One More Important Stop, Kenya 2020

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Kenya 2020 Day 5

We finished the week again with home visits and a trip to the school for special needs children. The teams saw several older patients that had heart issues and will need medication and follow up.

Pray for James

We were also able to follow up with James from a few years ago who has a brain tumor of some sort. He recently had a brain biopsy and is waiting for results. It has been hard waiting for the results and not knowing if he will be able to work and support his family in the future. Please continue to pray for him for peace and provision.

Pray for this lively woman

I was able to go to the home with a 98 year old woman who has rheumatoid arthritis. She was lively. Spunky and funny she was telling us how to clean he wounds and wrap her joints. I hope I have half her energy at her age.

Pray for all the youth

The cheerful special home once again welcomed us with open arms. We saw several of the youth and were able to spend time playing. It was gratifying to see the water project that several of you donated to in full function.

 

Again it was a day to recount God’s faithfulness. Thanks for following along during the week.

 

Read about Day 4 here.

Last Day of Clinic, Kenya 2020

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We had a very productive day. Saw a lot of adults today and had a woman that we think was septic and went to the hospital and a baby with bronchiolitis who also went to the hospital.

Caring for others

Today I was struck by how much care a group of people can give when you let them have time to do what they love to do. We saw over 200 people and I think they all felt listened to and cared for.

God has been gracious

The goal was to do what we could for the patient and it worked wonderfully. God has been gracious this trip allowing us to have a wealth of knowledge that we could all share. It never ceases to amaze me how being present in the moment can change our care interactions.
Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. God truly multiplied our time and energy.

Kenya, Day 3, 2020 – Smiles and Strength at the Orphanage

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The Orphanage

We spent the day at a school/orphanage that hosted clinic for 2 days. It was established by a widowed mother that desired to help other women is similar situations and children without families.

A Plan For Care

One of the students we met last year. They have a degenerative neurologic disease and have lost the use of their legs from it. We were able to see this child with their mother this year and come up with a plan to approach their care.

Smiles and Strength

Everyone that interacted with them was blown away by their smiles and strength. We feel grateful to be able to be a small part of these types of stories and it makes us grateful for the shower of riches we have in the US when it comes to healthcare. Thank you for praying for us and please pray for the mother and child.
Read about Day 1 and Day 2 here.

Kenya, Day 2, 2020 – A Lovely Day

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It was a lovely day. We clicked as a team and were able to accomplish a lot. The need for medical care was readily apparent again.

Prayers for Peace

James, a young man with a brain lesion who we have know for several years, was in clinic again. He recently had a brain biopsy and has a complication from the IV. Trying to arrange care here is just as difficult if not more so then in the US. We are praying for good biopsy results and healing but it has been a long road for him. Please pray for peace for him.

We also saw a man today who has an untreated fully displaced arm fracture. It happened 6 months ago and he has lived with it since then. We are going to work with some of the local supporting doctors to try to find someone to see him. Please pray for direction for him and us.

Prayers for Wisdom and Strength

As always the need is overwhelming but the people we are interacting with are wonderful and so hospitable. Please pray for wisdom and strength for us as we meet these lovely people God has for us.

Dr. Lara Yoblonski

Kenya, Africa

Day 2 Kenya 2020

Kenya, Day 1 2020 – A Land of Contradictions

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Africa – A Land of Contradictions

Africa is a wonderful place full of contradictions. Lush beautiful landscape but not enough food for some. Sweet hospitable hearts but such a lack for care for those Same hearts. Today was about those contradictions.

We come hoping

We come hoping to help but sometimes it feels like we are placing a band aid on a much larger problem.

  • A man in his 30s who has vision problems from a car accident who can’t get glasses due to lack of funds.
  • A man with a low oxygen level and a heart rhythm disturbance that we can’t do anything for except get him to the hospital.
  • On the other hand we saw a lovely young lady with a spine disease that prevents her from walking and her mother only came for a rash treatment. Her mom has been able to get her in a school for special needs children and has managed to meet all her medical needs.

It is hard knowing which is the one to focus on. So for the former we will pray for provision and the latter we will give thanks.

We are thankful

The day went well and for this we were thankful also. Please keep us in your prayers and pray for this community that God will show himself to them and provide for their needs.

We will continue to try being present while present with those God brings our way.

Dr. Lara Yoblonski

Kenya, Africa

 

Kudvumisa Clinic – Day 3 Eswatini

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We were in the Kudvumisa Clinic today which is lovely and very practical.

We ended up having a very busy day with a lot of different illnesses. We also were able to see some kids from a children’s home for orphans.

It was started several years back and have raised 8 children. They came in a little scared about a visit to the doctor but by the end were laughing and smiling. There lovely smiles are a testament to what people stepping in the gap to help can do. They picked up the gauntlet after parents were no longer there to carry it.

Now we have these fresh faces ready to take on the world and love Jesus.

Read more from prior days.

– Dr. Lara Yoblonski

Eswatini Day 2

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Today was another good day. We saw about 180 patients.

What I learned today

I learned 2 people on the team know sign language.  I learned this because we had a wonderful patient with a great smile. She had 4 children her husband had died and she has HIV and TB. And to top it off one of the medications she was on for the TB had made her deaf. She was telling us about her current medical issues and kept smiling. Turns out someone in clinic had prayed for her and talked about Jesus and that had made her day.

It was a great reminder for me to keep the focus in the right place.

– Dr. Lara Yoblonski

We Are Seeing Gods Work – Day 1 Eswatini

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We are here in Swazi and doing well.

First Day

First day of clinic was busy with most of the team being new to our clinic system. The day went smoothly except for me misreading the time and being an hour ahead all day?!

What Stands Out

The story the struck me was from pharmacy. I was walking by Ana heard Teresa our host say “the 11 year old is taking care of all of them?” Upon further investigation there were 4 children 11 years old and younger that were there alone because their mother is reportedly paralyzed. Needless to say we were all moved.

Looking Forward

We have set up a home visit for Tues to assess the situation. I will update the story later in the week. We are seeing God work. Please keep praying for His will and protection.

 

– Dr. Lara Yoblonski

One Week After Returning Home

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I have a lot of thoughts about Kenya this past week.  The people we met and the promises we made.  The things God showed us and the ways He answered prayer.   I thought you would be interested to hear some of the ways God worked.

First, due to some generous donations we were able to provide the Cheerful Special Home with new water pipes and new beds. We were also able to connect the home with some physicians and social workers in Kenya that should be able to help them get increased services and medical care for the youth that live there.

Second,  some of you may remember I mentioned in a blog about a special needs child whose family needed help with school tuition to provide him with the care he needs.  Another kind family has stepped up to fulfill this need.

Third, the baby who came and was having seizures in clinic one day is still in the hospital but is doing well.  They will have the support of the Kenyan physician who worked with us and Nancy our wonderful follow up nurse.  Kay West and Nancy were able to visit the mother and baby in the hospital and prayed with them.

The gentleman with elephantiasis was admitted to the hospital and is being cared for.

God was so faithful in meeting the needs we saw.  I know there are so many more that we didn’t know about that He will continue to meet.

Please continue to pray for the people of Kenya especially those we were able to interact with.  Please also pray for the Kenyan church through Summit Ministry who will be reaching out to those they met and offering support and community.

It is a wonderful thing to see how God uses his church across the world.  Thank you for being a part of it.

– Written by Dr.  Lara Yoblonski as she shares her stories from Kenya.

 

 

Day 4 – The Last Day of Clinic

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Today was the last day of clinic for our 2019 Kenya medical mission trip.
Today we saw some wonderful elder community members.  One particular woman was bent in half at the hips and using a cane to walk. After Dr. David examines her he found a large amount of water on her knee. She also had significant hip pain on the same side from the way she had been walking.
Dr. David was able to drain the fluid and give her significant pain and ambulation relief. She was so happy as soon as she was helped off the table she smiled and said thank you with a huge smile.
We aren’t able to fix everything for these sweet people but sometimes we can make it a little better.
I have had several people on the team tell me how much the Kenyans have thanked them. It is such a pleasure to be here.
Written by Dr.  Lara Yoblonski as she shares her stories from Kenya.
final day