29 June 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
“Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart,
Teach me to move in the power of your Spirit,
Teach me to walk in the light of your Presence,
Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart.”
Graham Kendrick & Steve Thompson, 4 lines of the verse of “Teach Me to Dance”
TEAMS: Our first team arrived safely on Saturday 21 June and we have had such a positive and wonderful time with them. Though small in number, 6, they have been powerful in spirit, joy and laughter, hard work and generosity. The hospital has been rejoicing all week at their coming and “being with us”. They have worked on the NHIF (National Hospital Insurance Fund) office which we are building for NHIF so that our people will be able to come to the hospital to enroll in this insurance plan. [You might remember that a family can be insured for one year for $30. However, when you have/make very little money ($0.50 a day) $30 on something you might or might not benefit from, sounds like a huge sum and perhaps a waste!] They also did some painting of our Out-patient Building and worked on the covered walkway between OPD and a building that houses our Rehab, Chest Clinic, and Debt Team. The two doctors went to a Palliative Care Outreach Clinic and have worked on the wards daily. They both did a teaching – one for doctors on Asthma and one on Pandemic Flu Preparedness. The nurse has done construction, worked in the new born nursery, and went on an outreach clinic. The other three did construction, went with our Giving Hope team to do home visits and helped us organize our donation room.
They brought us needed medical equipment, baby blankets and caps for our maternity ward, two bulbs for the School of Nursing overhead projector, and many other needed items. But most importantly they brought themselves and it is their presence that means so much to all of us. This wonderful team personified God’s love and joy! They inspired us with their hard work and willingness to do anything and everything. They brought us hope that we are not alone in our work to serve the “least of these” in Maua. We have had such a great week!
1st team – Debra, Tom, Michael, Nancy, Shirley 2nd team – Back Row Lt. – Rt. – Jim, Kate,
& Dennis (FUMC Chandler & Strawbridge UMC, Wally, Ann, Paul, Bill, Maurice & Jasmine.
Houston) Front Row Lt. – Rt. – Sue, Kathleen & Bonnie
Our second team arrived safely on Saturday 28 June. This team is from Oregon and this is their third mission work team to Maua. We are already having a great experience with many varied activities and happening planned. It is a delight to have friends return and help us.
On Saturday, 5 July my sister, Jeannie, her husband, Larry and their daughter and her family Ronda, Bob and Kayci are arriving for a two week stay. They will be doing construction work for the hospital for five days and then will go on safari. They are taking us on safari with them and we are so excited and thankful. On Monday – Wednesday of their visit in Maua, I will be doing Strategic Planning all day away from the hospital. Thus I am especially thankful for the time we will have with them on safari. We will be away from 11 – 19 July and will not have any internet connection. Being away from my office for three days that week means I will have very little email time!
BIRTHDAYS: On Thursday 26 June the Maternity Ward celebrated Dennis Koome’s 1st birthday. You may remember I told you about Koome in March. He is an orphan who was brought by a man who stated he was the father and that the mother had died giving birth and he couldn’t take care of the baby until he buried his wife. However, when he didn’t return and we went to the village where he had told us he lived, we could not find anyone by that name or anyone who had recently had a baby. First we tried to find Koome’s family. When that seemed impossible, we began trying to find Koome a home. On Friday Koome went home. He was adopted by SOS in Meru. SOS will be his permanent home. He will live with one woman and five other children in a home on the SOS grounds. Everyone say’s it is a wonderful place with love and care and discipline.
His party was from 12noon – 2pm in our Maternity Ward. There was food, singing, speeches, a sermon, prayers, a cake, presents, laughter, and tears. The Nursery staff have loved and cared for this precious boy and though everyone knows it is best for him to go they will really miss him. Fortunately, we will be able to visit him. The doctor that was in-charge of the Maternity Ward for the last 12 months talked and shared that he was Koome’s father and if you could have seen Koome go to him you would have said a resounding, “Yes!” Koome had no idea why all the people were there and giving him gifts and dancing and singing and wanting to hold him but he smiled, He smiled, laughed and watched the events with curiosity and wonder. When given a piece of his birthday cake he gave the first piece to the Deputy Nursing Officer, his second piece to the doctor “dad” and finally ate the third piece and found it delicious!
Koome with a birthday balloon Koome with ‘dad’ doctor Maternity Staff and Koome
We are all praying for Koome! He is such a beloved little boy. Many of the mother’s who have been in the Maternity Ward over the last 12 months would have loved to take Koome home. We are all thankful we could take care of him (that the hospital would allow anyone to stay for 12 months without receiving any pay from them or their family is a testimony to our willingness to care for the poor). I found it amazing how generous the nursing staff and unit attendants were – they brought Koome clothing, toys and blankets to take to his new home.
What took the longest in this process, after finally giving up on finding any family members was having his birth certificate changed as we had put the names the man who brought him gave us. Those names had to be replaced with “no known father and no known mother.” Paper work takes so much time!
We are grateful to each of you for your continued prayers, support of Maua Methodist Hospital and its projects, and your emails filled with encouragement.
In His grip,
Jerri & Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Igembe, Kenya
” Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man or woman whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will he or she gain anything by it? Will it restore him or her to a control over his or her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away.” Mahatma Gandhi
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