Preparing to Saddle Up for Nairobi again!

 Thanks for following our progress as we get ready for another Vision Clinic in Nairobi.  I will be posting as much as I am able when we are on the ground in Kenya.  Sometimes power or Internet connections are a little iffy, but I am usually able to write about our experiences on a regular basis so that you will know we are safe and will know what to pray for as we face inevitable challenges.  This will be my 21st trip to Kenya, I have grown to love it there.  The people have a faith I can only hope to emulate and a joy, even in some pretty dire circumstances, that I strive to imitate in my own life.  I always return home completely energized.

This time, we will be serving at the Springs of Life Lutheran Church in the slum of Kibera, partnering with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya and Nuru, the local arm of the Lutheran Laymen's League.  I have served at this church multiple times before and we have always had cheerful, hard-working volunteers from the congregation to help make the clinic run smoothly as well as doctors from the Ministry of Health who have become dear friends over the years.  I am really looking forward to this mission trip.  Covid got in the way in 2020 and we served in Waithaka in the slum of Kawangware last year, so it has been at least 4 years since we held a clinic in Kibera.  I feel like we will have a very large impact this time, seeing maybe 3500 or more patients from Monday through Friday.

More to follow as our planning, ordering of supplies and recruiting any last-minute team members continues.  Which reminds me, we had a solid team of 7 ready to embark on this mission only a month ago and a series of circumstances have dwindled us to 4, including me.  Luckily, 3 out of 4 of us have done this multiple times and I have led a successful clinic with only 3 team members from Redeemer in the past.  The secret is empowering the local volunteers to do a good job and concentrating on the bigger picture of the logistical and spiritual aspects of our work.  We can still accept applications to come with us and would welcome the help.  It's a life changer, you will come back with a different and better perspective, I can guarantee that.  It's what has made me a "repeat offender"!  The cost is your round-trip airfare, which has hovered around $1500 for this trip and $500 for on the ground expenses including lodging and meals at a very nice compound called The Little Daughters of St. Joseph in the Nairobi suburb of Karen.  Only a little more money for souvenirs and incidentals like bottled water, snacks for the clinic and any sightseeing is extra.  In my experience, friends, family and groups you belong to can be very generous sources of funds, so please consider joining us from May 24th to June 4th.  An application and more information is at www.redeemer.net/kenya.

Here is a picture of our team in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro last June.