6 AM on Sunday. Thought I'd catch up before we take off for the 5 hour drive to Umoja Women's village. WiFi was gone again for the day TIA:-) So Friday after waiting for 3 hours to meet with a fistula surgeon I was just about ready to blow it off. Ruth however said she thought I should wait and I'm so glad I did. He's about forty, had studied at Brown for a specialty in cervical CA but is really passionate about fistula surgery. After several years of bush work he has turned a house into this small clinic, complete with an OR in the kitchen:-). Met another amazing woman (there is no shortage here) Our eyes met, she grasped my hands and our hearts connected instantly. She is 2 wks post op having suffered with this condition for over 30 years. She spoke of raising 5 children on her own, her husband left after the miscarriage, loosing her daughter and now raising her grandchildren making sure they go to school. And the loneliness of no one wanting to be around her because of the smell.

Spent yesterday visiting friends, she cooked and feed us enough to make up for the 2 years it's been since I've seen them. A young Sudanese orphan boy (15 yrs) that they are helping to care for joined us for lunch. He shared his story me and by the time was done he was weeping with his head in my lap and my heart was shattered. After watching both his parents die from alcohol poisoning. He and his younger siblings fled Sudan to come live with an uncle here in Kenya. He left one sister behind and lost another along the way, having to leave the body in the bush as they fled. He is in school, having found a sponsor but is younger siblings are not.

On a happier note, as I look to my 60th birthday this week I met a woman who helped keep it in perspective. She said she turned 15 the year the schilling came to her country, that was 1905 so you do the math. She is still bright, digs in her shamba(garden) and has a hilarious sense of humor. She says she is looking for another husband so watch out guys!