Return to Eldoret: Part Three

These last four days have passed so quickly and have been so special. Climate Change is making its presence felt once again. This time of year it should be warm and dry so that everyone can harvest their maize crop- vital for food security in Kenya. Instead of which it is currently cool and wet and so Tuesday saw me dodging the downpours as I made my way across to the Bishop’s Office. But what’s a bit of mud compared to a reunion after almost five years? The first surprise was discovering that the Bishop’s Office has recently relocated to another part of the city but CBR with its wonderful record of serving the people of the Diocese still stands. I spent the morning reconnecting with my remaining colleagues at the centre and getting to know the new Director. The Wheels for the World team arrived in the afternoon and settled in quickly- four of them have been here before which no doubt helped.

Then on Wednesday morning, the 20th anniversary of the opening of the CBR Centre, we began the distribution. The wheelchair consignment is always shared between CBR and another in country partner in Kimilili on a roughly two thirds/ one third basis. This time we had the smaller portion of 30 plus wheelchairs and various walking aids. There were a few logistical challenges which was probably inevitable after a gap of almost five years but knowing that life has been transformed for these people transcends any sense of frustration.

Thursday proved to be another extraordinary example of God’s providence. At the end of Wednesday’s session there were ten wheelchairs left and many, many names on the waiting list. The therapists worked to decide which clients would be most suited to each chair then Revd Grace spent the whole of the evening calling them to attend and telling all the others that they are on the list for another time. On Thursday two people did not arrive but their allocated chairs proved to be a perfect match for two different clients who turned up unexpectedly. These are very special moments of the right thing at the right time, when you honestly feel like you are on holy ground.

The team left early this morning and I spent some time with the staff at CBR. It’s been very hard to say goodbye this time. I have a sense that the winds of change are blowing and I’m not at all sure what the future might hold. In the words of one of the many Tracks of my Years: “We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun…..”

Asante Kenya, you’ve been wonderful!