Day Two - Kericho Feeding Station

This morning we awoke to a new day at Nakuru's Kunste Hotel.  As we prepared to depart for Kericho Feeding Station, word arrived that Risper, who works for WBS, had taken an early morning bus to Nakuru and was 30 minutes away.  She carried with her the needles that Brad needed for his dental work.  We sent the doctors ahead with the medical supplies to get set up and one vehicle stayed behind to wait for Risper.  What a generous spirit she showed by getting up so early and bringing them to us.  It really saved the day.

 

It took about two and a half hours to reach Kericho.  Once there the early group was greeted by a full spread of Kenyan Chai and snacks.  They had to quickly partake so as not to offend our hosts, then get set up.  Once the rest of us arrived (with the needles) we were running smoothly.  We saw all the kids and widows in just a few hours.

 

After finishing doing well-checks on the orphans, CJ Wilson sat with Brad Sears, our dentist, and got a lesson in tooth extraction.  He even pulled his first tooth!  That's a good skill to know, in Kenya.  Pam Hicks also held a WBS mini-meeting with the workers from this area who also helped during clinic.  A great day!

 

As we were winding down, a woman and her baby arrived from the community.  She was not a church member, but just heard that the Americans would be here and decided to come; this happens a lot.  Her baby was obviously unwell, so we decided to go ahead and see what we could do.  Dr. Doke and Leslie examined the baby, who was skinny and weak, and determined that she was severely malnourished. We talked with her mother and found out that their story was tragic but all too frequent in Kenya.

 

The mother is Lydia.  She was married to a man and they had a baby.  The husband was abusive and drank a lot.  One day he attacked Lydia with a knife and cut her hand, arm, and face.  She survived, but later he divorced her by throwing her and the baby out of the house.  She returned home to her mother, a widow with no other means of support.  Together, they are all slowly starving to death.  The baby weighted about 20 pounds but was three years old.  The woman was thin and gaunt.

 

While not technically a widow or orphan, these two helpless souls were crying out for help.  They are victims of the curse of sin upon the earth and are just the kind of people Jesus reached out to, went looking for.  Today Lydia ate at the mzungu table and her baby Brenda ate too.  Our man Francis Chepkwony will check on her story and her mother and we will add them to the rolls of the redeemed at Kericho Feeding Station. 

 

Usually, God doesn't send such a direct appeal for help our way as a starving African mother and child.  It's easy to say yes to that.  It's harder to say yes to the hurting in our own neighborhoods.  Quick to judge are we, but merciful is He.

 

After we left the feeding station we drove to our new home for the next four nights, the Dados Hotel in Kisii.  There is good internet here and a Nakumatt and we will return here each night.  Tomorrow we worship at Uriri Church of Christ before starting clinic there.  I can't wait to see what God has planned for us.