From Noel:
I have known of Rift Valley Academy ever since my sister Julie worked there for a time in the 70s. It is a well-known day and boarding school founded by AIM in Kijabe and sits about halfway up the escarpment of the Rift Valley. Craig Sorley was a boarding student there, grades 8-12.
Adjacent to RVA is the AIM hospital. To all my medical friends I say, if you want to see medicine in a new way, come work at a mission hospital. Most cases are far advanced and there are conditions that are rarely if ever treated in the US.
Today, after walking around a bit at RVA and eating spaghetti lunch amidst a tent-full of student clamor, we drove down the hill to the hospital to meet Dr. Harry Kraus. I "met" Harry first through his writing. Since then, when I knew I'd be coming to Kenya, he and his wife, Kris, were kind enough to invite us to visit them. So this afternoon we had tea--I mean chai--and then this evening they took Talitha and me out to eat at a Java House (apparently founded by Americans who thought there ought to be a good place to buy good coffee in this coffee-growing country).
I want to recommend Harry's books to you. My favorites are The Chairman (fiction) and Breathing Grace (non-fiction). I wouldn't be surprised if when you read these, you'll want to find his others.
Once again, it's late and time to sleep. Tomorrow I'll be attending a Care of Creation workshop for farmers: Farming God's Way. Talitha will be doing something she's never done before, but more about that later.
(By the way, I keep mentioning the Rift Valley. The Great Rift Valley is a north-south volcanic-earthquake fault running from Lebanon to Mozambique. It's major enough to be seen from space.)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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4 comments:
Noel, your descriptions of RVA and the Rift Valley -- hypertexts and all, make me homesick for places I never got to see when I was in Kenya with Steve, Julie and Luke in 1994. What a rich journey you and Talitha are enjoying! Mpther
Hi Noel,
I got the link to your page through my mom, through Sparkie Ciracy. :) If you are still in Kijabe (where I lived for 2.5 Years) I would recommend that you visit that AIC-CURE International Children's Hospital, a stone's throw from Kijabe Hospital. It is a hospital for children with Orthopedic Disabilities, which began in 1998. If you went in there, I'm sure someone would be glad to give you a tour, maybe introduce you to a patient or a doctor. I promise you: you won't be sorry! It is a truly inspiring place. If you want to get in touch with someone specifically, feel free to email me and I can put you in touch with folks there. Blessings as you travel in Kenya! I'm jealous. I miss it!
Jenna Mering
jbmering@gmail.com
Jenna, We saw the CURE Hospital as we walked past. But as you might imagine, a 1-week visit means everything goes too fast and there's not enough time for everything we want to do. In one afternoon, besides visiting RVA and the AIM hospital, we also stopped in at the Moffett College of the Bible and the printing press just beyond.
I'm involved with Joni and Friends in MN, so I would certainly have appreciated a visit to the CURE hospital.
Did you work there?
Hi Noel,
Sounds like you had an amazing time in Kenya! I got to visit the country this past summer with my boyfriend, who was at RVA since he was a 2-year old (his dad is the principal and his mother teaches there). Makes me excited to know that you got the chance to see it and all the beauty of the Rift Valley! Glad you were blessed by your trip, and it's always encouraging to hear of all the great ministries being used by God all over the world, so thanks for writing about your trip on your blog :)
-Panayiota Christidis, California
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