It is hard to believe that today was our final clinic.  We approached the day with mixed feelings, sadness and relief.  Five of our group will venture on safari and the other five will head home to hug their families, catch up on their rest and to return to work.  Gail, Trish and I will spend an extra day so we can dispose of supplies that we have left over.  We also have been invited to tea at Sara’s house in Kisumu.  That will be a delightful experience to be sure.

The clinic today was busy and the church was very, very crowded and hot inside.  There was no rain until about 5:30 pm but we had already returned to Kakamega.  We treated 743 patients and there was no one left when we closed the doors.  A drunken man attended the clinic today wanting help with his addiction.  Rosalyn, one of Kenyan nurses, spent a lot of time with him calming him down and talking to him about his addiction and the effect it was having on his body and his family.  She did a super job.  I don’t know if Kenya has addiction programs but that is a question for tomorrow.

Tonight at dinner, Jerri, who has been with us for 5 years, gave a heartfelt thank you to us.  It brought tears to many eyes.  What a beautiful gift!   He told me earlier today that he was humbled that we would still travel to Kenya after the mall bombing.  Fred, the manager of the Sheywe, also stopped by to say thank you and gave us a beautiful cake that said ‘thank you, see you soon’.  So many people have said thank you over the past two weeks, but we also say thank you to the Kenyan people for the wonderful gifts of their gratitude, their smiles and the kindness they have shown us.  What a beautiful country and I will miss it and the Kenyan people everyday!  La La Salama!

Dawn