On Monday, Joe and I will depart Nashville to return to Kenya. All that stands between me and that is a Daughters of the King meeting, a meat CSA pick-up, a triathlon, two baptisms, and a Pentecost sermon. As we did last time, we will be involved with Kijabe Hospital – Joe in the ICU and me with the chaplains’ department. As I navigated the highways of Nashville with cars zooming around each other trying to get wherever they’re going faster, I realized how much I was looking forward to slowing down for a few weeks, to not having a car, to after-work hikes and mid-afternoon tea.
“Is it safe?” people keep asking me. True, the state department currently has a travel advisory issued for Kenya, mainly for Mombasa and the Nairobi area, due to threats from Somali terrorist groups. After all of the mass shootings we’ve had here in America, nobody asks me questions about going to spectate a marathon or if it’s safe to go to a movie theater. Everything we do carries a risk, and since we will predominantly be in areas that the U.S. State Department believes are safe, I am not very worried.
Currently, our guest bedroom looks like this:
Those are medical supplies that we’ll be taking to Kijabe Hospital with us. Last time, I took a huge supply of non-latex gloves since one of the surgeons has a latex allergy. Apparently one time they ran out of non-latex gloves and he operated anyway, ending up with huge sores and blisters on his hands.
We’ll have some time for rest and relaxation as well, with a trip back to the Masai Mara planned and a couple of nights in London on our way back to the States. Joe is also lecturing at the University of Nairobi one day. I’ll try to keep up the blog a bit better than I did last time provided internet and electricity are stable. Asante sana to those who will be praying for us as we travel and maneuver a different culture!
