The Memories
The Safari Crew (Cindy, Sarah, Aaron, Ginnie, David, Jananne and me)
As I approach my last week here at Tenwek Hospital, I can’t help but reflect on my time here — the successes, challenges, blessings, miracles, deaths, lives saved, sleepless nights, friendships, and learning experiences. As I type this email, I feel as though the energy I arrived with on July 7th has been overshadowed by emotional and physical fatigue. The long on-call days and nights and unparalleled magnitude of witnessed deaths have taken their toll. Yet the sense of fulfillment that I’m leaving with cannot be compared to any other work experience I’ve had. It’s an amazing feeling to know that my daily work, prayers, and time are making a difference in people’s lives and to be able to see the fruits of my labor.
I was recently asked what the most memorable part of my experience has been. It didn’t take much thought to say, “the people.” The patients, long term missionaries, staff, and visiting medical students and physicians from across the world have my time priceless and have been permanently etched into my heart.
The people and staff native to this area welcomed me with open arms into their county and their homes. They shared their life stories, taught me some of the language, and treated me as family. I shared many laughs with interns on the wards, particularly Ronald, Hillary, Zahura, and Evans. The moments before rounds when I would drink chai and eat Mendazi’s (fried dough similar to donuts) with them or with the endoscopy suite staff (Reuben, David, Benard, and Robert) were invaluable. It was at those times that I learned the most about Kenyan culture.
Almost equally memorable are the meals and bible study time spent in fellowship with the long term missionary staff. These people have sacrificed some of the comforts of practicing medicine and surgery in the states, to devote their lives and those of their family to spreading the gospel and ministering to the people of Kenya through medicine. They have fostered an environment of faith and holiness here at Tenwek.
The most memorable people; however, have been those with whom I’ve spent the majority of my free time — namely, the guesthouse visiting staff and students, Patti Wamuyu, and Stephen Leimgruber.
Frank's birthday party in the guesthouse kitchen
The guesthouse is filled with people from all walks of life in the states and abroad, but who all have a common mission in being here. We have easily become friends and will likely remain so for a long time to come. Aaron, a surgery resident and future cardiothoracic surgeon who created this blog, and I bonded early during his stay here given our similar sense of humor. When he and his wife left, the guesthouse was never the same. Dave and Naomi were selfless in sharing their snacks and movies with me. Frank, a German medical student, and I got into an hour long discussion about relationships on his first day here. We became acquainted through our similar experiences of long distance relationships which would often be the topic of our conversations. Melissa and Jeff, newlywed medical students at VCU, were quite entertaining and gave me a new perspective on marriage. John, a medical student from Alabama, and I had many intense racquetball games and often exchanged jokes, particularly about the German’s obsession with David Hasselhoff, as we learned from an “E! True Hollywood Story.” The German medical students adamantly denied this though.
Patti, me and Mike
Nonetheless, my closest friends have been Patti and Stephen, two of the most generous, humorous, spiritual, and cool people I know. On any given evening, Stephen and I could be found at Patti’s house, eating her food, watching her TV, or both. We talked about any and everything. Nothing was off limits. They have been like my brother and sister and I will miss them dearly.
But brother is not the only name and role that I have adopted since being here. I have been called “doctarie” by the natives (as Swahili for doctor), “that cool doctor” by some of the interns, and a “prayer warrior” by one of the visiting staff.
Overall, this has been an unreal and blessed experience, and hopefully the first of many mission trips. Nonetheless, I’m ready to come home. I can’t wait to see family, friends, and undoubtedly Brittney. Communication via Skype has been fun, but I can’t wait to share my experiences and joy in person. Thank you all for your prayers and support. May God bless you.
Peace and blessings,
Darrell
