Our first 10 days...

Well it's been just over a week since we settled into our new home! We now have Internet access on our computer, so we will be able to keep you a little more up-to-date of our Kenya happenings. First off, thank you so much for your prayers. We know God has been watching over us and we have already seen him at work in some really great ways! There is a LOT we could write about already, so we will summarize it as best as we can to give you an idea of what has been happening on this part of the world…

Medical clinic—our first two days in Malindi were spent doing a medical clinic at the church. Close to 100 people came each day to be treated! A couple of the church members were able to share Christ with several of the people as they waited to be seen by the doctor, and over 50 people accepted Jesus into their life as a result! It is so encouraging and inspirational to see the passion these people have to share their faith…there is definitely a lot we can learn from them!

Several children came needing treatment for ‘jiggers’—nasty little bugs that bury themselves into the skin of the hands and feet. I will spare all the details, but I will say the damage they do is one of the worst things I have ever seen! Many of the kids do not have shoes, which is one of the reasons the jiggers become such a problem for them.

As far as our roles during those days…Renee washed the kids’ feet, helped with the jigger removal, and bandaged up the wounds. Joy helped treat and clean wounds and assisted the doctor as he diagnosed/treated each person who came in…they both were able to learn from each other.

With the money we raised, we were able to buy worm medication that was given to everyone over 2 years old who came to the clinic. There was enough left over to treat all the staff and students at the school as well…something they need to do at least every 3 months.

Magdalena film—Saturday night, the Magdalena film was shown on a projector screen outside Pastor Morris’ church. Several hundred people came to watch and many of them prayed to accept Christ afterwards. Watching the story of Jesus’ life in that setting made it come alive even more.

On a side note…on our way to the church that night, we were rear-ended by a Matatu while sitting in a tuktuk. Basically, we were hit by a van while sitting in our 3-wheeled taxi. No worries though, God was watching over us and all we needed was a good push to get the tuktuk going again.

Sunday—Attended our first church service in Malindi. Joy had the chance to teach the young kids about creation. She taught them the song “He’s got the whole world, in His hands…”, they recited Genesis 1:1, and then of course played some fun games. Because our driver was on “Kenya time” Renee had to forgo the lesson she was going to do for the high school class, but was able to sit in on the women’s study that Chao led. Many of the women had seen the Magdalena film the night before, so they were able to have some great discussion. As far as the service, it was filled with loud singing, enthusiastic preaching…and lots of sweaty bodies (it was very very hot and the service was almost 3 hrs long!).

For a sharp contrast, we had lunch at Fotmah’s house an Arabic, Muslim friend of Chao’s. Going to her house was like stepping into a scene from Aladdin.

Weekdays— Monday started our first day at the school/orphanage. From here on out we will be helping in the schools each day…we’re still trying to figure out exactly how they do things, but I’m sure we’ll catch on soon! We will be teaching English and Math several times a day, doing puberty and hygiene lessons, and educating the teachers on how to use the medications and first aid kit items they have available. It’s also looking like we will be the school nurses…so far Joy has already treated a young boy who had a severe burn on his arm and a few minor cases of worms and tonsillitis.

WHEW…ok, that about sums up our first full week. Thanks for reading and thank you again SO much for the prayers and support.