25 JULY 1999
Subject:
Dear Friends and Family
Greetings to your from Maua. May each of you experience God's
presence in new ways that allow you to live with joy and peace and
especially to love those in your life.
Life is ever so busy in Maua. Bill is daily doing data entry for the
accounting department. No one that works in accounting department has
ever found time to put the data in so he decided he would need to do
it. Along with that, he is supervising the construction of a guest
house that is being built (for short term mission workers --- like
doctors that come to help us). Bill designed the guest house so he is
the right person for this job. He is also supervising the painting of
our neighbor's, the Lindoewood's, home while they are on furlough.
Sr. Mubichi, the Principal Tutor at the School of Nursing, has been
very ill. She has had a blood clot on her lung and in her leg. She
was hospitalized in early July and will not be returning to work until
Sept. 13th. Please keep her in your prayers. We are all most
concerned for her health. Mr. Ojwang and Sr. Mgoria, tutor and
clinical supervisor, are on leave this month as is Kendi our
secretary. Mr. Muringi, a fellow tutor, has been quite ill with
malaria and a leg infection and has only been at work a few days this
month. (I am pleased to report he is doing very well now.) Thus, Sr.
Limberia, Sr. Barbara, who is still part time, and I have been
extremely busy. Sr. Limberia, Alice, and I are on call every other
week along with our daily activities. In the last two weeks we have
written two resit exams for Set A and Set B, invigilated
(monitored)and graded them, invigilated the Kenya Nursing Exams that
our 10 Set Y students have taken, worked with all the Sets on the
units and especially with the three Set Y students that were referred
for six months, and made some very difficult decisions. Starting last
week I began to do Nursing Care Assessments. I have five to do this
week.
On July 31, 1999 was our Set B (our newest students) dedication
service. The parents and friends of those students were invited to
attend a worship service held in the Chapel, followed by a meal and a
parents meeting. The dedication service includes music, a sermon, and
an explanation of the nursing program. The students are called up
individually and given a candle which they light from a candle held by
a clinical nurse. They stand in front of the congregation with their
candle and say the Florence Nightingale Pledge (which I will include)
and sing the hospital hymn.
"I solemnly pledge myself, before God and in the presence of these
people, to pass my life in purity, and to practice my profession
faithfully. I will not do anything that is mischievous and will not
take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
I will do all in my power to elevate and maintain the standard of my
profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed
to my keeping, and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the
practice of my calling.
With loyalty I will aid the health team in their work, and devote
myself to the welfare of those committed to my care."
It was a wonderful service and as the light from their candle
reflected on their faces, one could see the joy, enthusiasm, and
wonder. Please join me in praying for our Set B students. They have
great potential and Kenya so needs good nurses.
This morning Bill and I spent a few minutes in the chapel with the
100+ two to eleven year old boys and girls that were attending Sunday
School. I can't tell you what a joy that is. The children are so
enthusiastic as they listen to a Bible story, sing and pray. Their
attention is riveted on their teacher and the room is completely
silent except for the teachers voice. When the singing begins the
children stand and move their small bodies in praise and adoration of
God. How we need the church, the church universal, to continue to
tell the old, old story of the love of Jesus to the children and to
the adults.
Since my father's death I have had an intensified hunger for the word
of God and the opportunity to be in prayer. I have begun to read
Carlo Carretto again. This past week I have been trying to love more.
I have been praying that God would help me as it is easy to talk about
loving more but difficult for me to translate love into daily action.
I am a visual learner so God has shown me acts of love done by my
Kenyan friends. Yesterday I took call for Alice as she had a function
to attend in Meru. She had told me she would take over again as soon
as she returned. At 9pm I got a call that two medical students from
Denmark had arrived. We were at the Mwalimu's home for dinner, so I
left to pick up the key. I met Alice on her way to relieve me. I
told her what I was going to do and told her to go have her dinner as
she had just returned from Meru, but she refused. About 1 1/2 hours
later she came back to say the students needed towels as they had not
brought them. Alice had been to the Maternity ward to see if she
could borrow any towels but they were locked up. I gave her a set to
lend the students. She told me she had settled them in their rooms,
then walked them to a kiosk, a small shop, to buy some things they
needed and then gone to find towels for them. I told Alice I would
take the towels to the students but she wouldn't hear of it. I was
amazed at how much she had done for them when it was so late and she
was so tired. When I said that to Alice, she just laughed and said,
"They have traveled all day and are so tired. It is the least I can
do for them." But what I found most amazing was her attitude. It
was an attitude of love and care for these two strangers. She was
acting out of love and concern. Thank you God for Alice and showing
me how and the attitude of love I need.
Shortly before Bill and I left to pick up my family for their visit,
Sr. Mubichi had shared with me a dream she had. The work team that
came from Houston in July separated the hospital kitchen from the
student nurses kitchen. This is a requirement of the Nursing Council
of Kenya that had to be done. However, when done, the students
kitchen would have no equipment. Sr. Mubichi had traveled to Nairobi
and seen some equipment that she was so excited about. Two stainless
steel sufarias (enormous cooking pots --- 25 gallon pots that are
especially designed to use much less wood than the normal type of
sufaria), a stainless steel sink and a stainless steel tea dispenser.
She had been praying about them and decided she would order them with
faith that the money to pay for them would come.
When my father died, my family decided they wanted to do something
with one half of his memorial gifts for Maua Methodist Hospital. We
talked about different projects and decided that buying the equipment
for the students kitchen would be perfect. On Aug. 3rd a man from
Nairobi came and began installing the sufarias. They are cemented
into the floor and mud bricks made to maintain the heat. A pipe
system for the smoke was then created. This past week he completed
his work and now the cement and mud must dry. It has been such a joy
to watch this process. Soon the equipment will be used daily. A very
big thank you to everyone who has helped with this and for those gifts
to mission and the Service Fund in my father's name.
You are all in our prayers. Please keep praying for us. We love to
hear from you and so appreciate what you have done for us.
Comforted by God,
Jerri and Bill
You can answer this letter at
savuto@MAF.org
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