Kenya Medical Day

There were issues with the internet while we were in Kenya.  We have a few more post to wrap up the things we experienced and felt from God while we were there.

Today was an experience of a lifetime.  I work in a hospital in Texas.  The hallways are constantly buzzing with administration and disease control personnel working hard to make sure we are kept up on the latest and greatest technology and techniques.  Cleanliness is a must – we have signs on the walls telling patients that they are allowed to ask us to wash our hands and use gloves before seeing them.  We have tons of gloves, masks and gowns to protect us from each and every little thing and to prevent it from spreading to the next patient.  Well today I saw the opposite end of the world.  The opposite of everything that I know and have always been taught.  Today I saw a hospital in Kenya that many people from the villages would consider a “higher end” kind of place.  You walk in and see the receptionist and the medical records piled in old envelopes behind them.  The pharmacy is in a room that is not closed or locked directly past the receptionist area with a guy working behind it who I think had on the job training.  The hospital rooms were individual rooms with 2 old beds in them and a table in between.  The hallway was one single hallway that was open to air –  there was no roof! They were kind enough to show us the surgical suite too – they had us take off our tennis shoes and walk from the outside in our socks all around their “sterile surgical suite”.  Sterile surgical instruments are cleaned in an autoclave and wrapped in clean cloth and taped – and then set on benches in the hallway (the open to air hallway!). Nothing about this place made sense to me.  There is a hospital in Nairobi that I am told is more similar to an American hospital – but Nairobi is an 8 hour drive from where we are.  This place is the best of the best for the people in the village. 

Today I also got to do some backpack medicine in a village near Chris and Lisa.  I was nervous and praying before going into the village.  I have always been told that Kenyan people are so kind and welcoming but we were walking into a village with people who we had never met before at all.  I was expecting to go some place that at least Chris and Lisa were familiar with but this place was so completely new.  We walked into this village of huts that were falling over and people started yelling “Jambo! Welcome! Please come sit down!!”  I know when I am at home and someone comes to my door, I don’t even answer sometimes if I don’t know them!! These people ran up to us as fast as they could to welcome us into their homes.  Almost everyone in this village were sick – really sick.  Many were incredibly malnourished and we had to give worm medicine to all of the children except one.  One child had a 103.2 temperature and looked like he felt terrible.  The mother had taken him to the doctor and he had prescription antibiotics and some other fever reducer medication that wasn’t even labelled.  We saw this child first and I gave him some childrens ibuprofen and within 30 minutes his fever was down to 101 and he was already feeling better – he had supposedly been taking this medication for 3 days and still had a very high fever. 

Can you imagine not having over the counter medications for your family? Can you imagine getting sick and not being able to get medical treatment? Can you imagine going to a hospital with an open to air hallway and walking in the dirt and dust to get to the bathroom.  Did I mention there was a random clothes line running the length of the hallway in this hospital? Can you even imagine? We met 2 patients in the hospital and asked to pray with them.  Most people in America would have looked at us like we were crazy! These people were really kind and allowed us to pray with them and would clap and thank us for coming to see them afterwards.  These people were so grateful and had no idea what they are missing.  We gave the hospital donated multivitamins and there were no questions asked.  Things are just so different.  When I go home I hope I never take the things we have access to for granted.  The world is so much bigger than I ever knew.

Amazed!

As we have traveled to different parts of the world I am always amazed by God's Creation.  While we were on safari I was reminded how awesome our Creator is.  We saw some amazing sights.  

It has been kind of hard to process the things that I have seen and done this trip.  God has allowed us to share the story of His great love for man, love on the least of these and see the beauty that He spoke into existence.  I pray that I will never put God in a box and put limits on how much He can work in my life.  I want to always be open and looking for ways to grow in Him.     

We have a few days left in Kenya before our journey must come to an end.  We will head back to the US and back to our "normal" lives.  I do not want to be normal, I want to be messed up for Christ.  A trip to Kenya will mess you up in all the right ways.  You will touch some lives but you are the one that will be forever changed.

I would like to issue a challenge to anyone reading this.  I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and see what God has for you.  You may not be called to go to Kenya for two weeks but you may be called to go down the street two doors to witness to a neighbor.  I promise if you open up to God you will be amazed at the things you see Him do in your life and the lives of those around you.

God Bless!

David Hayes

A Day of First!

Did you ever get so excited to go on a field trip as a kid that you couldn't even sleep the night before? I know I sure did. I was so excited to get 2-4 field trips a year! Well, think of never getting a field trip from the time you were in pre k until junior high. Think of never being on a bus, think of never seeing outside your community, or think of never going over a bridge. You could never imagine that happening to you. But the 4th grade class at MBEWAU got to experience their first field trip today going to Haller Park which is their zoo. Think of you in the 4th grade, you got field trips since pre k! They haven't gotten a single one. They can't afford it nor could the school fund the money because they have to fund so much more for those children. Knowing 6 months before this trip, I was going to raise a little money to surprise a class to their first field trip was the most liberating thing I have ever experienced. To see children on a bus for their first time, standing up all talking, being loud, having kids tell you this is the first time they went out of their own village or community, or even having kids say they've never seen a bridge or have never gotten to be in a vehicle with air conditioning and not walk two hours away to get somewhere that's a 45 minute bus ride literally made me realize how privileged we are in America. We are so privileged we don't even realize it. As we were at the zoo, each Mzungo had to take 3 kids and be responsible for them. My kids knew I paid and kept asking me when I was coming back, told me they couldn't wait to do more fun things with me which made me so happy that I got to bless these children in a way they've never gotten before. As we are going through the zoo, my kids couldn't stop holding my hands, always making sure they didn't leave my side. My little girl kept telling me she was thirsty, her words were, "teacher, I'm thirsty, I need water." I wish I would've taken my water with me but luckily Chris had stopped and got them all juice. They were loving the thirst and the sweetness. They even came around to us asking for our bottles to take home to fill up water to keep. Those kids beg for water, we waste water on the daily because oh we can afford it, so why don't we drink it all instead of wasting it? Next time you have a glass of water, think of an African kid that is less fortunate and can't get water for days and have to be in the heat. I will never forget this day of spending it with the kids, them thanking me, taking pictures, laughing, or even pulling up and them saying, "oh my were at Haller Park!" At dinner Chris told me thank you and said that's the first field trip that the school has gotten to do since they've been open, and that was really cool to hear someone know that I care about other kids and people. I truly hope I can make this a yearly thing, raise money and take every class on a field trip that they've never gotten to do. This wouldn't be possible without God, his people, and people that raised money to make this happen. God will always provide in any situation. Pray about what you need and God will give it to you. Whether it be tomorrow, a year or ten years, he will always provide for you and answer your prayers. The kids, staff, and myself want to thank everyone that gave us money to make this trip possible. God Bless, Riley Xoxo

Kenya Day 3.

Today, my heart is full. I was overwhelmed by the hundreds of smiling faces as we drove up to MBEWAU Academy. They were so happy as they sang their welcome song. I couldn't help but cry as I thought of how much I had missed them. It has been two years since I have been to MBEWAU, but the kids that remembered me came and took my hands and led me to where the guest were supposed to go. They had prepared several songs to sing for us. My favorite song said, "You sugar our tea, you butter our bread, we wonder why You have been so good to us." All I could think was that God has been so good to me. I love these precious little kids and am so grateful to have this time to spend with them. We played games and soccer, sang and had crafts for the kids to do today. As the kids left they were buzzing with excitement, talking about what we might be doing tomorrow. We have a huge surprise for the fourth graders! Riley Craig will share on the blog about what she raised money for them to do tomorrow night. I cannot wait!!! Our missionary Chris Moore told the kids that this would be the most fun thing they have ever done in their life After school, we gathered all the schools' staff and presented them with some presents that we brought for them from the United States. Magellan's donated an umbrella for every staff member to have so that they could travel to school this year through the rainy season and not get soaked. We also had a friend purchase corresponding ponchos and another woman gave colorful bandanas for each one. They were so thankful and cheered as we handed them out! We proceded by asking all the women to stay for a spa experience. We showed them how to make sugar scrubs. We were only going to use it on their hands, but they liked it so much that they scrubbed their faces, arms and legs as well. They said their skin felt like a baby and wanted to be wow all over lol. We have a lady on our team who does pressure point therapy and reflexology, who massaged their hands and arms and we also gave them manicures. They all loved getting pampered and we will definitely do this again someday. I am blessed to be here and loving every minute here in Kenya! Kim Hayes

Kenya Day 2

Today while at MBEWAU worshipping I noticed a few things that spoke to my heart and actually coincided with my scripture that I read in devotion this morning.

I read the scripture John 15:5
Yes I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

I heard someone say that a few years ago, before this ministry of Real 4 Christ was in full motion, the children that attended the church and school came wearing tattered and very dirty clothes. They had hot spots on their heads and hair was sparse due to malnutrition. This mission since has brought nourishment, medical care, food, clothing and Gods word to these families. Thus, our faithfulness in being obedient to God and what He calls us to do has blessed these people in return. Now their faithfulness in learning about God and His love for us has brought them  so far from where they had been. They worship with such heart, singing loud, cheering, dancing praising, and most of all I see a community who loves one another, helps one another and looks out for each other and their well being.

These people of MBEWAU could teach a lot of us about how to worship God, love one another and overcome obstacles in their lives by trusting in God and leaving everything in His hands. Without the mission vision of Real 4 Christ here these lives would not be as blessed as they are today.

The response of the adults and the children here is nothing but warm, welcoming and loving, which is another lesson we could all partake in. This is how God intended us to show love to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.Missions has definitely been embedded in my heart forever and the lessons I learn by experiencing missions seem to be endless. Thank you God for making this possible and thank you for helping me get through the obstacles satan kept placing in my path the days before the start if this trip. I am truly blessed to be here in Kenya!....Julie Craig

Kenya Day #1

The journey to Kenya is a long one.  It usually starts about 8 months before the actual trip date.  Team members commit, raise funds and get shots and medicine for malaria.  The flights are long, crowded airports and the sun is so intense being close to the equator that sometimes it feels like you can reach out and grab you a hand full.  The stories below will tell you what its really like to be on an R4C mission trip, enjoy!

This is my first mission trip and my first day in Kenya.  It has been absolutely amazing already. The country is gorgeous and the people are so genuine and kind. The journey here was a long one but it was completely worth it. Today we went to Mbewau and met the staff, some church members and some of the kids. Everyone welcomed us with open arms and a huge smile on their faces, I felt at ease immediately. Today, I was able to help Lisa in her clinic. As a nurse, medicine is what I know and love so I was really excited to be able to use what I know and what God has given me to help the people in the village. The clinic is like none other I have ever seen. The people lined up outside and waited for us to see them and filed in one by one all day. One thing I noticed immediately is how patient they were. In the US, we are constantly running and with technology moving as quickly as it is, we just continue to move faster. Patients in the US tend to get very angry if they are not seen within 30 minutes. Some of the people waited almost 4 hours to be seen in the clinic and that was so new to me. Another thing that I noticed was the lack of resources. The majority of things that we saw the people for were things that we take for granted like rashes and allergies. The things I saw today most today between 30 people was Seasonal allergies, Skin rashes/irritation, and dehydration. The people do so much manual labor outside in the heat that dehydration becomes a problem. They don't have fresh water at their finger tips like we do, getting more water is a chore. Literally! Another resource that I noticed is lacking is general education about how to treat a mild rash, what allergies are and how to prevent/treat them. I know I completely take for granted that I can go to Walgreens, buy allergy medicine and hydrocortisone cream over the counter and treat things at home. Today we had to make do with what we had - which was not much but we made it work and it was awesome.

In the midst of all of these new experiences, I was walking in the village by some of their homes and there was a very small little boy - probably 2 maybe 3 at the most and he was crying because he had cut his finger. The cut was tiny but his hand was completely bloody. I walked over to him, cleaned his precious little hands and the tiny cut for him. He was so sweet! At that moment he just looked at me and stopped crying and my heart melted! That moment made my trip, I can't explain how a tiny cut on a tiny little boy made such an impact but it did! It's only day one! I know there's much more in store and I can't wait!...Chelsea Outhier

Today was my first day in Kenya and we went to MBEWAU Church and Christian school. As soon as I sat down in the chapel, I saw these two little girls. I noticed that one little girl had a friend with what I figured out was cerebal palsy. It was the pastors daughter.  I called her over to me and asked her if she wanted smarties and thats when I realized she couldn't talk to me, but she made hand motions and smiled so big. Her left eye is how she made eye contact with me. She didn't take the smarties but I started taking pictures with her. We were smiling, laughing in one, and looking at the smarties. After showing her the pictures we took, she pointed at the camera, smiling, and laughing. I have never seen someone so excited to see their picture before. Nothing melted my heart more than seeing her so happy about getting her pictures taken. She continued to follow me around for a majority of the day, and every time someone took her picture, I told them to show it to her and see her expression and how happy she was. For the people that don't know me, I have a huge heart for children with special needs. I will never forget this little girl, I will continue to pray for her and I hope to come back to Kenya yearly to see her grow....Riley Craig

Kenya Here We Come

Team members are gathered, bags are packed, good byes have been said and our last dinner has been eaten.  God has provided for every team member and proven himself faithful.

Five years ago I wrote my first blog before we made our first trip to Kenya.  This will be mine and Kim's fifth trip to Kenya.  God has really blessed and we are super excited to be going back.

Please keep our team in your prayers.  We will update everyone when we can.  Sometimes the internet works and sometimes it doesn't.

God Bless!!!

Team Members
David and Kim Hayes
Chelsea Outhier
Julie and Riley Craig

Returning to Kenya

Today is a bittersweet day.  Chris and Lisa will be returning to Kenya.  They have been back in the US on furlough since mid-August.  God has really blessed their time "home."  Monies have been raised to build new classrooms at both schools, new sponsors have adopted children to sponsor on a monthly basis and they have been able to spend time with family and friends.  They were able to see Brandon graduate from Texas A&M WHOOP and Crystal get married.  

Please be in prayer for them as they say their good-byes and fly back to Kenya.