Journey to the USA — Part 2
It is a nine hour drive from Daytona Beach, Florida to Warrior, Alabama. The trip was very painful for Cynthia and her displaced hip condition. She has struggled with this for three and a half years, receiving physical therapy for the past 6 months. Although there has been much improvement, sitting for any length of time is nothing short of torture. The plane trip from Nairobi to and within the U. S. requires pain relievers, heating pads, frequent walks (down the aisle), stretches, a lot of prayer and much, much grace.
When we arrived at Chris and Renee’s house we were treated to some great food and fun times with the grands.
Their household, with one graduated oldest daughter,
two teens, two younger ones, three dogs, a cat, lots of chickens and a couple of rabbits is one of the busiest houses around.
All home schooled and fully engaged in home life activities on their eight acres in the country.
All through this visit we couldn’t keep up with them due to our physical condition. Covid, travel exhaustion, time change and other problems had taken their toll. So mostly we just enjoyed ,.. hanging out, putting together a beach puzzle (a gift from their great aunt), and eating good food.
Alabama is where we schedule our dental and medical checkups while in the States. What can’t be done in Kenya usually can be done in the States. Plus we have Medicare and Cigna insurance. I struggle with high blood pressure and am on meds so we keep that checked out. I have a lump under my jaw that constantly hurts like a low grade toothache. Over the past 8 months the swelling and pain increased so we checked that out as well.
The doctor said it might be a tooth infection causing the swelling and pain. So we went to the dentist and after an x-ray he removed two tooth fragments broken off from old extractions. He also put me on antibiotics … but here we are back in Nakuru and it’s not any better. We will try and continue to check this out here in Kenya.
Lastly on the medical front was the doctor asking us if we ever had a colon check and we said no. So we sent off to the lab our appropriate samples. Cynthia’s came back fine but mine came back abnormal. So next week I’m scheduled for a colonoscopy. All these matters have been turned over to our Great Physician. So please pray for these two old bodies of ours as they were not meant to last forever.
While we were there, news came that Rick Riggins, Chris’s dad, and a former friend of mine from Rose Creek Village, was very sick and dying so they were visiting him at his home everyday. Sadly his father passed within a short time of the news. Rick’s final request was that his burial would be within days of his passing. Chris’s house would become the center for visiting family members and funeral planning.
So Cynthia and I felt we needed to move on to make room for his family. The next place to visit would be our friends in Tennessee. The first problem to get anywhere in the States is transportation. Not having a car or money to rent one can be a real drag, yet such is the life of most full time missionaries. But then … there is God.
End of Part 2
