Jimmy and Chase Miller- Serving Kenya since 2011

We are on our way home today.  We have had a peaceful time on Safari this weekend.  I feel more rested and ready for our 2 day journey home.  Thank you for all your prayers.  The Lord accomplished much this year.  I pray he was Glorified through our work. Lioness seen on safari Hippos outside our tent See you soon, chase miller and family

    Hard to believe that Friday was my last day at Tenwek.   As always I am humbled by the awesome work of God going on in this place.   Even though Tenwek is in a season of sifting it is still a place where God’s presence is tangible.   It is a place where the one and only God is worshiped and glorified.   The full time missionaries are really leaning on the short timers who come to fill in.   There are many long-term missionaries on furlough and away seeking God as to whether they are to return.   It seems that a turn over is occurring.   They are growing here and in the busyness of the season it maybe that they have found themselves in a test.   I certainly could feel the tension and struggles.   But we brought encouragement and more hands to do the work.   Today was a call to prayer and repentance in the hospital chapel area.   There was standing room only as the staff and physicians cried out to the Lord for mercy.   His peace was palpable.   This great place is transitioning and

All day case on Wednesday I see the last time I blogged was Monday.  I Think I have been working endlessly since that time.  It seems word got out that I was leaving and there has been a line of patients who have money to pay their deposits and have surgery.  At Tenwek, even though it is a mission hospital there is a small deposit needed to schedule surgery and the balance is paid at discharge.  For a short major OR case the deposit runs about 20,000 shillings (200 dollars).  The balance is paid at discharge.  It is rare to find a patient who has the deposit available to schedule surgery at their clinic visit.  Insurance is rare and only about 20% of the population is insured.  Insurance does not cover outpatient surgery or Ct scans.  Even with insurance there is a 15,000 shilling deposit needed.  Most patients will say they do not have the money and will need to "go look for money".  this usually entails seeking relatives, selling cattle, etc.  I have had a line of patie

Today I spent in the clinic seeing patients with ENT problems.  It has been a steady pace but not overwhelming.  I see all ages.  Probably the biggest complaint is throat pain.  This is a concern that can not be ignored.  Esophageal cancer is endemic in this region.  The patients that are developing these cancers do not have the typical risk factors of smoking and alcohol.  Local research has shown that it could be due to the fermentation process of their milk.  It is a custom here to drink Chai tea at least twice a day and some will have 5-6 times a day.  This is Kenyan tea mixed with fermented whole milk and sugar.  the fermentation process varies with the Kenyan tribe.  Studies have shown a higher rate of cancer in certain tribes and their fermentation process has been studied.  high levels of alcohol and acetaldehyde (by product of ethanol) which are known irritants of mucous membranes have been found.  I purchased an endoscope to look at the voice box and upper esophagus and this

  Today we made another visit to Kitoben Orphanage.  We did a spontaneous church service.  the children all sang songs and then the Miller family were introduced to give a word.  We each came up with a scripture and bible story to tell the children about how much Jesus loves them.  I was so impressed of how fortunate they are to have "parents" that are raising them in the ways of the Lord.  In America, I told them there are many children whose parents do not pass on this blessing.  These children at Kitoben are being blessed with the treasures of God's Kingdom. Dining hall and classroom area Outside of dining hall The picture below is part of the land that Kitoben owns.  The vision is to build a school house for grades 1-3 along the back corner of the land.  Presently the children are schooling in the dining hall area.  The new building will be made of stone which will be long lasting.  God has put the pieces together for this project to move forward.

Deuteronomy 28 2 "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. " God is blessing us in this place in such an amazing way. After rounds at the hospital this morning, it was a day off. We took a long walk through the Kenyan countryside. We walked alongside the cattle being brought to the river for watering. Women were collecting their water and doing the wash. Children were bathing naked downstream from the waterfall. At home as we were taking the laundry off the clothesline we were blessed with this beautiful double rainbow! My heart grows fonder and fonder of the people and this place. The kids had a much different experience today as Hunter explains below: We mudded a hut today! I can now check that off my bucket list. We took two vans of our other short-term friends and drove about 20 minutes out. Although it was a short ride, it felt much differen

Today was filled with many unexpected "thank you's" for the water filters.  I headed up to the 'butchery' for some fillets and received my first 'thank you' from the butcher.  I remembered him from two days ago, but in our discussion about the water filter, I thought he was a butcher from across the river, so I was surprised to see him.  He immediately grabbed my hand and thanked me for the filter and he shared with me that he filtered over 100 liters (25 gallons) of water the day before and has never had so much clean water in his home!  He continued to tell me how good the water tasted while he was slicing off fresh fillets from the massive cow leg hanging from the non-refrigerated room.  It did have a screen around the hanging beef, but no door?  Oh well, I'm in Kenya, not Wegman's. I bumped into many of the local duka owners (small street side shops) who also expressed gratitude for receiving a water filter.  They realize that they were bl

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you" I do not give to you as the world gives.  do  not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" John 14:27 Thank the Lord for his Holy Spirit presence and His peace that He leaves with us.  I have been working at a steady pace but nothing overwhelming by the grace of God.  It continues to be the emergencies that keep me busy, not the elective surgeries.  Clinic is full of very advanced problems most of which are beyond respectability.  It seems each day I have been telling patients that there is nothing I can do.  Fortunately, prayer continues to be their comfort and I leave them in the hands of the Lord as much as I can. Yesterday I was busy in the OR.  Below is a middle aged man (for Kenya), Masaii, who was assaulted and sustained a mandible fracture.  he was treated at another hospital over a month ago and had a very poor result.  I took him back to the OR to refractor and fix his mandible.  As usual histories are

Classrooms at Chebonei Girls High School We were recently invited to the Chebonei Girls High School to see if we could help them with water filtration.  We set up (2) 100 liter tanks (25-gallons each) and put two filters in each tank and then drilled another 5 pails that will collect the clean water with faucets.  They've been purchasing cases upon cases of bottled water, which gets very expensive, for their drinking water.  They have 2 large rain tanks that are currently empty, but they do have some water that is tapped in from the hospital, but the volume is not adequate and it is not always safe to drink.  They will now transport some water up from the river and use the filters to clean it. The school houses up to 507 high school girls ages 14-18 years old.  Hunter has visited them for games and was part of a devotional team that brought a message and did praise and worship music for them.  It is a Christian School, but not all are necessarily 'Believers' - they

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the father.  You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."  John 14:13-14 To ask in Jesus' name?  I think that means to ask as Jesus asked.  To walk as Jesus walked.  To be broken as Jesus was broken.  To be resurrected as Jesus was resurrected.  As I walk the pathways of Tenwek I often think "why me, what am I here for?"  Yet I know to not ask why.  I am trusting the Lord to complete the work He has begun.  My heart breaks for the suffering and the amount of disease here.  Only God is able to relieve them from their brokenness.  I walk physically along the paths, praying that God will be present to the people and touch them in a tangible way.  In a sense now I am waiting and trusting God to move in this place.  Surgery has been light for all the surgeons now.  there are many patients that are coming to casualty and the clinics but not necessarily with the need for surge

Today was such a blessing to reunite with our friends at the Kitoben Orphanage.  We have grown to recognize the children and put names to their faces.  They have grown this year and are all healthy.  The primary school children (grades k-5) are educated at the orphanage.  They now have four teachers devoted to teach the kids.  The secondary school children are in boarding school.  There are now two children that have been accepted to government universities (funded through government loans).  To the kenyans, education is the key to success and moving out of the traditional farming work.  Only the children with the highest grades will be accepted for government loans.  There is much pressure on the children to perform well.  I have seen many secondary school children with psychogenic illnesses.  We have a 15-year-old girl presently in the wards with psychogenic paralysis of her legs.  In one weeks time I have also seen at least four to five girls with loss of voice - all related to stre

One week of work is already complete.  It has been a week of getting adjusted to the culture and way of life here.  I have to constantly tell myself to stop walking so fast and to slow down.  It is an art to have people pressing in around you, interrupting you, asking you for advice, and to remain at peace and not overwhelmed.  I have a long way to go here but have been adjusting to this way of living here. I observe some of the full time missionaries and note that they are quiet and peaceful;  never seeming to be rushed in their decisions.  This is a gift from God that I covet and believe the hard times are teaching me. Being a short term missionary causes a tension that feels like a disadvantage but I see how God is using my weaknesses.  My heart is not dulled by the constant sight of tragedy and suffering.  It seems that each time I come my heart is broken for the suffering of these people.  I know that we live in a broken world and there will be suffering but the amount of diseas

This morning I went back to the Tenwek Primary Boarding School with Hunter, Aaron, & Isaiah to finish up a project that I began a year ago.  They currently have 613 children and 40 staff up from last year!  The filters have been working well and we set them up with more filters for the boys and girls dormitories, and more for some of the teachers that didn't receive any from last year.  As it turned out, we spent about 3-1/2 hours with them; back-washing some of the older filters and just visiting and enjoying some chai with them.  They are so thankful for the water filters - they send blessings and God's peace to all who have supported this ministry! We got back to our apartment around 2pm and had a late lunch with Chase and we shared some stories together; Chase headed back to the hospital with Aaron; and Isaiah and I started working on some water filters that we promised to some local Kenyan workers.  Well, you would have thought that someone went around the Tenwek com

Today Hunter and I (Isaiah),worked with the community health program of Tenwek. The program took us into the slight "suburbs" (if you can call them that) of Bomet. Tenwek hospital currently supports 1,500 orphans (they are hoping to up that number to 4,000 very soon).Our mission, into the "suburbs", was to see what these orphans needed. However, most of the orphans were in school which resulted in their "care-takers" to represent them. Many of these "care-takers" were very old; most of them supported 1-3 orphans but there were some who supported up to 6 orphans. The people we traveled with took down the names of these orphans, from their "care-takers", and also other information that could be useful in determining sizes for school uniforms and other needs. We also took the blood pressure of these "care-takers" to help determine their health; many of which were spot on (120/70 - very surprising for these old "care-takers

"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:3-4). Again this year my heart breaks for the massive sickness and death that surrounds me at Tenwek.  It is an overwhelming feeling to see such disease and feel unable to help.  This morning as I passed through the emergency room to the outpatient clinic area, the doctors began chest compressions to resuscitate a woman who collapsed in her village.  Although her collapse was witnessed, it took 20 minutes for her to arrive. She died soon thereafter.  I remember the patients I had seen yesterday that had such advanced disease and what little I could do for them.  With each patient I cry out to the Lord to give me wisdom on how to treat.  We pray together and trust that He will provide.  My eyes truly need to be on the Lord and not on what I see around me.  

Praise God that we arrived early friday morning with all our luggage and no issues with customs.  we are so grateful for all your prayers.  today we went to Alliance Vision Educational Center.  Our ride was through the slums of eastland, Nairobi.  Views of kids aimlessly walking, rivers of sewage, and women working their shacks.  A place so different from where we live it is hard to identify.  The school we visited housed 160 children of various ages.  as we arrived they ran to see us and touch our skin.  Even pictures will have difficulty expressing what we saw.  the children don't live at the school as there is no room.  there was the sense that many live on the streets at night and come during the day for their meal.  I felt speechless as they gathered around, what could we say? We are off to Bomet tomorrow.  May God bless you for your continued prayers over our travels. Jimmy, Chase and family