Updates & A Walk

Hello dear readers,

I hope you are all doing fine and enjoying the Spring if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.  I know my friends in different countries in Africa are now moving into their cooler weather while we are just gearing up for gardening season where I live in Canada.

The weather has been quite nice for awhile now though every few days it is cloudy and sometimes raining. Some of you know that I've been trying to recover from a bad bout of bronchitis so I haven't been on line as much as usual. It means I haven't been blogging as consistently as usual or visiting your blogs.

Anyway, without further ado I wanted to provide an update you on a few missions efforts in Kenya. Someone asked me to keep them updated about the young man I wrote about in my  last post here.  I also wanted to update about the current condition of  the Pokot man who had been bitten by the black mamba snake early in the new year.  Finally I wanted to share a few photos I took on Monday as it seems like forever since I posted any new pics.

The young man I wrote about last time is an orphan who has been brought up by an aunt.  They have been trying to raise the funds to travel from a village near Narok, Kenya to some place where the young man can get treatment for the cancerous tumour on his face and neck.  They asked for prayers to meet all their financial needs.  After learning about this man's predicament and seeing how large the tumour was getting,  I decided I would help this young man get to Nairobi and ensure he didn't have to wait any longer for treatment.

Within a week he travelled to Nairobi with a medical escort, a member of his extended family.  A friend based in Kenya and I put our heads together to make a plan.  A private car had to be hired to drive these two men to the City of Nairobi. Due to the man's disfigured face he was not allowed in public transport which was our original plan.  We also ran into difficulties in finding a place to billet the young men.  Parents were reluctant to open their homes because their children might understandably be frightened.  Thankfully we were able to find accommodation through a young student I met some time ago in Kericho, Kenya.  He is now studying in Nairobi  and was only too happy to help. I remember long ago holding this very same student in my arms as he was crying and offering him chocolates as a way to make him happy. It is amazing to me how the story has come back to him.

Once the young patient and his escort arrived in Nairobi we ensured they were able to purchase bedding (mattress and blankets), towels, toiletries and some food.  The accommodations where they are staying are simple and the host is a student who is obviously on limited income. After getting settled, the pair of young men immediately went to hospital where they were expected by doctors for assessment. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday Nairobi time).  After that I expect that chemotherapy will be administered.  I  have no idea how long they will need to stay in Nairobi but I expect it will be too expensive go to back and forth from village to Nairobi for treatment.

Please continue to pray that the surgery would go well and that all the remaining needs for medical care would be met.

Some of you will remember that I also wrote about a man from Pokot (northwestern Kenya) and my friend Jonah; both of whom were bitten by black mamba snakes in late 2015. Since then both men have gone through enormous challenges in recovery and the cost of medical treatment has been very high.

Made in January 2016

Jonah has been in and out of hospital but seems to be doing fine now. The other man, John, has been in hospital with no release since his admittance.  That is almost 4 months!  During that time he almost died twice due to not having the funds to get proper treatment. Thankfully we were able to get him the most urgent of help on these occasions and I'm happy to report that he seems to be doing fine now.  He cannot leave hospital until his bill is fully paid.  We are trying to make arrangements for the county government to assist John so he can go home to his family.

Made in April 2016

Here at home, I've been very busy this week.  Though not fully recovered, I've been well enough to do some sewing in anticipation of a visit to mom.  This time I made one dress (purple animal print) and 3 slips (turquoise, mauve and olive green). I just made several slips not so terribly long ago.  But  one has been ruined when someone on staff tried to cut it to modify it. It now looks like a rag.  Another slip was bleached out by the laundry department. I hope these new slips will last for awhile but I probably still need to make at least one or two in a fabric that will stand up better to hot water washing.  I'm thinking a light t-shirt material would be best because it stretches and bends with movement. It would also do much better in the laundry. In January I made 3 dresses.  At the time mom requested a purple dress. The pink/purple/black/white combo (in the photo above, far right) was the closest I could come to her request. Now I found a nice purple print (photo above, left). I hope she likes it!

I had an  nice outing the other day after being cooped up for so long indoors. Oh my, the weather was very hot! I met my friend in a coffee shop which was ice cold with the air conditioning going. We came outside shivering after 2 hours and were greeted by the balmy weather.  I captured these photos on my return home.

Joining in with Our World Tuesday.

Thank you for your visit and your comments.

WARNING: This May Be Disturbing: Prayers Requested

In my last post I said I wouldn't be blogging for awhile.

But this photo was sent to me later in the day along with 

a request for prayers.

The village family and community are trying to raise funds to go to Nairobi hospital to have the tumour removed from this young man's neck..

The fundraising target is 150,000 Kenyan Shillings (approximately $1500 US; $1920 Canadian; $1300 Euros).

They request prayers to help them achieve the goal.

Once they have the funds they will head to Nairobi or try to get the assistance of the government

to send this young man abroad.  Going abroad for treatment is common in Kenya if one can raise the funds. 
The country of Kenya is sorely lacking in cancer treatment options and equipment.

Thank you for reading and offering your prayers.