Glorious Victory Academy Clinic,.... a good day?

Well the announcements were made, ...the guy with the bull horn and motor scooter made his appointed rounds on a Friday afternoon. Four villages, north of Mombasa, Kenya,..Barani, Kanamai, Majengo and Porrini,.. were his areas. The medical camp was coming, 10:00 Saturday morning until 4 in the afternoon. He didn't say until the last patient was seen, because then we knew, we could be there all night (literally). But they came, mostly parents bringing sick children, some adults, but mostly children. They came,.. all 165 of them... iron deficiency anemias, upper respiratory infections, a lot of skin infections, eye infections, urinary tract infections,... they came and stayed, all of them, in the hot, humid area of this free medical camp set up by visitors from the U.S.,... a medical camp set up for those in these villages who don't see Doctors, either because they can't afford to see a Doctor or because getting to the Doctor is much too far and with a 15 or 20 kenya shilling Matatu ride out of their economic reach, access is a major problem. And so they came, with inquinal hernias, some malaria, many middle ear infections, one perforated ear drum,one schistosomiasis, and several ulcers in adults. They came because they were sick and needed care,... several patients were there who had prescriptions from governmental dispensaries, but they had no money. We treated them and provided similar medication, free of charge. Some were there because of visual difficulties,... had glasses before, .....broke them needed more,... we referred them. One patient who is HIV positive that I've been following for the past few years whose son is also HIV positive, ... both are doing well, maintaining medication regimens and visit schedules. It was a full day at what has turned into an annual event, this Glorious Victory Academy Medical Camp. The one where you can get medical examination, medication, treatment with dignity delivered with love,... and its free,... you know, ...sort of like salvation. But if people are hurting, its hard to get them to care about the saving grace of Christianity. So this clinic tries to ease their suffering with touch and care as well as examination and medicine.

Dr. Stephen Muhudhia, a close friend who often works these clinics with us, saw many of the patients. Whenever we're organizing the clinics, Dr. Steve, a pediatrician quickly agrees to assist and join in the planning. He describes the iron deficiency anemia he sees on this day,.. iron deficiany anemia caused by malnutrition. For those of us from the U.S., Steve talks about geophagia, the craving for soil, that our bodies begin to develop in situations of malnutrition. We listen and learn intently as he relates the stories he's heard,.. to us, alien stories,.. about children who literally eat dirt because they crave to do so as a result of malnutrition. We're learning, we're learning the sadness of existence in these four villages, where there is a scarity of clean drinking water, where mothers must decide which child is fed today. This is the world we're treating today.

The pharmacy students, soon to be Drs. Nguyen and Cheam, are learning too. This world is far
from the classroom they've habitated for the last six years, far even from the Native American reservations and other places of need where they've served during their recently past year of clinical rotations. But these Doctoral Candidates have sought a different plane of practice. Theirs is a mission of service to those who have severe health needs. Their vision is expanding on a daily basis, these health care professionals whose dedication to caring is becoming limitless. For me, it has been a priviledge to witness. Whereever they choose to practice, they will do so combining their professional knowledge with love and compassion. In this clinic, they operated the pharmacy under the supersion of my good friend Simon Tunje, the pharmaceutical technologist with whom I've worked for the past two years. Simon's participation in these clinics is critical since it allows me the freedom to consult with the school administration and others concerning health and educational issues pertaining to the general community.

So you could say yesterday was a good day,... we saw 165 patients, counselled many more on various life issues, distributed mosquito nets, trained pharmacy students and continued relationships within four area villages. Energized by the work, yes, you could say it was a good day. But good for whom... We get to feel good about ourselves, we who do a medical camp here once a year,.. we who get to see a Doctor whenever we want,.. we who get to go home to the U.S. Was this a good day for the many who suffer daily from malnutrition? Was this a good day for the mother who told me her daughter would like to transfer to another secondary school but can't for lack of school fees, or the mother whose mud dwelling that had been three rooms is now one room because of the severe rains. While our organization (Bibles, Books and Shovels) has an ongoing relationship with these communities, people continue to have daily struggles, but nonetheless seek good days. So we dispense our medicines, examine our patients and try to infuse some "goodness" into this day. But can we really? In an area where many days just aren't so good?

Steve Muhudhia once told me that those who think they're dispensing pills and cough syrups only, are missing the point. Dr. Muhudhia, a Kenyan well familiar with medical outreach ministries, explained that when medicines are brought and patients are seen and cared for with love, kindness and compassion, along the pills and cough syrup, is a giant dose of hope and knowledge, ...knowledge that there is someone who cares, hope that perhaps the children can aspire to a better life, hope that, although governments may not care or provide basic needs for their citizens, there are those who do (care), and will hold the governments accountable, even as they are dispensing pills and cough syrups.

John the Baptist, while in prison, enduring his own suffering that didn't feel so good, and knowing of others' continued struggles,..sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one they had been waiting for,.. was He, in fact, the Christ,.. Jesus replied, ...you go tell John that the lame walk, the blind see, the good news has been preached to the poor..... I think he may have been saying that, yes, suffering still exists, and will continue to exist, but now there is a sense of hope because they've seen and heard the good news of physical and spiritual healing through compassion and love. Whatever it is that we do, our call is to be that good news, through our actions, as well as our words. If we do that, then everyone may be able to say "Yes, this has been a good day".