Just a few more weeks until we take the trip to Kenya. Most of the shots are out of the way (I still have a couple to get), and they have been tolerated pretty well by the kids and by Amy. I am thankful to God for that, since one of the vaccines (yellow fever) has some possible serious effects. The risk of those side effects, though, is still far less than the risk of the disease. Of the last 9 travelers who have gotten yellow fever, 8 have died. Makes the 1 in 500,000 chance from the vaccine not seem so bad.
I have been in contact with one of the pediatricians who was working at Kijabe until recently. She said that she once made it 2 weeks without a patient dying, but it was usually more frequent than that. Here in the U.S., one might go 10-20 years in pediatrics without a patient dying, so I'm sure it will be difficult when it happens to one of my patients in Kenya. Feel free to pray for wisdom and skill for me as I work there, and that people will come to Christ as a result of the work being done at Kijabe. Pray that I will retain the things I am studying, so that I will be useful and skillful while there. Pray that God will use Amy and the kids to minister to the people there, and pray that God will be glorified as a result of the trip.
I will post more later, but, for now, I've got to call it quits and hit the sack so I can study malaria some more in the morning before work.
