From The Savutos...
12 April 2008
Dearest Friends and Family,
"Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but
only he who sees takes off his shoes."
-Elizabeth Barret Browning
The political situation in Kenya is stagnant right now or perhaps moving
backwards. Last Friday it was reported that the cabinet would finally be
announced this past Sunday. Everyone was excited and pleased as there has been
such a delay in choosing the cabinet. However, no announcement was ever made on
Sunday. "Though people supported the peace accord and believed that the 50-50
power-sharing deal was in order, many have expressed disappointment on the never
ending political fights between the two leaders' parties. There is a deep seated
mistrust between ODM and PNU" The Nation, 11 April 08
Our greatest disappointment is that there are still 100,000's of Internally
Displaced People in camps, sleeping in tents during the rainy, cool season,
eating what food is available, and wondering what their future holds. President
Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila don't seem the slightest bit worried about those
people and their future. Their only concern is for their power base. Most of our
friends are deeply disappointed and disturbed with both parties and leaders. We
all wish the two leaders would go live in an IDP camp until they make the hard
decisions. As with so many leaders, our leaders cannot understand the average
Kenyan as they live in a completely different world. Please continue to pray for
this nation. Please continue to give to UMCOR, United Methodist Committee on
Relief, has an Advance Special for Kenya. You can give through your United
Methodist Church or by sending a check to UMCOR and mail it to UMCOR, PO Box
9068, New York, NY 10087. Write "UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster
Response - Kenya" on the memo line of your check.
We do have some good news. We think the rainy season has finally started. We
have been very worried as our rainy season usually begins around March 15th. In
early March we had a few good rains so many people began to plant their crops in
their shamba. However, the rain stopped. It was often cloudy and cool but we got
almost no rain. With so many farmers off their land in Kenya, it is vital for
the areas that have land and farmers to have a good crop this year or there will
be very high prices and starvation. Thursday night we got a typical rainy season
rain which started around 10pm and was very hard for a long period. Yesterday it
rained during the day and we pray it will rain again today and tonight. No one
complained yesterday when it began raining around the time to leave work. We are
all so grateful to God for the rain.
Last Friday morning around 4am a matatu filled with 14 people rolled and four
men from Njoune died. One of those who died, Koome, had worked at Maua Methodist
Hospital for 28 years. He had worked in the Operating Room as a Unit Attendant.
He was a good man, a Godly man. I still remember what he always said when he led
morning devotions in our Chapel. (You may remember we start every day here in
the Chapel with singing, prayers, Bible reading, and a short devotion.) Koome
always said that we were either a "blessing or a curse" to the hospital and he
was always telling us how important it was to be a blessing. Indeed, he was a
blessing.
Two matatus filled with friends and neighbors left at 3am to attend a
graduation of one of the village's young men. The second matatu had a driver
that did not know the road well but was trying to catch up with the first
vehicle and was driving too fast. The vehicle rolled outside of Meru and 4 men
died, 8 men were sent to hospital, and 2 men walked away, one was the driver.
All were from Njoune, 2 Km from Maua, and yesterday the four that died had a
mass funeral and then were buried on their own land.
I had the privilege to visit Koome's home with staff from the hospital on
Wednesday afternoon. Ten of us went together. We made one stop to buy some food
for the family. We represented all the departments of the hospital and most of
those of us who went were Unit Attendants.
I have known Koome since 1999. I feel confident two of the first people that
will greet him in heaven are Birgit and Dietmar Ziegler (our missionary Surgeon
and Medical Superintendent and his wife from Germany who died in a road accident
in October 2003 - both worked in the Operating Room and knew and respected Koome).
I know Koome through Birgit.
The family lives on the Meru Park Road. When we arrived at the compound, we
were greeted by four of Koome's children, several grandchildren, his wife, Mary,
and her sister, Grace, who works at the hospital. I was so taken by their
compound. It was beautiful with green grass, lots of banana, avocado and mango
trees, a small stream and from that stream two ponds that are used for
fisheries, and arrow root, beans, maize and other crops. There was a small
wooden house at the entrance of their compound and their 3 wooden houses about
100 yards from the entrance. Many friends and family were sitting on the grass
when we arrived. They were there to help the family. As we arrived, some of the
women immediately went to fix tea for us. One of the women left the compound to
gather grass that is used to feed cows. Some women were caring for all the
children, mostly Koome's grandchildren, so the son's, daughters and mother could
be together. Benches had been set up on one side of the compound for visitors
and chairs and benches were brought so the family could sit across from us.
After we had greeted everyone on the compound, we sat on the benches and the
family came to sit with us. We began with introductions and then a prayer. One
person read Joshua 1 emphasizing the following verse: "9 Have I not commanded
you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for
the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
During the Bible reading a large swarm of bees flew into the compound and
went straight to the wooden house at the entrance of the compound. The noise
from the bees was so loud we had to stop reading the Bible. We all watched as
the bees disappeared into the wooden house. Mary and one of her daughters began
to cry. In my mind I imagined their tears were caused by one more tragedy which
would move family members out of that house. We have bees on the hospital
compound that swarm and live in the outer walls of two of our wooden houses. but
I have never seen or heard the bees swarm and enter a house.
When we completed the Bible reading each person from the hospital shared how
they knew Koome and what he had meant to them. One of the workers, after sharing
his love of Koome, stated that in Meru tradition bees always bring a blessing
and how appropriate the bees swarming and going into the entrance house was
showing that Koome is blessed and so is his family. I sat in stunned silence
amazed at God's goodness in the most difficult situations. Mary and her daughter
did not cry from sorrow but from goodness.
After we had shared our condolences the family thanked us for coming and
talked about how their husband/father felt about the hospital. We then had tea
and took a walk around their compound. I was wearing my uniform (a teal colored
suit with a mid-length tight skirt). I hiked my skirt to get over a fence and we
came to the stream. My colleagues crossed quickly on some stones but all the
stones were under water and I decided not to risk the stream crossing. However,
as I stood there four of Koome's grandchildren crossed the stream and the
smallest couldn't have been over 3 years old. At that I decided I could cross
the stream and did with amazing ease. On the other side of the stream were the
ponds and most of the crops so I was glad I hadn't missed them. Except in
crossing the stream, the grandchildren continuously held my hand during our
compound walk and what a joyous time I had.
Yesterday was the funeral service and burial. This began at the Maua
Methodist Hospital mortuary with prayers. One of the men who had been killed in
the accident had been the Chief of Njoune so there were many administrative
people from our District including many chiefs. I had gone for prayers as
10:30am. As I arrived four vehicles arrived and drove up to the front of the
mortuary and four identical white wooden coffins were carried into the mortuary
one after the other. Then the four wives were taken into the prayer room, each
wearing the same clothing, a black skirt, white blouse and a red scarf around
their heads and shoulders. Then some of the pastors and most of the children
were allowed in the prayer room and the doors were locked. There was a huge
crowd of people from the village, the District Administration, and the hospital.
We waited until 11:30am when the hospital chaplain came out and we sang four
hymns. We were then told that we would walk through the room to view the bodies
starting with the family members, the District Administrators, hospital staff,
and friends. After we had all walked through the prayer room the District
Administrators entered and carried out the Chief's coffin. Then the staff of the
Operating Room of the hospital went in and carried out Koome's coffin. Friends
carried out the other two men's coffins. We were then asked to move in front of
the vehicles for prayers. The Hospital Chaplain prayed and then the vehicles
with the coffins were filled with those persons who carried the coffins out of
the prayer room, the family was put into vehicles, and others walked behind to
the mass funeral service. I know it would have been Koome's desire that his
funeral would bring people of his village to know Christ or to deepen their
relationship with him.
Meru people are buried on their land, if they are married. The coffin is
carried from the vehicle to the grave site by several groups of men starting
with the old men and ending with the young men. After the body is placed in the
grave everyone helps to shovel dirt on the coffin. The grave is filled and then
starting with the family, each person or family group plants a flower on the top
of the grave. I find the burial very meaningful and less painful than how we do
it in the USA.
Please continue to pray for Kenya, for a good rainy season, and for Koome,
the three other men who died and their families. Please continue to pray for
Bill and me, that we can see to take off our shoes!
In His grip,
Jerri & Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Igembe, Kenya
Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but
in every leaf in spring-time. ~Martin Luther
23 March 2008
Dearest Friends and Family,
The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to
start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt
The above saying seems to fit
Kenya
perfectly right now. Though things are moving along well as far as the
political solution to our problems, there are still 1000's of homeless people
who need to start over somewhere, somehow. And the good news is our Risen Lord
knows where and how! Please continue to pray for the political process and
especially for the people who have lost their homes, land, and possessions but
prayerfully not their faith in God.
Good things continue to happen at
Maua
Methodist
Hospital
and we stand amazed at the generosity of others and the commitment of
Maua
Methodist
Hospital
staff.
We have received three amazing gifts to help the hospital in three wondrous
ways! Last week I received seven boxes of brand new nursing books
sent to us by PEARSON EDUCATION/PRENTICE HALL. The boxes contained 71 Nursing
books covering almost every topic you can imagine in nursing and 18 CD's
covering Basic, Intermediate, Pediatric, Critical Care, and Maternal/New Born
Nursing Skills. Our
School
of
Nursing
and hospital have been fortunate in receiving books for our library but usually
we receive used books. To receive these new books was such an incredible gift.
We have always had a good library but this gift has just pushed good to Very
Good! This happened because of Gayle, a work team member that was here last
summer. Her husband, Chris, and a team of people at Person Education worked
tirelessly for and with me to make this a reality and we are so grateful. Gayle
had talked to me about the need for books and certainly we have a great need.
However, it is difficult to ever receive new books because the books themselves
cost so much and then the cost of mailing or sending them is tremendous plus 16%
VAT and customs duty that is up to 30% of the value. PEARSON EDUCATION/PRENTICE
HALL paid all of that for us and we could not be more thankful, joyous, or
amazed. Barbara Dickinson, a mission partner from
Britain
who has worked at the school for 28 years says "It is so rare for us to receive
new books and never that many new books at one time. What a huge difference
this will make to the students and staff." Thank you Gayle, Chris and all the
people at PEARSON EDUCATION/ PRENTICE HALL who made this possible.
Laundry staff next to the new washing machine One shelf of books
received from PEARSON
EDUCATION/PRENTICE HALL
The second marvelous gift arrived, was installed, and began working
7 March 2008.
That is a brand new washing machine! With our additional patient load the new
washing machine is a God-send. The laundry staff just couldn't keep up with the
amount of laundry that they had to wash daily. This past week when I talked to
the Laundry Supervisor, Elizabeth, she smiled and said they were doing great!
This incredible gift came from a team member that visited us in Feb. 2007,
Rachel and her husband, Mike, of Grapevine UMC in
Texas
in memory of her parents, Clarence and Grace Unruh.
The third gift was given by Scott, a work team member from Memorial Drive UMC,
Houston, through a family foundation. He gave us funds to lay the foundation
for our new four story staff flats building. As I have shared in the past,
staff housing is a great problem and this new building will help us to solve one
of our most urgent problems, housing for staff and visitors. It will be the
number one project the 2008 work teams will work on and the entire staff is so
excited. Bill has been working very hard to try to keep this project timely.
Today I walked to the foundation area and was simply amazed at how much is being
done.
 
The foundation work at our future 4 story staff flats
This past week has been incredibly busy but I have felt like it opened the door
to a new era at
Maua
Methodist
Hospital.
This past Thursday and Friday I was part of a team that had a two day teaching
session on Strategic Planning for our Unit Supervisors/Representatives.
Last September, following an NHIF Assessment of the hospital, I had written a
problem statement concerning the need for the hospital to have a strategic
plan. As part of the Quality Improvement plan, I had recommended that we ask
all staff to contribute their ideas and dreams so that when the Hospital
Management Team (HMT) created the strategic plan it would include in-put from
all staff. I was thrilled when the HMT approved my plan. I asked all the unit
supervisors to meet with their units and forward their dreams and ideas about
Maua
Methodist
Hospital
and where we would be in 5 years. However, I only received this from two
units. Many supervisors came to me and told me they had no idea what I was
talking about. It was thus decided we would train the supervisors so they could
help their staff with this process. I had hoped the training would happen soon
but it didn't. I was disappointed but this past Thursday and Friday I realized
that once again God's time table is perfect. This was the ideal time to train
our staff. They were so excited about this opportunity to help create the
future of the hospital and were amazingly open and honest, which could not have
happened earlier. As I listened, taught and shared with them, I was so grateful
for their responses and hope for the future. What a treasure
Maua
Methodist
Hospital
has in its supervisory staff. Right now there are many of us here who believe
that anything is possible, so watch Maua Methodist Hospital. God and an
extremely committed staff are making plans that we pray will glorify Him and
move our hospital in astonishing new ways.
 
Staff attending the Strategic Planning Workshop, on Thursday and
Friday.
It is our sincere prayer that you will experience the presence and love of the
Risen Christ today and always.
In His grip,
Jerri & Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Igembe, Kenya
Our
Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in
every leaf in spring-time. ~Martin Luther
8 March 2008
Dearest Friends and Family,
"Love
and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the
one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver."
Barbara De Angelis
Before I begin to share today, I have been asked by one of our management team
to ask for help. Our internal phone service has not been functioning for some
time. The management is looking to buy a new PABX system. We want a system
that will take us 10 years into the future (at least) and will allow us to
grow. The management is presently looking at the Motorola VoIP Analog Gateway
GT48 Series. We wondered if anyone knows about this system and could tell us if
it is a good system to use in our hospital?
There is much news these days. On March 5th the headline of the
Daily Nation was "Smile, It's a New Kenya" and showed President Kabaki and Mr.
Odinga sitting together with huge smiles on their face. Those two men, with
consultation from their respective political parties, are working out the
details of our new government. They will be sharing power as Mr. Odinga will be
the Prime Minister while President Kibaki remains President. There is a
tremendous amount to do to work out all the details of the new government. We
are all prayerful and hopeful that the government leaders are thinking more
about the 1000's of homeless people still in the displaced camps throughout the
country than about their own future.
Tumaini
Na Undugu, the coalition of churches and businesses that the
Methodist
Church
in Kenya
is working with to distribute food, clothing, supplies and hope, is still very
active. They are visiting the Internally Displaced Persons Camps around the
country taking desperately needed food and supplies for the 1000's of persons
who still have no place to live. We are so grateful that they continue to "be
with those people".
There continues to be so many good things happening at
Maua
Methodist
Hospital.
For the past three weeks, Dr. Stan Topple, a retired Presbyterian missionary
from the US,
has been here doing orthopedic surgery. His specialty is performing surgery on
disabled children. He did 29 surgeries in the last three weeks and changed the
life of 29 children, youth and adults. The week before Dr. Topple arrived a
team of ENT surgeons and anesthetists were here from
Sweden.
They were able to do 39 surgeries in one week. They removed tonsils and
adenoids and did numerous ear surgeries. Yesterday, David and Mary Sarson
arrived from Great
Britain.
They have been coming to Maua
since 1999. David is a surgeon and Mary, a nurse, works in our pharmacy
storeroom and we are so grateful for both of them and what they do as volunteers
to help the hospital.
I
wanted to share another success story from our Giving Hope program.
Martin
Mugendi- Giving Hope
Martin is 22 years old and takes care of his mother who is living with HIV. His
father died 4 years ago due to HIV/AIDS. He has two sisters - Caroline Kanana
and Makena who are in primary school. Caroline is in class eight and Makena is
in nursery school.
After
Martin completed form four, he engaged in casual labor at the local market to
support his family. Giving Hope supported him with 3,000Ksh ($44) to start a
shoe shining business. He bought two stools, shoe polish, shoe brushes and
other materials that he used to start his business. He soon was doing quite
well and was able to engage another boy to assist him, whom he pays in
commission. Martin is able to use his earning to support his family and he
hopes to save some of his earning to start a barbershop in the future in the
nearby market. Martin is grateful to Giving Hope for giving him the support he
needed. His challenges are that his business is small and his family depends on
him for basic needs.
Martin
shining shoes
Two
More Stories: In our nursery we presently have two orphaned babies. 1) One is
an unnamed baby boy, as his mother died during childbirth and has no father. No
relative is willing to visit or pay for his care because he is disabled, he was
born hydrocephalic. Our surgeon has operated on him and placed a shunt which is
necessary to drain the excesses fluid from his head and save his life. We will
continue to care for him until we can find a good home for him. We will not
receive any money for his care. However, that has not stopped us from providing
him with the best care we can possibly give.
Unnamed baby boy Koome, 8
months old
2)
Shortly after Koome was born his father brought him to our hospital and told the
nurses that Koome's mother had died during child birth and he needed to bury
her. He wished to leave Koome with us for a short time as he had no one to care
for him. The Hospital agreed and took Koome to our new born nursery for those
babies not born in our hospital. Koome's father never returned. When we went
to the village where the father said he lived, no one knew of the family and no
mother had died recently giving birth. Koome has been with us eight months now,
an abandoned child. We have been working closely with the District Children's
worker but things move very slowly. We thought we had placed Koome in a
children's home in Meru but they could not take him as on the birth certificate
we had put the name of the mother that we had been given by the man who brought
Koome to us. We are now working to delete that name and leave it blank. Then
we are told Koome will be accepted at the home. We have taken care of Koome for
8 months and will continue to until he is placed in the home.
We
can take care of the unnamed baby boy and Koome because of your gifts to the
Service Fund which help us pay for their care and the care of all the orphan's
that are left here and those persons who cannot afford to pay for the care they
receive. We are so grateful for your gifts to allow us to care for "the least
of these".
You
can help us pay for the hospital bills of Koome and the unnamed baby boy. A 7
day stay in Maua
Methodist
Hospital
costs approximately $150. Write your support check to
your UMC and put it in the collection plate with this note at the bottom:
"For Advance Special #09613A - Maua Hospital Service Fund, Kenya" or you
may make your check payable to "Advance GCFA" and mail it directly to Advance
GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068 or to make a gift on the
internet go to:
gbgm-umc.org/advance/donate (be
certain to use the Advance Special # and name).
Thank you for your emails, encouragement, support and prayers. It is such a
blessing to have you in mission with us.
In
His grip,
Jerri &
Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Meru North, Kenya
Everything
that is done in the world is done by hope. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
24 February 2008
Dearest Friends and Family,
"Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; ... 3 To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that
they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he
might be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up
the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations
of many generations."
We are so grateful for all your prayers for
Kenya.
We continue to need them. It is difficult to know what is happening.
Negotiations continue and we are all hopeful they are leading to peace.
However, ODM has promised demonstrations next week and we are so prayerful they
will be peaceful. Our prayer for
Kenya
right now is that the pain so many people have suffered is like labor pains and
will produce a new nation, free from ethnic hatred and violence. We pray that
God will bring beauty from ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness, and will raise, repair and rebuild the
destroyed land, homes and lives.
I do want to share some good news from
Maua.
Though so much destruction has happened there is always good happening, lives
changed that glorify God, and God's love seen in the most surprising and amazing
places and situations!
Maua
Methodist
Hospital
raised 63,000Ksh. that we sent to the Presiding Bishop for Tumaini Na Undugu.
We are so grateful for the staff's generosity. Our hospital is extremely busy
right now. In the last month our out-patients have doubled in number from 200 -
250 to 350 - 488 daily. Our wards are busier than I have ever seen with 104 -
112% bed occupancy (yes, there are two patients in many beds). Pediatrics has
had up to 98 patients; Surgical Ward has had 68 - 77 patients; Medical Ward has
had 65 - 75 patients; and one night recently Maternity Ward delivered 17 babies
(midwives not doctors!) We have called in all our nurses from leave, hired
locums, and worked so very hard. I find the attitude of the staff phenomenal.
When I ask how they are doing, they do not complain or fuss, but thank God for
all the patients and the strength to manage day by day. One day when I went to
talk to the Pediatric Ward In-charge, Sr. Sophia, when they had 92 babies and
children of which it seemed 50 were crying, I asked how she was managing. At
the time she was dealing with a physician, mothers, children, and me. She
turned toward me with a smile on her face and replied, "By the grace of God and
the prayers of many, we are finding the strength to do the work we need to do
and we are doing the very best we can." We all need your prayers!
And now for the rest of the story: Those of you who have seen Bill's slides or
Power Point presentation will remember a young girl named Julieta who had a
large growth on the side of her chest. In June 2001 a newly married couple on
their honeymoon, Jackie and Bob, led a team to
Maua.
During their time here, they went with one of our Outreach Clinics and met
Julieta. At the time she was 10 years old. The growth on her chest was so
large she could barely walk. She was not in school and her mother had told her
that she had no money to help Julieta and so Julieta would die and when she did
her mother would have another child. Julieta didn't think anyone loved her or
wanted her alive. A compassionate teacher had brought her to the clinic.
Jackie and Bob were so touched by Julieta and determined to do something for
her. When they returned to the compound they asked us what it would cost to
remove the growth on Julieta's chest. We talked to Stanley Gitari and the
surgeon, Dr. Ziegler. The cost would be $45. Jackie and Bob paid the money and
Julieta came for the surgery. I met her for the first time after her surgery.
Stanley Gitari brought her to the house to visit us. We were so impressed with
her and so thankful that she had received help. She started to school for the
first time shortly after her surgery. We visited Julieta at her school in April
2003. Her Head Master told us she was doing very well and was such a testimony
to God's love and great evangelist for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
On
Thursday 11 February 2008,
Stanley Gitari came to my office right before lunch time. He had a beautiful 16
year old girl with him. They came into my office and
Stanley
asked me if I knew who she was. I looked at her and guessed but was incorrect.
Then
Stanley,
with a huge grin on his face, said, "This is Julieta." I was so amazed,
delighted, grateful to God, and joyful I could hardly contain myself. Stanley
shared that Julieta was in Standard 7 and doing very well. She recently had
been asked by a family to come and live with them as their baby-sitter/house
helper. Julieta refused. She knows how important school is and she is
determined to finish school. We are so proud of her. As I looked at and
listened to Julieta, I could feel the presence of God in my office. "Beauty
from ashes!"
  
Julieta before her surgery in 2001 Julieta
after her surgery in 2001 Julieta in my office
Feb. 2008
Recently, Reegan Kaberia, the young man who works for our Giving Hope program
and Stanley Gitari who is in-charge of the program sent me five success
stories. Giving Hope is a development program that works with the youth who are
AIDS Orphans to help them in numerous ways including interventions aimed at
sustainable self-employment; increased respect of rights, spiritual guidance,
self-confidence, primary school completion; improved access to secondary
education, hygiene & sanitation, medical care, diversified diet; and the
reduction of frequency of illnesses to mention some of the anticipated impacts
and goals. (See my
11/07/07
email)
Purity is a 19-year-old total orphan. She lost both parents in the years 2001
and 2003 while in school. At her tender age, Purity assumed responsibility of
providing food for her three sisters and brother who were all in school. Her
siblings are Winfred Makena who has completed class eight, Josses Mutembei,
Nyandola Karwitha, and Jedidah Gakeni who are still in primary school. After
completing primary school, Purity attended a polytechnic for one year where she
graduated as a tailor. To earn her living, Purity started renting a sewing
machine for Ksh 300 every month which she was using to repair clothes for the
neighbors. She joined Giving Hope and was supported to buy a sewing machine and
given clothes to repair to start a tailoring business. She no longer needs to
rent the machine and is able to not only repair old clothes, but also make
school uniforms, dresses, skirts, and suits with new material. Her challenges
are to meet the basic needs of her siblings because her business is very small.
Her dream: To have the best cloth and tailor shop in town.
Purity with her sewing machine
One last bit of news about the hospital: In the past month our CEO has resigned
and our Medical Officer In-charge left this past week. Friday the Hospital
Management Team had a General Staff Meeting (the first since we have been here)
to share this news and who will be acting in those positions for now. We are
very encouraged and thanking God for His goodness. We do ask for prayer for all
our new leaders. Dr. Claire Smithson, a mission partner from
Britain,
is serving as our Medical Officer In-charge, though she has more than a full
time job as the Palliative Care physician. Bill will be the new Chairperson of
the Computerization Committee, which has not functioned for some time. Mr.
Gikemi will be acting CEO and Mr. Mung'athia will be acting Administrator.
Please keep Bill, Dr. Claire, Mr. Gikemi, and Mr. Mung'athia along with all our
management team in your prayers. Thank you!
I also wanted to tell you that UMCOR, United Methodist Committee on Relief, has
an Advance Special for
Kenya.
You can give through your
United
Methodist
Church
or by sending a
check to UMCOR and mail it to UMCOR,
PO Box 9068,
New York,
NY
10087.
Write "UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster Response -
Kenya"
on the memo line of your check. As always, UMCOR has been helping in
Kenya
from early January. We are so grateful for their assistance around the world
and around the corner in the name of Jesus Christ.
May God bless each of you and transform your ashes into beauty.
In His grip,
Jerri & Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Meru North, Kenya
Everything that is done in the world is done by hope. Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.
Sunday 3 Feb. -
Wednesday 6 Feb. 2008
Dearest Friends and Family,
"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you
lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all.
And so today I still have a dream."
-
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bill, Claudia
Freund, a mission partner from
Germany,
and I again traveled on Wednesday, 30 Jan. 08 to
Nairobi.
The previous week Presiding Bishop had requested that we travel with him and
others from Tumaini Na UNdugu, (which means Hope and
Brotherhood) to visit Nakuru and Molo Displaced Persons Camps. In last week's
email, I stated that Tumaini Na UNdugu was made up of the
Methodist
Church
in Kenya (MCK), the Presbyterian Church, and the Anglican Church. We learned
that in cooperation with the three churches Equity Bank, Britak, Housing Finance,
Kenya Broadcasting Company, and a few other churches were all working together
to bring peace and hope, food, clothing, and needed supplies to the Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) of this nation regardless of ethnic group.
We
had called the Conference Office several times on Monday and Tuesday, 28th
& 29th of January to make certain the group was still traveling to
Nakuru and Molo as we heard numerous rumors and read news articles of the
problems that were occurring in that area of Kenya. We knew that Presiding
Bishop Stephen Kanyaru would never allow us to be in danger. He was constantly
in meetings with Tumaini Na UNdugu members to make decisions regarding the
safety of the team. Early Wednesday morning, we were told that they were
definitely going. We traveled to
Nairobi
with no incident or road block. That afternoon while checking into our guest
house we were told that the
Nairobi
- Nakuru highway was blocked and there had been much violence and killing in
Limuru. We went to the Conference Office and visited with
Lucy Kaindio,
Women Fellowship Coordinator for the MCK. We shared what we had heard about
Limuru. She said that there were two IDP Camps in Limuru, one for the Kikuyu
and one for the Luo. As the IDP (predominately Kikuyu) from western
Kenya
returned to
Central Kenya
there was no place for them to go. In Limuru the problem was acute and thus the
Luo people working in Limuru and renting houses were asked to leave and given a
certain number of hours to go. Ruth and members of the MCK visited the Luo IDP
who were staying at the Tigoni Police Station in Limuru, approximately 2000 Luo
people on Tuesday. She stated that there had not been violence nor anyone
killed, which was later verified by the news. The MCK had taken food supplies
but the people needed cooking pots so they bought enough cooking pots for 2000
people. When the team took the pots to the police station on Wednesday, the
number had grown from 2000 to 6000.
We
met the members traveling to Nakuru at
8am
on Thurs. morning
31 January 2008.
We were to ride in the Presiding Bishop's vehicle which was provided by the
Equity Bank. A caravan of vehicles left
Nairobi.
We were
told we would not be traveling to Molo, only to Nakuru.
Presiding Bishop
Rev. Dr. Stephen Kanyaru
On
the two hour trip to Nakuru we never saw any violence or road blocks or riots or
problems. After watching the news and reading the newspapers, we expected to
see the results of much violence in Naivasha and Nakuru but we saw none.
Our first stop was the Anglican Cathedral in Nakuru. We had the great
privilege to meet many of the leaders of Tumaini Na UNdugu. They were
bringing 300 bags of rice (weighing 200 pounds per
bag), 2 tons of clothing, needed supplies to include blankets (1000), soap,
sanitary napkins, diapers, and underwear and logistical and counseling tents as
the churches involved will provide counselors for the Displaced Persons Camps.
The
leaders made speeches to a large group of reporters who were gathered. Each
speech was different but all spoke of the sacredness of human life, the
tremendous need for peace, forgiveness, and loving of our enemies, as God
commands us. They shared that Tumaini Na UNdugu was created to bring HOPE and
to work together with all ethnic groups to help all persons to rebuild a nation
where people can live together. They called for the entire nation to help those
who are displaced. Dr. Mwangi of Equity Bank stated that their bank slogan was
"The Listening, Caring Financial Partner." He called on all companies, banks,
etc. to live out their slogans as now was the time for action.
We
had been told that we would visit two IDP Camps in Nakuru. One for the Luo and
Kalenjin and one for the Kikuyu, Kisii, Kamba Meru, and Luhya.
We
were headed for the Luo/Kalenjin IDP Camp when the news was announced regarding
the death of the Member of Parliament (ODM) in Eldoret. We were informed we
would still visit the camp, as we had a message of hope and togetherness for
everyone, along with supplies and the leadership felt it was so important to
visit both camps. However, as we neared the camp, the lead vehicle in the
caravan made a U-turn. Each vehicle was notified that word from the IDP Camp
Leader had advised us not to visit the camp at this time. That caused a great
sadness as everyone thought it very important to visit and share with both
camps.
We
did proceed to the IDP Camp at the Nakuru Show Grounds. Presiding Bishop had
visited this camp on Tues., nine days earlier, and reported there were 3,500
people in the camp. As we drove through a section of the camp, we were
overwhelmed by the large number of people. We were taken on a quick tour of the
camp. Our first visit was to the Camp Administration Offices where we were told
that the camp presently has over 8000 displaced persons. Approximately 100
displaced persons leave the camp daily to travel to stay with family members or
friends or churches that are willing to help and 500 new displaced persons
arrive daily. Each person that arrives is greeted and data is collected so that
there can be a tracking system for all the IDP's. We also learned that in
Nakuru District, which is approximately 20 miles by 20 miles with a
population of 1.5 million people, includes Naivasha,
Nakuru
Town,
Molo and some other towns, there are 71 IDP Camps with 206,000
people.
We
then visited the Clinic and saw the lines of people being seen and given drugs.
We went to the store rooms of food and were very thankful we were bringing 300
bags of rice. We went to the several places where supplies were given to the
people. Each had long lines.
  
Patients waiting to be seen in clinic Presiding
Bishop praying People going to hear the message of
hope
We
then made our way into the Show Grounds where most of the people were located.
We walked around watching the children, women, and men of the camp. We watched
a few trucks being loaded with goods for people to leave and we watched two
trucks from Kericho being unloaded. We could not imagine that so many people
and many goods could fit in a truck.
  
Truck preparing to leave camp Truck
arriving from Kericho Truck unloading people
from Kericho
While the pastors and leaders of Tumaini Na UNdugu were giving a word of hope to
a large group of assembled men and women, Bill began playing with a group of
children. They completely surrounded him and I could hear their laughter and
see their joy.
  
Bill
with group of children Boy's playing on &
under a table Bill and one of the little girls
While Bill was playing with the children, I talked to three men about their
experience. Patrick, a Kikuyu, was from Molo. He has a wife and four children.
His home was looted and burned by Kalenjin, ODM supporters. He ran for his life
and literally has nothing. He has been in the camp for one month. He shared
that even the clothes he was wearing when he ran had been ruined. He has been
given new clothing and is being fed one meal daily. He was born in Molo and has
lived for 44 years there but was still considered a "foreigner" by the Kalenjin.
We talked about his future. Yes, he would go home to Molo if there was true and
lasting peace and safety for his family.
 
Patrick
Ezra
Isaiah
Ezra is 21 years old. He too is a Kikuyu and his family were farmers in the
Molo area. They lost all their belongings and their home was burned. He has
been in the camp for one week. Ezra was with a group of young men approximately
his age. As we talked, I shared my hope that Ezra would be a leader amongst the
young men and would work for peace and forgiveness. As I talked Ezra and the
young men smiled and then he said that they knew revenge would not help
anything. There had already been too much violence, too much destruction, too
much suffering. He and his friends were not planning to retaliate; they just
wanted to go home, back to school or farming. They wanted to return to Molo.
We prayed together that returning home would be a possibility and that Ezra
would be a leader to help bring peace to
Kenya.
Isaiah, a Kikuyu, was the final person who talked to me. His situation was much
the same though he was from a different area. He was born there and had a
family and was a farmer. He has been in the camp for one month. His home was
looted and then burned along with his land and his goats, cow, and chickens were
killed. When asked if he would return home, his answer was not like the
others. He sadly shook his head no and said he would not return. He had too
many terrible memories of the day his Kalenjin "friends and neighbors" came to
destroy his home, his property, his life. He had his family, for which he was
thankful but everything else was destroyed. When I asked what his future plans
were he said he would resettle somewhere else, have a fresh start with new
friends and neighbors he knew he could always trust.
So
what were our impressions of the IDP Camp? There were so many, many people and
probably ½ of them were children. There is not enough food, water, shade,
tents, or medicine for 8000 people and the number grows daily. The people were
friendly and kind. We did not talk to anyone who wanted to kill, destroy, or
take revenge but all were anxious to either go home to where they lived or find
a new home. All were eager for peace. The emergency needs are tremendous. We
are so grateful to the US Government for their
$5 million in
humanitarian assistance. We are so thankful to the
United
Methodist
Churches
and others who are supporting the emergency efforts through the MCK and Tumaini
Na UNdugu and UMCOR. The supplies that Tumaini Na UNdugu provided that day will
be most helpful but so much is needed. And after the IDP Camps are closed the
work will have just begun. The long term effects of the violence will take a
very long time to heal. Soon, we pray,
Kenya
will not be in the news but it is then that this nation will need so much help
and so many prayers.
Why
are there so many people in Nakuru? "Nakuru is a town of 400,000 people from
all corners of the nation and the globe. Truly one of the most cosmopolitan
towns in the country where residents of all races and religions co-exist in
perfect harmony" (Nakuru Town Constituency's Official Website).
Nakuru is called the hub for the IDP of Kenya. If one is traveling from Rift
Valley and
Western Kenya
it is the first safe town they reached. For those that have been displaced from
Central Kenya
it has been the last safe town. And until 7 days ago it was a
SAFE
TOWN.
With all the IDP coming through and/or staying in
Nakuru
Town
it remained a safe haven for almost one month.
On
28 January 2008
violence erupted in Naivasha and Nakuru. What we had hoped and prayed would
never happen, happened. After approximately 1000 people had been killed and
400,000+ had been displaced from Rift Valley and
Western Kenya
(mostly Kikuyu and Kisii) a small number of Kikuyu's began their revenge. Of
course, as we look at numbers, it has always been a small number of people that
have caused so much suffering. Out of the 36,000,000 people in
Kenya,
probably 35,500,000 have never participated in any violence, no matter what
their ethnic origin, but have just wanted to live in peace.
In
Nakuru
Town
and Naivasha approximately 180 people were killed as retaliatory violence
prompted new retaliations. Few ethnicities were safe in the two towns as the
sheer numbers of youth overwhelmed police efforts to restore order. The
military was called in and on Mon. 28 January a curfew was imposed which helped
the situation immensely. Since the curfew almost no one has been killed.
Human life is so precious and what is most tragic is the innocent have paid with
their lives and their homes and property. Those killed originally and then for
revenge were most often not the people who rioted, looted, burned, fought, and
killed. They were innocent people trying to make a living and live in peace.
This past Thursday, 31 January, the body of the brother to an important business
man in
Maua
was brought to
Maua
and to our hospital to be placed in the mortuary awaiting his funeral on Sat.
He was married to a Luo woman, had 4 children and lived in
Western Kenya.
It seemed he and his family had escaped the tragedies that had happened to some
of his neighbors. His family in
Maua
had urged him to come home, but he had felt it was not necessary. One day his
wife came running home saying she had heard that a large crowd was coming to
kill them. The man ran to his land lord for help. The landlord took him back
to his home and cut off his head in front of his wife and children. When the
crowd arrived they decided they would not kill the children and wife.
The
day of the funeral the brother announced that people in
Maua
must revenge the death of his brother. He and others had written some fliers
demanding that "all the foreigners" be expelled from
Maua.
(Actually the word foreigner in this context does not refer to the missionaries
but to the other ethnic groups.) However, the elders and leaders of
Maua
immediately met. The Ministers of Parliament in our area came to speak words of
peace. They sent out messages to the entire district saying that no one was to
be expelled from Imenti District but all were to feel welcome and safe in any
community in our area. They also told the brother of the man killed in
Western Kenya
that if a hand was laid on any foreigner, the first person that would be killed
would be this man, as they would kill him themselves. Thankfully, what could
have erupted into violence and blood shed and the adding of more displaced
persons was stopped.
On
Sunday when I began writing this email, I would have ended it by saying that I
thought we were very close to peace. We were absolutely amazed at what we saw
in
Nairobi,
on our trip to Nakuru, in
Nakuru
Town
and our trip to and from
Maua.
From the newspapers and TV I thought we would see roads blocked and destroyed,
rioters in Naivasha and Nakuru, burned vehicles, homes and businesses and
general chaos. But in fact we saw none of this. On the entire trip to Nakuru
we only saw one building that had been burned and we went by Naivasha and all
through
Nakuru
Town.
On Friday in
Nairobi
we went to Kangemi Slum. Though many of the slum dwellers are without work due
to the lack of tourists, it was peaceful. It seemed that the violence was
happening in very isolated places and often in places that have had a history of
ethnic skirmishes. Today I am not certain. The peace talks were to last 7 days
creating a road map to peace, resettlement and rebuilding the nation. Things
don't seem to be happening and new threats and demonstrations are planned.
What are some of the impacts of these 6 weeks of violence. A decline in food
security in all sectors - farmers and urban poor. In some areas businesses have
been burned or looted and many of the working population no longer have jobs.
Trade and transport to
Kenya's
neighbors and other countries has been interrupted with road blocks and railroad
tracks being destroyed. Fuel prices have increased which touches the lives of
everyone as public transport costs increase. Living in the violent area and in
camps have caused malnourishment, particularly to children with lack of fuel,
food and inappropriate cooking facilities. In Nakuru, three children died on
the day of the Presiding Bishop's first visit. Schools have been burned or
abandoned, there is a shortage of teachers in many areas due to fear and
violence. Last night on TV they showed a teenager weeping in one of the IDP
Camps. He stated he had finished secondary school and his State Exam but all
were burned and he had no proof of anything. At present we require proof to
admit students in our
School
of
Nursing
or any other higher learning institution. He will proba | 
