Lindsay's Trip

Larissa, my dad, and I spent three weeks in Kenya to assist Fahari Ministries and visit my host family. Below is the long version of the story. If you want to read a shorter version instead, click here.

On a Wing and a Prayer

Ready to start my great adventure, I headed to the Airport, suitcases in tow. When I arrived I found out the two suitcases of donated medical supplies were overweight so I had to buy an extra bag and repack some stuff while at check-in! When I finally got to my gate (moments before takeoff) there was no room left for my carry-on suitcase. The stewardess kindly offered to take care of my bag. She said she could put it in the luggage hold and as soon as we got off in London they would have it sitting there with the baby strollers and such. Well, it wasn't there when I got off in London. Instead, I had to go get it from checked baggage which involved standing in lines, going through customs and immigration, taking a bus to a different terminal, finding my suitcase at checked baggage, standing in line to recheck the bag, going on the bus again, standing in line to go through security and then finally to the gate! It felt like I was praying and running for 24 hours straight!

Karibu Kenya (Welcome to Kenya)!

I was very happy to arrive in Nairobi and was greeted at the airport by my lovely host family, with whom I have grown very close. They are the same family I stayed with in 2004 and visited with in 2005. The baby in the picture is my namesake, "Lindsay!"

The change in plans left us with lots of extra time on our hands. We went to Kenyatta National Hospital to see if we could find an opportunity for dad and Larissa to help out. Well, it turns out God's plans are better than ours. Sir Magdi Yacoub, an eminent heart surgeon, "happened" to be in Nairobi at the same time to perform surgery on children with congenital heart defects. And it just so "happened" that the first assistant who was supposed to operate with him was sick the first day of the trip so Dad got to assist! Dad also got to share with them some of his skills and techniques as well as his passion for and commitment to helping those with coronary artery disease, mitral valve disease, and other valvular issues. Larissa and Dad both really enjoyed meeting these doctors and we were all glad that it worked out so well!

Trinity Time

Dad, Larissa, and I all attended their monthly Trinity AIDS meeting. People living with HIV/AIDS came from near and far to make it to this meeting. It began with songs of praise in both English and Swahili. After several songs, Judy asked people to give testimonies. One woman talked about how she was so sick that she couldn't even walk but with medicine, prayer, and determination, she is feeling healthy again and is now able to continue caring for her small baby, who is also HIV positive. Other women expressed their gratefulness to God, to Judy, and to the other women. Then it was time to hear a brief teaching from the Bible. I had informed Larissa about ten minutes prior to the start of the meeting that she would be doing the Bible teaching. Despite the very short notice, she was ready in season and out of season and did a beautiful job. After the Bible lesson, Judy did a health lesson. She told them about two former members of Trinity AIDS. These two women were prayed for by a preacher who told them that they were healed of their HIV and no longer needed medication. The women stopped taking their life-saving AIDS drugs. In just a matter of days both women became very ill. Shortly after that, both died. Judy emphasized to them the importance of taking their medication. She said, "We pray that God will heal us. But we also know that God has blessed us with this medication so we pray for healing but we also take our medicine. We must take it every day."

The time wrapped up with tea, bread, and hanging out. Pretty much every woman wanted her picture taken and Larissa obliged. None of their faces are shown here out of respect for the women, allowing them to maintain the confidentiality of their HIV status if they so choose.

After the Trinity meeting, my desire to serve was deepened and quickened. Judy and I got back to work and accomplished many things. We wrote the NGO constitution and the first few resolutions establishing the board and Judy's position. We also came up with a budget for the end of the year and for next year too. We wrote the vision, mission, and values, and basically everything else that you see on this website! Neither Judy nor I are great administrators. We love visiting sick people and taking care of others, but we're not so fond of making budgets and writing mission statements. Thankfully, when we are weak, God is strong. We waded through all of these things VERY quickly.

Hanging with the Fam

Towards the end of the trip, Dad and Larissa went to neighboring Tanzania to hunt a cape buffalo, one of dad's lifelong dreams. Thankfully, I was allowed to skip the hours of trekking through thick bush chasing a very large and very dangerous animal. I also got to skip the tick bite and ring worm that Larissa ended up with! While they were gone I stayed with Stanlas and Judy at their house as I had in 2004. It was so nice to get to be part of their family again, even if only for a short while. I really enjoyed playing with the children, especially the baby!

Like many Kenyans, the children can't swim, had never seen anyone swim, and had never been in a pool or lake. In fact, as the children of a pastor, I'm pretty sure they thought that pools were just big baptismals. When they saw someone swimming in the pool one night, they were amazed. We promised them we'd take them for a swim. Of course, we didn't get around to it until the last night.

The pool was on the roof of the hotel and was basically inside the restaurant. Only a few plants and a distance of about 15 feet separated us from guests trying to have a beautiful moonlit dinner. The baby and Judy watched as I took the older three girls into the pool. I sat them down on the steps and gave them a big lecture. No running on the patio, no shouting, don't disturb the restaurant guests, do as I say, don't get in the pool without my holding you, if you don't listen you could die, etc, etc. They all solemnly agreed. One at a time I would take one out and let her kick around the pool or hold her up as she floated on her back. They panicked if they even thought I was going to let go of them. They tried to be well-behaved but the water filled them with such delight! Twice I had to make the youngest one sit on the edge of the pool (and the air was a bit cool) because they were shouting too loudly! Mumo, the oldest, ran on the patio despite my warnings and fell. I was convinced that any moment the manager was going to walk up and kick us out of the pool.

After about an hour and a half, the kids got bolder and I would swim around with one of them on my back. Katu, the youngest of the swimmers was petrified of the water and was holding onto my neck VERY tightly while her sisters watched from the steps. All of the sudden Katu started screaming. MUMO! MUMO! LOOK AT MUMO! My ears were underwater, but I could still hear her. I looked back and there was Mumo, trying to drown! She had decided that she could swim well enough and would show me by swimming out to Katu and me. Her whole body was underwater and the only things above water were her hands, slapping at the water hopelessly. My first thought was, "Dear God, I'm going to have to do CPR!" I started swimming over as fast as I could. I'm a good swimmer but I had a petrified and now hysterical child on my back screaming. I was trying to figure out if I could get Katu off my back and hold her under one arm so I could free up my left arm to swim faster. I figured that if I tried to move Katu at all, she'd freak out and might completely lock down my arms or pull us both underwater (which she had already managed once before) and then I'd have a REAL mess on my hands. As fast as I could, I made my way to Mumo and pulled her up out of the water. She came up coughing and sputtering, but with a smile. I looked at my beautiful three charges and said, "All right. Pool time is over. Everybody out!" It was definitely a night to remember! I then put all of them in the bath which they liked almost as much as the pool! The baby even got to join in on the bathtub!

A Trip Well Worth It

Before the trip, I was unsure if I should go. A plane ticket to Kenya is VERY expensive. With the way the ministry has been struggling financially, I considered just writing them a check and staying home. I thought and prayed about it and Eric and I decided that if we thought I could be of more long-term help by going, then I should go, even if in the short-term that meant less resources. In the end, I'm very glad I went. We established a good foundation on which to build the ministry.

To me, it is so exciting that God lets us partake in his work on earth. I mean, God doesn't need me. The God I serve rained manna from heaven on the Israelites. The God I serve laid the very foundations of the earth. He doesn't need my (poor) mission statement writing abilities. He sure doesn't need my scarce money or my untested nursing skills. And yet, he wants me. He wants me to fly halfway around the world to learn that when I am weak, God is strong; when I am poor, God is rich; where I have doubts, fears, and uncertainties, God has faithfulness, truth, and strength.

Judy, her family, and the people of Trinity have been praying for resources so that they can better serve those around them. The answer to their prayers came through me and through you. I got to carry those answered prayers across a wide ocean and over a vast desert and into their hands. I got to watch their faces light up when my very presence gave them renewed hope. My life is but a vapor, my time on earth just a moment, and yet the God of the universe lets me do such things. What a privilege!

If you'd like to see more pictures, click here. All of our pictures aren't up yet though so check back soon. If you do not know the password, email Lindsay.

Thanks for reading my story! If you are interested in getting involved, you can pray, donate, and volunteer.