Janauary 2013

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Christmas 2012

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MERRY CHRISTMAS


Dear Family and Friends,
After moving back and forth from the USA to Kenya for the past 19 years I rarely have been on the USA side for Christmas season until this year! I came home Nov. 2nd pretty tired out after holding down at least 2 jobs in 2011 and have now been enjoying time off for rest, recreation, and visits with family and friends. I anticipate being home for 8 months before returning to Kenya. Reflecting back on the highlights from 2011 it was something like this.
] Moved my desk into the corner of the ELCK Central Diocese Office in Nairobi
] Prepared for the 3 eye surgery camps held at or near Arsim in February
] Enjoyed a working visit from Hal and Cheryl Biel for 6 weeks mostly at Arsim, where they helped me with various projects to ease my transition in working out of Nairobi
] Visited Chesenende to meet the dispensary committee and discuss ways to get their dispensary opened again and enjoyed visit with missionary friends Kerstin and Rut and tour of Saino Parish with Kerstin, Kathleen Lutz, and Pastor Jeremiah Nyang’au
] When in Nairobi I started attending Springs of Life Lutheran Church in Kibera to get to know this congregation better as I seek to help them get their burnt down health centre working again somehow
] When in Maralal I enjoyed visits with my God daughter Ruth and her family (Ruth was a freshman in high school this year and is growing into being a fine Christian girl)
] Assisted with an eye clinic and dental clinic at the Kibera church for 1 and ½ weeks which was run by volunteers from an LCMS church in Texas, from Kibera church, and government
] Received another 3 month internship college student from the USA at Arsim, Kristiana Ward, for a work experience at the dispensary in community development
] Attended church at various places around Arsim at our newer church plants sites of Sedai, Illaut and Lechet as well as at Arsim when in the Arsim area – participated in the large baptismal service at Illaut where over 30 were baptized in one day
] Continued helping with the administration at Arsim/Illaut Lutheran Dispensaries, including downsizing of the staff, and trying to turn over the work to the local employees before I left for home assignment
] Also did some hands on medical work in the Arsim area including eye screening for trachoma and delivering 2 babies among many other things
] Drove thousands of kilometers back and forth from Arsim to Nairobi and other places, without too many problems, trying to balance out my 2 jobs – an answer to your prayers for safety
] Helped a small HIV project get off the ground at Arsim including recording some new songs for a revised Samburu HIV/AIDS prevention teaching cassette
] Worked on some proposal writing, took a class on Resource Mobilization and Proposal Writing and began to develop the Health Department page on the new ELCK Central Diocese website – www.elckcentral.org
] Attended many and various meetings (many difficult and frustrating) with donors and committees and groups of the church to try to solve and work out various problems and make plans for the future
] Now enjoying getting back into life in the USA in Minnesota living with sister Miriam near Stewart and also good friends Hal and Cheryl Biel in the Mpls. area as I anticipate moving to Omaha for the winter months to stay with sister Barb and be near sister Becky and her family
] Joyful that the Scripture portion of the Gospel of Luke has been completely translated into Samburu so they can read the Christmas story in their own language this year!
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 ESV
MERRY CHISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS, SUPPORT, FRIENDSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP IN MY LIFE AND WORK IN THE PAST YEAR! LOVE, GLORIA

AUGUST NEWS

August has been a dry month as it should be around Arsim area. However the Arsim River has been flowing continuously and rains have begun to fall around Maralal and other areas of Kenya. We praise God for this as after long droughts in previous years we do not take rain for granted. We are busy getting ready at Arsim for the visit of the auditors in September. We are mostly ready but am sure there are last minute things to do. We are anticipating a new gravel road being built from Laisamis to Lake Turkana which goes right through Illaut. They need 600,000 litres of water per day to build this road so when they are in our area they will be buying water from the Arsim community which means they may also fix our Arsim driveway and maybe airstrip while they are around. This will really open up our Northern area to all kinds of development. They are putting in a big wind farm by Lake Turkana to generate electricity for Kenya. So they need a bigger road to haul up all the tower parts and equipment from Nairobi. I believe this is a Belgian project. The new Sedai Lutheran Church is ready to build a permanent meeting place and so they are having a fund raiser in the near future to get the funds for the church building. Pray for God to bless these efforts. Yesterday was a big and exciting day in Kenya as they promulgated the new constitution which was passed by a public referendum on August 4. It was a peaceful and happy day in spite of huge crowds in Nairobi to attend the ceremonies at Uhuru Park. I stay at Kathleen's place in Nairobi when I come to Nairobi so we stayed home and watched it all on TV. People are optimistic that this new constitution will help them move out of many of their problems into a brighter future for Kenya. We pray with them that there will be political, public and personal resolve to live out the good things written in this new constitution. I will take a short vacation trip to Masai Mara in a few days with Rut and Chirsten, some missionary girl friends. I look forward to this rest.

CATCHING UP ON THE NEWS

It has been a long time since I have updated this blog so let me catch you up on some news. In May our rains stopped but the Arsim River continued to flow and still is flowing up to now. This is good as the heavy rains did badly damage the intake in the gravity feed water system up in the mountains at the source of Arsim River. So we have been without any water in the system for 3 months which makes it more difficult for people to access water. So many have reverted to going to the river to draw water where many bathe and wash clothes as well. We have a shallow well on the mission compound we use for water when the gravity system is down so we who live on the mission station have not noted much difference in water quality, only the quantity is less. I expect that to go dry any time soon as the dry season has come upon us. Then we have another backup of a borehole in town. I think I will start buying water containers in anticipation of having to draw water at the borehole! In end of may all the nurses and other health professionals in North Samburu District had to go to a training in Baragoi to prepare for the mass distribution of Zithromax to all the people to prevent trachoma. Just before my vehicle left Arsim to go to the training we got a critical patient with severe abdominal pain and a paralytic ileus. He was a case for referral to the hospital and since all us nurses were leaving our stations for a day of training I took him along and put him in Baragoi Hospital overnight. After the training the next day it was determined he needed a bigger hospital for treatment so we decided to drive him to Maralal that evening. About 45 minutes out of Baragoi just at sunset, our vehicle was shot by bandits, but thanks be to God no one was hurt and we were not robbed. We did not even see any of the culprits, only 2 red flashes in the bushes by the road as we heard the gunshots. I initially thought that I had burst a tire as that section of road was very rocky and steep going up a hill. So I had stopped and shut off the headlights and the engine in anticipation of getting out to see what was wrong with the car that it made such a loud noise. Then I realized that the noise was gunshots and I wondered what to do as the bandits were just ahead in the bushes about 20 feet away on the right side. Someone in the back of the pickup, Christine Lekuyie, shouted "go back!" I couldn't think of a better option so I started the engine and started to go back down slowly using by brake lights to see behind me so I wouldn't drive off the edge of the cliff. Something inside told me not to turn on the headlights. After about a minute or so of backing down, someone shouted "here" which I figured meant the road was wide enough to turn around, which I did, and then put on the headlights and drove back to Baragoi as fast as I could. About half way there I calmed down enough to think I should stop and see if anyone was injured in the back, which no one was. At the police station in Baragoi I discovered the vehicle had been hit by the 2 bullets in the area of the right front fender (cosmetic damage only). The police said I used wonderful military tactics in dealing with my enemy, when the truth is I really didn't know what I was doing and why I did what I did to escape. We thank God for his protection and covet your prayers always as we travel! This kind of event always takes some enthusiasm out of the work and makes it harder to trust people. I have had some post-trauma counseling again with a professional Christian counselor, which is helpful. Pray for complete emotional healing from this event for me and all the passengers. I did get the patient to Maralal the next day under armed police escort and he has recovered nicely and has now gone home completely normal. We are thinking about our routes for travel more and how to keep them secret! One option I would like to do more is to fly from Arsim. However our airstrip is badly damaged from heavy floods and rain earlier in April and is not usable unless it is repaired again. Pray for funds to see this important project to get done. In June I kept busy with audit preparations and meetings with a big donor from Australia. That all went fairly well. Then in early July we finally did the mass distribution of Zithromax to all our people. I helped our new nurse Rophina with some of the mobile stations we had to visit to get to all the people living out in the countryside. Then immediately after that we had a tough visit from an Australian donor who has not liked the price quotes we have been getting on our water projects. He is pretty OK about the rest of our work but we have to try to get cheaper prices or replan all the kinds of water projects we do. Pray with us about this issue as it is dragging us and the work down to some degree. Now I am in Nairobi getting the ambulance repaired as one of our new drivers hit a big rock at high speed and damaged the differential, front and back, at least on the outside. If the inside is also damaged it will really be a big repair. This is a matter for prayer as well. We still have to get the dispensary audit done soon, and then I need some vacation! One more prayer item- pray for conflict resolution in the Samburu ELCK Parish. I do not want to go into detail, but there have been offences committed by some and people offended and it is hurting the work of the church until matters are resolved. Here is a news flash. Our government counsellor at Arsim resigned last year to take a job with the National Health Insurance Fund in Maralal. That is an elected position and so last week Arsim Location had a special byelection to vote for a new counsellor. 2 Lutherans and another fellow from Ngurunit ran for the position and Christine Hadijah Lekuyie (formerly Lekadaa, Mary's daughter, as she is now married to one of our dispensary drivers), won the election. Yes, she is the one in the back of the pickup who told me to "go back"! She is the first woman in our area elected to a government position and one of the few Samburu women ever elected to any position! The women at Arsim are feeling pretty good right now! Pray for her to be wise and effective in her position.

NEW FACES AROUND ARSIM

We have some new people here at Arsim which is an answer to prayer. ELCK Pastor Godana and his wife and children moved to Arsim about 3 weeks ago from Marsabit. He has been a pastor for about 10 years so comes to us with good experience. Pray for them as they adjust to this new culture and language situation. Pastor comes from a Gabbra background and his wife comes from a Rendille background near Kargi. They have 4 children; the oldest in high school in Marsabit, 2 in primary school and a 4 year old girl who has not yet gone to school. They are praying for the 2 in primary school to get into the TIRIM school in Korr which is geared toward Rendille students and has a good academic and Christian reputation. May God bless their adjustments and provide for their salary and needs through our local offerings. (This is a good challenge for the Arsim congregation). Another new face has not yet arrived, but is expected in a few days. She is a new registered nurse seconded to us from the government. I know nothing about her yet, even her name, except she come from the Luo area of Kenya and has worked at the Tabaka Catholic Hospital near Kisii in the past. Arsim will be a cultural shock and challenge for her, so I am sure she will need your prayers. Another big need we have is housing for these new people. Pastor and family are living where the nurse should be as the pastor's house is occupied by our single male staff. That is because our other eye nurse is living where the single men should be because her house on the mission station has had heavy termite damage in the rafters and is no longer safe to live in. So we totally lack resources to fix the eye nurse's house which is causing the housing shortage and mix up for everyone else! Pray with us about this issue and for patience from everyone as we wait for what is needed. In the meantime I will have to put the new nurse in the guest house for a temporary time until we can find another solution. We are busy at the dispensary office preparing for the yearly audit to start sometime this month. We appreciate your prayers as we prepare.

TRAVELING ALL OVER THE PLACE

I have been very busy behind the steering wheel in March which accounts for why so few blogs. I have been in the office seldom. The rains continue in Samburu and much of Kenya so the roads are really getting to be a mess. I have been at Arsim 3 days now after my last travel and my body still aches from all the bumps. Pray for my left knee as it is still sore from clutching every 30 to 60 seconds for hours at a time, as my left leg is used for clutching and the right for brakes or accelerating. I made 3 trips to Maralal in 8 days for several meetings and picking up staff who have been out. We are chasing after some government funding (HSSF) in Maralal and Marsabit to help our health work. Pray for these efforts to succeed. Praise the Lord for a couple of people who donated to our Maternity Ward needs. So far I have gotten a table and 2 chairs for the nurse's office there, as well as some required buckets for various waste. We also have painted the windows in the delivery room as the doctor in charge of Samburu District asked us to do. He said curtains were not adequate for privacy! Now when I go to Nairobi for Easter I will buy a few other things we were needing to get to stock the ward. Pray for the promised government CDF (Constituency Development Funds) in Maralal to be released soon to help us install the solar system and water pipes and system in the Maternity Ward. It has been challenging to deliver babies without lights or water close by. Another trip took me to Korr to look for signatures of people. I also needed some signatures in Namarei and Ngurunit. I tried to take the shortcut from Korr to Namarei and found the river crossing impossibly deep with muddy sand. A lorry had gotten stuck there the day before and left a hole the size of my whole vehicle in the middle of the crossing. I sent someone on foot to try to cross and he sunk up to his ankles there and at other sites we used to cross at. So I had to turn back to Korr and then to Illaut and then over to Ngurunit and then to Namarei. Then back to Ngurunit, Illaut and finally home to Arsim. So a 4 hour trip took us 10 hours instead, due to one river we could not cross! I never got stuck anyplace, but you can see the challenges we face in travel in rainy season by this one example even if we don't get stuck in the mud. We are grateful to God for the green life all these rains have brought inspite of the challenges. The mass distribution of Zithromax in Samburu was cancelled until May due to the rainy conditions.