Sticking Out

On Sunday we went to a Kenyan church after being invited by friends of ours. As we got more into the bush, the drive slowed down to a crawl on what non-Africans would consider an undriveable road. But it was ok being behind schedule, since Kenyan churches (and everything else) don’t start on time. It was supposed to start at 10am, but it didn’t get going until about 20 after, which we considered great.

The crowd cheered when we walked in and we were led to the stage at the front of the church to sit. So much for our goal of lying low. So there we sat in front of the church being watched by a crowd of 400, and the service just kept going. Noon came and went. 1:00 came and went. Our snacks came and went. And at 1:30, after our patience came and went, the sermon started! By now the kids were absolutely starving and stir crazy, so Jodi took the kids outside. To my surprise, they soon came back in, our kids being overwhelmed by more than 50 kids outside the church crowding them and touching them. They meant no harm, but Nathan and Julia were probably the only white kids they have ever seen.

The sermon went on. After an hour of listening to the sermon and our stomachs growl, Julia and I tortured ourselves with a cruel (but somehow funny) game of naming all the foods we wanted to eat when we get home – broasted chicken, oatmeal pie, ice cream, creamsticks, etc. After 1 ½ hours of listening to the sermon it was 3:00 and we were done. Our kids were absolutely amazing to be able to sit quietly in there that long, but we could not make them or ourselves endure any more. So we sheepishly told our hosts that we just needed to go. Perhaps it was rude, but after nearly 5 hours of sitting in church without lunch and the rains coming, we didn’t care. And after all, it was probably better than plan B which was to tackle the pastor and then make a run for it.

I guess the good part is that we could demonstrate to our kids and ourselves that God can be worshipped in many ways and ours is not the only “right way” (although I was pretty sure at the time that there wasn’t much right about a 5 hour service), and that being hungry is a way of life for so many people. We should all go hungry now and then to be reminded of that fact.

By the way, as far as I know, the pastor is still preaching.

Things are very busy on pediatrics, but I am enjoying it very much. Indeed it is tough to see so many kids die - at least several per week – but we see so many good cases too as kids tend to recover so much better than adults. Last week we actually had one 6 week old baby die, death certificate filled out, and ready to go to the morgue. After 20 minutes, the mother fiddled with the baby and it started breathing. I am not sure the kids will ever go to college, but so far she’s doing great.

On a sadder note, we have several newly diagnosed diabetics. One is a cute 4 year old boy (see photo). The story doesn’t sound so sad at first. We get them all tuned up on insulin and diet training. However, their prognosis is terrible because they soon stop the insulin secondary to cost. They simply can’t have a whole family go without food or school fees so that one kid can have his medication. The prognosis for a diabetic is worse here than for cancer or AIDS.

School for Jodi and the kids is going well, but the kids are always anxious to head outside and play with their gang of friends. Something tells me they will be bored when they get home and have only their dull parents to play with.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. Pray not so much for us, but for all the needs at a hospital like Tenwek, in a country like Kenya, on a continent like Africa.