Lindsay Brandt
The Emmitsburg Council of Churches went to Africa for two weeks in July 2014 to supply the local communities there with much needed entertainment, medical assistance, and learning opportunities.
Pastor Jon Greenstone was part of the nine-person team, dubbed “Team Kenya 2014,” who started their two-week journey by boarding a plane at Dulles Airport. After several flights, the team finally reached their mission site in the village of Kiminini, which is about fifteen miles from the larger city of Kitale, Kenya. Their trip was focused around four villages in the Kiminini and Khalwenge area.
The team was involved with two schools: Grade 9 at the Lenana Girls High School, and the Pathfinder Academy School. These African children don’t have the luxury of participating in craft sessions during their everyday life, so the team members took it upon themselves to bring a little artistic joy to the children.
Color photos were taken of every student and staff member and then printed and framed on-site for the Pathfinder Academy. The children were able to choose from a variety of colored bandanas; then they were given fabric markers to decorate them however they liked.
Gifts provided by the Emmittsburg Council of Churches included: 284 little dresses that were hand made by Carolyn Weaver, who created different patterns and designs for each dress; 20 quilts that were given to the orphans at Pathfinder; the high school girls of the Lenana were able to decorate their own tote bags; 33 soccer balls from One World Futbols were handed out to the community; and over 100 solar flashlights were given to the students and staff at Pathfinder.
It wasn’t just all fun and games, though. Medical supplies, doctors’ clinics, and informational sessions were held. There were three suitcases full of medications distributed to clinics held at Mitumbe slum, Pathfinder Academy, St. Joseph’s Girls High School, and Khalwenge village. A total of 618 patients were seen by Drs. Calvin Chatlos and Holly Hoffman, with Dr. Kathrin Muegge overseeing the blood sugar and malaria testing stations.
Over 180 pounds of medical supplies from Med Wish and several United States hospitals were delivered to Kiminini Health Center and Mitumbe Health Center.
Four hundred toothbrushes and 288 tubes of toothpaste were given out at Pathfinder Academy and the elementary school at Khalwenge village, along with information on dental hygiene.
Marie Hoffman, who was equipped with an auto-refractor—purchased by Dr. Drew Stoken in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for this and future missions—performed over 300 eye exams. The 180 students who were determined to need prescription lenses will receive them within the next few months, once they are shipped or flown to Kenya.
“Helping Babies Breathe” training was provided at the four different health groups: Mbai, Makwangwa, Kiminini Health Center, and Muthangare. Pediatrician Holly Hoffman provided training to each village, and they were given kits that included an ambu bad, stethoscope, towels, bulb suction devices, hats, cord clamps, and blankets.
Packets of ten different varieties of non-GMO seeds were distributed to 450 families at Biointensive Agriculture workshops at four villages in Kiminini and Khalwenge.
Pastor Jon held worship twice a day with Pathfinder Academy students and was assisted by Merri Sayler, a Methodist Deacon at Trinity UMC of Emmitsburg, and Lisa Riffle of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Thurmont. Bible school was held for the students of Pathfinder Academy, Lenana Girls High School, and at Khalwenge villiage by Phyllis Kelly, Tracy Sebold, Betsy Miller, Lisa Riffle, and Merri Sayler.
Over 400 Bibles were distributed among the men, women, and children of Kiminini and Khalwenge.
The nine members of Team Kenya returned to the United States tired and exhausted, but with new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.
