african adventure...

i have so much to say and so little time to say it so try to keep up as im typing as fast as i can! The clinic has been running so well! i have loved the autonomy of assessing and diagnosing and prescribing meds, doing minor procedures, making decisions... and every day i feel a little more confident with it! our host mom was gone last week for a nutrition conference for developing countries and just got back this weekend! I didnt know this at first but she is actually a nurse too and runs the clinic year round! she is one of the hardest workers i have ever met with the biggest heart in the world! i have loved talking to her about her work our here and we have had wonderful conversation about the Lord and how incredible He is! She told me that when she met me she could tell something was different about my heart. she said that it was "juvulant" and she knew that i have a deep joy and was different other volunteers she had met! praise the Lord! i love knowing that He is shining through me even all the way out here in Maasai land! She told me that my name, Mayana, means the blessed one. I completely agree that this is perfect for me because i have never felt so blanketed in protection and love and just full of the Lord's peace!

ok now time for the adventure. on saturday two of the other volunteers and i decided to head into ngang which is the closest city to here. it is about an hour away and you have to call a motorcycle to come and get you because normal cars dont make it down the road very well out here! my friend Valarie and i hopped on one bike and Diogo hopped on the other and off we went! on the way out here it was pitch black so i have no idea what surrounded us but after a few minutes on the motorbike i found out that i am in the middle of the most beautiful mountains and countryside!!! oh my goodness! it literally took my breath away and I could not get over the feeling of "oh my goodness. im in africa." So about half way through our ride our driver turns back to me and says "see the giraffes??" my heart completely stopped because i have a crazy love for giraffes and seeing one in the wild was definitely on my list of things to do. He pointed to a few tiny specs that were peaking over the treetops. I was beyond excited just knowing that i was looking at giraffes even though i could barely see the little heads. he pulled over the bike and asked if i wanted a picture. I told him of course even though i was trying to figure out if anyone would believe me that there were giraffes in the picture and i looked up to see him walking into the trees. He motioned for us to follow him and said, "come. we will find them." AHHHHH!!!! i had so many butterflies in my stomach and i was literally jumping up and down and just completely freaking out that we were going to find them! after walking for a little ways and running into some huge thorn bushes, we found them! i was mesmerized. i was giggly as ever and just kept walking closer as they just stared at me straight in the eyes. they were beautiful. let me emphasize... beautiful. they were even larger that i expected them to be and when they ran it was this great long-legged awkward run that absolutely killed me. We took so many pictures and counted about 35 in the whole heard! we would get a little closer and they would just gently step back, so cautious but at the same time completely confident. right before we turned back to go to the motorbikes we had a crazy idea that we wanted to just run to them! Diogo and i were completely up for it and the bike drivers were probably thinking we were nuts, so.... we went for it!!! i attached the video for proof that yes, i actually chased a heard of giraffe in africa. thank you. what a perfect adventure! we finished out the wonderful day by having a BBQ at our host house with the meat we got in town. SO good!



I never knew the meaning of a "day of rest"until i spent a sunday afternoon in africa. The only thing on their agenda is "rest". literally. Im pretty sure that we did not lift a finger all day and we sat and talked the day away. it was so great to just get to know everyone a little better and to sit with maggie and hear her heart for her people. So neat! I decided i am going to try an raise a little money for a Doppler machine out here in the clinic. they dont have any way of knowing that they are pregnant until they are a few months along and they definitely dont have a way of monitoring the baby along the way. please let me know if you would be interested in donating just a couple dollars! Maggie, the host mom, said that she would LOVE it! She has lived here in maasai her whole life, besides the few years she went to nursing school, and she is the glue of the community.

The maasai are such a beautiful people group. they have a great since of community and are so great about sharing things and helping one another out selflessly. Something that is so fun for me to see is all of the women carrying the babies on their back. they just tie em up their with one of their sheets and walk around with them all day like that. I love it! today at the clinic we gave immunizations for all of the babies here in the area and it was just a taste of heaven for me. there were babies EVERYWHERE!!! it was so funny to see all of these maasai women lined up with their babies just chatting away and waiting for their turn. One thing that has been a little difficult to swallow is "kenyan time". They have very little concept of time and are always running late and just not in a hurry one bit. Today we had so many patients waiting outside for their turn and when lunch time came we were instructed to just drop what we were doing and come eat. I had a huge desire to just work through lunch and while we were enjoying our hour long lunch with a short nap time i was just dying to get back there! but... im learning. :)

We are still expecting a delivery and i am just on edge with excitement! I am so happy that Maggie is hear now and we can work together although she has promised me that i will be catching the baby when it comes and she will just be watching! :) i love it!

I wish i had time for more stories... i love hearing from each of you! Please continue to pray for safety and protection and continued joy from the Lord!

(great news! i talked to amanda and will be able to meet up with her on her birthday!!! ahhH! i cant wait to see my precious little cutie!)