Installment 35

Installment 35
Dorcas was a fighter. Born into a world where sometimes kids are just thrown away, to a mother that didn’t really understand how to care for a baby. Her first year was lived in poverty, in a small community that barely has electricity, no plumbing or modern conveniences. Unknown to the world, or even to some around her. Malnourished, lacking medical care, struggling for life. Almost 13 months of mostly neglect. But God had a plan. Observed by Freida, one of the aunties here, who became very concerned for Dorcas’s welfare. Through a series of mini-miracles, which I think I told you about, Mama Dorcas has been reunited with her family, and Dorcas spent her last days in the loving arms of Mama Carla. Many of the last days in the hospital getting care and fighting to recover. In the end, there was just too much against her and Jesus kindly took her home, but not before she experience true love and care here. She might have ended her days in the environment that she was saved from, but for the concern of 1 person and the commitment of a few more that wanted to show her that she was a life worth fighting for. It might not have been for long, but that little one was loved, and she will be missed.
Today, J and C commissions a ‘Post Mortum’…an autopsy, to find out just what happened. She would seem to get better and then get critical…get better…..then critical. The Dr determined that she had massive fluid in her abdomen and around her heart with blood clots in her heart, and that she had serious TB. All of which was just too overwhelming for her little body. Even if caught a couple of months ago the chances were not good that she could fight it. So, she is all better now, and we are the ones hurting….but it’s OK, we’ll see her again.
Jeff handed me a piece of string last night and said, “this is how long Dorcas is, would you mind making a casket for her?” A piece of string….representing a someone whom I’d become attached to….I think I’ll keep it. So that’s what I did today in between the other things that I have to do. I sure am thankful for the table saw that was given to us…so thanks to Frontier Building Supply. Tomorrow, we will honor little Dorca’s life and give her a permanent place in the little cemetery here on the property…hopefully she will be the last. On last thing, the Dr said he learned something with Dorcas, and from now on he will check out baby’s heart when the demonstrate some of the symptoms that she exhibited….that a good thing…thanks Dorie.
OK, so on with some more stuff. Amongst other things today, I had a brand new experience. I got behind the wheel of the van, and took a couple of the women here to go to Sabanga….the little village where Dorcas came from, to get maize. We need maize to make ugali, and we sure wouldn’t want to be without that…..would we. Driving out of the compound, I immediately began my quest for the ‘road’….which is quite illusive. Here, I had to continually remind myself that we drive on the wrong side of the ‘road’…which is fine, except that off the main ‘road’ the side ‘roads’ are only about 10 feet wide, and a lot of that is taken up by cows, which are difficult to see when only the tops of their head show above the potholes…and they tend to bellow a lot if you drive on them. But I managed to keep the damage to the cows….and to us to a minimum, and made it to the main ‘road’ which evidently now has archeological digs going on along with the lead weight mining operations. I asked one of the men why they were digging and he said, “We have suspected that at one time there was a paved road here and we are trying to substantiate the information.” I wished them well, while quietly doubting their sources. Making it to Sabanga, having to only stop for one blood transfusion, I came to the conclusion that even without a college education, I am almost as good as Jeff at hitting most of the potholes. Entering the village and stopping somewhere in the 15^th century, the women asked me to stay in the van while they went to bargain for maize….”they charge more for putting up with wazungu” Peris reminded me. So while they were on the ‘search and negotiate’ mission, I spend about 20 minutes talking to a young Kenyan man about honesty and ethics, something that I have found is seriously lacking here. ‘The Kenyan people do have a problem with those things” he said. “How about you, do you have a problem with those things?” I probed. “No, no, no,” he emphasized, “I only ‘pick’ things (see previous blog), I would never steal things”. “So,” I continued, “if I got out and ‘picked’ your piki piki, (motorcycle) it would not be stealing?” “Oh yes, it would be stealing from me.” he said. “but you said you don’t steal.” I followed up. “No, no, no. I only ‘pick’” he replied. And so the conversation continued….but there seemed to be a disconnect in logic….in him too. Since I have been here, I have had many such talks and am still amazed at the responses I get. My hope is in the children. Anyway, the women came back and I drove down the line of shacks until I got to the maize provider of choice. We loaded 180 kgs of maize and headed home, on the wrong side of the ‘road’. Peris says that as soon as I learn to drive, she will go with me again.
All the while, the two buildings have been coming along. Fundi is doing great and we are almost ready to pour the ground floor slabs. I think we are ahead of schedule, and maybe getting close to the end of the dorm funds….just saying…