The week in review - nonmedical.

It has been a big week here!  President Mwai Kibaki was supposed to come to dedicate the new wing of the hospital that is scheduled to be built in the next couple of years, the CT scanner that is being installed (donated from the States), and the new Maternal/Child heath clinic.  I heard that the last time he visited a few years ago, they patched the road down from the highway the day or two before he visited.  The afternoon before the festivities this week, people were whitewashing the parking curbs and putting up tents, but the road was still in terrible condition, so I doubted he would come.  

The Deputy Prime Minister arrived to represent President Kibaki.  The top four in command of the Kenyan government are the president, the vice president, the prime minister, and the deputy prime minister, so number four is nothing to sneeze at.  There were speeches and band performances for most of the day.  I was not able to attend, but I am told that the during the speeches the hospital administration asked the DPM for road repair (needed terribly for the road from the highway to Kijabe), a new ambulance, a police vehicle for the local police (not many police stations have cars here, so you have to go pick them up - tricky in an emergency!), as well as government support of the hospital and national doctors.  Government support of a more reliable water supply may have been part of that, also.  I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the water spigots were slow or dry at our house for 1-2 days.  At the hospital yesterday, the water stopped at the sink I was using, and I had to go to 3 sinks to find one that had water to finish washing my hands.  I don't understand how that happened, but water is definitely not to be taken for granted here, as it is in the States.

The Kenyan Police and Military on the morning of the dedication.

Happenings on the school front:  This week Anna had a band concert and Emily had a reader's theater presentation with her class.  Ted has exams next week as the term draws to a close on Thursday.  (Yes, we have school and work on Thanksgiving Day, which is not celebrated here.)  Most of the kids grade 4 and up have been working on Pinewood Derby cars for the last few weeks, and this morning was the 39th Annual Pinewood Derby.  It was a big event with electronic timing and photo finishes!  Each grade competed among themselves.  Anna's car did very well, and she ended up in 5th place overall.  It was also Senior Store, which is a monthly event for the seniors to raise money for their senior trip.  For us, this translates into powdered sugar donut dots and chocolate covered donuts.  Yum! 

A heat getting ready to run - Anna's car is in Lane D.

Picture of the video screen showing the photo finish - Anna's car is in Lane F this heat!

Anna's band concert

Emily with the neighbor's cat, LP.

Ted brought a couple of buddies from school to dinner last night - one from Nairobi and one from Rwanda.  I wonder if they heard about the feast we put on for Caring Community last weekend!  (Caring Community is a program where the classes are broken up into groups of 6-8 kids and hosted by a family - events about once a month.)  For Caring Community, we grilled chicken and filet (the "t" IS pronounced here and it is less expensive than chicken!), had baked potatoes, fruit salad,, broccoli salad, homemade bread, and several kinds of dessert.  Rick sent them on a photo scavenger hunt in two teams, and they were quite creative!  One of the challenges was to find and photo a monkey, which none of them could, - if they could only have been around the last couple of days, they would have seen many in our yard and on the porch!  They have been climbing on the roof and using the chicken wire "roof" of the shamba (garden) like a trampoline!

Hanging out after dinner at Caring Community

Monkey on the porch railing

Emily found a new friend in the yard. :)

The sunsets were spectacular this week - they always make me think of my parents.  My dad especially loves to watch the sunset over the pond where I grew up. :)  Here are two of my favorite photos from this week - enjoy! :)

As we approach the celebration of Thanksgiving, know how thankful I am for each of you!

Love,
Sarah
Philippians 1:3-6    I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philemon 1:4-7    I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.