The clinic begins in Dandora! 268 patients served

 We got up bright and early to have breakfast at our hotel and the chefs had not arrived at 6:30 as planned.  We were able to order from the menu and were on the road by 7:15 however and at the clinic by around 8am to begin setting things up.  Our volunteers and Pastor John were there, but we couldn't do anything other than pick out the locations of our tents because no one with a key had arrived yet, so the late breakfast didn't really matter in the long run. We got our footlockers out and the clinic began to take shape as we decided where each station would be.  The spacious room is a real blessing, because it gives us a lot of flexibility to change things around quickly should the need arise.

We opened the day with a prayer and began our work. As usual, the first hour or so was quite chaotic as we put the finishing touches on the flow of the clinic.  It looked like things would never begin to go, but we were blessed by having quite a few old hands on the team that were able to take charge of their areas fairly quickly.  We did have some paperwork faux paux that we quickly corrected and we used it as a learning moment for our new team members.  We need to be vigilant that we have consistent paperwork as patients flow from one part pf the clinic to the next and we all need to be able to spot when things just aren't right.

At lunchtime, the church provided a lunch for all of the volunteers and ourselves that was very tasty.  Some of us were served Kenyan portions, including me, and you are expected to eat it all. It was tough, but I got it done and vowed to never let it happen again.

One of the most meaningful moments of the clinic for me was when I was brought 2 registration cards of two identical twins who were 5 years old who both had congenital cataracts in both eyes.  Carol, our friend from several clinics, made a few phone calls and found out it would cost as much as $1500-$3000 per eye times four to get surgical treatment.  She had a better idea, for only about $30, the two of them could be examined by the surgeon and perhaps a government program could be brought to bear.  Here Carol and I with Regina, the mom and the two boys. We're praying for a miracle!

Jon, Sarah and Amanda went to the airport when Jon received a message that his bags had arrived.  No such luck for the others, but perhaps tomorrow.  They have all kept good cheer despite these inconveniences, which is what they are compared to the problems folks encounter in the slums every day.  

We finished the day with a beautiful song from our volunteers, a report by me on the clinic and also praising the volunteers for a great day, the Pastor making a few remarks and Rudy closing the day with prayer.

After arriving at our hotel, 6 of us walked across the street and had KFC.  I never thought I would travel 8000 miles to eat KFC but it really hit the spot!  Tomorrow, right after both clinics, our team will join up for our traditional group dinner. Since we may be getting in a little late, please don't worry if there is no blog post.  Blessings everybody!