A Little Boy Goes Home

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I can hardly believe it but the time has finally come for little Kigen from Pokot country to return home. He has been in Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital now for 5 months. I first introduced this little boy to my readers in early March 2011. If you are new to my blog or missed the post, you can read all about it here. A few days later, I reported here that my friend Jonah was able to organize a medical mercy mission and bring the little boy to Eldoret, Kenya for medical attention.

Little did Jonah or I know just how long it would be before the medical mission was completed,  Neither did we know of the twists and turns and the length of time it would actually take to get full medical treatment for the little boy.  You can read all the updates at this blog by searching for "Kigen".

After months of waiting and wondering, little Kigen at last had surgery on June 11, 2011.  He received an operation on one eye as the doctors diagnosed that he could see out of at least one eye if they opened it.  Since then we have been waiting for Kigen's healing and recovery. After that we were waiting to be able to meet the medical bill before he and his family could be released from the hospital.  That has been particularly difficult because the bill was much higher than we anticipated.  We have been stretched in our faith and in our finances to meet it.  Particularly my friend, Jonah in Kenya and the pastor and missionary to the Pokot peoples (pictured in the photo below). Sometimes, in fact oftentimes, when God calls you to do something, it will not be easy.  The help you may have experienced initially may fade away.  The personal cost may seem high and the cost of your obedience can also cost those around you.  That is when it is important to stand on your faith and trust in God to help you complete the task set before you no matter what comes.

I'm delighted to be able to report at last, that the mission given to Jonah has been accomplished. Paulina, the mother and her two children are now being escorted home by the pastor from their area.  They all have a very long journey ahead of them.

Here is the pastor along with the children. The mother is carrying 
Kigen on her back and her helper is carrying TikiTik.

This is Paulina, the mother in the blue shirt. She is in a pensive mood. No doubt she is thinking about how long she has been away and how things will be at home after being away for so long. She looks much healthier herself from the first time we saw her in these photos. The children as you can see are paying no attention to having their picture taken. Instead they are engrossed in enjoying their sodas.  Kigen is the one with the blanket on his head.

I like this photo. The mother Paulina is trying hard to get her children to pose for a final photo but the children are having none of it. They want to run and play after having been confined to a hospital for so long. The pastor sitting beside them has been a huge help to Jonah in overseeing this family's care and well-being.

I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this medical mercy mission to help Kigen. Please know you have given a little boy a chance at life and helped his little sibling too. Kigen now has vision out of one eye and thus he has been given a good start in having a productive life. Please continue to pray for this family as they will have difficulties looking after their hygiene needs where they live.  This will make their health issues a continuing concern. Pray also for the pastor and missionary who minister to the needs of Pokot at a time of famine and great difficulty.

God bless.

Photo credits: All photos the property of Jonah

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Boat Tour on Lake Baringo

A big welcome to my newest followers, Follygirl and Nancy at A Rural Journal. Thank you both! 

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An unforgettable experience during my stay at Soi Safari Lodge was my boat tour on Lake Baringo. I hesitated to go on the tour due to limited time but the irrepressible tour guide, Sylvester (pictured above) was so charming and so persistent. He ultimately convinced me to go on the tour and tailored the everything to my needs.  Sylvester surprised me when he started speaking French to me because he knew I am from Canada. Alas, my French is too rudimentary to carry a conversation, even a simple one.

I took many photos and  I've decided to combine a number of them into collages so I can share as many as possible in this post.

First up is a collage of the hippos. There were a number of them in the lake and we were able to get quite close. In the reeds there was also a crocodile and though I did see it skimming just below the surface, it was difficult to get a photograph.  The house in the mosaic is privately owned by foreigners.  There is also at least one campground nearby but I didn't have time to check it out.

 

Bird life is abundant in the area. In the space of a few minutes I found several species of birds.

I was hoping to see the African Fish Eagle such as in our guide's bird book, but no such luck. My boat tour took place later in the day.  Several tours had already gone out and the eagle was not hungry.

The guides will purchase a small fish from fishermen right on the water.  They then throw the fish up in the air and the eagle, if hungry, will swoop down and catch it.

I was very intrigued by the fisherman's boat.  The boat is made from wood that is extremely light and buoyant. It feel and looks like cork but I've learned that it is "ambatch" or balsa wood.  The people of the Njemps tribe are the ones that make the boats with this wood.

There were a number of different boats on the water that day.

The scenery in the area is spectacular, whether you are viewing from the water or from the shore.

These men really got my attention. They were taking cows to market in Marigat. I've never seen cows transported this way before but there are no roads to where they live.

One of the 6 or so cows that was being transported was having a very difficult time of it.

As you can imagine, cows are precious cargo so there is no way these men were going to let anything happen to the cows before they got to market.  I saw the men next day in the town of Marigat a few days after market day.  They no longer had cows with them and they seemed to be enjoying a break in town.

You can make out the rooftop of the distinctive Soi Safari Lodge.

Here is a close up of the main building of the Soi Safari Lodge as the boat nears the shore.

More tourists are eager to get in the boat and go on tour.

This concludes my tour of Lake Baringo.  If you missed my post on the Soi Safari Lodge you might want to read it here.  I hope you've enjoyed the tour of this area.  Please join me again soon as I will be stopping at another beautiful place not too far away.  Please also check in at other Scenic Sunday submissions for more fabulous stories and scenes from around the world. Simply click below.  I hope to see you again.

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