Baby L’s Aunt Booty, also known as Cara Coleman, my Maid of Honor/BFF/freshman college roommate, just returned from a medical mission trip to Kenya. I’m so excited for her to share her experience with you!
Cara
I’m still recovering from a massive case of jet lag after returning home from my latest mission trip to Kenya—so, when my BFF Whitney asked me to write a little expo on my trip, I figured, “Why not?” I found out about the trip from my Aunt Laura (who introduced Whitney and me in high school—ultimately why we became college roomies!) It’s amazing how quickly things can fall into place when you just simply let them. After my trip to Uganda last August, I’ve been dying to go back to Africa, and this was definitely my chance. I left for Kenya 2 weeks ago (knowing absolutely no one on the trip) and came back with some of the best experiences I could have ever imagined having, along with a few relationships I’ll never forget.
The greatest thing about Kenya is the people. We talk about Southern hospitality all the time—what about Kenya hospitality? That’s where it’s at y’all! The people are so loving, so appreciative, so Godly. Our group consisted of about 40 or so people (25 from Georgia, 9 from Wisconsin, 2 from Canada, and one from the great state of South Carolina… that’s me!!). We had 4 doctors, 1 PA, 2 nurses, 2 dentists, 1 hygienist, a dental student (me again), and so many more important people to add to our team. Over the 6 days of clinic (4 days at Nakuru West Suburb Church and 2 days at Upendo Medical Clinic), we saw a whopping 3,941 patients. Of those 4,000, we saw about 350 dental patients, with procedures ranging from surgical extractions, composite/amalgam restorations, and deep scalings (a bunch of dental jargon for a whole lotta work!) During our devotion the first night in Kenya, Jeff (our fearless leader for the week) kept telling us to remember that our time in Kenya was mainly about the “being” and not the “doing.” I had the hardest time wrapping my head around the idea—I am a 4th year dental student, graduating from MUSC in May with a DMD degree, whose last mission trip consisted of churning over the patients and just seeing as many people as we could! Little did I know that my idea on this would change immensely over the next two weeks. After struggling with the fact that we only saw 40 dental patients our first day, I tried to go into day two with a different mindset. At the end of a frustrating day two (both physically and mentally), I remember walking out of the clinic and seeing all the people we didn’t have time to see. To them, it didn’t matter if we actually treated their dental issues at all—it was the fact that we were there, “mzungus” from the States, to touch their lives and just show that we care. Their smiles said it all—how amazing. From that moment on, the numbers didn’t matter to me. As long as I touched at least one person while in Nakuru, my job was complete! And judging by the hugs, smiles, and handshakes we received, I think we were pretty successful.
In addition to the clinic work, we also got to go tour some of the schools around Kenya. The most fascinating to me was the Nakuru Special Hills School, for special needs kids. In Kenya, children born with special needs are deemed as a burden to their families—having no “skills” to contribute to life and society, they are often left homeless. The facility was pretty poor to say the least—no running water since August, a lack of faculty and staff, beds with paper thin mattresses and no bed covers…you get the point. Even though the school is struggling, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw it. I know what you’re thinking… smile?? But think about it! Without this facility, these kids would be left homeless, abandoned, and probably dead. I couldn’t get over it! What a wonderful haven for these children! With prayers and support of teams like us, I know there is a change coming for the school. These kids have so much to live for—the love they exude is incredible. I know that God has big plans for Nakuru Hills—on His time, of course.
Contrary to what you may believe, the trip wasn’t totally about missions. We got to play a little, too! The last two days we traveled to the Masai Mara National Reserve for a safari. O…M…G… have I used the word amazing yet? I think so! Maybe I shoulda whipped out my thesaurus before agreeing to write this, Whittata 
We saw giraffes, elephants, zebras, hippos, gazelles, cheetahs, lions, beautiful African birds, topi, wildebeests, hyenas, hartebeests, a lone rhino…. The list goes on and on! What a wonderful way to unwind before our long and grueling flight home (40 plus hours of travel, including 4 flights, 1 delay, and a 5 hour drive back to Charleston…. WOOF) Did I just complain? No way, not me!
After two weeks in Kenya, I’ve definitely come to many realizations. First and foremost, I’m by no means the perfect Christian. I need to go to church more, I need to read my Bible, I need to talk with God about more things than my little problems that really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I still struggle with my faith on a daily basis. Sometimes I just can’t understand why I can’t connect with God like I did when I was in high school, like my mother does, like Whitney and Kris…like so many of the faces that I met while on my trip. But it’s funny, the one thing that keeps me coming back are these people and the relationships that I see they have with Christ. The one verse that continues to remind me to stay on track is Joshua 1:9—“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. For the Lord, your God, will be with you wherever you shall go.” I can’t tell you how many times I’m reminded of this short, yet powerful verse…while struggling with my parents’ divorce, while in Uganda, during the deaths of friends and family, and more recently, while helping all the special people of Nakuru. After such an amazing trip, it’s hard to be back at home. Yet, I’m so thankful for so many things. Naturally, the important things that I tend to take for granted: my family, my friends, my unending support group, my education, the opportunities I’ve been presented with in my short life, safe travels, health and prosperity. And of course, the American things I just couldn’t live without: cold Heinz ketchup, Diet Coke, red wine, soap operas, Facebook (well, the internet), white cheddar Cheese-Itz, french fries, my car, and my big comfy bed (is it bad that the majority of things on this list are food?… Note to self, diet begins tomorrow.)
“Bwana asifiwe!”
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