CURE INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL:
just on the same mountain, in the town of Kijabe, a short walk from our little abode brought us to CIH: a very popular and well respected facility in Kenya. it was such an honor to labor and learn at CIH over the course of three days while we were there! on the first day we spent at CIH, we went through type of verbal tour of the place and then dove right in to serving. because of the size of our team, we were able to split up into groups of four; this meant that each group could tackle different areas in the hospital. maintenance, kitchen, prosthetics, and the children's ward were the places of work for everyone. wherever we chose to go on the first day we were encouraged to go back to the other two days to continue the friendships with the people we met and got to know. i spent everyday (except for half of one day in prosthetics) in the children's ward, and boy was it rewarding.
story time: 11 year old, Rebecca was in a separate room in the back, unlike the other children. i felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to find a nurse, saying that "a little girl wants to see your skin!" and then led me back to her room. Rebecca was recovering from severe back sores; hooked up to a machine and calling this brightly colored room home for quite some time, Rebecca was finally released after 3 months! i wasn't able to tell her goodbye, but i loved getting to say hello multiple times.
whether i was talking to their parents, popping balloons up in the air, or blowing bubbles with the kids, it was an incredible time of learning and loving on more Kenyans.
over the course of the few days that we visited and work at CIH, i was able to snap some photos of other groups to document their service, not just mine!
the maintenance crew labored over concrete -- the hard, manual way -- to create another slab for their water tanks. the kitchen crew jumped right into cooking chapati and cleaning dishes. the crew in prosthetics assisted in tracing, cutting, and punching leather straps.
my sister and i wandered into the prosthetics room after chai time one day and had a cool experience chiseling off the negative cast for a rare patient... a man was in his home on a normal day when two robbers barged in, broke both of his legs, and stole his things. to think that Madi and i were a part of his story, without him even knowing it, is so neat.
situated right next to Cure International Hospital is Kijabe Hospital. claiming to be the second nicest hospital in all of Kenya is both exciting and scary, because guys, this hospital made me understand why so many Africans suffer and die from disease. it was a disorganized, dirty, desolate building filled with helpless and hurting people. nothing stopped us from walking through those doors though, and stepping into some people's lives. visiting the women's ward, the maternity ward, and the newborn center is what us girls did, while the guys reached out to the men. [you know how there's a time and a place for everything? well, there was not a time or place for me to be taking pictures while at Kijabe Hospital, which is why i have none to share.]
together, Cure International Hospital and Kijabe Hospital taught me that death from disease in Africa is rampant because they don't have the resources to fight it, and that Americans are blessed with the health and resources SO THAT we can help them win that battle. i no longer question why i was born in Alabama, healthy, stable, and blessed...but now i know that God wants me to use that which he gave to me, to help others.
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