Lodwar Day 3

Today we went to the goat auction to purchase some of the goats that were funded by Liberty Hill at home. The crowd was fascinated with the Mizungus and we left soon to keep from making a bigger scene. We drove way out into the bush – almost an hour where there was no road, no path and no marked route. We were entertained with traditional dance, song and worshipping as fed almost 100 families with beans and corn maize. We all had a chance to join in the tribal dance as we worshipped God as brothers and sisters in Christ as one body! We also visited the local clinic where the kids are treated to meet with the resident doctor to check on the kids of the House of Hope progress and health. The conditions were unbelievable to be considered a “health clinic”. We then went to the only hospital that services the entire Turkana region. We delivered medical supplies donated by McKesson (Jim’s employer) which were received with big smiles. The conditions were again, unbelievably primitive and we learned that the infant mortality rate for the region is 66%! The mortality rate for children under 5 is 64%! We returned back to the House of Hope to be able to spend the rest of the day with the kids – they are soooo awesome! The staff made the two wives and two husbands honorary Turkana’s and dressed us up with true Turkana attire to include beads, accessories, presented the men with Turkana walking sticks that are only given to men of importance in the tribe as well as elders. Awesome experience and we all celebrated in traditional dance and worship. The kids know that we leave tomorrow and are already showing signs of sadness – we don’t want to leave them as much as they don’t want to leave. So many more stories to share when we get home. Here is a sampling of pictures in the next blog.