Surgeries and #18

It was another beautiful, no-rain, mild day at Tenwek yesterday!  One of the things about being in Kenya which has been surprising is how lush and verdant it is.  The roads=yikes, the land=lush.  Most of the missionary homes around Tenwek have thriving kitchen gardens where vegetables and herbs are growing--and the Manys even have a passionfruit vine!  I have seen dahlias, roses, agapanthus and other blooming plants/vines in yards and I even have a pretty pink rose right outside our own front door of the apartment we are staying in.

Kenya is more than just dusty wildlife parks!

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Thursday was another full day for the team at the hospital and thanks to Melissa, we have some pictures to share!  Truman and Brooke were with Dean in PT, Zander was with Josh in dental and some in surgery, and Kate, Caroline, McKinley & Melissa were in surgery or elsewhere at the hospital.  There are no photos, but Truman assembled wheelchairs in PT for much of the day as a small group will help deliver them to patients in the community on Friday afternoon.

McKinley and Melissa look on in an open heart surgery.

Kate watching the heart surgery.

Melissa with Mercy, one of the PT techs, as she donates Arya's AFOs

Heath, Zander and McKinley checking the ultrasound of the heart as they take the patient off bypass after open heart surgery.

Josh operating in the dental clinic; Zander, Kate and Caroline look on.

Caroline and Kate observe a hysterectomy.

Other notes for the day:

Truman really enjoyed putting together wheelchairs because he said he felt really needed as he was actually working instead of just watching things happen and that was a good feeling.

Caroline had a lady approach her with her baby and asked me to "pray pray pray for my baby."  So I prayed and then she oddly bent down and kissed my knees.  She asked me to pray again tomorrow for her baby.  It dawned on me that she possibly thought I was closer to Jesus and therefore He was more likely to hear my prayers.  I encouraged her that I am happy to pray for her but she is just as able to pray herself.  I wanted her to understand she could talk to God.

Kate was in the pediatric ward and there were two children there she was able to pray over.  One had severe burns and couldn't get comfortable in bed and was crying.  

Dean was able to perform dry needling on a patient's shoulder and it went very well.  The man immediately felt relief and his face lit up as he rotated his shoulder back on his own.  Mercy was able to take some pictures so they can show other patients who might need this treatment but would have fears or reservations about the process.  

Several of the team members got to witness a live birth and they all came in raving about the entire experience.  "The most amazing thing I've ever seen," incredible," and "just awesome" were some of the descriptors!  

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Thursday was a pretty special day for Truman as he turned 18 years old!  Lesli baked chocolate chip cookies and he got the birthday song, some cards, a traditional Kenya blanket, and a Kenya bracelet and scrub cap.  In the afternoon, he and Zander crossed the Mara River near the waterfall and hiked around to climb up behind the waterfall.  This drew a small crowd of Kenyan children who were probably thinking "crazy white guys in the freezing cold water!!"  It was a great day (and from a mother, please pray no weird things were inadvertently ingested by the boys during their time in the water)!  

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Other afternoon/evening activities included coloring on the waterfall bridge; Kate as sous chef to Richard, our cook, making something akin to flan; pumping up soccer balls; perfecting the art of balloon animal (?) art; choosing devotionals to give as gifts to doctors, nurses, ministry people; and writing thank-you notes to go with our gifts.