Attitude

When I was little, my mom always stressed the importance of one's attitude.  She had, and still has, a clipping on the refrigerator that says "Attitude is Everything."    As you know, everything seems better when you have a positive outlook on what lies before you....and your outlook is largely controllable, albeit sometimes with great effort.  On the other hand, everything can seem so much incredibly worse if you have a negative attitude - ie, pouty, sour, or just irritable.  

Sometimes, I find myself pouting "on the inside," and I have to stop and make myself give it over to God.  I can't continue in my bad attitude, if I have really given it up to Him.  The hardest part is giving it up.  Sometimes, the little daily things here start to pluck your nerves.  For instance, here is what our water looks like intermittently, since the mudslides...

Peach tea - right from the faucet!

Very thankful for the filter!

 The roads...

The equipment...

Pulse oximeter probes are reused until shredded.

Xray equipment from the 1970's in significant disrepair.

The bugs!  Every few weeks we have a new influx of a new category of insect.  We are coming up on a year of living here, so we should at least be aware of all the bugs that are around.

Rick took this photo of our side door one morning during a recent moth invasion - he said it looked like something out of Alfred Hitchcock!  Since the doors and windows aren't sealed well, we also had a healthy population inside the house.

But, then I think, "Look at the incredible blessings that you have!!!"  For instance, I don't live in squalor or have to pick through garbage to sustain myself!

I took this in Nairobi from the car.

I have my arms, legs, and sight and am in good health - and so is my family!  I don't know this boy's story, but he was always smiling as I passed him in the corridor.  He liked to look at things on my phone. :)

We have another another boy in the hospital right now who is from South Sudan.  He is 7 years old and his leg was blown off last week while playing in a minefield, leftover from the fighting there.  .....and he is the fortunate one - the three friends playing with him didn't make it.


There are laws in Kenya about not having electrical outlets in the bathrooms, so I have spent almost 11 months now drying my hair (I have electricity and a hair dryer!!) by looking into a 2.5 square inch mirror on the window sill.  I realized one day, probably as I was feeling grumbly about leaning over trying to see, that I could either be grumbly because I had to deal with this arrangement.....

Focusing on the problems

Or, I could be cheerful because I have this AMAZING view every morning while I drying my hair and drinking coffee!  Really, it is a matter of perspective and how you choose to live....am I going to be thankful and cheerful, or am I going to be grumbly and complainy?  Am I going to keep my mind on the things above and be thankful, or wallow in my earthly (minor) difficulties?

Focusing on the blessings

I was talking to one of my kids last week, and I mentioned that each of us were born where we were and into our specific family for a purpose and through no power of our own.  God could have just as easily placed us into a middle class American family, a wealthy Asian family, or a poor Kenyan family - we had no control over it and should be thankful and humbled for our individual situations.  We have also been given a big responsibility to serve those who have so much less.  

Today, I am rejoicing for my blessings and quite humbled by my circumstances.

Mount Longonot before sunset.

My favorite things this week:

Sound: The hum of the bees as I walk under the flowering loquat tree in our yard.

Sight:   The millions, literally, of stars that we could see in the night sky last night, broken   
             only by the distinct Milky Way.
Feel:     The warm sunshine on my skin in the cool air of "winter" here. 
Taste:   The homemade strawberry ice cream that we served with chocolate chips.
Smell:   These flowers blooming in the yard. 

Lots of love,
Sarah

Proverbs 15:13

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

A New Member of Our Family!

Now that I have your attention, I will just go ahead and say that it is not a baby...or a child.  heehee

Our sweet, wonderful dachshund would have been 17 years old this April, but she died 4 weeks before her birthday.  We got her when we lived in Baltimore for residency.  She was our first "baby."  She moved with us 4 times, and she patiently helped us raise our 3 kids.  :)  She was always at the ready to protect us from any bird invader, and she never had any idea just how little she was (12 pounds, at her heaviest).  We struggled to find someone to keep her when we left - no small thing to ask, since it was unlikely that she would live until we returned.  Gosh, that was really a hard goodbye.  God provided a loving home for her, out of the blue, when I couldn't think of anyone else to ask....and I will be forever grateful.  I know, with complete certainty, that she was loved and well-cared for until her last day.  I don't have any puppy photos of her here in Kenya with me, but here are a few others...

Georgia, 4 or 5 years ago.

The spring before we left - she got cold very easily.

The day we left Raleigh - this is the house where she stayed.

So, what does this have to do with a new family member?  Well, in February, after months of casually asking around, we learned of an Australian couple in Nairobi who owned two German Shepherds who had just had puppies.  Did I ever mention that Rick has never liked German Shepherds??  Just ask his family - there was some unpleasant run-in with a German Shepherd when he was very young.  No physical scars, but big emotional ones....  Anyway, puppies are much cuter than big scary full-grown dogs, and it was easy to fall in love with these puppies.  The day we went to look, we drove home with an adorable little 4 or 5 pound fluffball!  Our kids had never had a puppy - Georgia had preceded all of them.

Rick getting talked into a German Shepherd!

The first day home. :)

Around 10 or 11 weeks.  He didn't bark until he had been here for 2 or 3 weeks, and then he sounded like a stuffed animal!

He really is a sweetie. :)

Dog treats are expensive and look like plastic, so we make our own.

This is him about 6 weeks ago.

He loved riding in the car early on....

And still does! :)

So, there is the new member of our family!  We named him Mak- which is short for Makala, the Kikuyu word for charcoal - because his face and muzzle were so black when we first got him.  He is 33 pounds at 5 months, and we aren't sure how big he will get.  His bark sounds quite scary now, but he is just a big ole puppy. :)  We are thankful to have him in our family, especially with the loss of Georgia.  We miss Georgia a lot, but are so happy for almost 17 years of memories.  :)  We hope to be able to bring Mak home eventually and meet all of our friends and family there!

Love,
Sarah

Job 1:21  And he said, “...The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Mother's Day

It is 10am here on Mother's Day, and I have a few minutes before I head up to church.  I have a lot to think about this morning.  First of all, I am so thankful for my mother, and I miss her like crazy.  This is us at my childhood home, just before we left the US.  My mom loves yellow roses, donuts, traveling, and her family.   :)

I am also so thankful for my mother-in-law.  She was able to visit in April, despite many questions about the election and all the rain - this is a photo of Rick with his mother up at RVA during a sunny spell.  She loves the color pink, playing Scrabble, gardening, and her family. :)

They have both been quiet but influential examples of giving your time, talents, and resources to help those in need.  We are grateful that they are both in good health, and we do not take this for granted.  We are praying for a dear friend who found out this week that her mother is not at all well, and their time together will be much shorter than they had always expected.  Please hug your mother today - if not in person, then over the phone. 


The second thing that pulls at my heart this morning is the mothers in Kenya, who work harder to provide for their families than I have ever dreamed of, and who often suffer much.  So many of these mothers raise families in homes without electricity or running water - having to fetch their water and boil it, and cook meals over a jiko (gas stove burner on a propane tank or over charcoal).  They cannot buy a lot for their children, but they love them every bit as much as those that shower their children with gifts of all kinds.  When their children are admitted to the hospital, they must stay with them to feed and care for them - sharing one bed.  They are often out behind the peds ward doing their laundry by hand and hanging it up on lines provided.  Their lives stop until their children are discharged - sometimes for weeks!  I rarely hear them complain.  Here are some recent photos with moms:

This little boy is just under 10 pounds at 1 year and has severe rickets.  His mom loves him.

This little girl had just vomited all over her bed - I watched her mom change the entire bed, dress the girl in this sweet dress, and spread it carefully out.  Her mom loves her.

This little girl almost died.  In the left picture, we are up in the ICU trying to assess her volume status.  I have never seen cholera, but (while I can't know if this was or not) her degree of diarrhea and dehydration was unbelievable.  The right photo is her just before discharge.  :)  I can tell you that this mom loves her so much and is so grateful for her health, but the bittersweet part of this story is that her twin brother died before seeking care.

This little boy is so cute, and you can tell his mom loves him!  I shouldn't mention his name, but he is the King of Rock n Roll! ;)

Since I was on call last night, I spent much of my time in the wee morning hours with babies and moms.  One of my dear friends texted me a Happy Mother's Day wish just after I had taken Baby D from the nursery to the ICU.  I fear this baby has overwhelming sepsis, and he stopped breathing completely.  I had just finished explaining the gravity of the situation to this first-time mom, prayed with her, and comforted her as she sobbed - when my phone beeped with the message. 

Transporting Baby D to ICU, via the xray dept.

Another dear friend of mine texted me yet another Happy Mother's Day wish during the resuscitation of an enormous 12 pound baby about one hour later.  This mother came to Kijabe Hospital in labor and delivered the head, but the baby got stuck.  The OB and I were both called emergently and ran to the hospital - it takes at least 5 minutes to get there.  To say the baby was difficult to deliver is an understatement.  The baby was born blue and floppy, and I never could get a heartbeat - despite intubating, CPR, and 4 doses of epinephrine.  We decided to wait to tell the mom until she got back from the OR to repair a lot of damage to her own body.

So, on this day that we honor mothers, I want to honor the moms in my life - my own as well as all the courageous, hardworking Kenyan women that I interact with.  I also want to thank all the folks back home who pray for us and encourage me in countless little ways that seem to always come at just the right time.  Lastly, please pray for the 2 moms that I specifically mentioned that are both grieving this Mother's Day.

With love,
Sarah

Exodus 20:12

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

  

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.