Going Home

Elijah, Enoch and Ezra

Happy Sunday afternoon!  We went to church this morning and let me just say that church goes on much longer here  than at First Presbyterian, Wilmington North Carolina!  Wonderful praise music in Swahili and in English as well as some of the old hymns like Blessed Assurance!  The sermon was taken from Colossians and centered on anger, controlling our tongues, malice, and lying .  Good lessons for me and for everyone in this world no matter where you live! 

This afternoon we are meeting with a young man that we have taken an interest in over the years.   He is trying to earn enough money to pay for his lodging while pursing a certificate in IT.  We have promised to help him with tuition if he can raise support for living expenses.  This is not easy to do as wages are very low.  Also culturally you are obligated to help your family or your neighbor if you have available money.   So for example, if you have a family member who needs help paying a hospital bill you must help with the bill and begin saving again.  This is a wonderful thing but it often makes it difficult to save for things like school. 

Friday turned into a fun day.  First of all the Mom of twins came back for her one week check up with Louis and Lewis!  They are doing great and  growing!  That was fun to see and also to meet her husband who came with her.  Wonderful to meet an involved father; something we do not always see as the women often come great distances to the hospital.

Louis & Lewis

The second thing that happened was that the smallest triplet received a discharge weight by 3 PM  o’clock on Friday.  Very eager to go home after a month in the hospital,  Mom quickly called Dad and he arrived to pick them up at 5:30.  We dressed Enoch, Ezra, and Elijah  in cute  clothes, their knitted caps, and swaddled them in many blankets for the hour and some ride home.  It was a parade going out the main gate of the hospital with Mom, the “other batiem”, (grandma), and me each  carrying a baby with Dad following behind with the luggage!   Dad haggled with matatu drivers for the best rate and when that was settled they climbed into a small station wagon.  In typical grandmotherly fashion I cautioned the driver to drive safely as he had precious cargo.  I began waving goodbye and could not understand why he wasn’t leaving.  It turned out that he was bargaining for more passengers.  He put a woman in the front and then opened the back gate to load two more women.  Finally he started the engine and they were off!  Oh how I wondered how that first night went!  Did she have time to boil the river water to make  clean formula when she got home, where did they all sleep, and other myriad questions!  She is a wonderful Mom and so I know that she handled it well but triplets are a lot of work especially when you also have Joy age11, Faith age 9, Rehema age 5, and Blessing age 3, eager to greet you as well!  Maybe I will call her in a few days and find out how things are going!  I will let you know! (by the way she has informed me that her family is compete!)

On Friday, I passed out the colorful  knitted caps lovingly made by the women of First Presbyterian.  The Moms are always shocked that these are gifts and not something they have to pay for!   It is truly a gift of love and appreciated!   I know that many women have probably never received a gift in their lives!  I love telling them that they are made by Christian sisters in the US.

Tomorrow is a big day as our family arrives!  Bill, our son, and his family, Penny, Mimi, and Preston as well as our daughter Betsy and a friend , TR Goins, will get here in the early afternoon.  Pray that they have safe travel and that their time here is meaningful and productive.  Also pray for Nana as I will be responsible for doing homework (including math!) with the grandchildren!:):)

Till next time, lots of love from Kenya,

Miriam