Dearest Friends and Family,

“To Infinity and Beyond!  Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

Our grandson, Ethan, just loved the movie, “Toy Story” and became a huge fan of Buzz Lightyear.  Recently his mom found a Buzz Lightyear costume at a garage sale for $.50.  Ethan loves the costume and recently when we talked to him he was so excited and in a loud, deep voice shouted, “To Infinity and Beyond.”  I have been thinking about that phrase since hearing him.  Trying to create our Strategic Plan, a document we pray will not sit in a cabinet to be pulled out to be given to our donors, but will actually guide Maua Methodist Hospital as to what we do over the next five years, feels a bit like trying for “infinity and beyond!

There are two events I will be sharing with you today.  On Friday, April 18^th, the Community Health Department had its annual AIDS Orphan’s Spring Fun Day.  I was so involved that day I only attended 3 – 4 minutes but thankfully Bill was in attendance so I can share pictures and stories.

The day began in the Chapel with singing, a sermon, games, and short lessons on different topics.  For the first time only the children had been invited.  The grandmothers and guardians will come alone in August.  There were over 350 children in attendance.  Due to numerous meetings, the children had to stay in the Chapel for all activities except tea and lunch. The children loved tea and drank big cups of tea (tea, milk and sugar) and ate 4 slices of bread. 

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Enjoying tea on the grass                                                                               Waving to YOU!

After tea they returned to the Chapel for more singing, worship, stories and testimonials.

For lunch the children met outside, with much laughing, eating and playing.  For lunch they had plates heaped high with rice with a small amount of beef, bananas for fruit, and Kenyan Kool-Aid for drink.

Enjoying their lunch in the sunshine                                      Notice the happy face sticker

Each child received at least one happy face sticker that they usually put somewhere on their face or body.  How they love the stickers.  They also received either a toy and/or a piece of clothing.  How did they like their day?  According to one of their leaders, many said it was the “Their best day of 2008!”

During their lunch time Bill lost the small camera memory card.  He looked but couldn’t find it anywhere.  It was an extra memory card we carry in the camera case so it was in a small plastic bag.  He asked some of the children if they had seen it but none had.  He figured with all the children in a small area, it was gone for good.  However, two boys found it and immediately returned it to Bill with huge smiles on their happy, proud faces.

On Friday – Sunday April 23^rd – 25^th, Bill and I were participants at a Strategic Planning Retreat held in Naro Moru with 22 other staff members.  The retreat was planned after receiving initial analysis provided by staff from all the units!  We had trained a group of 26 unit in-charges or representatives and then held a meeting with them on Friday April 18^th to have their help in determining the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities, Mission, Vision, and Values of the hospital by marrying what the Hospital Management Team had done with what the units had done.  Considering the number of people involved and the difficulty of merging ideas, we did well.  Then six persons were elected from the Unit Group to go with the Management Team and Facilitators to Naro Moru.

We were all planning to go in two vans, 12 each with luggage, but at the last minute it was decided that Bill and I would take our vehicle, and Dr. Claire Smithson and Barbara Dickinson would drive in their vehicle, thus giving more room for luggage and people.  Mary Gitari, Hospital Matron, and Rose Mutwiri, Sr. Nursing Officer In-charge of Outpatient Services, rode in our vehicle.  We had such a wonderful time with them talking, singing and laughing.  Though we stopped a few times, we were the first vehicle to arrive which allowed Bill and me to take a walk by the stream and see the beautiful flowers and birds.  That would be our only opportunity to walk and enjoy the beauty.

Everyone arrived by 11:30am and though our rooms were not available, we began work at 12noon.  We ate lunch, took tea in the morning and afternoon, and dinner but other than that we worked until 10pm.  I had thought we would finish the touching up of the Mission in minutes but the process took hours.  Our consultant did not arrive until around 5pm, though that didn’t stop us from working while waiting for his assistance.  He had a meeting in another town so left at 7:30pm to return on Saturday in the late morning.  After dinner we all chose our Key Areas.

Saturday and Sunday we started the day at 6:30am doing exercises to a 25 minute Yoga video in our meeting room.  We then dashed to shower, eat breakfast, and begin work at 8am.  On Saturday the group was divided into smaller groups to begin writing objectives.  Most found this extremely difficult and frustrating.

We had planned to play a game of soccer Saturday afternoon and have a party starting around 9:15pm that night.  However, we never found time for the soccer game and by 9:15pm every one was so tired, the party never happened.  The facilitators groups met with the consultant until 11:15pm to decide our way forward.  A group of 6 were chosen to write objectives; Bill and I were in that group, while the other 18 wrote activities for the objectives.  Our smaller group was able to write numerous objectives under our primary area, Service Delivery.  However, by the end of our session we had only completed one third of the objectives for that one area and we have 7 areas.

In our final session it was decided that a small group would continue to write objectives and persons from the relevant units would be called in to write activities.  Again, I am in the objective writing group.  We met from 11am – 5:30pm on Tuesday and next week we will work Mon. – Thurs. most of the day.  Meetings and other work has been postponed as our priority is the Strategic Plan.  It had been hoped we would have the plan by May 12^th but that is not possible so we are hoping to have it completed in 1 – 1 ½ months.

One of our participants, Mary Mukiri, became quite ill Friday evening.  She was running a temperature of 104^o, unable to eat or drink due to nausea, and complaining of severe pain in her abdomen and a headache.  Bill and I always carry malaria prophylactics with us so she was started on malaria medication as the doctor felt that was her problem.  The next day her temperature was down and she seemed better.  However, late that afternoon she began vomiting and her temperature went to 104^o again.  By Sunday, the pain in her abdomen had increased, her temperature remained elevated, and she was unable to take fluids due to continued nausea and vomiting.

Before our final session ended, Bill and I were asked to leave immediately to take Mary to our hospital ASAP.  At this point she was so weak she could barely walk.  Rose and Bill somehow got her to our vehicle and we gently laid her in the back seat with her head on Rose’s lap.  We then drove directly to the hospital, where she was immediately admitted to the Medical Ward and started on IV quinine as she tested positive for malaria.  We were so thankful we had taken our vehicle as Mary cried in pain every time we hit a bump.  Bill drove very carefully to reduce her pain.  Had she been in the back seat of a van, she would have experienced severe pain on the trip home.  Mary was discharged from the hospital late yesterday afternoon, Wed. 30 April.  We are all so thankful she did so well in the hospital.

Fun Days and Strategic Planning fill our days with renewed hope, hard work and long hours, and thanksgiving for children who can laugh in spite of the tragedies they face and staff that work tirelessly to improve the quality of our care and services.

Speaking of busy!  I try to write almost everyone who sends me an email.  However, I am finding that I have to continually increase the number of hours I work to accomplish my job.  Thus there just aren’t enough hours for me to answer emails.  We will always have time to read your emails as they are such an encouragement to us, but please understand I will not be able to answer all of them.  Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and love.  Please continue to pray for us as we strive for “Infinity and Beyond!!!!!”

In His grip,