The Adventure Continues, Back to Kenya after a 2 year Hiatus

 At long last, we are preparing to saddle up and head to Kenya next Thursday.  We were all ready to serve again in 2020 and Covid got in the way.  God had a different plan and we ministered to our own neighborhood instead for the last 2 years.  This will be my 20th trip to Nairobi, there just seemed to be something wrong about stopping at 19!  Of course, someone will challenge me to 25 and I'll say yes as long as the Lord gives me the strength and good health to do so.  After that, I'll support whatever mission work Redeemer is involved with.

We have a team of 9, including me.  Half are first-timers and half have been with me before.  It's a great group, no high maintenance people in the bunch.  It's been a blessing to see this team form over the last 6 months or so.  I love the energy and the sense of awe that new members of the team bring and the steadiness that the old hands contribute.  It's a good mix.  Here are some pictures as we were commissioned and prayed over this morning at all three worship services.  Click on an image to see a larger version.

We will be serving in Waithaka at a recently refurbished community center that I have been to twice before.  The nearby Waithaka Lutheran Church, where we will be worshipping next Sunday, is a daughter church of Kawangware Lutheran Church where we got our start almost 15 years ago.  It will be so good to see many old friends and also to reminisce over those that did not make it through the pandemic and are waiting for us now in Heaven.  Our mission this time is to host a vision clinic, providing distance and reading glasses, medications and cataract surgeries to the people at no charge.  I am wondering if there will be a great deal of pent-up demand, since it has been so long since we were there.  I expect that we may see anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 patients during our Monday through Friday clinic.  Each one of them will receive a Gospel presentation in their own language, usually Swahili or English, as they wait in large tents outside the clinic for their turn.  Besides caring for their physical needs, we talk to each and every patient about their lives and pray over the needs that they

express to us, one-on-one.  It's a very powerful ministry.

We will be staying at a familiar convent, the Little Daughters of St. Joseph.  It will be good to see our friends there who have taken such good care of us over past missions.  We will each have our own rooms with our own shower and commode but will eat buffet style as a group for most meals. 

Most of my concerns will fade away once we are in Nairobi.  It is a whole different world today, with differences from one country or airport to another regarding vaccinations and Covid tests.  Please pray for us that it all goes smoothly and none of us ends up in quarantine.  We are flying United/Lufthansa from Houston to Frankfurt, Germany and from there on to Nairobi.  The Frankfurt Airport doesn't require masks now, but when you can't socially distance in the security lines, they will not settle for a cloth mask, it must be a medical grade N95 one.

Rather than speculate any more, just stay tuned right here every day and I'll do my best to report on our travels and on the clinic.  I will be posting here as often as possible as we do our final preparation for the trip and as I can during the mission.   I always try for every day, but Internet and even power can sometimes be spotty, especially if there are heavy storms.  Blessings everybody!