Week two

We have now been in Siyiapei for a little over a week and we are finally starting to adjust to our new lifestyle here. We have met a lot of wonderful people in the community and have a lot of dates on our calendar for lunches and chai time with them! Yesterday we went to our dear friend, Lucy’s, house for lunch. Her home is very quaint with a beautiful blue front door. Her son, Henry, and her daughter, Eva, joined us for lunch as well. They were all so welcoming and kind, as many people are here. She made us the yummiest lunch we’ve had since we have been here--stew with beans, potatoes, and corn. Sounds simple, but it was absolutely delectable! :) We are looking forward to having her in our home on Thursday for chai!

Over the weekend Orpha (the nurse at the clinic) taught us how to make chapatti which is kind of like a thick, bready tortilla, but much more tasty. We are happy to announce that we are blessed with hot water now in our house! This make showering much more pleasant :) The power has gone out during the day a few times, but thankfully it always seems to turn back on right before sunset…when we need it most! We have successfully completed a few loads of laundry by hand and are getting better with each attempt!

As each day passes in the clinic, we are gaining insight into a variety of health problems that we are unlikely to see in America. It is amazing to watch how they treat these problems with the limited amount of resources and drugs that they have in the clinic. We are struck by how blessed we truly are with the healthcare that is at our fingertips back home. One story that has touched our hearts is of a 2-year-old boy who accidentally stuck his forearm into a scalding hot pot of chai. His mother brought him in last week and they have returned twice since then for follow up treatment. It was pretty hard to watch Orpha clean the burn as he shrieked in pain the whole time. On Monday this week we found that the healing skin was infected and had to be removed, which was also extremely hard to watch. The mother remained calm and was great at soothing her child who was in such terrible pain. She was very thankful to receive this medical care.

This week we have also had the opportunity to converse with several patients as well as pray with and for some of them. We are praying for opportunities to share the gospel with people while we are here. We have really enjoyed getting to know each other more, sharing what is on our hearts and minds with each other, and growing as sisters in Jesus Christ. We anxiously await the arrival of our fourth team member, Ashley (***IF YOU’RE READING THIS PLEASE BRING US GOOD DISH TOWELS AND CHOCOLATE!!!***), next Monday!!!

Little boy with burned arm

Maasai man with his two wives

Making chapati!

Lucy's family in front of their house

Love to you all,

Alyssa & the Siyiapei girls