Tuesday, July 4, 2006 Week 10 of 10 Garissa, Week 11 of 12 away from home - Nairobi

Final days for us.
After 17 days of return visits to various agencies, Monicah, our house girl, got her Identification Card which had been
refused her since she was 18 - she is now 25.
On Thursday Frank hosted 22 pastors at a ministerial fellowship luncheon. many prayers, much praising of the Lord, and
thankfulness for the wonderful Thursday meetings with one another over the last few weeks. Frank feels so encouraged
as this is the first real ministry work he has been capable of and enjoyed in over a year. They so encouraged him.

Whilst Frank was with his Pastors, Bobby 'stole' a patient from the local hospital - it was Paul's friend Barhlin from Dadaab
who had surgery, but they lost her file. Was able to get a discharge slip for a sum of money but they were not going to
let her go. After two hours, Bobby just marched her out and over to Simaho Clinic for assistance with much needed
medication and the promise of future care.
Thursday evening Bobby hosted eight preschool/primary teachers over a chicken supper, which was prepared literally
'from scratch' and all the women had a great time, with much laughter and rejoicing. Frank picked them all up in the Land
Rover and took them home again and he said they were like schoolgirls, giggling and telling jokes. These dear women
wrote a very heartfelt letter of thanks and presented Bobby with a purse of white straw. There was also, a very formal
letter of thanks from the headmaster for the Rev. and Ms. Bobby. We surely felt grateful for all they had done for us by
accepting us right into their midst and loving us as we served God together, teaching the children.

Friday was a day for visiting and saying goodbyes and packing most of our stuff a little early, just because it seemed the
thing to do. Just left the hand washing for Saturday so we would have the fewest dirty clothes with us. Paid the bills we
owed, tidied our filing and watched soccer.

Then came Saturday. Here is a bit of a puzzle for you:
S stands for, surely not. M stands for, mercy, please. O stands for, Oh No. K stands for, the kiss of doom. E stands for,
emergency. What is the word?
The last few days a fellow was chopping up old trees in the huge empty lot behind our compound. We were annoyed by
the noise of chop, chop, chop, but oh well. It was the precursor to disaster. In the early morning hours of Saturday he
dug an immense hole and as Bobby went out at noon to begin the hand washing, smoke began emerging from the mound
of dirt! He had started a 'charcoal pit' with all the wood he had chopped. Within five minutes, the house was full and
smoke and Frank and Bobby were racing to get Bobby into the Land Rover to evacuate. There was a reason for the early
packing! We checked into the Nomad Palace at an atrocious charge per night with no guarantee we could stay until
Monday morning when we were scheduled to leave on the bus. Bobby began doing the laundry in the teeny tiny bathroom
sink, hanging it up all over the room and Frank returned to the house to finish writing his sermon on the laptop. When he
had to leave, he could no longer see across the room and it turned out the flash stick would no longer work nor the
manual curser - the computer did not like the smoke either. When Frank got to the hotel after shoveling the last of the
loose stuff into garbage bags, he smelled like a fire fighter. It was terrible. Sunday morning we touched base at the house
again before church to say goodbye to our neighbours and the smoke was worse. The new baby next door was sneezing
and coughing, the eight-year-old lad across the way had burning, red eyes, which his mom was washing out with tepid
water. They were not so fortunate as us, to be able to move to an hotel. We were told it might take up to a week to
complete the process and have the smoke cleared. Frank had to preach from the laptop itself, which was definitely
unique in the very basic PAOG church. The service was very heartwarming in spite of the technology addition. Then off
to lunch at the Pastor's home for lunch, which was so appreciated. Returning to the hotel, where we had packed up in
case we had to find another refuge, we were told there was room at the inn. God had his hand on us all the time.

Monday the taxi driver had a breakdown, Frank had to flag down a passing cab and we arrived in time to get our luggage
in the hold of the bus rather than on the roof. It took nearly eight hours instead of six but we had a safe journey. Tucked
into our old friend the 'Oakwood Hotel' and began to unwind.

Have spent literally fifteen hours in the last four days trying to get the brochure and calendar for Simaho Clinic's 10th anniversary produced and printed on pink paper. The technology is so far behind our laptop that the entire time was
spent getting it reformatted and pictures transferred from what Bobby had generated and then searching out what
seems to be the only colour printing facility in downtown Nairobi! It is one which takes 50 seconds per sheet, and it is all
two-sided - they are still at it and these papers must leave with Bob Swann and the gang on Saturday. Frank was his
ever-patient self, encouraging and baby-sitting Bobby as she worked and worked with a wonderful technician and 'trying
very hard' staff at the printing shop. It will take about many hours to get it printed in total. Do not ask the cost - it is
horrific - if Bobby had only known before she offered; but it is going to make the people at Simaho Clinic happy.

Met with Paul to transfer information late Tuesday afternoon and shared supper with the family and two youth who are staying at the 'Carline Hostel'. Kelly and Bobby had a great chat and the others watched soccer.
Met Wednesday afternoon with Peninnah's father and brother and had a most wonderful visit. Talking about what 'if' we can return for her graduation but it certainly does not seem likely - the pollution in Nairobi is just dreadful.
Bought some gifts and have browsed the downtown - 'footing it' as the locals say.
Thursday saw six of the eight of the Team 06 arrive safely, with luggage, from Vancouver. Bob Swann, his wife Anne, daughter Sarah & husband John, Stephanie Paterson - nurse daughter of a good friend of ours from FBC and nurse, Stella Hansen whom we had not met previously although she is a long-time member of FBC. They were late leaving Dubai so quite late getting in. Tough when it has been nearly 30 hours without a bed. On Friday, Jill & Bryan Hammond, long-time friends from Broadmoor Church arrived to complete the Garissa Team. They were faring somewhat better as they arrived on time with all their luggage. God is good!

This is being typed our last day in Africa. We have sent Bob off with our SIM phone - he and Paul are the forerunners in the huge van to Garissa; the rest go on Super Coach at noon.
We meet Frank's RCMP friend and his wife for lunch today, have a snooze, check out of the hotel, go for supper then off to the airport and Dubai/London/Scotland - arriving in Edinburgh hopefully around suppertime Sunday. We will be there eight days, then home to Vancouver.

Frank here. Now that we are near the end of this mission and having been immersed in ministry outside of Canada for nearly three months, I don't in any way feel more holy, but rather, really grateful that the Lord has made me feel useful
at my age.
I continue to have great concern for my mom - she is now in Delta Hospital, Ladner - and am so very grateful for family
who have taken my place these last weeks in caring for her.
God willing we will see you all in the coming weeks upon our return. It has been a wonderful time. Thank you for praying,
for your continued prayers as we are homeward bound, and for bearing with us as we journalled our adventure.
In His Service
Bobby & Frank
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