Sew Happy

For the past two weeks or so, our team has been back in Kijabe, getting used to the ministry here.  We still have one more tribe to go to on Thursday for two weeks, but until then we will be working in the hospital.  We didn't really know what to expect when we went to the hospital the first day, and while we were sitting in the Chaplain's office the only thing we really got was that we would be evangelizing to patients without a translator.  Sounds…fun.  

We split off into teams and went to our assigned corridors.  I was lucky enough to be placed in the kitchen, and so we began our day.  Grayson, Jesse, and I walked to the kitchen and got our cute little aprons (which looked great on the two boys, might I say) and got the carts ready to take Chai to the patients.  The lady I was working with was named Snowrinnah.  Our route included the pediatric, maternity, and newborn wards, which was wonderful!  I saw so many babies in the midst of pouring Chai and porridge.  The people were nice for the most part, and I really bonded with Snowrinnah.  By the end of the morning I already had an invite to come to her house and meet her two adopted children.  Here's a little bit of Snowrinnah's story:

Snow is a dressmaker.  She used to work in the sewing room at the hospital, and also make clothes to sell at her home.  Her husband divorced her when they realized that she was inable to have children, so she was alone and lived in a sort of home for displaced women.  One evening while she was at work, the home she lived in caught fire and burned down, destroying her three sewing machines, leaving her unable to work at home.  She still worked at the hospital, but now had to rent an apartment to live in.  Snow still wanted children, and Pastor Simon helped her adopt her first child, Gertrude, by signing for her.  She adopted her second child, Travis Reagan, who was abandoned at a week old and found by Pastor Simon.  Now Snowrinnah works in the kitchen at the hospital on the night shift, so she can take care of her children during the day.  

Like I said, she invited me over for Chai, so Jenna and I went with her to her house that Thursday on our free day.  We met her gorgeous children, and we got to just talk with her and learn about her life.  One plus to ministry in Kijabe is that we're able to build relationships with people.  

Anyways, kitchen work was fun enough, and that evening we all exchanged stories about the day.  The girls who went to the preschool instead of the hospital FELL IN LOVE with the work there.  They all know their "babies" by name and are constantly making them treats and spoiling them.  Those of us who worked in the kitchen enjoyed our work, and our two med student teammates (Hallie and Lexi) got to work in their departments and loved it.  Others had different kinds of days.  Krystin got to use her counseling but saw some things that really broke her heart.  The team members who went around to the wards had a rough day.  Communication was really difficult without a translator, and there are many people of different religions who did not appreciate hearing about God.  

The next day, after hearing about the sewing room from Snowrinnah, I requested that I be allowed to go down and work in the shop.  After a quick call down to the sewing room, I was led to the basement and walked into a room that was super familiar to me, filled with Singers and cutting tables.  I was introduced to Mary, who is in charge of the shop and quickly introduced me to everyone else.  I was put to work cutting surgical rags and hemming them, which is pretty monotonous, but thrilling to me.  I sat down in front of a machine that apparently hadn't been used in a good while and had quite a personality.  However, "Domestic" and I got along pretty well after awhile and I was sewing happily when everyone stopped for a tea break.  We all took Chai and mandazi and I just listened to everyone talking to each other in Kikuyu.  I think for the first day at least I was the topic of much of their conversations because they kept motioning over to the redhead, but they eventually got used to the idea of having me in their shop.  One thing I noticed that is VERY different about an African sewing room is that they don't use patterns or pins.  They just know what to cut and sew.  It blows my mind!  They sew all of the employees' uniforms, blouses, skirts, curtains for the wards, surgical clothes, and everything from their heads!  

After a couple days of sewing surgical rags, I graduated to surgical gowns 🙂  Joyce showed me how to make them, and by that I mean that she did one in front of me and then told me it was my turn.  SCARY.  She helped me remember the measurements and stuff, and after a little struggle I was well on my way.  I have never been so excited to make something in my life!  There's so much to be said for making stuff with your hands that can be used in real life.  Since then I've been able to make a lot more, and who knows, maybe I'll be making curtains or something soon 😉  

I've had at least three girls from the team come down to work with me since I started, and that's when I realized how boring the sewing room must seem.  As politely as possible, they all hinted that it was not their favorite thing in the world and that they would pretty much rather be anywhere else.

In any case, it seems like pretty much all of us have found our "niche" in the hospital, and I really look forward to spending the last month or so in this ministry 🙂  

Just a little story 🙂 Please keep praying for health for our team and that our next and last tribe goes smashingly!