Our 10th Medical Camp was record-breaking in several ways. We had our smallest team ever – just 9 people! Over the course of the camp we saw the largest number of patients ever – 1,675! We also were able to fly direct to Nairobi for the first time ever, as Kenya Airways recently began offering nonstop flights. Twenty people received full sets of dentures and three more people received upper plates. Over 600 teeth were extracted by the dental team. Pharmacy dispensed around 5,000 prescriptions. Three of the five nurses working with us were new to our camp staff., yet only one of the nine team members had not previously participated in one of these trips. And, by God’s grace, we were blessed with heavy rains almost every day starting around 4pm. Rain was needed for the water but it always presents its own challenges, with tents leaking, mud being dragged all through the clinic building, and, of course, roads being washed out. All of these factors combined to make it one of our busiest trips ever.
Each morning a large number of people were waiting when we arrived at the clinic, usually around 100 or more. We started each day with a staff meeting and prayer, then Peter and Paul reviewed instructions and traffic flow with those waiting, gave a devotional thought, and led the people in a song. People stood and sang jubilantly, even those most were there because they were sick. By the time they prayed with the people, stations were set up and we were all ready to start. Aside from a lunch break, we didn’t stop at all until the work was completed for the day. We were thankful that most of the people came in the morning so that the large crowds were not waiting in the rain.
Having a smaller team meant that we could all sit together at dinner and have our evening team meeting right after the meal. This gave us a chance to review the day while it was still fresh in our minds, to spend some time praying together, and to allow everyone the option of getting to bed at a reasonable time. Some evenings we sat together by the fire in the lounge to dry out and warm up before turning in for the night. The extra rest was much needed, as the days were a whirlwind of activity.
A brief change in schedule meant that packing happened in the evening after the last camp day. This involved packing up the supplies that are only used during camp, counting inventory of any medications remaining (there weren’t too many this time), cleaning the clinic, and returning the clinic to its regular set up. It was a long, rushed process after a long, rushed final day of work, and we left quite late. The next morning the team embarked on a two day safari, and then returned and spent one final day in Nairobi before heading to the airport Saturday night.
People will often ask, “How was your trip?” It’s hard to answer that question fully, but this was a great trip!
