Update From Kit

Hey Everyone,
This past week in Kenya has proven to be just as exciting as the weeks prior, only with a little more variety in the forms of patient care that I have been given the chance to render.
My first patient of the week was a six year old boy who arrived with a pencil eraser lodged in his left ear. True to the nature of a six year old, this boy did not alert his family of the eraser until a month had passed and the pain from the infection became unbearable. Needless to say, the child was not excited about us removing the eraser; it took four nurses to hold this boy down while another nurse removed the foreign body. The procedure was successful, and the child was much happier once the eraser was removed (or maybe he was just happy that he would not have to see us anymore, I'm not sure which one, but I'll go ahead and choose believe the former).
I was also given the opportunity to work with a child from an Internally Displaced People's (IDP) camp. This child and his family had lost their home and most of their possessions in the post-election violence earlier this year. At the IDP camp, this child fell into a fire and received a badly burnt scalp as a result. Burn wounds have a way of looking . . . . well, not so nice. My stomach turned a little when I first witnessed the wound, but then I began to think how God's stomach turns when He views my sin and the way it destroys and harms me, yet He still came down from Heaven to help me in my destitute plight, and perhaps in a more real and tangible way than it ever had before, it occurred to me that in order for us to effectively reveal the love of Christ to others, we will have to "get our hands dirty" and do things that may make us feel uncomfortable. It also occurred to me that it is such an honor for someone of my stature and character to be included in the healing work that God is doing. Fortunately for us, God does not leave us alone to do His work, rather He supplies His supernatural grace, compassion and mercy within our hardened hearts so that we may be effective for His purposes (see Phil. 2:12-13). I may be reading too much into this scenario, but I think that it is a small but valid example of the work that God calls us to. As to the condition of the patient: the healing process will be painful, but he should make a full recovery within two months.

O for the P

Those who have worked in oppressed and impoverished areas will often speak of the impossible choices people face here. For example: a single mother with hungry children, one of whom has Malaria, only has enough money for food or medication, and is faced with an impossible choice. Does she feed her hungry children and hope that the sick child will be healed? Or does she buy the medicine while her and her children spend yet another night in hunger (which leads to a whole other set of epidemiological problems). The choices are impossible. Dr. Paul Farmer of Partners in Health states that the purpose of his organization is to create a preferential option for the poor, or an "O for the P," in which choices for the poor would no longer be impossible -- the sick mother would be able to feed her family and buy her sick child medicine.
In the village of Kipkaren where the choices are often impossible, Empowering Lives International has introduced a preferential option for the poor. Case in point: I have been given the opportunity to give daily insulin injections to an 18 year old girl who suffers from Type 1 Diabetes. This girl previously lived with two alcoholic parents who cared nothing of her ailments and let her condition worsen to the point where she became severely malnourished and blind. What was this child to do? Leave home and try to fend for herself, or stay at home and slowly deteriorate? Fortunately ELI has introduced a new option by giving her a safe place to live, food to eat, and proper medical care. It is in situations such as this that I become extremely grateful and honored to assist an organization like ELI.
Well, I know that I have written more of a short story as opposed to a blog entry, so this is where I will sign off. I again say thank you to you all for your continued prayers and support.
-Kit

Update from Kit

I am just checking in with news from yet another exciting week in Kenya. This past week saw me partaking in my usual routine at the clinic: giving immunizations to babies and then watching those babies give me an utterly perturbed facial expression that seems to inquire as to why I would be so nice to them, and then a few minutes later stick them with a needle. Oh the quandaries and enigmas of early childhood . . .

Last week I wrote of a mother who was stabbed seven times by her mentally handicapped son. I have since spoken to the ELI staff about this, and we have arranged for one of ELI's pastors and social workers to further investigate this situation and decide the next course of action. More on this story as it develops.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go with 100 of the children from Kipkaren Children's Home on an informal "Safari Sunday." We saw much of the countryside as we hiked to a local waterfall. The sights were incredible; I have never seen such beautiful land before. Our "Safari Sunday" ended with a moderate rainstorm as we all sought refuge in a local's barn. Life in Kenya has yet to be boring and lacking in surprises.

My Internet availability today is slightly less than normal, so I will close now in saying thank you again to all who have supported me in prayer through this time.

-Kit

News from Kit: August 4, Week 3

Hey all,

I am just writing in with an update from my third week in Kenya. Thus far, life in the east is going really well. I attended another HIV/AIDS campaign this past weekend in which I participated in a 10k race. It was my goal to not get lapped three times, and it is safe to say that I did not meet that goal, in fact I wasn't even close. I believe that I was lapped around seven times. I did however finish the race (I would have rather died than quit), and while at the beginning of the race I heard my fair share of mzungu (white) comments, the end of the race held many encouraging comments from the crowd such as: "Do not surrender!" and "Don't worry, the Kalinjin are the world's best runners." Upon finishing the race, I felt as if I had been set on fire, and then promptly extinguished with a pitchfork. All in all, the race was a success and I will always remember the day I ran against some of the fastest runners in the world.

On a more serious note, my work at the clinic has been going quite well. Last Wednesday, some of the ELI health staff and I hosted a mobile antenatal and Maternal and Child Health clinic in a village a small distance away from our Chebaiywa clinic. I think that my favorite part of the day was when I administered an intradermal injection to a screaming six month old baby during a heavy rainstorm in which all of the mothers and their children packed into our small work station in order to seek refuge from the downpour. I guess you never know quite what to expect when working in the field, though you are however guaranteed that it will not be boring.

Perhaps one of the issues that has laid heavy upon my heart has been a patient that I had the privilege of meeting a couple days ago. She is a single mother who is only able to walk with the assistance of a cane. Her eldest son is mentally handicapped, and has frequent outbursts of rage. During his last outburst, he jumped upon his mother (who was unable to escape due to her walking condition) and stabbed her seven times with a stick, which consequently was the reason for her visit to our clinic. Fortunately, she will recover from her wounds, but in a town with an obsolete mental health system, this mother is left to live in fear of her first-born son. I am currently working with the ELI staff in order to determine the best method in which we will be able to assist this mother, which to me, further underlines the importance of the developmental work that ELI is conducting in Kenya. The value of having a local Kenyan staff who care about the condition of their community and are willing to invest themselves for the benefit of those who are suffering around them cannot be expressed in monetary terms.

It is now time for me to depart as my time slot for Internet availability is nearing a close. Thank you again to all who have continued to pray for me during my time in Kenya; your prayers are much appreciated.
-Kit

News from Kit: July 18, Week 1

My trip to Kenya has been fairly exciting thus far. The adventure began when my baggage containing my clothes and medical supplies was lost in transit. I have since received the lost luggage; oh the joy that a fresh T-shirt (among other things) can bring.

My time has mostly been spent at the Chebaiywo health clinic. My patients have mostly been suffering from malaria and typhoid, though yesterday I received a patient suffering from a possible fractured tibia due to domestic violence from an alcoholic father. ELI has a program that is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, so I will keep you posted on the family's condition.

Perhaps one of the more surprising things that I have learned about myself during my time in Kenya is that I apparently have hairy arms. It is not uncommon for me to have a child run over to me solely for the purpose of petting my arms.

I am also very impressed with my house parents, Ezekiel and Noella, at the orphanage where I am staying. Ezekiel and Noella are such a incredible parents to their 26 children, and have made me feel as if I am part of their family. There is one orphan in their family that I have been given the pleasure of meeting named Patrick. Patrick's mother died from HIV/AIDS, and when his grandmother could not care for him, she dumped him off in the bush (wilderness) to die. Patrick survived until a someone found him nearly dead due to his infection with HIV/AIDS. He is now staying at the ELI Children's Home where he has regained his health and is currently undergoing Anti-RetroViral Therapy. Patrick has also been given the opportunity to attend school and receive a free education. I have yet to see a child so filled with joy.

Currently, I am preparing to take part in a campaign that will host various games as a means of promoting free HIV/AIDS testing, however I awoke this morning with a fever, so I may have to wait for next week to attend another campaign. Thank you all again for the your continued prayer and support.

Kwaheri,

-Kit

Kit ended up being in bed and out of commission for four days! He's doing well now. He caught a flu bug that's been making the rounds in our village. This weekend, Kit will be able to join another AIDS campaign, and should be able to post an update again next Monday. ~Adele

Chelsea Bentley: Bwana asifiwe!

Bwana asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!) I think this is my new favorite Kiswahili phrase. I have had so much to praise the Lord for over the past week and a half since I departed from the US for Kenya. I don't think I have even fully recognized all the wonderful ways that God has blessed me since leaving home. I was so scared when I left last Wednesday, but God has given me so much peace and provision that I simply cannot be afraid anymore.

The blessings began as soon as I set foot in the airport in Rochester. My suitcases were too heavy and were going to cost over $1,000 to get to Kenya, so I had to take some things out of them to get the weight down. The requirement was 50lbs. but the man at the check in desk allowed me to check both of my suitcases at 5 lbs. over the limit. On top of that blessing, my mom explained to a lady that I was leaving for Africa for the summer, and since she didn't want to see my mom cry, she gave her a pass to get her and my grandma all the way to my gate to say goodbye to me.

Flying was completely insane, and God must have been carrying the planes the whole way. I think my flight into DC went right through the middle of a big storm cloud! In spite of delays and rerouting, God provided me with traveling companions so that I wasn't stranded alone in an airport in Zurich as I waited to be rerouted to Amsterdam and then to Nairobi.

When I arrived in Nairobi, my luggage was all lost, including the carry-on that I had to check in Zurich, which had all of my medicines in it. I could not find the person who was supposed to be meeting me, but some nice man at the information desk called the ELI office and managed to put me in contact with Alex so that I could get out of the airport. The most important two pieces of my luggage (the carry-on and the big one with my clothes and personal items in it) arrived that night, so I could take them with me to Eldoret and then to Ilula the next day.

In the week that I have been in Ilula, the children, parents, and staff have been such a blessing to me. They are so patient with my shortcomings and understanding of the fact that I was really missing my home and feeling somewhat lost in this strange new place. God has been with me every step of the way, and his Word and his Holy Spirit have been my constant comfort and companion as I take each step on this journey that God has set out for me. I can do nothing but stand in awe and praise God when I look at the children and their joy in the simplest things in life.

The Kenyans have a custom of thanking God for everything in their lives and recognizing each blessing that they have been given, and I have learned much from this and from each of them. God is so good, and I praise him because he created these people and this land and sent me here to be a blessing and to be blessed by them. Bwana asifiwe!