The Rainy Season

It is the rainy season.

That is a simple statement and pretty straightforward, but I have to admit that I didn't really know what that meant a year ago.  Not really, anyway.  I remember reading another doctor's blog last year, and she said that it had rained for 42 days straight and the clothes were hanging all over the house to dry.  Our family kind of laughs that we all run for the clothes line when the rain starts now, and we are thankful that we found a well-used, circa 1960's dryer for "emergencies."  The muddy footprints in the house are ubiquitous (all of our kids will spontaneously pick up a mop to erase them), and the bug count inside has exponentially increased (although, no more tarantulas!).

These are all minor inconveniences and, truly, it makes me rejoice that much more when the sun emerges from the dark clouds.  The sun is a treat now - warming the air, drying the ground a bit, helping the plants grow, and lifting our spirits.

Until a couple of weeks ago, the rains were stronger both day and night.  However, it seems to me that the storms are now mainly strong at night.  On Friday night, we had such severe storms - the water poured in through our kitchen ceiling, and the thunder and lightning raged outside.  In the morning, we realized that 3 of the 4 roads connecting Kijabe to the outside world were impassable due to mudslides, RVA had lost a chunk of its fence, and many water pipes were unearthed.

The petrol station in Kijabe was in the path of the trees, mud, and water.  To my knowledge, the underground tanks were not damaged.

 

Water pipes unearthed beside the main road.

Several trees that crashed into the AIC Kijabe Church sign, just across from the main RVA gate.

This is the tunnel that goes underneath the railroad tracks on the main road.  This is actually a tarmac road.  This photo was taken after the mud and debris was cleared from the tunnel.

This photo was obviously taken BEFORE the debris was removed - it completely blocked the tunnel. (Thanks to Jullie and Jim for the photo.)

This photo was taken on top of the tunnel - you can see the railroad tracks in the midst of the debris, and the tunnel in the lower right corner.  The water was actually going over the railroad tracks. (Another thanks to J and J for the photo!)

I panned out, so you can see that there is not a lot left of this road, although you can technically fit a car on it.  The engineers are still assessing for safety.

The photos really don't do justice to the scope of the damage here.  I am standing near a huge swath of earth that was completely denuded by the force of water, mud, and trees flowing down the hillside.  The steps are at the edge of the RVA campus, and the fence has been washed away.

From the photo above, I turned right and looked uphill.  The mud here is quite deep - I should've gotten a photo of Rick's pant's leg for a marker. ;)

This is looking downhill at the same site.

It rained again last night, although not as hard, and the railroad tunnel was blocked again.  We just don't know what this means for that road, that has been tenuous at best.  I always breathe a sigh of relief when I pass the part just before the tunnel.  Now, it is a whole new ballgame.  I thought, at first, that the road would be closed and finally the government would do repairs.  Then, as soon as the mud was cleared, matatus started coming through.  Thankfully, there is a safe way in and out of Kijabe, via Mai Mahui in the valley.  The road takes a considerably longer time to get to Nairobi, but it is pretty easy to get to Naivasha for basics.  I talked to the nurses in the ICU this morning, and they cannot even get home, because the bridges to their homes are out.  But, they were smiling and in good spirits.  Oh, and no water in the ICU, but they had filled a rain barrel with water before the big storm, so they dip a pitcher into that when they need water.

When I look at the resiliency of the people of Kenya, it amazes me - and it definitely makes it hard to whine about the leak in my roof, the longer drive to Nairobi, and the water shortage.  There are many folks shoveling mud out of their homes who never had running water, and three children were washed right out of their home on Friday night.  Please pray for that family who lost so much.  Also, please pray for the rebuilding efforts that will be needed here - debris removal, new water pipes, bridges, and road repair.  Just because these things are needed, does not mean that they will happen.  Walking around on Saturday, the feeling I had was reminiscent of the feeling that I had after Hurricane Hugo came through South Carolina in 1989.  It ended up being a difficult, wonderful thing for Charleston, because of the revitalization effort.  In such a resource poor setting, there are not the same kind of opportunities.  But, folks are looking out for one another, and we hope it will be a chance for building deeper relationships, and perhaps some new infrastructure.  It may also be a chance for Kenyans to see the need to more proactively care for their forest, which holds the dirt in place. 

One of the Kenyan administrators said to me on Friday (before the storm),  it is good when we are presented with problems, because it makes us have to look for new solutions.  Please pray for the rainy season to lessen, people to be comforted in their losses, and for us to seek God's wisdom for new solutions to the situations around us.

Love,
Sarah

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the
      heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Rooted

Recently we reached the end of the school term, and I happened to have the morning off on one of the last days of school.  This was fortuitous, because Anna's class was taking an end-of-term field trip: a hike about half the way down the escarpment to see a huge fig tree that sits on the edge of a sheer cliff.  Now that is my kind of field trip!  So I tagged along, and was surprised by what I found.

Quadruplets - 4 reasons to rejoice!!!!

You may remember when I posted about quadruplets being born at only 30 weeks gestation on January 1st.  It was a very exciting day and so much fun because they did so well initially.  Here is the photo that I posted in that blog of the 4 sisters together on the only resuscitaire in theater (OR).  They were so little that they had room to spare!

Those 4 little girls had some bumps along the way - for instance, they all required phototherapy for high bilirubin.  We didn't have enough incubators, physical space in the nursery to spread them out, or bilirubin lights....so they shared.

They needed blood cultures and antibiotics and tube feeds and xrays, but overall they did beautifully and were a bright spot in my day that saw a lot of sick and struggling babies.  Their mom faithfully fed them every 2 hours around the clock without help for 2 months, and they grew consistently.  Here is a photo of them - sharing a giant crib - at about 6 weeks.  :)

And here is a photo of them just before going home at 2 months old....note the matching hats. :)

I wasn't able to be in the nursery due to other obligations on the day they were discharged, but here is a photo that Rick snapped during the seemingly endless task of them getting bathed, dressed, and ready for discharge.  Their bill (almost $5000) is the largest that I have heard of during my time here at Kijabe, as you can imagine - thankfully, they have the government-sponsored insurance and also were helped by private donors.  I don't know how they would cover a bill like that and pay for supplemental formula and diapers for 4 babies!  The government-sponsored insurance that I mentioned (NHIF=National Health Insurance Fund) is just a few thousand shillings for a family for a year, and it covers up to 2,200 shillings per day for a hospital stay.  It is a huge bargain although, sadly, many families still can't purchase it.

Here they are at the one week checkup - no small event!  It required 4 people, 1 per baby, and quite some time to undress, take vitals, weigh and discuss each one - they were all doing great!  You may notice in these photos that the mom (on the right) has an abnormal left eye.  She is blind in that eye, due to an infection, and the infection has shown signs of moving to the right eye.  She has been treated by an eye doctor, but it isn't clear whether the infection can be reversed.  Please pray for her right eye to remain functional, so that she can raise her 6 young girls.

The proud parents! 

This is their return after 2 more weeks - they all are doing great and we can now space out their checkups.  A couple of the larger stores in Kenya have donated formula, so here they are taking photos of them accepting it.

Having quadruplets here in Kenya is quite rare - and to have them survive to discharge and then thrive is unheard of.  To help you understand what a joy these babies have been to so many people here and to me personally, let me give you a comparison to a two hour span on Wednesday, just in the outpatient clinic.  These are the 4 patients that I was called to consult on:
1.  A 4 year old with total regression of milestones over a several month period and blindness.  They came with a head CT that I couldn't read.  I sent pictures via my iphone to my sister in the US who read it as leukodystrophy - a terrible diagnosis.
2.  A ten month old with persistent seizures since meningitis at one month of age.
3.  A two year old with probable myocarditis (infection of the heart muscle)- worsening, and really needs a heart transplant...that he will never get.
4.  A one and a half year old with anal warts.  I learned from the clinical officer that the child protective services here in Kenya requires the parents' consent to be involved, and they have to already have a suspect.  They won't do independent investigations "from scratch." 

So, please rejoice with us over these sweet little girls!!  And, please pray for their family - that they would continue to bring so much joy to those around them throughout their lifetimes. :)

Love,
Sarah

Phillipians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.