Sad Happenings & Christmas Loading

I'm checking in after several days recuperating from double ear infections.  The ears seem to be getting better but I've had to reschedule my ENT appointment at the hospital. They don't see patients who exhibit cold or Covid like symptoms. Thankfully I have been rescheduled before the end of this month.

I have sad news. 

Pastor Jonah (in Kenya) lost another family member. Rebecca was his aunt on his father's side and the eldest remaining member of the family on his father's side. She was a strong, fearless woman who did her very best to keep her extended family on the straight and narrow path and to encourage them all to live in unity. She had been battling a number of health issues including Covid 19 at the end.  She didn't want to be a burden on her family and when she found out they were planning to sell family land to meet the hospital bills she refused further medical interventions, primarily oxygen, to hasten her demise.  Kindly keep this family in prayer. Medical costs in Kenya are beyond the ability of many, many families. This woman's husband is a retired police officer. In Canada, police officers get well compensated and have a decent pension but in Kenya that isn't the case though things are slowly changing for some. The family is raising funds for the accumulated hospital expenses (accrued over many months of going back and forth to hospital), mortuary fees and funeral expenses. For now they have raised enough to pay the hospital costs.

On this side of the ocean, I learned from the brother to a long time pen pal and prayer partner of mine, that my friend Arlene is in critical condition in the hospital. Due to several underlying health conditions, she cannot have surgery and she has directed that no interventions are to be made. Arlene lives near Orlando, Florida where she moved to be closer to her brother as she got older.  Her brother is now overseeing her affairs and readying her for hospice care. Arlene was a very dear friend.  We met on line on a Christian website where I met many lovely people who were sharing their knowledge with one another as well as praying for one another. After some time the website developers switched their website to paid church membership only, meaning only churches could join.  Arlene and I were no longer able to stay on the website but we remained friends and  prayer partners.  She prayed so many times for different needs in Kenya. In fact I was just going to write to her and update her on different things when I received the sad news from her brother. In the last 2 years I did not burden her with prayer requests due to her age and failing health but she did ask me from time to time about things and I liked to share any good news with her.  Update:  Arlene died on Friday morning Eastern Standard Time, November 12, 2021. Her brother Stuart informed all of her email contacts. I'm grateful he had access to her email otherwise I would not have known.

Both of these wonderful ladies will be greatly missed for the wonderful care they displayed to their loved ones and to humanity in general.  They both had kind hearts and those of us who loved them have the hope of seeing them again some day.

 ~~~

Though I have received this sad news in the last few days, I have been keeping busy with the day to day needs here at home too.

I've only been running out to purchase groceries or to  pick up parcels. 

I'm also trying to get my calendar organized with all the various appointments and follow ups so that I can assess when I might fit in a cultural event or two before Christmas. I bought a pass to the Christmas Market and I can go anytime after the middle of November up until Christmas. A friend and I have made plans to go together once she is on school break and I'll probably go once or twice alone. This will be my first year attending the Christmas Market which is held outdoors.  I have some other ideas for things I'd like to do but it will depend on how I'm feeling. I've already missed the concert I booked for last Sunday so I don't want to book and then miss out again.

Some of you may have seen my post for Tuesday 4.  The topic related to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think that subliminally I was thinking about holiday foods and also the cold weather makes me want filling and warming foods.

So today I cooked a ham dinner with potatoes au gratin and roasted cabbage.

I have enough left over for at least 3 or 4 meals, 2 of which will be ham soup with beans/lentils or split peas.This kind of soup is just the thing needed for cold, wet days and nights.

Wednesday was a very nice, dry day but prior to that it rained buckets for several days.  It's going to rain again all week but next week the forecast is for dry weather. I always look forward to a dry day here and then once the rainy season has started.

~~~

The Christmas card list is getting drawn up. I've got letters and a few parcels to prepare and I also need to draw up a list of small monetary gifts I'd like to send to several people in Kenya including Rose and her new born baby to be. 

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I also need to stay alert for Rose's delivery. Some of you might remember when I wrote about Rose and her pregnancy complications.  She had been doing fine and was at home but doctors are concerned about her ability to give birth without complications arising.  So she has moved temporarily from the village area where she lives, to the town of Kericho where she is staying with a friend until it is time to delivery the baby. This way she is close to a well equipped hospital in case special interventions or a C - section are necessary. I would like to add her to the Christmas list because she will need to stay in hospital for several days necessitating a larger than normal hospital bill for a typical expectant mother. In addition, the new baby will need some things.

 

Short Break

 

Hi friends,

I'm popping in to let you know I have to take a short break.

The other day while on my way to an errand using the city bus, I was in an accident due to heavy braking by the bus driver. Though I was seated, I went flying across the seats in front of me, smashed my face, not once but twice, into a hard plastic casing. I mostly injured my face, lower neck, right thigh and knee. After a trip to the Emergency Room, I am now recovering at home. 

All should be well, but I;ve been referred to the plastic surgeon due to broken bones in the face and an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist for an issue in the right ear. They said the bones should heal but the follow up is a proactive measure.  While I was in the hospital I was thanking God that I live in a country where all the testing, medicines and so on are covered by the government and not out of my own pocket (unless you count the taxation of the citizenry that raises the funds to pay for all government expenditures). 

At the ER admittance desk there was signage posting the costs of various medical procedures for those that don't have medical insurance which would mostly apply to foreign visitors. I didn't have time to read it but one item dealing with some kind of heart treatment jumped out at me because the cost was almost $8000 (eight thousand dollars).  It gave me pause and made me appreciate that I don't have to pay for anything hospital; not the CT scan, EKG, oximetry test, blood work, ER bed,  nurse and doctor services, painkillers and a small snack.  The bill would have been substantial even though I was only there for about 5 hours.

Over the many years I've been doing missionary outreach with the very needy in Kenya, I've learned not to take anything for granted and to be grateful for my many blessings.  On that note I want to update briefly about the urgent Kenyan prayer needs.

Pastor Jonah is now at home recovering after spending 5 days and 4 nights in hospital due to the severe reaction to his second Covid jab.  His recovery is slow but steady and it is encouraging that his appetite has returned.  

A few weeks ago I wrote about Pastor Parteleu from a small village north of Nakuru City.  He is of very slender build and has been having a very difficult time keeping food down.  A few weeks ago he travelled to Nakuru for various tests and was hosted by Pastor Jonah.  His return visit was for the purpose of scheduled surgery but he was only able to raise a portion of funds. Since he could not raise the funds, he was given the run around, sent here and there, given a different diagnosis and ultimately he returned home without any resolution.  His situation is very sad but not uncommon in Kenya for those that don't have money for medical care.  This is one of the reasons I now focus on medical needs there despite all the other important needs.  But it is difficult to keep up to all the medical needs due to the high cost and I do not currently have the funds to help Pastor Parteleu.

Last but not least is Livingstone.  The doctor recommended he go to physical therapy to help the healing of his leg. We've managed to send him to a few sessions but he will likely need more.

Please keep these men in your prayers. 

I'll be back to regular blogging after I've recovered a bit.

God bless.

🙏🙏🙏