Ura River School Medical Clinic

Today we visited the Ura River School to conduct a medical clinic for kids and adults. There were hundreds of children and adults who were there for the clinic. The clinic itself was a first step in cooperation with the Maua Methodist Hospital where the hospital and volunteers will conduct a clinic every six months so they can follow the progress of children to keep track of their health. The hope is that groups such as ours will return and visit the same school each time so the teams can develop a relationship with a specific school.

We were greeted with smiles, high fives, and excitement. We spent the first part of the day in an open field talking, high fiving, running, and simply sharing smiles with hundreds of kids. Even though we were different we were not met with fear but with curiosity and excitement. We even got the kids (and ourselves) to act a little bit goofy...

Then Eric and I went to four classrooms to give deworming medicine and helped with height and weight measurement for two of the classrooms. After getting the medicine the kids were given a sucker which they absolutely loved. The classrooms were not what we are used to. The classes were pretty big (around 50 per class) and met in rooms with open windows and dirt floors. It was a very eye opening experience. What I noticed that even with 100 kids in a room (there were two classes combined) that they were very well behaved. They were even asking for pictures and for us to play outside with them throughout the day.

After lunch, I helped with eye exams for adults and we were able to hand out reading glasses for those who needed them. Two instances in particular stood out. First, was a man who was not in need of glasses but was squinting because he needed sunglasses. We didn't have sunglasses, except as luck would have it we had one pair (in the right perscription) that we found about two minutes after the man left. I was able to find him and he came back and got the sunglasses that he needed. He was so grateful that he jogged with me back to the room to get them. And he had a look of pure joy on his face. Stanley got so excited when another man could see with his new glasses and excitedly jumped up and down saying it was "a miracle." Stanley does so much for the people of Kenya, he is the embodiment of that miracle for so many.

Between the eyeglass exams I was able to blow bubbles with the kids. It was great fun even though I was very quickly surrounded by 30-40 kids furiously trying to pop the bubbles. They really enjoyed and I enjoyed the excitement on their faces. It's amazing how something so simple that we sometimes take for granite can cause such excitement.

We were able to help people in need today and have a fun at the same time. It is a great program that has been well thought out by the Maua Methodist Hospital to go to six different schools every six months to track the health of the students and provide medical exams such as looking at blood pressure, testing for diabetes, and checking eyes for adults. The adults and children can follow up with the hospital and get the help that they need. I was glad that we could be a part of this medical clinic today and help so many people. I believe there were over 500 kids that were there and almost the same number of adults (but don't quote me on that). I just know that it was quite a few people.

My prayer for today is that we open our eyes and see the true spirit and nature of God. That God loves all children and all people no matter how different we are. And we are called to do the same. We have been given so much and we need to respond by giving of what we have. We can give hope to so many in the way we use all of our resources. I pray that we would do the best job that we can and use the gifts and resources we have been given to help others in need. Let us not forget that we are all God's children and we need to help one another despite any differences that we may have. Let us greet one another as children of God with excitement, wonder, and high fives.

I will have plenty of time to process what I have seen as we leave Kenya in a couple of days. Going back and looking at pictures, reading what others have posted and blogged about, and sharing what I have experienced will help me fully process the experiences of this pilgrimage. I truly have been blessed to be a blessing. Maybe that's what it's all about.

Blessings,
Kevin