Typing, Proof-reading, reformatting and more!

Today I went back to Community Health (a sub-organization of Tenwek which takes groups of people into the community to work on public health issues like malaria awareness). I went in last week on Wednesday to ask how I could help (hoping that I would be able to get out into local communities and see/interact with locals). Of course, the Lord chose to continue His lesson to me about being an unconditional servant and truly having zero expectations…so that I will be willing to do anything. So, without actually knowing my typing skills, the man I was speaking with said, I think that you are very fast at typing and you can help Florence with typing because she is very slow.

So, ok, it does just so happen that I am pretty fast at typing (piano lessons and Typing Maniac have seen to that). Still, I was excited to help someone improve their typing skills….because that is what I misinterpreted that I would be doing the next day when I went in to help.

As it turned out, Florence didn’t want help with her typing skills, instead she needed help to type her project in Social Work/Community Health. So, for three days and a total of 8 hours when all was said and done, I typed, proof-read and formatted her 56 page thesis project. (Yes, even though this blog is fraught with mistakes, I do know how to proofread - the blog didn’t get such careful attention because I was afraid our internet would go out before I could get it up and out to folks…)

Typing her thesis project wasn’t a glorious job, but I have to admit, I loved reading about her project as I typed…she went out into the community and did several projects with families and small organizations to increase income generating activities among people who had very little income and she worked with others on time management. She also did several case studies where she worked with orphans or children in homes of abuse. It was fascinating. Florence told me today when we completed her project that she had scheduled 3 weeks for what took us 3 partial days to complete. She is now free to continue in other community projects.

So despite my unmet expectations (although they were flexible expectations…they were still there and unmet), I felt useful and learned a lot about struggles that are common among local communities. Maybe I will still be able to get out into the communities in the next couple of weeks, but maybe not at all and I am ok with that. The Lord knows the plans He has for me…I don’t need to know them…I just need to be faithful in what I am given to do. I am willing to bet that if Community Health has more typing that needs to be done while I am here, they will call me. And that work would be welcome.

On other things, there are some opportunities to get up to the nursery at the hospital to help feed two sets of triplets that are there and need assistance during feeding times. I’m hoping to do that sometime on Thursday or Friday, but if it doesn’t happen, that will be fine. For the next couple days, other than my regular mother/house duties, I will be watching Arathena some so that Reena can go up to the hospital and do some Occupational Therapy duties. I kind of think of our situation as job-sharing.

Also, Adam has a lecture to give to the Kenyan residents up at the hospital tomorrow, so please pray that this goes well. I am still working on getting an update from Adam for this blog regarding his work in the hospital and have been assured that it is coming. But if you can, please pray that this lecture goes well and that there is lots of participation from the residents.

We also were able to go out to the Maasai Mara this past weekend (Tenwek arranges a weekend away for all those staying for one month) and it was our time to go. We had a great time and the kids did really well despite the super bumpy off-roading of the safari drives. The most hilarious thing that happened was when Arathena dropped her pacifier out the side of the truck about 10 feet away from two male lions. It was even funnier when Andy and Reena asked our driver Wilson if we could somehow get it. Wilson backed up the vehicle until all he had to do was open his door and bend down and pick it up…he wasn’t taking any chances. Smart man…

Lastly, God continues to work in me through reminders of the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control (Galatians 5)

P.S. We marveled at our God and his awesome creation this weekend while we are away…the land was beautiful and the creatures were amazing (see photo)