Running out of time.

I am down to three days. On Friday, Petra, James, Patti and I are heading up to Mount Montigo to watch the sunrise, then to Bomet to catch a matatu to Nairobi. We are sleeping at Patti’s house, and then I have to be at the airport at 7am Saturday morning. It’s strange!! Six weeks is the longest time I’ve ever been in another country- and I thought by the end I’d be ready to go back, but I’m not. I feel like I’m just getting settled here. In the first few weeks things were kind of calm. I was busy from 8-5 every day, but it was work I enjoyed and I definitely felt comfortable saying, “oh well, we can do [whatever] tomorrow that we don’t get done today.” And I loved saying that. Because everyone is always on the hospital compound, people are always able to be found and quick pick-up soccer games really can be pushed to the next day.

AH! Anyway this morning I recorded music. We’ve got nine songs recorded. Tomorrow Richard is bringing his keyboard, and I’m going to try to get a guitar up there. I’m really excited to have these songs in Kipsigis. Swahili you can buy anywhere- Kipsigis I’m not so sure about! Then, it was all computer stuff. After lunch, I donned scrubs and headed up to the nursery and the mothers ward. We spent a good amount of time there. I had a really tight schedule but I ended up staying longer because everyone wanted to sing. There just isn’t enough time in the day! Good news about the website. It’s still not up, but I did get to move it from TCHD’s computer to the one up at the hospital that can connect to the satellite or whatever. I would love to see it uploaded before I leave.

After doing that I headed down to the OR. Wasn’t too busy. Tomorrow I am determined to see a c-section. I talked to the head-nurse today and I’m gonna check in with her in the morning. This evening we all took a wonderful walk down to the waterfalls. Quick dinner at about 7, and then back up to the hospital until 930. I just got in from playing games down at the wallyball court.

I can’t believe I’m going home!!! I am so excited to see my family and friends, but it’s just a little unreal. These last three days are going to be intense- filled to the brim with last minute stuff that really could be a full-time job for anyone who wants to take it! Chelsea, when I meet you in London, I will hopefully be totally used up and exhausted.

I am trying not to get frustrated. I do not want to have any regrets, and looking back and saying, “I shouldn’t have taken that afternoon off to rest” will not do anything now. It’s just- there’s so much still to do!! Even if I had a whole lifetime here- I couldn’t love all the people I want to love. I wouldn’t be able to make everyone smile and ease everyone’s pain. That’s an awkward way to put it, but what I’m getting at is that I MUST keep the higher goal in mind.

And this is all that I can say right now. I know it’s not much. And this is all that I can give. Yeah, this is my everything. I didn’t notice You were standing here. I didn’t know that, that was You holding me. I didn’t notice You were cry’n too..

And now I will show you the most excellent way:
If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give up all I possess and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; it does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will pass away; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.
– I Corinthians, chapter 13

The entire law is summed up in a single command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

Photographing the poor.

Sorry I haven’t had time to update! This weekend was very very busy. Saturday morning I slept in (until 8am, woot) and during the day I joined in on a surgical conference hosted by Tenwek. There were slides of the most interesting cases seen around Africa (but I only saw a few). We also talked about the post-election violence and discussed future emergency procedures. Here are some random things I wrote down.

• Most people perished before reaching the hospital. People were burned inside their homes or were killed in the streets from hand to hand injuries.
• “Receiving victims is not enough, we need to speak out. We need to educate the politicians on health care!” – Someone
• The numbers of injured and dead are higher than reported by the media (although I do not know how much higher) for two reasons, 1. Only the bodies identified are reported and 2. People who were buried alive were not counted. Only now are the graves starting to be found and people buried alive a few months ago are being dug up.
• El Doret sent a distress call, but no one could travel on the roads so it was impossible to reach them. Someone from Nakuru suggested that we need to be more prepared with government and military security to fly doctors into the hardest hit areas during the next emergency* (follow star below). Someone from Tenwek explained that we had done just that. John Wright was in touch with the MP’s and had military personnel escort those who needed to be evacuated (Kikuyu’s) with armed vehicles to a helicopter. Have I mentioned how incredible he is?

*I cannot say enough how amazing it is to be surrounded by people who risk their lives and sanity to serve the Lord and those around them. I say sanity because living here- well, just read my experiences- and I’m not even in the hospital most of the week!!

Other parts were way over my head, but I still learned a lot. At dinner, it was cool to meet people from Nakuru and Kijabe, and hear their stories. I also got some quality soccer playing time with the White boys- although definitely not enough!

Spent most of today in the hospital with Sarah Baskin and Abby. I borrowed their camera and we went up to the nursery to hold the babies and take pictures. I really would love to be a professional photographer but I still have so much to learn! It’s difficult because I do not know how to say, “Can I please take your picture” in Swahili nor Kipsigis. So, it’s like a five minute game of charades every time- because I really do not want to be rude and just snap it! There is certainly a picture paradox and I’m still trying to figure it out. I don’t want to be the rich white tourist just walking around snapping pictures around the hospital- but at the same time, a part of why I’m here is to bring back stories and share with people what is going on. I think the five weeks here really has allowed me to get to know the mothers, the children in the ped’s ward, and their families. When I go in and I ask for a picture (I waited until this week to ask) I actually have a reason, a name, and a story to go with their face. But it’s hard! The image of a tourist leaning out of a bus with a camera to photograph the almost naked, starving children walking along the road barefoot, not in school, carrying dirty water for who knows how many miles- it just makes me cringe. I don’t want to be that person.

But I can’t figure it out!!! I will write more tomorrow when I’m not so tired!

I did just want to say that I am feeling much better than Friday. I really needed some down time- and although it was only a few hours of late night card games and soccer+wallyball- it certainly was just what I needed. Hanging out with Josh, the Champions, and Tia has really helped. Someone asked how people do it- deal with the harsh realities here, and not go crazy- and this is how- being crazy with friends and family and LOVE. That’s really it. AND the Whites are back, so I showed up at their door to return some DVD’s yesterday morning and was like, “hey, we met on a canoe in New Hampshire…” We figured out it was 1997 to be exact! More on surviving in Africa and photographing and everything tomorrow!!!