We made the two hour drive from Nairobi to Narok in exactly 5 ½ hours. First we were stopped and detained by the police. They looked at our insurance stickers and told our driver they were not in order. They were certainly in order, but there was no way this group of police officers was going to let us go without paying a fine (bribe). We argued with them for 30 minutes and just before they took our driver to jail, I reached in my bag and paid up the 5000 Schillings ($50) they were demanding. At least we got them down from the 10,000 Schillings they were demanding at the beginning. It’s routine for the day in Kenya! Several miles later our van went dead on the highway. All of us got greasy trying to fix a loose connection to get it back running. We got it running but it stalled again a 20 miles later. We found our selves in a little roadside village in the middle of nowhere called “Dukamoja”. Dukamoja means “one shop, or one store”. The village got its name because it started with just “one store” out in the middle of nowhere. We asked if there was a mechanic around. Several guys were more than interesting in helping us, but wisely we chose the oldest one and he actually knew what he was doing. God has his angels everywhere in this world. Upon arrival we were told that, because of the rains it was going to be impossible to bring our van in to the site of our medical camp tomorrow. But when God closes a door, he opens a window. Just after that we learned that Lucy Kamau’s son drives a “Safari Van” and he will pick us up in the morning for the camp. What a day. Man am I tired!
The Northwest University students told me of their adventures in Kakamega while Valerie and I were in Indianapolis. They had the time of their lives. On Friday they visited the Shikusa Boys Detention Center. You should have seen the commotion as 8 lovely young girls walked into the place. The girls challenged the Shikusa boys basketball team to a basketball match. Now these boys consider themselves pretty good, so they went into the game with great confidence, only to lose to the girls in front of all their peers. My Oh My! After basketball they played the volleyball team. They lost the first match by a hair and won the second. The nurses thoroughly enjoyed themselves and so did the boys.
The highlight by far of their adventure in Kakamega was their visit to the School of the Deaf. There are 90 children here who are starved for love. You should see how they respond to love, it touches you to the bone. Pastor Ben and the team of nurses felt moved to do something to help the school, so they took up an offering to build a fence around the school because several of the girls have been molested in the past few years. Our Worldcomp team in Kakamega will make sure that the fence is built in the next few months.
I am now sitting in my rustic little room in the Season’s Hotel in Narok. Hoping to get a good night’s sleep tonight because last night I didn’t get to sleep until 3 am. Jetlag!
Thank you again my dear friends for keeping us in your prayers. Pray that all will go well tomorrow as we seek to serve the Masai’s.
Bless you and good night!
Richard