Friends

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17

Joel and I work together. He serves as a Clinical Officer (similar to a Physician Assistant in America) on the women’s ward under my supervision. We make rounds together every morning, and it is his job to manage the lab tests, X-rays, medications, and so on, for about half of the patients. We will get to know each other well in the months ahead.

Joyce works as a preschool teacher near Naivasha, about an hour north of here in the Rift Valley. She lives just outside a flower plantation, and goes in every day to teach the preschool children of the plantation workers. She also commutes to Nairobi from time to time to work on her advanced degree in special education.

Joel and Joyce were married last December; they talk frequently on the phone, but are able to see each other only on weekends. They are committed Christians, with joyful spirits and a determination to work hard at what they do. Although they come from large families, they represent a new generation of Kenyans and will probably only have 2 or 3 children. They hope that in the future they will be able to live and work in the same place.

Linda is the wife of a faculty member at Moffat Bible College, just up the road from our house. She has been working with students at Moffat, who come from a number of different African countries. While they come eager to learn, and with hearts fully devoted to the Lord, their English proficiency is sometimes poor. Kathy is starting to work with Linda, developing ways to help these students so their English skills will match their commitment to serve the Lord.

Last week we had a meal with Mark and his wife Grace. Mark is the head chaplain at the hospital, a very good leader with a gentle and encouraging spirit. He and Grace are from the Luo tribe, and grew up near Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria. We laughed as we shared our common desire for a meal with fresh fish! We also shared a common longing for the day when tribal conflict in Kenya is a thing of the past. It has been difficult at times for his family to live and work in this area, where the predominant tribe is Kikuyu, and where tribal tension is always there, under the surface.

On Saturday, I invited a few from the hospital for dinner. Vic and Debbie have been visiting from Houston, and left for home this morning. Vic and I worked together on the women’s ward. Dawn is a medical student from Georgetown University, and hopes to do her OBGYN residency in Seattle. She is a lovely young woman with a passion for helping to bring better obstetric care to the women of Africa. Joel and Joyce joined us as well. We had a great time sharing stories and learning about our different family and cultural backgrounds.

And then there's Stephany. She is a pediatrician, and a wonderful young woman, who arrived at Kijabe the same
day we did, so we've been going through the adjustment and orientation process together. We've shared meals, rat adventures, Swahili lessons, and matatu rides. She's becoming a very good friend.

We’ve only been here 2 weeks, though at times it feels like months! We often feel lonely and long for a familiar face and a conversation with someone who knows us well. But we are beginning to make new friends, some from America and many from Kenya. We’re thankful for those new friendships!

– Doug