In June, I went to Colorado for trail training
with Wilderness Ministry Institute. This included a week of backpacking
to be trained as a guide for my youth group back home. The route we were
on took us over a pass on the 2nd day. After being at a few hundred feet
above sea level just a few days before, making it over this pass of 12,000+ ft.
was quite difficult. As we came up over the pass, I was filled with joy,
both in the accomplishment with God's help as well as the stunning view that
awaited us on the other side. One of the guys in our group pointed out
that as we made our way up the pass, we had no idea what lay on the other side.
Even just below the saddle, we had no clue, yet we trudged on. At the time I thought
that was a picture of my life at the moment with my time at Tenwek being the pass.
I had been working my way up this pass to my
trip to Kenya for months, but I was clueless as to what lay beyond my trip.
I came wanting to explore more seriously longer term missions and the
mission hospital concept and seek the Lord for whether that lies in my future.
As I have been here, there have been several moments that I have wondered
"why am I here?" The pieces weren't falling into place as
spectacularly as I had hoped. There have been a lot of challenges in being
here, and physical therapy wise it has not been what I expected at all. I
have been forced to trust God even when it made no sense. I was in
despair - I quit my job for this. I felt like God was in this and then I
got here and was second guessing that He was with me through this journey even
to begin with.
But "far be it from
me to not believe, even when my eyes can't see [for] this mountain that's in
front of me will be thrown into the midst of the sea." My dear
friends, "through it all, it is well!" At the end of my 3rd week at Tenwek, I felt like God
gave me a glimpse of beyond the pass. After lunch, I reluctantly went
back to the hospital. My mornings are in inpatient, which I love.
Ortho clinic (outpatient) has been where the frustrations have been and
that is where I usually am in the afternoons. We saw one patient after
lunch, and then in came a little 8 year old girl with cerebral palsy named
Diana. Solomon had been working with her and her mom for a while for
therapy, but she had no form of medical equipment. Her mother carried her
around everywhere she went and at home, she lies down on a bed or couch as she
doesn't have enough trunk control to sit up. Today she came for a chair
called a YaYa seat, pictured below. This will allow her to sit up, help
her breathing, posture and core muscles, and increase stimulation as she is
able to interact with the world around her. Having this seat can literally be life changing for her and her family. These seats are made in Nairobi and cost about $200.00. Solomon has been working on funding to get these chairs for several children he works with as well as for chairs and assistive devices for a nearby school for disabled children.
After we got done fitting the chair and adjusting everything, we asked how they were getting home. The mom replied that it was by a boda boda - i.e. a motorbike. Solomon then offered to take them home in his car so they could get the chair home. Betty and I tagged along and also, Woody who is a speech therapist here. He and his wife, Amy, who is a pediatrician, are very interested in working with Solomon in creating a clinic for children with disabilities.
In the rain, we drove about 15 minutes down a bumpy dirt road with the yaya seat in tow and Diana and her mum. We slipped and slid through their yard getting the chair inside. We were greeted by Diana's grandmother who was so grateful and welcomed us. We prayed over Diana and her family before leaving her, happy as a clam. It was so moving to see their joy and gratitude. In Kenya, children with disabilities are not given up like they are in other places around the world, but they are often hidden because their families are ashamed. Avoiding shame is a huge driving force behind the behavior and culture here in Kenya. It was huge that this family even brought Diana out to get help. As word spreads and Solomon finds more children in the community, hopefully people will realize that things can be done to help children with disabilities and help them be more functional and have a better quality of life.
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| At home in her chair!! She's so happy! Myself and Diana in the front. Standing behind left to right are Diana's mom, Betty, Woody, and Diana's grandmother |
It was such a sweet
afternoon. It was neat seeing Solomon's heart for the disabled children
in this area. He said if he were to start a clinic just for CP kids,
there would be hundreds who would come. Wow. My heart was stirred,
not in an uber excited way, but in a deep joyous way that's hard to explain.
Recently, I have
revisited the idea of therapeutic riding a lot. I volunteered a place in
my hometown during high school that was incredible. I've tried
volunteering other places I have lived and have not found
the therapeutic part as strongly emphasized, so I had abandoned that as a
service project. Randomly two people on three separate occasions in the
past few weeks have asked me about it here and if I've looked into it with my
background. They've also offered contacts of programs both in the US as
well as one in Nicaragua. What?! I've often wondered how horses
could play into missions and PT - could this be it?
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