Hello Prayer Warriors,
Our team has returned home safely after serving the Lord in the slums of Nairobi. We were stretched and have grown as we relied on the Lord’s strength and not our own. Because we know that if left up to us, we would not have left the safety of our own homes. Thank-you all for your prayers and support.
As I sat on the plane in Amsterdam (2nd leg of trip home) waiting for take off, the pilot spoke over the intercom “folks, we have been asked to return to the gate. This is a first for me, but apparently someone fell asleep at the gate and their luggage is on board. Security is telling me that a passenger cannot be separated from their luggage. So we will either pick up the passenger or download their luggage. We will also have to top off our gas, so it should be about 20 minutes.”
You could see the passengers grumbling, not happy for the wait. When we arrived at the gate, a sleepy eyed college age young man with a baseball cap pulled almost over his eyes came aboard. The pilot returned to the intercom with an update. “Folks it’s the pilot again. As we approached the gate, a brake light came on. If it is only the “light”, we will be out of here in 20 minutes. However, if it is the brakes, it will be at least 1 hour.”
A little later the pilot said “ Folks, it appears as if it is the brakes and I will keep you informed of time, give you something to eat and we will rebook any missed connections. Then the flight attendants opened the doors and brought sandwiches and beverages on board. No one was upset because it was beyond our control.
As we taxied out 3 ½ hours later, the pilot came back on the intercom and said “Maybe it was a blessing that the passenger fell asleep at the gate.”
Give God control of your life today and always. It will relieve anxiety and stress. He wants to handle it for you. I know that He does a much better job in handling things than I do anyway!
May God richly bless you as you give your stress and anxiety to Him.
Many Blessings,
Karen McClure and the Kenya Team
PS: All updates and some pictures will be placed on the blog:
www.thelordisthehealer2.blogspot.com
Friday, June 15, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Effective Health Teaching Course
Effective Health Teaching Course will be held July 23-29 in Cherokee, NC. For more information see www.mtw.org.
Registration form--mtw.org
Download the brochure-mtw.org
The Medical Ministry of Mission to the World seeks to share the love,
knowledge and power of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by...
. Giving mercy to the family of faith
• Augmenting church planting
• Ministering in word and deed
Registration form--mtw.org
Download the brochure-mtw.org
The Medical Ministry of Mission to the World seeks to share the love,
knowledge and power of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by...
. Giving mercy to the family of faith
• Augmenting church planting
• Ministering in word and deed
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Saturday in Nairobi
Hello Prayer Warriors,
Today was our last day of clinic and we spent it at Muthega, a little slum village. In fact it was probably our favoite village here in Nairobi. In the afternoon, we traveled to the boys and girls home that the Makukus started 4 years ago for orphans. I believe they have about 20 children in the age bracket of 7 yrs to 18 yrs. Two women that we worked with here, Carolyn and Purity are the house mothers.
Since it was Ariel's 21st birthday, we decided to have a birthday party for her. We had lunch and then Martha, Imboumi's wife carried the birthday cake out with the candles lit. The children's eyes were as big as saucers. I don't think they have ever had a birthday cake. We showered them with love and attention. We brought gifts and sang with them as Hazen played the guitar. The highlight was most definitely the soccor (football ) game. Our entire team and Imboumi and all the children played. We had so much fun! The children were so precious. They have so little and are so appreciative. Ariel (and us too) has a great memory for her 21st birthday.
Tonight we did the repacking thing. It is quite a chore for a medical team as we see who has room in their bag to carry medications and supplies back home in their bags. I just finished and sure am glad that it is all done. Tomorrow morning we will travel to Masa Mara on a safari. Please pray that it does not rain. Imboumi said the ride is a "bone breaker". It will be exciting to see another part of God's creation.
We will miss our friends here in Nairobi but will continue to pray for them and their ministry. It has been a trip of growth for each of us. We will never be the same person. God has certainly stretched us all.
This will be the last communication for this trip as we will fly out Monday evening to return home Tuesday. Please continue to pray for our health and safety.
Please know that we are praying for you.
We love you all and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
PS Third reminder--Families of our Missionaries please remind them when they return home to continue to take their Doxycycline daily for 30 days. Some have asked me to put it in an e-mail so they do not forget.
Today was our last day of clinic and we spent it at Muthega, a little slum village. In fact it was probably our favoite village here in Nairobi. In the afternoon, we traveled to the boys and girls home that the Makukus started 4 years ago for orphans. I believe they have about 20 children in the age bracket of 7 yrs to 18 yrs. Two women that we worked with here, Carolyn and Purity are the house mothers.
Since it was Ariel's 21st birthday, we decided to have a birthday party for her. We had lunch and then Martha, Imboumi's wife carried the birthday cake out with the candles lit. The children's eyes were as big as saucers. I don't think they have ever had a birthday cake. We showered them with love and attention. We brought gifts and sang with them as Hazen played the guitar. The highlight was most definitely the soccor (football ) game. Our entire team and Imboumi and all the children played. We had so much fun! The children were so precious. They have so little and are so appreciative. Ariel (and us too) has a great memory for her 21st birthday.
Tonight we did the repacking thing. It is quite a chore for a medical team as we see who has room in their bag to carry medications and supplies back home in their bags. I just finished and sure am glad that it is all done. Tomorrow morning we will travel to Masa Mara on a safari. Please pray that it does not rain. Imboumi said the ride is a "bone breaker". It will be exciting to see another part of God's creation.
We will miss our friends here in Nairobi but will continue to pray for them and their ministry. It has been a trip of growth for each of us. We will never be the same person. God has certainly stretched us all.
This will be the last communication for this trip as we will fly out Monday evening to return home Tuesday. Please continue to pray for our health and safety.
Please know that we are praying for you.
We love you all and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
PS Third reminder--Families of our Missionaries please remind them when they return home to continue to take their Doxycycline daily for 30 days. Some have asked me to put it in an e-mail so they do not forget.
Friday in Nairobi
Hello Prayer Warriors,
Today I shared a devotion with the team on encouragement and they agreed that it came at just the right time. Who needs encouragement in your life? Have you encouraged someone today? One of the girls wrote it on her hand so she could remember to be an encourager. It is something that scripture commands us to do.
We continued our clinic in Kawangware today. Ed and Ariel held Bible Club inside for the children as it was raining for a time. It was so much fun to see the children singing and playing games.
Lauren saw patients with Karen G and Katie worked with Anna. Mandy saw quite a few families.Hugh saw most of the male patients. The men really like being able to see a male provider.As usual the pharmacy was a busy place and Diane and Hazen did a great job keeping things under control.
I had to prescibe medication for a patient with typhoid fever and many patients come in and tell us they have either had malaria or they think they have it now. This is not a malaria endemic area becuase of the elevation.However if they go out of the area they do expose themselves to the mosquitos that carry malaria. I think all the Sudanese refugees have been exposed to malaria. We continue to see many patients with parasites and of course we are educating them on boiling their water and giving medication. There are so many orphans, it just breaks my heart.
After dinner and debriefing tonight the team sprung into action. Several washed all our clothes. (They will wash clothes here but the electricity was out before) We have clotheslines strung across the room. Others restocked what few medications we have left. And then there were the party planners....
Tomorrow afternoon we will drive to the girls and boys shelter that the Makukus started. Our plan is to have a BIG birthday party for Ariel (21st birthday!) and the children there. Hazen will take his guitar and we will play games and share music. We ordered a birthday cake and cupcakes (called "queens cake" here). The children will get to decorate them and eat them. The team has planned a puppet show. Hugh will make balloon animlas for the children. The highlight will probably be the soccor (football) game that Katie and Ed have planned for them. We also have gifts to bring them. We're excited! These children have very little and I pray that we can bring some joy and show the love of Christ to them.
Thank-you to everyone for all the gifts and other items that you donated. We gave Imboumi all the books for his library and he smiled from ear to ear! What a joy!
Please know that we are praying for you.
We love you all and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
PS Second reminder--Families of our Missionaries please remind them when they return home to continue to take their Doxycycline daily for 30 days. Some have asked me to put it in an e-mail so they do not forget.
Today I shared a devotion with the team on encouragement and they agreed that it came at just the right time. Who needs encouragement in your life? Have you encouraged someone today? One of the girls wrote it on her hand so she could remember to be an encourager. It is something that scripture commands us to do.
We continued our clinic in Kawangware today. Ed and Ariel held Bible Club inside for the children as it was raining for a time. It was so much fun to see the children singing and playing games.
Lauren saw patients with Karen G and Katie worked with Anna. Mandy saw quite a few families.Hugh saw most of the male patients. The men really like being able to see a male provider.As usual the pharmacy was a busy place and Diane and Hazen did a great job keeping things under control.
I had to prescibe medication for a patient with typhoid fever and many patients come in and tell us they have either had malaria or they think they have it now. This is not a malaria endemic area becuase of the elevation.However if they go out of the area they do expose themselves to the mosquitos that carry malaria. I think all the Sudanese refugees have been exposed to malaria. We continue to see many patients with parasites and of course we are educating them on boiling their water and giving medication. There are so many orphans, it just breaks my heart.
After dinner and debriefing tonight the team sprung into action. Several washed all our clothes. (They will wash clothes here but the electricity was out before) We have clotheslines strung across the room. Others restocked what few medications we have left. And then there were the party planners....
Tomorrow afternoon we will drive to the girls and boys shelter that the Makukus started. Our plan is to have a BIG birthday party for Ariel (21st birthday!) and the children there. Hazen will take his guitar and we will play games and share music. We ordered a birthday cake and cupcakes (called "queens cake" here). The children will get to decorate them and eat them. The team has planned a puppet show. Hugh will make balloon animlas for the children. The highlight will probably be the soccor (football) game that Katie and Ed have planned for them. We also have gifts to bring them. We're excited! These children have very little and I pray that we can bring some joy and show the love of Christ to them.
Thank-you to everyone for all the gifts and other items that you donated. We gave Imboumi all the books for his library and he smiled from ear to ear! What a joy!
Please know that we are praying for you.
We love you all and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
PS Second reminder--Families of our Missionaries please remind them when they return home to continue to take their Doxycycline daily for 30 days. Some have asked me to put it in an e-mail so they do not forget.
Thursday in Nairobi
Hello Prayer Warriors,
I thought I'd send a note a little earlier tonight. The electricity has been out all day and just came back on so I thought I should take advantage while I could. Today we were in a slum called Kawangware. There are Kenyans and Sudanese Refugees living there.
The Sudanese living here left Sudan 12 yrs ago and went to Uganda and then came to Nairobi 2 years ago. They left their country because the non-Muslim people were being slaughtered by the Muslim warlords. The Ethiopians went in and defeated the Muslim warlords in the last few years.
Each night someone on the team is responsible for "factoids". You are asked to share some fact about the country, culture or people. Tonight Ed shared a "factoid" about the Sudanese people.Many of them had scars onn their heads. The scars are made by spears and if they cry when it is done they are considered a lower class. Their bottom teeth are also removed. Very interesting factoid!
Today we saw a Sudanese man who was beaten by the police. A 45 yr old Christian patient named Susan came into the clinic, who had 4 grown adult children. She found a baby in the dumpster, rescued him and named him Moses. She brought him in to see Karen G. He is now 2 years old. Ariel and I had a patient who was caring for a 3 month old baby for a friend who died from malaria. It was a very busy day for all in the clinic.
I think the team is a little tired. We have a very full schedule. Each night we come home and shower, eat dinner, debrief and refill medication bags for the next day. Everyone usually take walks or runs and some do yoga to relax. We are staying on a compound which belongs to the Benedictine Sisters. There is an international representation here--Tanzania, Gemany, Uganda. They even have a Korean church service on Sunday. It is beautiful on this compound. The grounds are amazingly beautiful! It is very necessary for us to unwind and relax when the busy clinic day is over so God provided just the right place for us.
You must have been praying hard for us. The "fishes and the loaves" are evident! In other words, the medications are being stretched as well as our faith.
Tomorrow we will return to Kawangware. Please pray that the people would see Jesus through us.
May God richly bless you! We consider you part of our team as you support us in prayer. We could not do this without you dear friends and family!
We Love you and miss you all very much!
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
I thought I'd send a note a little earlier tonight. The electricity has been out all day and just came back on so I thought I should take advantage while I could. Today we were in a slum called Kawangware. There are Kenyans and Sudanese Refugees living there.
The Sudanese living here left Sudan 12 yrs ago and went to Uganda and then came to Nairobi 2 years ago. They left their country because the non-Muslim people were being slaughtered by the Muslim warlords. The Ethiopians went in and defeated the Muslim warlords in the last few years.
Each night someone on the team is responsible for "factoids". You are asked to share some fact about the country, culture or people. Tonight Ed shared a "factoid" about the Sudanese people.Many of them had scars onn their heads. The scars are made by spears and if they cry when it is done they are considered a lower class. Their bottom teeth are also removed. Very interesting factoid!
Today we saw a Sudanese man who was beaten by the police. A 45 yr old Christian patient named Susan came into the clinic, who had 4 grown adult children. She found a baby in the dumpster, rescued him and named him Moses. She brought him in to see Karen G. He is now 2 years old. Ariel and I had a patient who was caring for a 3 month old baby for a friend who died from malaria. It was a very busy day for all in the clinic.
I think the team is a little tired. We have a very full schedule. Each night we come home and shower, eat dinner, debrief and refill medication bags for the next day. Everyone usually take walks or runs and some do yoga to relax. We are staying on a compound which belongs to the Benedictine Sisters. There is an international representation here--Tanzania, Gemany, Uganda. They even have a Korean church service on Sunday. It is beautiful on this compound. The grounds are amazingly beautiful! It is very necessary for us to unwind and relax when the busy clinic day is over so God provided just the right place for us.
You must have been praying hard for us. The "fishes and the loaves" are evident! In other words, the medications are being stretched as well as our faith.
Tomorrow we will return to Kawangware. Please pray that the people would see Jesus through us.
May God richly bless you! We consider you part of our team as you support us in prayer. We could not do this without you dear friends and family!
We Love you and miss you all very much!
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Wednesday in Nairobi
Hello Prayer Warriors,
Today we had a grand day in Kibera. We saw many men and women and the orphans they are caring for.It was our last day there so we had to say goodbye to some of our translators. We said goodbye as we usually do with a gift for each of them and a card. I brought wrapping paper and cards which had been part of an incredible ministry of Trisha McClure. She has now gone on to be with the Lord but I know she would have donated them and would be pleased that we are using them in Kenya.
Ariel saw a young very sick girl who was brought in to the clinic by her aunt. She now lives with her aunt as both parents are deceased from AIDS. We treated her, prayed with the family and hugged her. The people here just love the attention from us. I pray they see it not as us supplying them with medicines but more as the light of Jesus. We also saw a young AIDS patient who had a CD4 count of 10 with herpes in her eye and pneumonia. This is hard and can be draining to see these precious people so sick. We were able to give her Acyclovir and an antibiotic and pray with her.
Katie and Diane served as our pharmacists and were very busy as usual! Ed and Katie helped us register and triage patients with the help of a translator. Hugh saw male patients in a private office. Again, the men are very private and this is the only way some of them will come to the clinic. Anna, Lauren and Amanda and Karen G provided care for the patients and prayed for their needs. Anna and Hazen held a Bible Club for the children and made puppets.
One of the most incredible ministries is the use of a poloroid camera on the mission field. Diane Davis' Sunday school class donated a Polaroid camera and film to her for use in ministry. She took pictures of the families and children and gave them a picture. Now imagine the look on their faces when they see this picure. It brought tears to my eyes. Many of them have never seen a photo, let alone of themselves. I don't know if they even have a mirror. This is the slums of Kibera!
Hugh and I went to the bank to exchange money today for the team and ministry needs and they took a photo of me with the money. The exchange rate today was $0.64 shillings/dollar. So I had quite a wad of cash!
We are running out of medications and money to purchase them with (team funds) so please pray that the Lord would provide. We have prescribed a lot of medications here and had to purchase more today.
A young woman in our clinic today needed to have an X-Ray of her hip to identify if she had a fracture. She had suffered abuse at the hands of her husband. She may only have 1 meal each day so you know that she did not have money for an X-Ray. We donated money to send her for an X-ray.
Please pray for our team. We get up early each morning and have devotions and breakfast together and then leave for the clinic.We usually go all day until 1:30- 3:30 PM until we eat lunch. Please pray for our stamina. We are sometimes asked to do things that are out of our comfort zone. For example- prepare talks without much notice, prepare a skit for Bible Club, counseling patients, etc. We sometimes do not know where we can get the materials to prepare. But somehow...the Lord provides! I guess this is how we learn and grow. But doesn't it just feel so good to have a plan and stick with it? We would never grow if we left it to ourselves. Step out of your comfort zone......
Well enough for tonight. Please know that we are praying for you.
We love you all and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
PS Families of our Missionaries please remind them when they return home to continue to take their Doxycycline daily for 30 days. Some have asked me to put it in an e-mail so they do not forget.
Today we had a grand day in Kibera. We saw many men and women and the orphans they are caring for.It was our last day there so we had to say goodbye to some of our translators. We said goodbye as we usually do with a gift for each of them and a card. I brought wrapping paper and cards which had been part of an incredible ministry of Trisha McClure. She has now gone on to be with the Lord but I know she would have donated them and would be pleased that we are using them in Kenya.
Ariel saw a young very sick girl who was brought in to the clinic by her aunt. She now lives with her aunt as both parents are deceased from AIDS. We treated her, prayed with the family and hugged her. The people here just love the attention from us. I pray they see it not as us supplying them with medicines but more as the light of Jesus. We also saw a young AIDS patient who had a CD4 count of 10 with herpes in her eye and pneumonia. This is hard and can be draining to see these precious people so sick. We were able to give her Acyclovir and an antibiotic and pray with her.
Katie and Diane served as our pharmacists and were very busy as usual! Ed and Katie helped us register and triage patients with the help of a translator. Hugh saw male patients in a private office. Again, the men are very private and this is the only way some of them will come to the clinic. Anna, Lauren and Amanda and Karen G provided care for the patients and prayed for their needs. Anna and Hazen held a Bible Club for the children and made puppets.
One of the most incredible ministries is the use of a poloroid camera on the mission field. Diane Davis' Sunday school class donated a Polaroid camera and film to her for use in ministry. She took pictures of the families and children and gave them a picture. Now imagine the look on their faces when they see this picure. It brought tears to my eyes. Many of them have never seen a photo, let alone of themselves. I don't know if they even have a mirror. This is the slums of Kibera!
Hugh and I went to the bank to exchange money today for the team and ministry needs and they took a photo of me with the money. The exchange rate today was $0.64 shillings/dollar. So I had quite a wad of cash!
We are running out of medications and money to purchase them with (team funds) so please pray that the Lord would provide. We have prescribed a lot of medications here and had to purchase more today.
A young woman in our clinic today needed to have an X-Ray of her hip to identify if she had a fracture. She had suffered abuse at the hands of her husband. She may only have 1 meal each day so you know that she did not have money for an X-Ray. We donated money to send her for an X-ray.
Please pray for our team. We get up early each morning and have devotions and breakfast together and then leave for the clinic.We usually go all day until 1:30- 3:30 PM until we eat lunch. Please pray for our stamina. We are sometimes asked to do things that are out of our comfort zone. For example- prepare talks without much notice, prepare a skit for Bible Club, counseling patients, etc. We sometimes do not know where we can get the materials to prepare. But somehow...the Lord provides! I guess this is how we learn and grow. But doesn't it just feel so good to have a plan and stick with it? We would never grow if we left it to ourselves. Step out of your comfort zone......
Well enough for tonight. Please know that we are praying for you.
We love you all and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
PS Families of our Missionaries please remind them when they return home to continue to take their Doxycycline daily for 30 days. Some have asked me to put it in an e-mail so they do not forget.
Tuesday in Nairobi
Good Morning Prayer Warriors,
Today we were back in Kibera. We mainly saw AIDS and HIV + patients. The patients that attend the support group here are very educated about AIDS by Mary, one of the church members, who leads the support group. They all know their CD4 counts and what will make them better. If their CD4 count is below 200 that will give them a diagnosis of AIDS. Then they will be placed on ARV drugs with the hope that they will raise their CD4 count above 200. If not, their immune system will not be able to fight off disease and they will be very sick.
Ariel and Katie taught a class on Sexually Transmitted Diseases to a group of women and it was very interactive. The patients asked lots of questions and they all enjoyed it. Diane and Hazen had a backyard Bible Club for the students in the school on their break and after school. Over 100 children were present and had a great time.
The pharmacy is probably one of the busiest places here at the clinic. Lauren was the "pharmacist" yesterday and most of the patients were prescribed at least three drugs.
The clinic is very busy and it can be exhausting at times. Karen, Mandy, Anna and Hugh saw a record number of patients yesterday. Today we will not be seeing as many patients. There are many coming to know the Lord through our presence here. That is the most exciting thing. It is not all about practicing medicine because we know that the Lord is the healer.
When we closed the clinic and school was out, Ed held a group counseling session for all the workers and teachers. He talked to them and discussed abused, raped, defiled amd escaped children and how to listen, talk to and counsel them.
Most of the women here have been raped or assaulted as children first and then later as adolescents and young women. Some of the families will even prostitute their children out for money. Many of the women contracted HIV from their husbands who have either died or have abandoned their
families.
Hugh saw the men patients in a private area and that was a blessing. The hope is that this will bring more men into the church. The church has a lot more women and children than men. We pray that we can be the light of Jesus to these men and all and they will know that they are loved unconditionally in spite of their HIV status.
We are running out of medicines in some categories and are going to the local
hospital pharmacy to see about buying more on the way to clinic in the morning.
We do not have unlimited Pray that they will have the meds we need..
Please continue to pray for us, especially in the area of spiritual warfare.
Many of our patients today had amulets or bracelets they have purchased by the
witch doctors. We cut most of them off and discarded them. The witch doctors
will not be happy.
We Love you and miss you dear friends and family!
We feel your prayers. Please don't stop praying!,
In Christ,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Today we were back in Kibera. We mainly saw AIDS and HIV + patients. The patients that attend the support group here are very educated about AIDS by Mary, one of the church members, who leads the support group. They all know their CD4 counts and what will make them better. If their CD4 count is below 200 that will give them a diagnosis of AIDS. Then they will be placed on ARV drugs with the hope that they will raise their CD4 count above 200. If not, their immune system will not be able to fight off disease and they will be very sick.
Ariel and Katie taught a class on Sexually Transmitted Diseases to a group of women and it was very interactive. The patients asked lots of questions and they all enjoyed it. Diane and Hazen had a backyard Bible Club for the students in the school on their break and after school. Over 100 children were present and had a great time.
The pharmacy is probably one of the busiest places here at the clinic. Lauren was the "pharmacist" yesterday and most of the patients were prescribed at least three drugs.
The clinic is very busy and it can be exhausting at times. Karen, Mandy, Anna and Hugh saw a record number of patients yesterday. Today we will not be seeing as many patients. There are many coming to know the Lord through our presence here. That is the most exciting thing. It is not all about practicing medicine because we know that the Lord is the healer.
When we closed the clinic and school was out, Ed held a group counseling session for all the workers and teachers. He talked to them and discussed abused, raped, defiled amd escaped children and how to listen, talk to and counsel them.
Most of the women here have been raped or assaulted as children first and then later as adolescents and young women. Some of the families will even prostitute their children out for money. Many of the women contracted HIV from their husbands who have either died or have abandoned their
families.
Hugh saw the men patients in a private area and that was a blessing. The hope is that this will bring more men into the church. The church has a lot more women and children than men. We pray that we can be the light of Jesus to these men and all and they will know that they are loved unconditionally in spite of their HIV status.
We are running out of medicines in some categories and are going to the local
hospital pharmacy to see about buying more on the way to clinic in the morning.
We do not have unlimited Pray that they will have the meds we need..
Please continue to pray for us, especially in the area of spiritual warfare.
Many of our patients today had amulets or bracelets they have purchased by the
witch doctors. We cut most of them off and discarded them. The witch doctors
will not be happy.
We Love you and miss you dear friends and family!
We feel your prayers. Please don't stop praying!,
In Christ,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Monday in Nairobi
Hello Prayer Warriors,
Today we were in another slum of Nairobi called Makura Kayaba. Our patient population was primarily AIDS patients. The church has an AIDS support group here and there is also a school here.
Before we left to travel to our clinic, Ed shared a devotion on "Weakness". It helped us all to share our weaknesses. When we share it helps others to know that we all have weaknesses and struggles. It made me think of Paul talking of his weaknesses in 1 Corinthians 2. Oh how I can relate! Each of will share a devotion on this mission trip in the morning and then will share at the clinic as well.
We saw a patient today named Evelyn who has 2 sets of twins, a set of triplets and another child. She also had a child die in the past year. She lives with AIDS and breast cancer. Please keep her in your prayers. We saw another patient named Esther who is very angry. Her mother is Muslim and abused her and she was raped by her father. I assisted Dr. Karen G with a small surgical procedure called an I and D. Karen and I both love surgery and the patient was very stoic.
In the areas that we work, almost every female has been physically and sexually abused. They have sexually transmitted infections and there is a lot with AIDS. We do not treat AIDS because the patients are treated at the clinic. There are still many that will not go to the clinic to get diagnosed. For about $1/day the government will provide the drugs called ARV's. What we are treating is oportunistic infections.
You will probably not see pictures of the walk that we take to the medical clinic because the people are sensitive to their living conditions and we respect them.We must walk through streams of garbage, human excrement, chickens, dogs, etc to get to where we are going. It can be terribly nauseating but we must look past that. I am just eager to serve God in Kenya.
We are enjoying working here with Pastor Imboumi Makuku, his wife Martha, Pastor Patrick, Wycliff and James with the African Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Every day is and adventure and if you dont't like adventures and like to handle problems yourself and not ask the Lord for help, then this is no place for you. This is what increases my faith and grows me spiritually.
After we closed the clinic today we came back to the Guest house and Imboumi gave us a cultural orientation. He talked about Spiritual warfare here. Satanic shamans and witch doctors and cults are everywhere and in the open. Many of the Christians still try to keep a foot in both camps. They believe that if anything out of the
ordinary happens that it is because someone has put a spell or a hex on them or
one of the gods is angry with them. They then take their scarce monies and go
to the witch doctor to buy a counter spell. They wear amulets to protect themselves
from evil.
We asked Imboumi, how does a Kenyan get married? He said, you ask the girl to marry you. Then you must go to her parents with an elder person and negotiate a dowry. For example, the family may decide that you must give a "gift" of 14 cattle or goats to the parents for your bride. To all those who have daughters and have to pay for weddings in the states...come to Kenya where you actually receive a "gift" for your daughter.
Please pray for our day tomorrow. Besides our medical clinic, Ariel and Katie will be teaching a group about STD's and Lauren and Hazen will teach another group about Hygiene.Diane will teach the children, about the Bible and Ed, our counselor will meet with teachers to discuss topics surrounding abused, defiled and escaped children. Hugh is providing care for a group of men who probably all have STD's but will only be seen by a male provider.
We Love you and Miss you all!
May God richly bless you,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Today we were in another slum of Nairobi called Makura Kayaba. Our patient population was primarily AIDS patients. The church has an AIDS support group here and there is also a school here.
Before we left to travel to our clinic, Ed shared a devotion on "Weakness". It helped us all to share our weaknesses. When we share it helps others to know that we all have weaknesses and struggles. It made me think of Paul talking of his weaknesses in 1 Corinthians 2. Oh how I can relate! Each of will share a devotion on this mission trip in the morning and then will share at the clinic as well.
We saw a patient today named Evelyn who has 2 sets of twins, a set of triplets and another child. She also had a child die in the past year. She lives with AIDS and breast cancer. Please keep her in your prayers. We saw another patient named Esther who is very angry. Her mother is Muslim and abused her and she was raped by her father. I assisted Dr. Karen G with a small surgical procedure called an I and D. Karen and I both love surgery and the patient was very stoic.
In the areas that we work, almost every female has been physically and sexually abused. They have sexually transmitted infections and there is a lot with AIDS. We do not treat AIDS because the patients are treated at the clinic. There are still many that will not go to the clinic to get diagnosed. For about $1/day the government will provide the drugs called ARV's. What we are treating is oportunistic infections.
You will probably not see pictures of the walk that we take to the medical clinic because the people are sensitive to their living conditions and we respect them.We must walk through streams of garbage, human excrement, chickens, dogs, etc to get to where we are going. It can be terribly nauseating but we must look past that. I am just eager to serve God in Kenya.
We are enjoying working here with Pastor Imboumi Makuku, his wife Martha, Pastor Patrick, Wycliff and James with the African Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Every day is and adventure and if you dont't like adventures and like to handle problems yourself and not ask the Lord for help, then this is no place for you. This is what increases my faith and grows me spiritually.
After we closed the clinic today we came back to the Guest house and Imboumi gave us a cultural orientation. He talked about Spiritual warfare here. Satanic shamans and witch doctors and cults are everywhere and in the open. Many of the Christians still try to keep a foot in both camps. They believe that if anything out of the
ordinary happens that it is because someone has put a spell or a hex on them or
one of the gods is angry with them. They then take their scarce monies and go
to the witch doctor to buy a counter spell. They wear amulets to protect themselves
from evil.
We asked Imboumi, how does a Kenyan get married? He said, you ask the girl to marry you. Then you must go to her parents with an elder person and negotiate a dowry. For example, the family may decide that you must give a "gift" of 14 cattle or goats to the parents for your bride. To all those who have daughters and have to pay for weddings in the states...come to Kenya where you actually receive a "gift" for your daughter.
Please pray for our day tomorrow. Besides our medical clinic, Ariel and Katie will be teaching a group about STD's and Lauren and Hazen will teach another group about Hygiene.Diane will teach the children, about the Bible and Ed, our counselor will meet with teachers to discuss topics surrounding abused, defiled and escaped children. Hugh is providing care for a group of men who probably all have STD's but will only be seen by a male provider.
We Love you and Miss you all!
May God richly bless you,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Sunday in Nairobi
Good Morning Prayer Warriors,
Just a short note to tell you not to worry. I usually send a note sooner however our electricity was out most of the evening and all night. We had a great Lord's Day-Sunday which was actually Pentacost Sunday. The team sang like angels. Ariel gave her testimony and Imboumi translated for her. She is a born speaker! She was a little concerned because of translating it to the culture here. All eyes were focused on her so I think that was indication enough that it was greatly received. Katie will give her testimony this week. I have great pictures and we will be sending pictures to Katie to make a disc so we can share in our churches and with friends and family.
Hazen preached and the sermon was translated into Swahilli by Imboumi. Now Hazen is very young and his sermon was preached with emotion and vigor that only the Lord could have spoken through him. Who knows what God has in store for his future.
Thank-you friends and family for sending encouraging e-mails. I will try to answer but we are so busy that its difficult.
I had to laugh last night after the electricity when out. We still had work to do to prepare for today. I looked over and there was Lauren wearing her headlamp making teaching materials for today..Diane and Karen G were refilling our medicines--actually counting meds and putting in bags. Others were wrapping gifts for our translators. Precious moments.....Only in Nairobi.......
Well it is 6:10 AM and I must sign off to do my devotions and help the team prepare for the day.
We Love you and Miss you all!
May God richly bless you today and always,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Just a short note to tell you not to worry. I usually send a note sooner however our electricity was out most of the evening and all night. We had a great Lord's Day-Sunday which was actually Pentacost Sunday. The team sang like angels. Ariel gave her testimony and Imboumi translated for her. She is a born speaker! She was a little concerned because of translating it to the culture here. All eyes were focused on her so I think that was indication enough that it was greatly received. Katie will give her testimony this week. I have great pictures and we will be sending pictures to Katie to make a disc so we can share in our churches and with friends and family.
Hazen preached and the sermon was translated into Swahilli by Imboumi. Now Hazen is very young and his sermon was preached with emotion and vigor that only the Lord could have spoken through him. Who knows what God has in store for his future.
Thank-you friends and family for sending encouraging e-mails. I will try to answer but we are so busy that its difficult.
I had to laugh last night after the electricity when out. We still had work to do to prepare for today. I looked over and there was Lauren wearing her headlamp making teaching materials for today..Diane and Karen G were refilling our medicines--actually counting meds and putting in bags. Others were wrapping gifts for our translators. Precious moments.....Only in Nairobi.......
Well it is 6:10 AM and I must sign off to do my devotions and help the team prepare for the day.
We Love you and Miss you all!
May God richly bless you today and always,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
Saturday in Nairobi
Hello Prayer Warriors,
I guess you are wondering what happened to the attachment from last night's e-mail. Well I wonder myself. It must be the dial up connection that didn't allow it to go through. If I can post pictures to my blog tomorrow, then I will send a link.,otherwise it will have to wait until I return home. So sorry....
Today we held a medical clinic in Muthiga, a village in Nairobi. After driving up red very muddy, rocky hills and mountains here, I don't think I will ever complain about a road in Maryland again. Pastor Imboumi calls them "bone breakers". By the way, we are at 8,000 feet elevation here. No one on the team has been bothered by it, though.
Each day in clinic is an adventure . We always go in with a plan and know we must be "semper gumby". What is that you ask? It means that things are always changing so we must be very patient and very flexible. But the good news is that through this process God is changing us. He is refining us and will give us a peace about things that used to give us anxiety. We learn to relinquish control to God, our father in Heaven. Today it was the pharmacy again that we had to revise. We were seeing both adults and children and set up 4 provider stations and Dr. Karen G, Amanda-RN, Anna- RN and Hugh-RN saw patients and prescribed medications. I believe they saw over 70 patients and prayed for them as well.
Ariel, Katie and Lauren rotated between registration and taking patient history's and working with one of the providers. Each one of them are growing more confident with their skills and most important to me is the love that I see in them for the people. They are truly sharing the love that Jesus shared with the people. Some removed stitches, treated parasites (intestinal worms), bacterial infections, many skin infections and lacerations just to name a few.
Ed worked and played (and evangelized) with the children and I understand they just loved him. Hazen assisted Diane in the pharmacy, which is one of the busiest places to work here.
Something to behold is the smile on the face of a 46 year old woman, nearing the end of her life (average life span of a woman here is 48 yrs), when she puts on a pair of glasses and can see clearly! We had the joy of seeing that on quite a few faces.
Again today I was "floating" team leader, which means that I took the reponsibility of managing the clinic, medical consultant and floating to whichever station needed assistance to keep things moving smoothly. For those of you who know me well, you know how I multi-task.
At the end of clinic we were treated to African tribal music with drums and chanting/singing which involved clapping and jumping and was very lively! What a way to end a day!
You will be pleased to know that my luggage was delivered to the convent here today. Sister Bonnie sent a paid driver to the airport and he was there for 8 1/2 hrs just to retrieve my luggage! What a wonderful patient man. He made it possible for me to have clean clothes and other things. But you know that God has supplied all my needs through my wonderful teamates who gave me clothes, protein bars to eat, shoes, etc and I didn't even need to go shopping.
Praise God that nobody has been sick We are very strict about what we eat and we treat our own drinking water. Since we have followed this policy we have an almost 0% sick rate.
Tomorrow is the Lord's day and I am excited that we will be singing and Hazen will play his guitar. Hazen will also preach and Ariel will share her testimony. They will do this through a Swahilli translator, which is not always easy. Please pray for the team again tomorrow.
Please send me or the team an e-mail if you can dear family and friends as we are praying for you too daily.
We Love you all and miss you!
May God richly bless you,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
I guess you are wondering what happened to the attachment from last night's e-mail. Well I wonder myself. It must be the dial up connection that didn't allow it to go through. If I can post pictures to my blog tomorrow, then I will send a link.,otherwise it will have to wait until I return home. So sorry....
Today we held a medical clinic in Muthiga, a village in Nairobi. After driving up red very muddy, rocky hills and mountains here, I don't think I will ever complain about a road in Maryland again. Pastor Imboumi calls them "bone breakers". By the way, we are at 8,000 feet elevation here. No one on the team has been bothered by it, though.
Each day in clinic is an adventure . We always go in with a plan and know we must be "semper gumby". What is that you ask? It means that things are always changing so we must be very patient and very flexible. But the good news is that through this process God is changing us. He is refining us and will give us a peace about things that used to give us anxiety. We learn to relinquish control to God, our father in Heaven. Today it was the pharmacy again that we had to revise. We were seeing both adults and children and set up 4 provider stations and Dr. Karen G, Amanda-RN, Anna- RN and Hugh-RN saw patients and prescribed medications. I believe they saw over 70 patients and prayed for them as well.
Ariel, Katie and Lauren rotated between registration and taking patient history's and working with one of the providers. Each one of them are growing more confident with their skills and most important to me is the love that I see in them for the people. They are truly sharing the love that Jesus shared with the people. Some removed stitches, treated parasites (intestinal worms), bacterial infections, many skin infections and lacerations just to name a few.
Ed worked and played (and evangelized) with the children and I understand they just loved him. Hazen assisted Diane in the pharmacy, which is one of the busiest places to work here.
Something to behold is the smile on the face of a 46 year old woman, nearing the end of her life (average life span of a woman here is 48 yrs), when she puts on a pair of glasses and can see clearly! We had the joy of seeing that on quite a few faces.
Again today I was "floating" team leader, which means that I took the reponsibility of managing the clinic, medical consultant and floating to whichever station needed assistance to keep things moving smoothly. For those of you who know me well, you know how I multi-task.
At the end of clinic we were treated to African tribal music with drums and chanting/singing which involved clapping and jumping and was very lively! What a way to end a day!
You will be pleased to know that my luggage was delivered to the convent here today. Sister Bonnie sent a paid driver to the airport and he was there for 8 1/2 hrs just to retrieve my luggage! What a wonderful patient man. He made it possible for me to have clean clothes and other things. But you know that God has supplied all my needs through my wonderful teamates who gave me clothes, protein bars to eat, shoes, etc and I didn't even need to go shopping.
Praise God that nobody has been sick We are very strict about what we eat and we treat our own drinking water. Since we have followed this policy we have an almost 0% sick rate.
Tomorrow is the Lord's day and I am excited that we will be singing and Hazen will play his guitar. Hazen will also preach and Ariel will share her testimony. They will do this through a Swahilli translator, which is not always easy. Please pray for the team again tomorrow.
Please send me or the team an e-mail if you can dear family and friends as we are praying for you too daily.
We Love you all and miss you!
May God richly bless you,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya Team
First Day in Kenyan Clinic
Hi prayer warriors,
Thank-you so much for praying for us! We had a great first day in the clinic today. Our purpose was to screen children and their teachers in the Kibera Reformed Presbyterian Church School. For most of us, the trek into the school was an eye opener. There was waste that runs like a river through this very large slum area.I myself have been doing mission work around the globe since 1995 and have never seen poverty like this. We thought that we would see a lot of children with scabies and lice and profound malnutrition. We were surprised to see that although they were malnourished, we did not see the red hair, thin limbs and other things we typically see in profound malnutrition. They have a feeding program at the school so the children are getting at least 5 good meals each week. We also did not see any children with scabies or lice. Karen G saw a little girl that was crying and found out that the girls parents both have AIDS. One out of every 3 people has AIDS. Every child was given Albendazole, a medication for intestinal worms.I have attached a picture of a little boy. Tomorrow I will try to send more.
Hazen, a young man on our team will preach in church this Sunday and next. He has been blessing us with his guitar music and sweet spirit. Hugh, my co-team leader, wife Diane and twin daughters, Amanda and Anna have been joys to work with. We have a large pharmacy and the pharmacist has a really big job, especially on the first day. Diane was a trooper, cutting pills and bagging them as drugs were prescribed. Anna and Amanda worked with the patients and mentored the students here. Katie is a fast leaner and learned head to toe assessments, as did Lauren. Ariel is in her junior year of nursing school and perfected her skills. She and Hazen are also leading our music and we will sing in the church on both Sundays.We are blessed to have Ed, a counselor on our team. Today he and Hazen did the eyeglass clinic and the children just loved them. Next week, Ed will be counseling AIDS patients and the staff.
We are blessed to have you supporting us in prayer. We could not do this without you! Please pray for:
1-Continued team unity and flexibility
2-That the people would see the love of Jesus in us
3- Safety
4-That we would change and grow spiritually. I am never the same person when I return home!
5- Be with our families
6- Be with us as we care for the people, evangelize and teach in the clinic.
7- That my luggage would be delivered tomorrow. ( I thank my friends here for supplying me with what I need.)
If you feel that the Lord may be calling you to go on a mission trip, Steve and I will lead another trip, with students and others Dec, 29- Jan. 6 to Trinidad. Please consider praying about that. We welcome, physicians, students, nurses, pastors, youth leaders, counselors and we definitely need non-medical people.
We pray also for you dear friends and family!
We love you and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya team
Thank-you so much for praying for us! We had a great first day in the clinic today. Our purpose was to screen children and their teachers in the Kibera Reformed Presbyterian Church School. For most of us, the trek into the school was an eye opener. There was waste that runs like a river through this very large slum area.I myself have been doing mission work around the globe since 1995 and have never seen poverty like this. We thought that we would see a lot of children with scabies and lice and profound malnutrition. We were surprised to see that although they were malnourished, we did not see the red hair, thin limbs and other things we typically see in profound malnutrition. They have a feeding program at the school so the children are getting at least 5 good meals each week. We also did not see any children with scabies or lice. Karen G saw a little girl that was crying and found out that the girls parents both have AIDS. One out of every 3 people has AIDS. Every child was given Albendazole, a medication for intestinal worms.I have attached a picture of a little boy. Tomorrow I will try to send more.
Hazen, a young man on our team will preach in church this Sunday and next. He has been blessing us with his guitar music and sweet spirit. Hugh, my co-team leader, wife Diane and twin daughters, Amanda and Anna have been joys to work with. We have a large pharmacy and the pharmacist has a really big job, especially on the first day. Diane was a trooper, cutting pills and bagging them as drugs were prescribed. Anna and Amanda worked with the patients and mentored the students here. Katie is a fast leaner and learned head to toe assessments, as did Lauren. Ariel is in her junior year of nursing school and perfected her skills. She and Hazen are also leading our music and we will sing in the church on both Sundays.We are blessed to have Ed, a counselor on our team. Today he and Hazen did the eyeglass clinic and the children just loved them. Next week, Ed will be counseling AIDS patients and the staff.
We are blessed to have you supporting us in prayer. We could not do this without you! Please pray for:
1-Continued team unity and flexibility
2-That the people would see the love of Jesus in us
3- Safety
4-That we would change and grow spiritually. I am never the same person when I return home!
5- Be with our families
6- Be with us as we care for the people, evangelize and teach in the clinic.
7- That my luggage would be delivered tomorrow. ( I thank my friends here for supplying me with what I need.)
If you feel that the Lord may be calling you to go on a mission trip, Steve and I will lead another trip, with students and others Dec, 29- Jan. 6 to Trinidad. Please consider praying about that. We welcome, physicians, students, nurses, pastors, youth leaders, counselors and we definitely need non-medical people.
We pray also for you dear friends and family!
We love you and miss you!
Many Blessings,
Karen (McClure) and the Kenya team
Thursday May 24-Arrival in Nairobi
Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know we arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday May 24 at 7:30 PM. Nairobi is 8 hrs ahead of east coast time. Imboumi and his family met us at the airport and drove us to Subiaco Guest House, a former convent. We were greeted by Sister Bonnie who made sure we had a hot meal of goat, rice and bread.
I was hoping to send pictures but this is dial-up. I'll post pictures when I return.
Please pray for:
1- Karen McClure's bag to arrive in the morning. It has clothing and all personal items.
2-Pediatric clinic that we will do tomorrow in the school.
3-Health and safety of the team.
4- Be with our families that we left behind. I especially pray for Ashley as she takes intensive summer classes. If anyone would like to assist with child care so she can study please call her.
Many Blessings to you my little prayer warriors. I feel covered in prayer.
Karen
Thursday, May 24-Arrival in Nairobi
Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know we arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday May 24 at 7:30 PM. Nairobi is 8 hrs ahead of east coast time. Imboumi and his family met us at the airport and drove us to Subiaco Guest House, a former convent. We were greeted by Sister Bonnie who made sure we had a hot meal of goat, rice and bread.
I was hoping to send pictures but this is dial-up. I'll post pictures when I return.
Please pray for:
1- Karen McClure's bag to arrive in the morning. It has clothing and all personal items.
2-Pediatric clinic that we will do tomorrow in the school.
3-Health and safety of the team.
4- Be with our families that we left behind. I especially pray for Ashley as she takes intensive summer classes. If anyone would like to assist with child care so she can study please call her.
Many Blessings to you my little prayer warriors. I feel covered in prayer.
Karen
Just a quick note to let you know we arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday May 24 at 7:30 PM. Nairobi is 8 hrs ahead of east coast time. Imboumi and his family met us at the airport and drove us to Subiaco Guest House, a former convent. We were greeted by Sister Bonnie who made sure we had a hot meal of goat, rice and bread.
I was hoping to send pictures but this is dial-up. I'll post pictures when I return.
Please pray for:
1- Karen McClure's bag to arrive in the morning. It has clothing and all personal items.
2-Pediatric clinic that we will do tomorrow in the school.
3-Health and safety of the team.
4- Be with our families that we left behind. I especially pray for Ashley as she takes intensive summer classes. If anyone would like to assist with child care so she can study please call her.
Many Blessings to you my little prayer warriors. I feel covered in prayer.
Karen
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