As Tony has made many of the posts seen, he has decided to highlight another voice. Although in America my name is Laurel, I have found that with their accents people can't say it. Therefore my Kenya persona has become "Rose."
Yesterday was the day of our Free Health Clinic in Meru. We had more people come than we ever expected (758 to be almost exact). We had supplies for a thousand but never expected more than 600. It was quite emotional to see some of the people who came.
Some had traveled very far in the worst health conditions imaginable. One had cancer and wanted to see if there was anything we could do for him. Another man walked several miles on crutches because he had previously lost a leg and wanted it checked. Several came in taxis and needed to be carried in. As I was on registration, through a translator I became aware of these conditions and it saddened my heart. Eventually we ran out of complimentary health kits and it was very hard to turn people away. But everyone received their medication, so that was celebrated.
However there was many joys. Our group was able to significantly lighten the emotional load people were carrying not only through medication but also through laughter. Many children were amazed to see a white person and it soon became a game to get close and play with us. Tony and Katrina played many games of tag, making the older and sicker ones laugh. Apparently adults don't run much in Kenya.
We also broke the ground for a permanent free health clinic. There was much joy from everyone in that. Hopefully we can all uphold our promise to come back physically and monetarily to make this dream come true.
Laurel "Rose"
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