From The Savutos...
26 January 2010
Dearest Friends and Family,
"Gratitude is the
inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to
express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse."
Henry Van Dyke
"Don't be dismayed
at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting
again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."
Richard Bach
"Since nothing we
intend is ever faultless, and nothing we attempt ever without error, and nothing
we achieve without some measure of finitude and fallibility we call humanness,
we are saved by forgiveness."
David Augsnurger
"There is no home like the one you've got,
'cause that home belongs to
you
Woo Woo! Here I come
Woo Woo! Back to you
There is no home like the
one you've got,
'cause that home belongs to"
Jenni Lewis
Once again we are preparing to leave home to go home. Our hearts are filled
to overflowing with gratitude and thanksgiving for your loving kindness, your
willingness to open your homes and churches, your check books, your arms, and
your hearts. This has been our best home assignment and what a joy it has
been to travel the 14,575 miles visiting 82 churches and spending time with old
friends, new friends and family. We have appreciated each church we have
visited, each opportunity we have been given to share about the work and people
at Maua Methodist
Hospital. We have enjoyed
incredible fellowship, amazing music, and memorable opportunities to participate
in worship services, Sunday School, UMW meetings, youth happenings, district
training, conference annual meetings and the list goes on and on. We have
been surrounded and sustained by prayer, embraced and welcomed with loving
kindness and have been amazed and overwhelmed by your generosity. We are
so thankful for each of you we have met along our way.
Saying good-bye is always difficult. There is never enough time to see
and do what we would like with everyone or to talk in all the churches and
groups that invite us. We have had more time than ever before and for
every minute we have had we are thankful. We have made hundreds of
memories - memories of our supporting church families and the special time we
had in each church; memories of time with friends and family; memories of the
fun, laughter and fellowship we have greatly enjoyed along the way; ah yes,
memories that will last us until we meet again.
In the last few days I have been recounting our journey. I realize that
in being with so many people along our way, I would definitely need to ask for
forgiveness. If I have not thanked you personally for a kindness or gift,
please forgive me. If I was too busy or did not answer your questions well or
at all or was inattentive, please forgive me. If I did not spend time with
you, please forgive me. Please forgive me for anything I have done that
has in any way hurt you.
I do want to give you a quick report about family: Bill's arm has
completely healed and he is doing very well. Mom's right hand, wrist and
arm are still in a brace but she is living on her own again and doing remarkably
well. I was so thankful she could stay with my sister, Jeannie, and
husband, Larry, for a few weeks while she recuperated. Needless to say she
was missed by her many friends. Lily and Ethan are playing soccer
now - we saw both of them play games this past weekend.
Ethan playing goalie
Lily waiting to dash off
Maua
Report: We do understand that Maua
received much rain, in fact so much that the bean harvest is poor BUT the maize
harvest is good and it seems there will be food (maize - field corn) to eat.
We are so thankful for your prayers and for God's faithfulness. The
hospital is suffering as about 60% of our patients cannot afford to pay any of
their hospital bill. Also the hospital has lost many staff members as the
Government received money through the Clinton Fund to hire staff and was
offering a higher salary than the hospital could possibly offer. (Always two
sides to a coin - good and bad!) We are so grateful to all of you who have
given to the Maua Methodist Hospital Service Fund to help the hospital pay for
the patients' that cannot afford to pay. Please continue to pray for
Maua
Methodist Hospital
and for Haiti.
Recently I went to have my hair cut. I had some
pictures and talked to the hair dresser about what I wanted. We both spoke
English and I understood everything she said and was certain she understood
everything I said. However, when I left the shop my hair was 2 inches
shorter than I had hoped. Every time I looked in the mirror I saw my
grandfather! Ahhhh! Have you ever had a bad hair day? I
imagine most of us have and how incredibly blessed we are to be able to lament
over something as insignificant as hair.
To have a mirror
to see myself is amazing but to spend time grieving over my hair cut is a luxury
many world inhabitants will never have or even imagine.
When we arrived in the USA
10 million Kenyan's had been and were at risk of starvation and I can tell you
thousands died. It is presently estimated that over two hundred thousand people
were killed in Haiti.
To our great sorrow two of them were Dr. Sam Dixon, head of the United Methodist
Committee on Relief, and Rev. Clint Rabb,
leader in The
United Methodist Church's extensive mission volunteer program. The next
time you have a "bad hair day" please pray for those who are starving, homeless,
hopeless and those who are mourning. There is good news about
having my hair cut so very short; I won't need another hair cut for
months! I can spend my hair cut money to provide food or medical care or
build new homes and lives. The money that most spend on a hair cut could feed
one of our AIDS orphans and send them to school for 2 - 3 months or pay a big
part of a hospital bill.
Bill and I have the privilege to speak at the Advance Committee meeting in
Irving this coming Thursday. Please pray for us. Then we leave for
Kenya on Saturday. The next few days here will be totally consumed with
packing and preparing to leave. The first weeks in Maua will be so busy
unpacking and catching up with all the work we left. Febuary is one of my
busiest months as we do a full hospital assessment. All this to say I will
not be checking emails daily or answering personal emails for quite sometime.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
I have a tradition with my grandkids, Lily and Ethan. When I tell them
how much I love them, I stretch my arms as far as they will go to provide a
visual picture. As I talk about leaving them, I use the same gesture to
show them how much I will miss them. As we leave the
US
and return to Kenya,
Bill and I want to show you how thankful we are for your kindness, generosity,
love, and prayers. Thank you! We are prayerful we will see many of
you in Maua before we meet again
here! Thank you for everything you have done, did and will do. Our
hearts overflow with gratitude for each of you.
Jerri & Bill showing you how thankful they are!
In His grip,
Jerri & Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Igembe, Kenya
"Church isn't where you meet. Church isn't a building. Church is what you
do. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus
Christ. Let's not go to Church, let's be the Church." --Bridget
Willard
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