Thank You, From the Bottom of My Heart...Kenya Week 20: February 14-20

Fourteen days ago I endured 28 hours of cross continental travel while anxious excitement coursed through my veins. I knew I had two weeks to cherish my sister’s wedding, pull off a fundraiser presentation at my church, and complete as many tasks as possible on my endless, “TO DO WHILE HOME” list.

Today my deep sighs and droopy eye-lids merely hint at the whirlwind of activity, fun, and hard work that dominated my two week “vacation” back home. My flight back to Nairobi leaves in a few short hours and I’m desperately trying to process everything that just happened.

I can’t express my deep gratitude for the love, encouragement, and support I received from family, friends, neighbors, and strangers alike while I was home. My 1.5 Minutes of Fame was just enough to gather some excitement about my presentation at St. Marks. Over 85 people came to hear my story, ask probing questions, and become a vital part of the project. Many others that couldn’t make it out asked how they could also contribute.
So for those of you following along on this crazy “Kayla in Kenya” that to help me continue fighting jiggers, here’s how:

Checks can be written to St. Marks Mission with “Kayla in Kenya” in the memo.

Please mail the checks to:
St. Marks Catholic Church
c/o Hilda Beck
3736 S. Lee’s Summit Rd.
Independence, MO 64055

100% of your donation will go to projects to assist the poorest of the poor afflicted by jiggers in Karungu. I’ll continue to write about the people we help and the efforts we make to educate and mobilize the community against these parasites.

In the faithful irony of life, I’m looking forward to getting back to Karungu for some much needed rest. At the same time, I know I have a busy few months ahead of me establishing the Eradication Campaign. Thankfully Kenyan live by the mantra: “Haraka haraka ahinya Baraka” roughly translated into English: “Hurry hurry has no blessing”. i.e. I can recover from my lightening speed two weeks in America while eradicating a devastating public health burden one pesky jigger at a time.