Last Sunday we went to Kenyamware our new parish or at least it feels like we belong to it since we have gone there a lot in the past month. Mass was scheduled for 7 am and much to our surprise, it started at 7 am!  The priest who presided at the Mass is from the area but currently serves as a Missionary in Sri Lanka.  Mass lasted about an hour and forty-five minutes.  During the homily, two small children, a boy and a girl both around 15 -20 months of age, found a dried-out vine of Pemba/Buffalo grass – a grass that spreads above ground and shoots out runners which attach to the dirt giving way to long vines that can develop.  The two played tug of war with the vine in the aisle next to us.  They were going back and forth for some time until the girl gave it a good tug and it broke.  The boy fell hard on his behind and without making a peep, he immediately got up, looked around, pulled his hoodie back up over his head and found something else to do.  Because he had a lot of padding in his pants, we didn’t think it hurt to bad when he fell!  The two children provided much entertainment during the homily which we weren’t following very well.  At the end of Mass and before the final blessing, the priest asked the school aged children to come to the front for a blessing since it was the start of a new school year.  About ¾ of the congregation got up from their benches - every Mass we attend, the congregation is comprised of probably 50-75% young people. 

We knew that the two orphans who had tonsillectomies on Saturday (January 6^th) would be released from the hospital the next day.  Emma offered to go to the hospital by 10 am to see that the discharge process would get started…we know how slow things go in Kenya…except for Kenyan drivers!  Emma texted to let us know that if we came by 1 pm we should be good.   We actually went to Kisii by 11 am so that Kathy could deposit Ksh 150,000 ($940) into her M-PESA account to pay for the two surgeries – money Fr. David had given her to pay the bills.  If you don’t pay the bill, you don’t get discharged from the hospital which makes no sense and you will also pay for each day you are there because you can’t pay your bill!  Kathy had put a deposit down of Ksh 30,000 for each girl last Friday…a day Kathy was still trying to forget about.  There are M-PESA stands everywhere but we had to go to one that would have enough money on their end to transfer into Kathy’s account once she gave them the cash.  We ended up going to Quickmart which is one of the grocery stores we frequent in Kisii.  The agent didn’t have enough cash to cover the Ksh 150,000 so we had to wait for 20 minutes or so until she got enough at which time the agent could then put the rest on Kathy’s M-PESA account.  Last week, when Emma inquired about the bills being paid, she was told that we would need some cash but most of it would need to be paid by M-PESA (M stands for mobile while Pesa in Swahili means money).  M-PESA is a mobile phone-based money transfer service allowing users to deposit, withdraw, transfer money and pay for goods and services.  When you want to pay for something at the store, doctor’s office, etc., you enter the businesses till/account number, the amount you are paying, verify the amount, enter your PIN number and it’s paid.  Back to our story.  After putting the Ksh 150,000 into Kathy’s M-PESA account, we headed to the hospital where Wes dropped Kathy off around 1 pm.  Wes decided he would go check out a few things at the Kisii golf course so when our sons come, they can try their skills at golfing in the southern hemisphere!  Emma was in the reception area waiting for Kathy and with a forced smile on her face told Kathy it was going to take longer than she thought.  There was nothing more to do except wait and pester the people that needed to be pestered to get the discharge process going.  Per Emma, the charts were in the Cashier’s office but not all the charges were entered.  Therefore, nursing from the floor, the lab, pharmacy, etc., had to come to the office to enter any missing charges.  Instead of waiting in the reception area, we went to visit our two patients whose surgeries were successful.  One of the girls was an 8^th grader while the younger one was a 4^th grader.  The 4^th grader was rearing to go while the older one was in a little more pain.  The room was overcrowded and stuffy - six beds with six patients squeezed into the room.  Because it was the pediatric ward, each patient had a parent or guardian with them plus it was visiting hours so there were a lot of people in the small room.  We decided to go back to the reception area to bug the Cashier who told us we needed to be patient…this was around 2:30 pm.  Emma and the guardians had not yet eaten so to the hospital cafeteria they went where they were serving the special of the day:  stewed kuku, mboga (greens) and ugali or you could wait for 40 minutes or so and get samaki (fish).  Kathy opted to get a couple of chapati and call it good.  Emma and the guardians had the kuku, mboga, and ugali.  After they finished eating, the guardians headed back to the ward while Emma and Kathy went to check on the discharge progress of which there was no progress.  Around 4:00 pm, Kathy went back to the Cashier and asked how much longer it would be because it looked like it was going to rain and we still had to get the girls and their guardians to their homes some distance away.  The Cashier forcibly said, “You must be patient”!!  About a half hour later, the charts were considered complete.  The Cashier then proceeded to tell us that payment for the doctor who performed the surgery, the anesthesiologist, and the pathology charge for the tissue had to be cash and the rest had to be by M-PESA.  She told Kathy she needed to pay in cash Ksh 106,000 and the balance by M-PESA.  Kathy wanted to say some really bad words but didn’t…she didn’t have that much cash though she would have had she known before she took it all to Quickmart to put on her M-PESA account.  Kathy called Wes from the golf course to take her back to Quickmart to withdraw the cash out of her M-PESA account.  Once Kathy got back, she and Emma had to stand in line at the dreaded Cashier’s window.  Eventually we got the total bill paid and headed to the ward with proof of payment where the nurse stamped the papers acknowledging payment.  We were ready to leave with the girls when the security guard wouldn’t let us out because we didn’t’ have a pass that we were to be given once the bill was paid.  Come to find out, they don’t have a process for total cash payers and therefore didn’t have a pass made.  One of the Sisters that works in the Cashier’s office had to write up a note, get it stamped, and then we headed back to the pediatric ward where the security guard had to write in his log the girls were leaving.  The Sister then escorted us to the front gate outside the hospital, showed proof of payment to the security guards and told them we were free to go as all the bills were paid.  Emma was at the hospital at 10 am to get the discharge process started, Kathy came at 1 pm and we all left shortly after 4:30 pm meaning it took 6.5 hours to get the girls discharged.  We weren’t the only ones affected – there were other family members trying to do the same as us and they were still there when we left.  The Sister who let us go at the gate apologized and again reiterated how they just got a new system in place on January 1^st.  We were not sure if it was an improvement or not and if it was, we can’t imagine what it was like before January 1^st…maybe they were just trying to get used to it.  We took Emma home and then drove for another 2 hours taking the guardians and girls to their shambas and then getting ourselves back to the Mission house.  It was a long day and one Kathy hopes is not repeated any time soon.  Again, Kathy reflected on our health care system in America and how we can get very frustrated with it but we have no idea how good we have it and what we have access to.  We were glad that the Mission could help the orphans with their medical care but the system here can really frustrate you.    

Monday was a day to get laundry done as well as some house cleaning including scrubbing of floors.  Kathy also worked on Mission paperwork and organizing the medical papers from the surgeries.  Since the Mission pays the bills, we keep the paperwork not only for that reason but also so we will have the documents when and if we need them again for anything – something we do for any orphan we take for medical appointments.  Sometime around 1 pm, there was lots of whooping and hollering in the courtyard at the school and we figured out that the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) scores were released by the government.  Because of celebratory atmosphere, we assumed the Form 4 girls who took their KCSE exams last month did well.  KCSE scores determine where students will go to college/university and what they can study.  It is a big deal for a school to have their students do well and thus reason to celebrate and let the village and surrounding area know.  The school bus was decorated with ribbons and the students, along with some of the Sisters, went for a ride with people cheering and horns hooting (here they say hoot your hour as opposed to honking it).  Loud music played over a giant speaker in the compound and though one is happy for the school, the music got to be a bit much.  The power went out which we were glad for but wouldn’t you know it, the Sisters had the generator turned on so the celebration and loud music could continue…it was the middle of the day!  The power came back on a short time later but not fully – it was more of a brown out than a black out though there was enough power to keep the loud music going until 10 pm.  With school starting on Tuesday, teachers and their families who live on the compound arrived and that included Osongo.  Since we returned the middle of November, we have seen Osongo only a couple of times but he is back and we were happy to see him. 

On Tuesday, Kathy, Wes, and Emma went to conduct WWB follow ups at Bonyunyu and Karantini.  At Bonyunyu was Brianna, the little girl who at last month’s training, wanted to push the drum back and forth to Kathy though this time she was not as interested.  She was more fascinated with grabbing the mamas simu (phone) they left on the bench while coloring and then run off with it…she was a busy little girl!

On Wednesday, we, along with Emma and Lilian, headed with two vehicles to Mongorisi to finish the home visits.  It had rained some the night before but when we got to Mongorisi which is about 10 kilometers from the Mission house, it had rained a lot more.  To get to Mongorisi once off the tarmac (paved road), one must travel dirt roads up the mountain - roads that are not the best in dry times but driving them after or during rains can be more challenging.  Lilian and Emma road with Kathy who was driving the car – a vehicle which does has four-wheel drive.  As we ascended the mountain, the car slid from side to side as if we were on ice.  It wasn’t bad at the bottom but as we kept going up, it got worse and once you started the climb, there was no turning around or backing down.  The road to the top was narrow with steep ditches and at times the vehicle was moving sideways. When we got to the top, Kathy wanted to get out and kiss the ground though it was muddy so she didn’t!  Wes was driving the Landcruiser which does have 4-wheel drive though it is not working and needs to go to the shop to be fixed.  Once we arrived at our destination and got out of our vehicles, there were a number of children flocking to see the wazungu (more than one white person).  Jayden, a little boy, came up to Wes and held his hand – a light hearted and cute moment after experiencing the drive!  After talking to the guide to find out where the mamas lived, it was decided that Lilian and Kathy would take the guide while Wes and Emma would drive to a few that lived along the road.  Lilian informed Kathy that they would need to drive back down the mountain for one of the mamas that lived on the other side and then come back up the road we had just traveled.  Kathy and Wes almost immediately and in unison both said, “No” to that idea!  There was no way Kathy was driving down the mountain and then back up.  Kathy told Lilian we would walk no matter the distance because if we land in the ravine, we won’t be making any visits to anyone. While Wes and Emma were able to drive since the land was more level, Kathy, Lilian and their guide set out on foot.  It was the first time that Kathy has been on one mountain top, walked down to the valley below and back up the other side of another mountain…usually we are combing one side of the mountain making visits.  Along the way, Kathy and Lilian’s guide took them through tea fields that appeared to be clinging to the side of the mountain and as they neared the valley below, one could hear the babbling brook.  It was a beautiful hike – strenuous but beautiful.  Once the home visit was done, the mama insisted they stay for a cup of chai (tea) which Kathy declined while Janet, our guide, and Lilian were grateful for the offer.  They were cold as there was a light drizzle and the air was damp.  Kathy found it interesting to sit and listen to the three of them – it was like a group of friends back home sitting at the local coffee shop drinking a latte and engaging in a lively conversation.  As interesting as it was, Kathy was anxious to go since there was still the trek down the mountain, across the babbling brook, and back up the other mountain plus the dreaded drive back down the mountain.  Because it was drizzling, Kathy knew the road had not dried out at all and the drive down wouldn’t be fun.  Truthfully, the drive down was just as treacherous as it was going up and we crawled at a snail’s pace so as not to slide off the road though we came close.  When we got to the bottom, Kathy told Lilian our guardian angels were watching out for us while Lilian said, “I think they were driving the car”!  Had we known the roads would not be good we would have not gone to do home visits in that area…there are no road reports here like back home!  Wes and Emma made it down the mountain safely ahead of Kathy and Lilian before the drizzling rain had started.  Emma had made the comment to Kathy that if she were driving on that road, she would have just stopped in the middle of the road to which Kathy explained why that was not a good idea! 

On Thursday, we along with Emma and Lilian conducted follow ups at Sirate and Rionguti and then delivered blankets to seven women at Karantini.  After taking Emma and Lilian home, we stopped in Kisii to pick up the curtains for the caretaker’s house that we ordered last week.  As we went through the order before making final payment, it was realized the kitchen curtains weren’t there – they forgot to sew them.  The guy helping us left, grabbed a bolt of the material and started cutting it while another guy helped.  When Kathy realized they planned to sew the curtains right then and there, she told them we’d come back in a day or two – we didn’t care to sit and wait for curtains to be sewn though it probably didn’t take them very long.

Friday seems to be medical day since we got back from America and this past Friday was no different, taking Sheila, one of the orphans, for Physical Therapy.  There weren’t many people in line but in the end, it took a very long time because of the “new system” they started using January 1 – this is the same hospital the two orphans had tonsillectomies at last week.  At the reception desk, the information that has been in the system for Sheila had to be gone over again – something they have not done since the very first time she registered eight months ago.  Usually, you give them your card with your ID, they take a minute or two to register you and then you head to the Cashier to pay the fee and after that to PT.  After the lengthy registration, we were told to sit and wait for Sheila’s vitals to be taken which has never been done before when she has come for PT - 18 times to be exact.  After the vitals, we thought we were free to go to PT but the nurse informed us that Sheila needed to see the doctor – the doctor who sees ER patients or any other patient who walks in (sort of like a walk-in clinic).  Kathy asked why since it was for PT only and the answer was, “It is because of the new system”.  Once we were called into the exam room, the doctor greeted us and looked at the computer in front of him which Kathy assumed he was reading Sheila’s medical record.  After he looked up, Kathy asked him why Sheila needed to see him when she has come for PT 18 times prior to this day plus he wasn’t the ortho doctor who saw Sheila back in May and prescribed PT for Sheila.  His answer was, “It is because of the new system”.  He then came over to Sheila and asked her how her hip was doing and if she had injured it.  Sheila gave Kathy this look like why is the doctor asking that.  Kathy then told the doctor that Shiela’s hip is fine – she comes for PT on her knee!  He did nothing else, went back to the computer, typed something in, and then asked Sheila if she was on medications.  By this time, Kathy’s patience was wearing thin and again asked the doctor why Sheila has to be seen every time before going to PT and the response was, “It is because of the new system”.  Kathy told him she wasn’t trying to be difficult but this process didn’t seem medically necessary to have to see a doctor who didn’t order the PT.  Kathy also stated that when Sheila comes for PT going forward with this new system, it could be an all-day affair depending on how busy it is and she could possibly miss a whole day of school to which the doctor agreed.  Kathy told the doctor she was just trying to understand how this process was better and asked again how doing this process was medically necessary - this time, the doctor said, “I don’t know” and told us to go to PT!  Kathy thinks he was just glad to get rid of her!  We then went to PT and waited for over an hour because of a staff meeting and there being other patients before Sheila.  While Shiela was in for her PT, Kathy asked the therapist at the front desk about Sheila’s schedule being this was the 19th session and no feedback from the ortho doctor as to how long this was to continue.  The therapist asked what Kathy thought…Kathy couldn’t tell him what she was thinking!  In the end, the head therapist decided maybe Sheila should come once a month instead of every two weeks.  This week, Kathy plans to make a call to the ortho doctor to discuss the plan for Sheila and if there is none, we may find a new ortho doctor – this has been going on since April and the knee is somewhat better but not healed nor is there any feedback from the ortho doctor who prescribed the PT. 

We are still getting rains which is great but unusual for this time of the year.  Last week we had about 2.5 inches of rain.  We were without power on Monday as noted earlier in the blog.  There was power but not enough to run anything – lights would turn on but then dim and finally no light.  The refrigerator could not run and we could not boil water in the hot pot to wash up so we boiled water on the gas stove.   The brown out lasted for almost 30 hours.  The generator was not turned on because school was not in session though if the brown out happened the next day, it would have.  With school now in session we look forward to the generator being turned on for at least a few hours in the morning and evening if the power goes out…small things to be grateful for! 

Mission Saturday was quite busy with the paying of school fees, uniforms, etc.  Most schools started this past week but a number of them do not start until the 15^th.  It is nice to hear the chatter of the girls here on the school grounds – the place seems much more alive with them. 

We will be taking a break from writing the blog for a few weeks – we shall resume writing it the beginning of February.  In the meantime, please know that we keep you in our prayers and ask that you keep us, the Mission, and those we serve in yours.  Mungu Akubariki!

See photos from this week in the album section by clicking on the link below.  Note:  If unable to view the photos using the link below, you can still view them by going to St. Joseph’s Parish website and scrolling down to the section titled Kenya Mission – photo album.  The website:  www.stjparish.com

https://stjparish.com/photoalbums/1-14-24