Our Final Week in Siyiapei

Our final week was one filled with many amazing moments, where we would try to simply take in every thought, scent, sight, and sound, in hopes of not forgetting a detail. We had the opportunity to visit for the last time the homes of our close friends Orpha, Fred, Pastor Jimmy (Pasi), Nelson and his family, Pastor Kinayo and his wife and grandchildren, Derek, and Limet. Their stories and the well wishes they bestowed on us often inspired and brought us to tears. The clinic along with the AIC church we have been involved with, invited members of the community and church to a giant feast and thanks ceremony for us. They slaughtered a goat, made some delicous side dishes and a cabbage mixture flavored with the intestines and stomach of our goat. They gave us some bottled sodas, before saying words of encouragement, giving testimonies, singing Maasai and Swahili hyms with us, and praying over us.

Earlier in the week we spent the day at the Narok District Hospital, in the center of the nearest town to Siyiapei. We arrived early in the morning in time to join the students and interns for rounds with the attending physician. We got to see and hear so many of the patients cases and treatment, learning so much! It was a great taste of what medicine is like in a larger hospital in Kenya. Afterward, we spent our afternoon in maternity where we witnessed our first birth in Kenya! It was incredible. On our way back into town to catch a matatu home, we were met by four Maasai women we had never met, who ran up to us with giant smiles and circling arms for hugs, asking us where we were coming from, our names, and telling us who they were. They held our hands and enlocked elbows with us, walking with us until we had to part ways, giving us hugs and kisses goodbye, so filled with joy we thought they would pop. Their laughter was contagious and we felt so blessed by them!

We visited the AIC Childrens Home one morning this week where we were greeted by 21 curious faces, some of which were farmiliar from seeing them at the clinic or in the community. They each introduced themselves, said a different Bible verse, and then all sang and danced Maasai and Swahili songs for us! We sang and danced two for them and then encouraged them in Jesus and prayed together before taking some funny pictures and hugging and waving goodbye. We fell in love with them instantly and wished we had the chance to come again.

After spending our last day with our two best friends Fred and Orpha in town and having them over to our house for chai, we cleaned up our house and packed all of our things together in preparation for the morning. We had planned a short visit to the Maasai Mara before heading back to Nariobi, so early Sunday morning we said our final goodbyes, and met our Saphari driver outside! The Maasai Mara was all that we could have hoped for, mesmerizing us and reflecting the fingerprint of God in every sense. We saw a male Lion, girraffe, gazelle, and wildebeaste even before entering the park, and along the way learned the 6 reasons a Saphari van will stop: 1) Bumps 2)To use binoculars to look for animals 3)when animals occupy the road 4)to greet other Saphari vans (typically filled with chinese people bearing huge lensed cameras) 5) when one of us has to use the bathroom (aka big thorny bush) and 6)when we have to retrieve a piece of the van that falls off on the side of the road. But really, we all agreed that this was one of the best experiences of a lifetime and were so excited and thankful to have been given that opportunity! We stayed the night in an amazing tented camp and after a morning drive at the Mara, left for Nairobi.

Our Short-term coordinator PJ and his wife Emily welcomed us into thier home in Nairobi where we will be staying the next two nights for debrief. We will be flying out Wednesday evening, heading back to the AIM home office before all saying goodbye and going our separate ways to each of our families. We miss them a lot!

It has been amazing to see all that God has done in and through each of us during our trip this summer. We have learned so many things and made relationships that we will forever hold on to. God has been faithful in every aspect, often blowing our socks off in the wonder of who He is and how He is working among His people all across the nations. We want to thank from the bottom of our hearts those who have been praying and supporting us every step of the way. There were so many times where we could honestly feel the prayers of Gods people working on our behalf. What an honor to be a part of Gods hands with you, following His example as we go therefore and do likewise.