Mission to Maua # 12 - Prime Minister, Volunteers in Mission

(Blogmasters note: the hard drive on my computer self-destructed recently, so I have been forced to use an older computer with older browsers, which are not entirely compatible with the newer blog formatting. Hopefully when my repaired computer arrives, pictures will be placed where I want them in future blogs. My apologies.)

Volunteers in Mission –Last week’s team from the Houston, TX area left Saturday morning and another team from Texas arrived that night.  While here, some of the twelve members worked on plastering apartments on the hospital grounds, others went to offices and on field trips learning about the hospital’s community health programs.  The remainder worked on the AIDS Orphans house.  Several in the group had been here before and it was interesting hearing their perceptions on how things had changed at Maua Methodist Hospital.  The climax of the week was the dedication service for the AIDS orphan house.  The receiving family, their working group, the evangelist (who led the worship litany and prayer), the director of Community Health, staff of Giving Hope, all the people associated with the VIM program, and of course, the members of the VIM team were all present for the dedication.  Kathie Mann, leader of the VIM team, had the privilege of presenting the keys to the family who will now live in their new home.  

This week the cycle will be repeated with new VIM team members, also from Texas. I enjoy getting acquainted with people in this new group, but look forward to welcoming the next team from the Oregon/Idaho Conference.  They will be bringing more of the medical supplies ordered by Roger before we left.

Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, came to Maua on Saturday.  We didn’t go to the stadium to hear him because no one knew what time he’d appear.  We weren’t the only ones who didn’t go.  Seven of the nine area MPs (members of parliament) also shunned the meeting because they feared their appearance would negatively impact their chances for re-election next year. Mix political party disputes with tribal disputes and you have a political situation that is beyond my understanding.

News of Odinga’s appearance was eclipsed by news of the death of Fazul Mohammed.  Fazul was the mastermind of the US Embassy bombing in Nairobi that killed 218 Kenyans and 12 Americans in 1998.  Somali government officers killed Fazul at a checkpoint in Mogadishu.  Victims’ families and survivors of the embassy bombing here are understandably pleased that Fazul is dead, but some say they would only be able to celebrate if the American government honored its pledge to compensate victims of the 1998 attack.

Your tax dollars at work!  Last week a stack of 50 or so boxes sat in front of the Administration Building, waiting to be taken to the proper place in the building.  Written on the boxes was “Kenya Ministry of Health/USAID”, and also “from the American People”.  I don’t know what was in the boxes but was pleased that USAID (US Agency for International Development) was partnering with the Kenyan government to help a private hospital like Maua Methodist.