September Update

Hello my Canadian friends and family,

October is here already! Yikes!
I am not sure where to start for the month of September. It really flew by. I said goodbye to some good friends who came to visit in the first week and welcomed another. My good friend Leah Terry is here for 2 months to volunteer as a nurse for the community here. She has been a wonderful asset to the organization and a great support and friend to me.
Our Home Based care visits have brought some wonderful surprises and joy. I have mentioned in past emails about Halima, one of our HBC clients. She has been very sick for a long time and towards the end of June, beginning of July I was expecting every Tuesday to walk into her compound to learn that she had died.
Last week we entered the compound and a lady was standing looking at me and smiled. Smiling, she said ‘Wanjiku, how are you?” in Kikuyu. At first I didn’t recognize her. She was a healthy and happy lady. After a moment I realized that it was Halima. She had put on weight and looked radiant. Only months ago she had been so sick and emaciated that it was hard to even look at her. God is so good! Through the centre’s counseling on a proper diet, medication use and hygiene Halima has many solid years ahead of her.
After seeing Halima so happy and healthy it was hard to wipe the smile from my face...
I’d like to tell you about another one of the Home Based care clients, Moses. I have come to love and care for all of the clients as my friends but Moses in particular has taken my heart. He is a very sick middle-aged man who lives alone. His home is in the worst condition of the group and he has a hard time walking due to an opportunistic infection in his legs. I look forward every week to sitting with him for a while and talking. He is a very smart man and has also stolen the heart of the community. Every time I’ve visited him he always has someone else there to see him. Last week we came in to his compound and he was sitting out in the sun enjoying the warmth. Even he looked like he was improving. Moses is not from the Kikuyu tribe but is a Turkana. He is very far from home and yet people love him like he was one of the munyengi (locals). It is wonderful to see people of all tribes working together to care for one another.
One day a few months ago when my mother was here we went to see Moses and found him surrounded by a crowd of people. He was in a great deal of pain and the community had come to literally carry him up the treacherous terrain to the hospital. Old ladies with their canes were coming to carry this man to the hospital. Amazing! After praying for him we called a cab and he was comfortably escorted to and from the hospital surrounded by loving women.
The beginning of October has come rather unexpectedly to be honest. I find myself getting more and more anxious as the days move towards my departure. I will be ending my time with Shauri Yako on October 29th, do a few days of travelling and then return at the beginning of November to say my goodbyes and finish things off. The conflicted feelings are strengthened only when I see amazing people like Halima and Moses. Their lives will continue as I return home as will mine. I could never forget them. Their lives and courage have taught me strength beyond anything I have ever seen in human nature to date. I am forever grateful that they have let me be a witness to their stories.
Many of you may be wondering what I will be doing when I get back in November. At this point I am going to leave you in suspense until I get some confirmation but I know that God wants me around Canada, at least for a little while.
Just a quick update on Mwangi. Myself, Leah and another friend from Canada took him to the doctor’s office to get a physical and check-up. I think he quite enjoyed having 3 white people fuss and worry over him. I gave him some money to get his hair cut and he took quite some time. I remembered someone telling me that street kids often try to run away from structured environments when given the chance since they are not used to discipline. I began to worry and considered over whether or not to go look for him. After about 45 minutes he came sauntering around the corner in typical teenaged style. I remember smiling to myself and trying to fight back my tears because he had truly changed and was really committed to working for a better life. He is a happy and healthy 16 year old boy whose desires to be a surgeon were only strengthened by this day’s adventures.
Leah and I will be travelling to Uganda this week to visit a friend. Please pray for our safe travels and that we can be an encouragement and support there.

Peace and love,

Margaret