Last day on safari. Sort of.....

Today was our last day on safari. If the weather is good tomorrow morning, we may go out one more time for an early morning one. We'll have breakfast and then head to the airport in Nairobi. It's a six hour drive from here. I'll post some pictures of our safari today and then a few more of our team tomorrow. This has been an opportunity of a life time and I mean that. In so many different ways. God opened so many doors and placed so many people in my life to create an incredible journey. I miss the OR...but not in America. This OR nursing opportunity was the purest form of operating room nursing. Calling a 'time out' before surgery to check that we're doing the right surgery on the right patient is the norm. Then praying over our patient? Let me rephrase that. The surgeon taking the lead and praying over our patient? This brought me to my knees. Brought me to tears and changed my standard of care as a nurse. 

The children. Their smiles and their eyes and their laughter. Their stories. Above all...their stories. Swinimer washing the OR laundry by hand. The Kenyan people. Kenyan food....and the landscape.

The safari. I have no words right now for this. Except that I am changed. Forever changed. So very thankful that I am changed. I hope I touched the hearts and lives of the people I have come to know. 

Many thanks to all of you who prayed for and financially supported this journey. More on that in a later post. For now, here's today's safari...❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The picture of the stone is the border marker between Kenya and Tanzania. The first pictures are of a lioness and her four Cubs. It was a magical day...❤️❤️❤️

A few pictures from our short safari after lunch.

Steve James, founder of Kenya Relief, works, and works all of us until we have nothing left. We have been joyfully exhausted since Monday night. He ends our work at Brase clinic with a 2 day safari that is pretty close to heaven!  A few pictures from our 2 hour safari today after lunch. The last picture is lunch from the buffet at the lodge. Red snapper, lemon rice, carrots, Indian bread and beer from Nairobi. Yes please!

We made it to Mara Serena Safari Lodge!

The beauty of Africa can't be captured.... Well... Not with my camera!   Am I dreaming?! I feel as though I'm in a dream. Honestly. Our drivers are 3 of the friendliest men I have ever known and this lodge. I'm in awe. I hope my pictures show the great wonders of God's creation. It will take your breath away.  The plains and mountains go out as far as the eyes can see. The rich beauty of this place. Here are a few pictures... The giraffe as we entered into the lodge, information about the lodge, looking out across the plains, one of many beautiful trees and lastly, the safari lodge lobby.

Even more pictures from the Maasi village!

More pictures from the Maasi village!

The singing and dancing were so pretty!

Maasi village.

Today is Thursday and we have left Migori to travel first to the Maasi village and then to Mara Serena Safari lodge. It's about 3 hours away from Migori. We traveled thru rural areas and saw lots of kids walking to school. The poverty here is unbelievable. My new friend Mark from Tenwek hospital tells me there are two kinds of poverty. First there is poverty and then there is absolute poverty where you are just tumbling along each day wondering where your food is going to come from. No pictures along the way.   At Maasi village, we danced sang and learned about the Maasi people. Wow! Incredible! Woman build the homes out of dung and mud. The animals spend the night in the house in the living room so they won't get eaten by predators. They have dozens of chickens but they don't eat them. They only have them so they know what time it it! A beautiful tribe!

 

Last afternoon at Brittaney's Home of grace.

After clinic we went back to our dorms and relaxed awhile. The children got out of school at 3 so we played with em until we were hot, sweaty and laughing so loud, it just felt good! The kitchen staff made a feast of Kenyan food four our last dining with them. The children reach way down in to my oil. Particularly Ester and Mary. Ester is 4 and was abandoned and Mary was beaten and left in a ditch to die. Jumping road and playing with them  was a complete picture of God's love and how he heals us. His simple love. My heart is full of sadness, happiness, aching, joy. All of it. I have no words for it really. 

Last day in clinic.

I've had no good wifi until this afternoon and so much has happened since yesterday. Our last day of clinic (Wed) was bitter sweet for a thousand reasons. Our team that we created in the OR was magical I tell you. It was a beautiful thing. Dr. Parker and resident, Mark and scrub tech Montana (from Georgia!) and I, worked together like a beautiful orchestra. The people. Leaving the people was very difficult. I need to leave now  or I'm going to stay. My heart is broken and nothing will ever be the same again. Thankfully. We have done thyroid surgeries, hernia repairs, circumcisions, biopsies and removal of lipomas.  Below is our team #21 picture an a picture of our OR team. Dr. Parker and Mark work here in Kenya at Tenwek hospital.

2nd Day at the Brase Clinic

Another great day in clinic today. Got to know some of the locals who work and volunteer at the clinic. Their stories are heart warming and we all felt as if we knew each other better today. We were closer. Favorite story of the day: Swinimer. In the OR, laundry is done by hand in a mix of bleach and water. Then everything is hung out to dry or placed neatly on the grass to dry. When clinic is going, two ladies, Milka and Swinimer come to work. There washing area joins the ladies washroom. Swinimer. She is beautiful. Her smile radiates and literally illuminates a room. After knowing her for two days, she came to and gave me a hug and said "I love you."  When I come to use the bathroom, she says "thank you madam." Her smile just fills me with joy. She comes to work dressed like she is going to church and washes laundry by hand all day. Then walks home. Where she has 4 children and a husband to care for. She humbles me. I will try to post a couple of pictures but if they don't come out just know this....I am humbled beyond belief. I can't describe it. It's spiritual and deep in my heart. We just ate delicious Kenyan food and sharing of the good things in life.

First day in clinic.

Had a good, hard day in clinic today. We worked 12 hours and what a team! Worked with a scrub tech named Montana (from Georgia!!) and as always, the sweet gentle spirits of the Kenyan people. Lots of creativity and hard work went in to this day to make it happen. It was soooo much fun. 

We are back at it tomorrow! We'll be dong some general surgery as well and we did today too. A couple of hernia cases n between the ENT ones. It's a privilege to be here and I see God everywhere and in all the things we do. I may try to post a picture today.....

Migori

Good morning all! I'm having a bit of trouble down loading pictures on my blog so here's a wordy update:    The 8 hour trip to Migori was quite an experience! The Kenyan people are so friendly and the landscape in Kenya is simply breath taking.   We received a beautiful welcome from the children here and a feast of fish, rice and veggies all cooked traditional Kenyan. Delicious I tell you!

Sunday we went to a Catholic Church in Migori and that was quite the experience too! Singing, dancing and lots of whistling and bird calls mixed throughout the singing. Gosh it was pretty amazing! After church we visited a family who lived in a mud hut with thatched roofing and then went to the Brase clinic where we spent about 6 hours getting patients ready for surgery.

Right now it's Monday morning and we are anxious to get into the clinic. First a bit of bible study and breakfast and then we'll work until there are no more patients.

I will continue to try and post pictures!  The people here are amazing, the culture a beautiful one and the landscape is like nothing I've ever seen. Please continue to pray for us and the people of Migori!

In Him,
Amy

In Nairobi!

My feet are in Africa!! An 8 hour flight from Paris and Kenya Airirways is about the best there is! Our hotel is beautiful! Slept fantastic and the chef was awake and ready to cook whatever we wanted. The Kenyan people are so friendly! Today, we travel to Migori. An 8 hour drive. Our drivers are so nice and thank goodness they are driving and not me!!!!  Below is part of our team and pictures of our room and hotel.

JFK, New York

A quick flight to New York.  Found my gate, the ladies room and a nice, thin slice of cheesy NY pizza! It's not from the city but man is it good! As a new friend of mine often says...."It's to live for!!"   Next stop...Paris!  

I'm surprisingly calm and at the same time, excited for what I'm going to see, who I'm gong to meet. The people I get to work with. And the children. I just want to look into their eyes. See them. See their life. And the wild animals, the African landscape, the sky. All of it!!! Yes. It's a bit surreal now!

Here at JFK, when you purchase a drink or something to eat, people say...."Enjoy...okay?"

I'm going to do just that!!! #NYsky

The kind of people I'll walk beside when I get to Kenya. This is the heart of a servant. Steve James, CRNA and founder of Kenya Relief.

Hello Everyone!
Travel vaccines are finished, Visa will be obtained tomorrow and only 15 more days until I leave for Kenya! Wow! I'm excited and nervous and I can't wait to meet the people of Migori, especially the children. And my team members too!  A couple of weeks ago, Kenya Relief sent out an email with requests for the following items. If anyone wants to donate, let me know and I will be happy to take the items with me. Girls underwear sizes 12, 14 and 16, coloring books, DVD's and 4 x 4 sterile gauze pads. So far, I have received 2 boxes of donations for the children and 2 boxes of gauze pads! Thank you so much!  Please continue to keep our team, and the people of Migori, in your thoughts and prayers.  Below is a picture of recently donated items.  #onward #Kenya