Kapsowar Hospital

People keep asking my favorite part of the trip to Kenya, but each thing we did was so special. If I had to pick only one part of the trip to do again, it would be the time we spent at Nina's home on the mission station and work at the hospital. The mission hospital in Kapsowar was such a wonderful environment - staff who work together to serve the Lord and His people. It was such an encouraging place to be.

Each morning, the missionaries start their day praying together and debriefing on station. On Wednesdays, the entire hospital staff meets together for a chapel service. I wish I would have gotten video of the singing - I would love to hear that every Wednesday morning. Every surgery begins by praying with the patient. While this hospital might be lacking the technology available to us, there certainly is no shortage of compassion.

This mama is pregnant with twins. 

Christina rounding on a c-section patient

This baby boy is wearing some of Edison's baby clothes that we took over with us. 

I love this view of the women's surgical ward. 

This mama has a hurt foot (not sure the details). She was feeding her son when I intruded with my camera. 

A mama with her premature baby

Nina and me before the c-section

One of the many scenic views around the hospital

This is the baby that I watched be born via c-section

Before c-section

Happy birthday baby boy!

Premature babies in Kapsowar face great challenges without the technology that we have available to us here. This sweet, little girl breathed as long as she could but got tired and died. She was a twin and her sister preceded her in death. They were approx. 27 weeks. Perfectly formed and beautiful - they just needed a little more time in the womb. 

I watched this baby boy come into the world. Happy birthday baby. 

These two babies are not siblings but share an isolette while they fight for their lives. The baby on the right is the twin from the previous picture. 

Kapsowar, Kenya: one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I know I went a little heavy on the scenery pics but everything was so 

beautiful that I could hardly help myself. I kept wondering if the Kenyans realized how beautiful their landscape is. 

Cows (maybe not beautiful but quintessential Kapsowar)

The walk to Ednah's (Christina's house-helper and friend). She hosted us for dinner one evening.

A closer view of the same farm. See the mama with the baby on her back?

Nina and Vi with the beautiful scenery

Ednah and family

Ednah's kitchen. This is her oven/stove. She has to rebuild it every 5-7 days. Her home is made from mud and cow dung. The manure helps to make it solid and waterproof.

Ednah's dairy cow

Vi milking the cow

Beautiful Kapsowar scenery 

Boys taking their animals to graze 

I couldn't take enough photos of the patchwork hillsides 

Nina and Vi on our walk down to the river 

Vi and I in front of the river

Nina and Vi picnicking by the river 

Panning for gold 

More cows

Vi asked if the cows had different sized legs to be able to graze on the hills. 

The locals thought it was entertaining to watch the "mzungu" (white folks) climb the hill

So beautiful 

Mowing with a "panga" (machete)

Christina's House and Kapsowar Mission Station

Our family was blessed with an opportunity for Violet and I to travel to Kenya to visit our dear friend, Christina. The following photos show our time spent at her home in Kapsowar.

This view is from Christina's back porch

The walk to Nina's house

Violet playing with a missionary family and local children

Being kids

The tree pictured here is a poinsettia 

It took me a week and some help from Beth B. to figure out that this was an agave plant.

A very fun tree in Christina's front yard

Vi putting up Nina's Christmas tree

The kids coloring on Nina's back porch

Christina's backyard

Christina's "shamba" (garden)