Trip Report by Sarah Gresham Barr - 5th Grade

Posted on May 13, 2007

At age 10, I was privileged to have the opportunity to travel to Kenya with my family. Only a few minutes after arriving at the Samaria Health Clinic, Susan Kaburu and her daughters Ann and Njeri immediately began to show hospitality towards us. The three of them slept together in one tiny room, so that we may have beds to sleep in. That night, we ate a delicious home-cooked meal. Susan, Ann, and Njeri made certain that we had everything we needed after our long trip. The next morning, we woke up and ate a breakfast of peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches. Then, we were called over to the clinic for a morning devotion. One of the nurses read a passage from the Bible, and they taught us a song. I would often find myself humming that morning’s tune throughout the day. Then, clinic would open and the work day would begin. Susan amazed me with her patience and caring for her many patients throughout the day. She showed faith in God as she went about her life. Early in the morning of our last day, about two o’clock in the morning, I was awakened by a bright flashlight beam. In the dim light, I could see a man walking towards the clinic. Thinking it was no big deal, I went back to sleep. Several hours later, I woke up. I had gotten up before anyone else, but I went to check on my parents. They were not in their room. Gradually, everyone else woke up, but no one knew where they had gone. During breakfast, my parents walked in with big smiles on their faces. They told us that a baby had been born. It was a girl and her name was Lillian. We had all been hoping for a birth while we were there, but we had all eventually lost hope. The miracle we had all wanted to happen did. Later that day, I was allowed to see Lillian. She was the most beautiful newborn I had ever seen. Before we left, the entire team gathered outside the house. Susan gave us a blessing, and we all said a prayer. There were a lot of things I learned and a lot of memories made in Africa that I will never forget.