Today was another full day of surgery. Our orthopaedic team has grown even bigger over the last few days. We have 4 Kenyans on the service, 1 general surgery resident (Agneta), 1 Orthopaedic Resident that is visiting for 2 months from another hospital system (Kisorio), 1 intern (Peter), and 1 3rd year medical student that is also visiting (Victor).
They are truly a blessing to work with, especially Agneta. She is a PAACS resident which is a program across Africa whose vision is to train Christian Africans in Medicine while growing their ministry skills also. She is absolutely awesome. She is a great surgeon and fun to be with, but more importantly, she is an amazing Christian leader. For example, she leads a women’s Bible study here at Tenwek and also leads worship on Sunday mornings. It is amazing to see how the Lord is growing His kingdom here in Africa through Medicine. Even more in this country, a doctor is very respected. I believe and pray that if the Lord raises more people up like Agneta, there will be great change to the country of Kenya and the continent of Africa.
Victor, the medical student that is visiting from Moi University, was scrubbed with me on a case. He assisted Agneta with taking an Iliac Crest Bone Graft while I was cleaning out an old fracture of a tibia that never healed. Ironically, the OR staff love to listen John Piper sermons while we are operating. Now most of you know that I love Piper, but listening to his sermons while operating is a little much for me. However, I have not said a word because I think it is awesome that they want to learn more about their Savior. OK, back to Victor. They had finished with the bone graft and he was just talking with me and Josh (another Ortho Med student from the states). Some how we started talking about the Bible (I’m sure it was influenced by Piper playing in the background). He told us that he had not come to a concrete conclusion concerning the Bible. I have started to pray for an opportunity to share the Gospel with Victor and I ask that you would also pray with me. By the Lord’s grace, maybe Victor will turn to Christ and be an “Agneta” in a few years.
Yesterday in clinic, I saw an 8 year old girl that was brought in by her father. The first thing that caught my attention was her left foot/ankle. There was fabric wrapped around it that seemed to be soaked with some type of fluid. Her foot was about 3 times the size of the other one. I was handed an X-Ray of her left foot by the nurse and immediately I knew what was going on. There was obvious Bone infection (Osteomyelitis) in her Calcaneus (the heel bone). From the X-Ray, I could tell that it had been going on for a while. I unwrapped the foot, and there was a quarter sized whole on the outside of her foot draining pus. I asked the father how long it had been draining, and he replied in Kipsagese “since February.” I asked why it had taken so long to get her to the hospital. The nurse quickly told me that it was because they had tried months of witchcraft before coming (Many of the patients we see have burn marks all of over their bodies from witchdoctors they have seen before they finally come to the hospital).
Today, we did surgery on the little girl. The infection was so bad and had been there so long that the whole Calcaneus was dead. Unfortunately, there is no way to save a foot without a Calcaneus, so she is going to need an amputation. We are trying to put our heads together concerning a way to save the foot. Please pray that the Lord would allow us to devise a way to save her foot. I will keep you updated.
From Danielle:
Bath Time and More!
A little update on Jeremiah: These are pictures of him in his bathtub. We bought this big tub at a grocery store and it has worked perfect. Bath time is a little harder here because we have to boil the water that Jeremiah bathes in. You can imagine why because all babies like to drink the bath water. And I don’t think I told you but the bath water the rest of us bathe in is brown, so I don’t think I want Jeremiah drinking that. It is hard enough for us not to open our mouths in the shower (you do it more than you think).
Thank you for your prayers on his eating. It is definitely getting better. The last 3 mornings he has eaten his oatmeal with fruit in it. And for lunch and dinner he is eating whatever we eat. He is doing great and I am so thankful for the amount he is eating. I had mentioned that we had increased his bottles to 8 oz but he isn’t finishing them now so that tells me he is getting enough. Please continue to pray that Jeremiah would love to eat and wouldn’t have a rebellious heart and that God would change his habit of spitting food and he would be eating the right amount of food.
Please continue to pray for the teething issue. We looked today and we are sure that he is about to cut his 2 top teeth. Good thing I brought along Tylenol and Orajel.
An update on me: I am finally adjusting. You can pray that my heart would be here in Kenya and not back home. I find myself constantly thinking of all the things that await me when I get back (graduation, closing on our house, packing, moving to Greenville, finding a house in Greenville). The last 2 days I have been spending some time in the NICU and it has been great. You would be amazed at the size of these babies and all of the tubes running from their poor little bodies. You can pray that I would be able to encourage the moms (most of them 1st time and young) in breastfeeding. In this culture, formula is just too expensive-they have it, but most moms breastfeed. And pray that I would be a help to the staff. Also, I have been trying to get perspective from some long-term missionary moms about what life looks like when your children are young. The reason is that I feel so consumed with Jeremiah that I feel I am not serving in the needs of the hospital and people of Kenya. From what I am learning, it seems to be that the role of the wife with small children is to be here to support her husband and any needs that he may have. And of course to disciple your children and if they are school-age to home-school them. I just feel that I am living my life in our apartment and there is a whole other culture out around me needing so much help. Serving in the NICU has definitely helped and I am so thankful that Francie is willing to watch Jeremiah so I can go.
We have already been here 2 weeks and only have 2 more to go. Thank you so much for your comments, prayers, and thoughts while we are gone.
1 comment:
Aunt Faye & Uncle David shared the blog yesterday with their Sunday School Class--they are keeping up with your ministry. They asked if there was anything they could do to help in any way--Aunt Faye and Uncle David just asked for their continued prayers.
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