My dear friend Liz was unbelievable sick with some
mysterious intestinal problems that where causing her severe pain in her
abdomen. The decision was made to
drive 2 hours to the Kisumu Airport, fly to Nairobi, then drive another 2 hours
to Kijabe Missionary Hospital. It
is arguably the best hospital in East Africa and has many western doctors. I decided to go as well, not only to be
a support to her, but also as a precaution in case my typhoid wasn’t getting
better.
We set off on our journey and all I could think about was a
cup of coffee. We left at 5 am and
most of you know I am NOT a morning person. I jokingly said to Michelle, “If God loves me He will give
me coffee today.� We arrived at
the airport 2 hours later and after checking in were told there was free
breakfast on the patio. Sure
enough there was coffee waiting for me that was served by the sweetest young
girl whose smile radiated joy from ear to ear. I was feeling about 80% healthy which was a HUGE step up
from my state the day before and while sitting in the sun on the patio drinking
my coffee I couldn’t help but revel in the fact that God loves us enough to
take care of the smallest details.
The day was beautiful and for the first time in days we had hope that
everything would work out. Liz was
on her way to good medical care, I was finally feeling better, and we had
COFFEE!!! No more 1 am emergency
hospital runs, no more unanswered medical questions, no more decisions to
make. We had a plan and it was
good.
Then Liz comes running out of the airport in a panic
yelling, “our plane is about to leave. We have to go NOW!� We raced out to the
airstrip and watched our plane take off without us. Tears welled up in Liz’s eyes, knowing medical care would be
further off than we previously expected.
We were rescheduled to a later flight and went back out to the patio
feeling aweful that our love for coffee would make Liz’s discomfort longer.
The same bright smiled girl came out and began to talk to
us, asking if we wanted more coffee.
We began to talk to her and a little whisper from God prompted Michelle
to ask this young girl about her mother.
Before we knew it she was sitting at our table, tears steaming down her
face as she told us her story and gave us her heart. Florence had been orphaned at a young age and now lives with
her uncle in a very poor and unsafe area.
She would like to go to a university but has to pay for her sisters’
secondary school fees instead. Her
Mom loved God so much and was the one who taught her about Him at a young
age. Florence hopes that she live
her life with the love for God that her mother did. She loves the Lord with a passion that is contagious and His
joy bursts out of her from the depths of her soul. Her ability to praise God with a genuine heart in the midst
of the “junk� was astounding to me.
She has a passion for God’s word and learning more about Him. This amazing young woman has a beautiful
soul. Over the next few
hours we laughed, cried, prayed, shared scripture, and encouraged each
other. It was a beautiful picture
of what church is supposed to look like, the kind that isn’t contained within
four walls on Sunday.
Some people might say she is the reason we missed our
flight. It was definitely a divine
appointment. Others might say the
God uses our mistakes for His glory.
Either way makes no difference to me. All I know is this, that morning I felt the presence of my
amazing God through conversation with my Kenyan sister over a few glorious cups
of coffee.
*** Part 3
of our hospital saga will pick up at Kijabe Hospital in the Rift Valley! Keep reading to hear more of the crazy
few days I had! ***
