but we will let you know later. We are to meet with a councilman in the Rift Valley to find out what the government is doing and try to push them into doing something. That will be a long shot here in Kenya!

We ran into a young man that is from Robbinsville NC that lives not to far from us and is with African Inland Church. He has his whole family here and is expecting another child. We had a very good time talking with him and are hoping to go out and visit with him and his family. They live at the gate at the Maasai Mara that we go through every year if anybody has been with us you might remember that area. It was good to talk to somebody that sounded like me. "Country" He has a lot of knowledge that Dollie and I can glean from him because they have been here 3 years.