Mary Jane Trinkus, R.N.

We have returned from our third mission to Naivasha, Kenya. This year, in addition to an 18 member medical team, we had with us a 5 man construction team. Both teams woke at 5:30am, had breakfast and went to work at their prospective sites. Over dinner we would share our stories of the day, delighting in accomplishments and also supporting each other with the day’s difficulties.

Myself, being a member of the medical team, I enjoyed hearing what the construction group was doing. They worked on 4 homes, homes belonging to members of Upendo Village – a rescue project for women and children with AIDS. Their homes were not much more than mud shacks with dirt floors. These men worked hard in difficult conditions improvising and improving each home, helping to keep the rain, wind and dust from entering each dwelling. At one home, a unique cooking stove was created so the smoke could be vented to the outside, improving the health of the family. A particularly challenging task was building a 5 acre fence to keep the zebras out of a woman’s cornfield. If she could harvest the corn, she could feed her 3 children and grandchild. The grandchild’s parents had died of AIDS.

The medical team, consisting of physicians, nurses and physical therapists, was quite busy too. At the provincial hospital, 100 surgeries were completed. We were told this took care of a year’s worth of ‘back logged’ operations that needed to be done. As a result, the operating ‘theater’ was a busy place, our surgical team working side by side with our Kenyan peers. The recovery room was bustling. Days were long and at times we walked home in the dark, tired but aware we were helping our Kenyan brothers and sisters.

We were blessed to have 2 missioners experienced in maternity. Labor and delivery and neonatal classes were given. Lives were saved, both mothers and babies, as a result of their sharing of knowledge and tender loving care.

One of the missioners became intimately involved with a baby girl in the nursery, an abandoned baby at birth – now 6 months old. She is still in the nursery, outgrowing her crib, starved for affection. She is a beautiful girl, would certainly be adopted – but she has a deformity of the skull, easily fixed in our country. She needs a CAT scan and surgery. The hospital is poor with limited funds. The missioner became an advocate for this little girl, facilitating her care and ensuring her future.

The medical team also worked at Upendo Village, the rescue project I previously mentioned for women and children with AIDS. Their new clinic’s opening day was on our day of arrival. 500+ patients were seen throughout the mission, care and meds were given to many, others were sent to the hospital for much needed surgeries. Two of the days we held clinic on “support group” Thursdays. On these days we only saw patients with AIDS. Three years ago, on our first mission to Naivasha, we saw so many very ill, ‘close to death’ patients. With the accessibility of ARVs (anti-retro viral meds), we see improved health, strength and hope in their faces. As our infectious disease physician, Dr. Jim Allen, who missioned with us told them, “If you take your ARVs, you will die with AIDS, you will not die from AIDS.

We were quite fortunate to have Deacon Tom Richardt with us on mission. He was just ordained a deacon the week prior to our departure. Every morning before breakfast at 6:30am, we had Communion Service. As one missioner stated in her evaluation, “I really enjoyed the morning prayers, song, scripture reading and communion was a bonus! …coming every morning made such a good beginning of each day. Morning reading as a group was comforting and fortified me for the day.”

Yes, we were fortified! We were given blessings, grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to work together as a team with our brothers and sisters in Kenya. God willing, we will be back next year to continue our work…

Mary Jane Trinkus

A heartfelt thank you for all who prayed for us while we were on mission.