Ouch

I am currently sitting in Mark and Kylie's house enduring constant pulling as extensions are put into my hair. My head aches. I have been here for the last 5 hours and will still be here in a few hours. I've watched a movie, worked on a cross stitch, cut veggies for a salad and talked to about 10 different people. So my hair is now longer and reddish brown with blond streaks.

I am slowly going crazy 123....

The finished product after 7.5 hours. What a long exhausting day! My head hurts!!!

They say Pics are Worth More than 1000 Words

Hospital

It’s hard to know how much to say about this when so many diverse people read this blog.
This is my passion, this is where my heart is stretched and filled and pulled till it overflows and bursts. There is where joy abounds but so often tears and water and blood flow. This is where no words could ever convey what lies buried and hidden within my heart. So I’ll just show you a few pictures and maybe I’ll talk more about it when I get back.



This is the first little African baby I caught less than 24 hours after my arrival. (The baby in the orange blanket...computer not co-operating super well.) The doctor had one glove on doing an exam when the baby started to come quickly and he looked at me and said, “can you get me another glove or… do you want to deliver this baby?” So I delivered the baby and quickly got promoted from my street clothes to a nursing uniform and Dr.s lab coat. Integration here has been relatively “easy.” I just kind of got thrown in or threw myself in, I’m not sure which. The people here are fantastic and friendly and most even speak some English!

Gecko's and Slugs

Gecko’s and Slugs
We road in a Matatu from Eldoret to Kapsowar. (Another story for another time) There were many people crammed into the back of the truck and we started to talk, joke and take pictures.

Two young boys sat beside me (16 and 17 years). As the trip grew longer, the sky darker, the road muddier, the truck fuller, and the hips more sore from the tight squish, the communication started to wane.

Suddenly in the pitch black I feel an elbow in my side and one of the boys says “Do you have gecko’s in Cananda.” Not understanding the broken English, slurred words and deep accent I asked him a few times to repeat. After about 5 reapeats… “You know, gecko’s, like slugs” he says, willing me to understand. “Oh”, I said, finally comprehending, “gecko’s and slugs” “Yah, yah” he says. “Well” I said, “We definitely have lots of slugs and we have gecko’s too I think.” “Really?” says Chris “I don’t think we have geckos, where have you seen them……So Chris and I launch into this discussion about whether or not we have gecko’s. “No no,” the boys say, breaking into our conversation, “Ghetto’s, for people that are poor, like slums.” “Kenya has the biggest one in the world”, he says, with mock pride…..
I couldn’t stop laughing inside for awhile after that, gecko’s and slugs, ghetto’s and slums. What’s the difference really;)
The joys of communication in another country!

Did I Mention....?

That we went on a Safari near Nairobi?
Yes this is a real pictures from my little digital camera.

From Nairobi to Kapsower

What Pictures won't tell you...................
We left our house early this morning to catch the bus to kapsower. As we stepped out of the door a man ridden with leprosy, hands and feet contorted with parts missing haphazardly placed underneath him begged for money. A teenager lies face down on the grass, seemingly lifeless, high on shoe goo. All the workers meander along the streets to work (no one is ever in a hurry here). They walk between the cars, buses and loaded matatu's.
As we near the outskirts of the city miles of slums flash by. Over half of Nairobi's population live in the slums. The huts made of tin are crammed together, the children rummage in the garbage heaps eating food not fit for animals. Hundreds of well dressed slum dwellers line the street waiting for the matatu to take them to work.
After the miles of slums we hit country. Rows upon rows of lush green vegetables line the road. Small houses of mud, tin, brick, straw, and dung smatter the countryside. The women carry bundles of wood on their heads larger than themselves. The children have even younger children strapped to their backs, the men, mostly Masaai mind the goats, cows and sheet. Regal and tall in their plaid black and red blankets. As we drive along it starts to pour as only it can in Africa. Hard packed red dirt roads become tiny red rivers, making it easier for me to understand why the road is so bumpy! The school children, all dressed in blue, having finished their day race on flooded red paths trying to reach home and escape the torrents of water, their bare feet drumming the hard packed earth as the water splashes behind their calloused feet. Their large families wait in houses smaller than my kitchen, poking their heads through the windows waiting for the onslaught to end and for their children to arrive home..........
Karibu Africa (Welcome to Africa)

"Take my world apart, I am on my knees, take my word apart, broken on my knees."

Postcard Home

So I’ve decided not to mail any postcards this time due to time restraints and difficulty finding postcards. But this will have to do.
This goes out to all my family and friends.
Thank- you for all your words, your advice, your prayers and your special good-byes, each in your own way. This trip for me marks the beginning of something incredible and I am so blessed to have you all a part of it. I wish I could take you all with me. I wish you could sit in the matatu with me and discuss the events and culture here. But this will have to do.
Know that you are missed and carried in my thoughts and prayers.
Love, Rach

Touchdown!

Wow this computer is slow! So we’re here in Kenya. I’m trying to upload some pictures but it’s proving to be very difficult and I can’t make the sideways ones straight, so we’ll see how this goes. (It worked but they are still crooked! Sorry!)

Here’s some of my reflections so far….
Flying is torture – I don’t know why I keep doing it! You’re so tired after not sleeping for hours but you are not allowed to lie down and sleep.

Landing in Kenya was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. We touched down is a glowing orange and yellow sunrise on the flat plains amidst the “eucyliptus” and “babua” trees. Its just like the pictures and movies!

Driving through Kenya was like coming home, even in rush hour traffic (the drivers here are crazy, driving is an experience in and of itself!) – I couldn’t stop grinning like a fool despite 2 nights of missed sleep. The people here are incredible, beautiful and so welcoming. They even speak English!

We went to an outdoor market and I want to buy everything they sell because it is all so cool, but expensive! However, being the only white people around you are bombarded by all the shop owners wanting to sell you their wares. Slightly overwhelming at times.

We’re currently just chilling in Nairobi for a couple days to get over the jet lag. I’m starting to feel very white! We’re going to go to the national park and see lots of animals and then we’ll head out to the county. I can’t wait to leave the city and get my hands dirty in the hospital and orphanage!

Ready to roll at Vancouver airport. I fit everything in my backpack and it's not even full - backpacking experiance is definately coming in handy.
Chris crashed in the airport - notice the pillow!
Pretty flower, the scenery, flowers and fruits here are incredible and sooo good.
The sideways open market that we visited. We are currently staying with a Kenyan named Evans. He did all the dickering for me here. He made some of the shop owners pretty mad so I think he got me some pretty good deals. There's no ripping off a local!

Whirlwind of activity

Kris and Morgan are engaged! Here's Kris and Laura and I at the Hawaiian engagement party and the unsuspecting groom.....

Katherine, Brandon, Katelyn, Jen, Evan, Anna and I all went to the zoo one day on a day off.

I think Evan and Brandon had more fun looking at all the tractors, trains and railroad tracks than the animals! But we all had a great time hanging out and watching amazing animal antics.

Natalie and Travis got married in Harrison. Natalie and I have been friends since middle school. Travis and I started going to school together in grade 11

and always stood together in alphabetical order since his last name was Wieringa and mine was Wisselink. I would have never guessed that the two of them would hook up after highschool....Natalie, we're happy and honored to have you now standing between us!

Mother of the groom and also my mentor for the last 6 years. She's camera shy which is why you havn't seen more pictures of her but she has blessed my life more than she will ever know and taught me things that I never would have learned without her.

And yes, I did catch the boquet!



And finally, there is always work! I have just finished (or at least I hope I'm finished) the busiest week of my life as a registered midwife. We had 6 babies in 6 days and I attended 5 of the births. Everything went really well. Here's our pregnant twin mom before the birth of the two beautiful 5lb girls pictured below.

So now I'm ready for a break and the plane to Africa leaves in less than 3 days. I'm excited, scared, nervous, and probably ill prepared for the things that God is about to do in my life. Farewell everyone, I'll see you again soon!

"Know that God is unlimited, He can do anything!"