Patience For The Patient

Thursday was probably the worst day I’ve had here yet. I traveled alone to Nairobi West Hospital to see the specific doctor to whom I was referred. I was supposed to see her between nine and ten in the morning and the hospital administration kept telling me that the doctor was on her way from another hospital. I sat in the waiting room for over four hours before I was told that the doctor was not coming. I was really disappointed since I had to go through a lot to get there and I was hoping for nothing more than a solution to this leg pain. I was told that I could come back on Saturday at nine and meet with the doctor, so I gave them another chance… only to be disappointed again. After traveling all the way from Athi River again, the doctor wasn’t there, so I left.

I decided to go downtown to the University of Nairobi to relax and watch the guy’s soccer game. On the way there I asked a man a question about directions to the campus. It turned out that he was also headed there, so we walked together. After a horrible start to the morning it nice to talk with Bernard. Raised Muslim, at the age of 18 he became a Christian, a conversion that is almost unheard of. He now has a small church in the slums of Kibera and he runs a Christian school in a Muslim Somali community on the other side of Nairobi. He told me about the challenges of the school, the progress church and about his young family. We exchanged contact information and he invited me for a visit some time. What a blessing.

I’m just around campus now, getting ready for another week of classes. I talked with one of the soccer captains and he suggested a different hospital for me to go to in Nairobi, which is very nice and actually treats their patients well. I’ll go there on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Hope all is well back at home. Stay in touch. Peace and love.