I got back home June 12th, landing at Tampa Airport about 4:30 pm, and was greeted by my 2 grandsons, jumping and waving at me, plus my loving husband.  Other friends had come to see us arrive as well.  I traveled back with Dr. Howard, who was met by his wife, who was very glad to see him again.

We are now trying to adjust to the time change, mentally and physically, and stomach-wise.    I find I am very sleepy at 1-2 pm, which relates to when we went to bed in Ngoswani, at 8-9  pm.  So today I gave up and took a nap, and felt much better for doing so.

I have to organize my pictures, write my letter to friends and family, and get my thoughts together to then start sharing about this year’s adventures.  So I will soon get my blog going again, with excerpts of the experiences we had.

Until then, Sue

The essential oils are a big part of the weight, as I am taking 50 peppermint and 50 lavender to the Maasai women that Young Living so graciously donated for them.   This company, and its founder, Gary Young are highly dedicated to naturally improving the health of all who are willing to learn about the oils, and try them.   They have farms in Utah, Idaho, France, and Equador where they grow the different crops organically, harvest them at peak time, steam distill to draw out the essential oils, and then package them to distribute to those who are wise enough to use them. 

If I sound passionate about them, it’s because I am!!   They have so improved my own health, and helped me deal with problems and the needs of others around me almost every day.  I almost never take pain pills, antibiotics, or OTC things to deal with headaches, muscle aches, cuts, sinus colds, flu, sore throats, etc.   I LOVE that the oils aren’t toxic, or have side effects, and work!   If you have any interest in checking them out, you can go to my website:  www.youngliving.org/freelance, and try them for yourself.  If you do so, please send me an email, so I can send you helpful, educational information so you, too, can learn about them and how to safely use them.  My email is: sueheath@earthlink.net. 

Since our diet on the trip is  mostly pasta dishes, I am going to look for some protein bars to take.  Oh, I  found a site that carries disposable underwear and socks, plus I also bought 3 disposable beach towels.   The towels are the size right now of a 4 inch circle!   Don’t know how they feel to wear and use, but will be able to tell you when I get back and report on this year’s trip.   If they are effective, I will share the website.

With all the pictures I took last year, I decided to make small photo albums of the 3 major families that so impacted my life.  William and Juliana were the host family, and have 2 small children.  Then Julius and Sephora, with their 6 boys and 1 girl were co-workers with William.  The pastor of the village was Pastor Timothy, with his wife and 3 children.   I hope that we were able to give them as much as they gave to us—in care and affection, and help.

I am still busy working with Brandon in learning the different parts of setting up a website.    He is a most interesting and courageous young man.   I so enjoy our chats as he tries to educate me.  About 8 yrs. ago, he had an auto accident that left him quadraplegic, and now is wheelchair mobile.  He shared his passion for wheelchair rugby, and how he now wants to work with young kids who are handicapped in some way or another—to teach them alternative sports.  He wants to get his master’s in this arena, and then work in schools to develop this type of program.   I love his heart!  You can see pictures of his team playing wheelchair rugby here: www.sincityskulls.com.

I’m also learning from Marilee Tolen, who teaches health professionals about internet marketing.  www.introtointernetmarketing.com   As a nurse anesthetist, I never had exposure to working online, or even thinking about sharing my expertise in different areas.  So she is opening up new arenas to me, and expanding my thinking of how to educate people in the health and essential oils field.  As a result of her information, I am going to do interviews and record them, and also try teleseminars—when I get back.

Since I just love to shoot everything that is standing still or moving—-with a camera, that is—I am also learning from Lisa Sibley, who is a photographer, and just took pictures of me for my website and blog.  She is a very talented lady here in Tarpon Springs, Fl.  www.sibley@lisasibley.com. 

Here is where I need your help:  would you choose the picture you like the best, and let me know by leaving a comment??   I have to choose one for the website and blog.  And thanks for your input!!  As you can see, I don’t have the hang of placement yet, but if you will just overlook the position, and pick and comment, I will appreciate it greatly!!

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

My husband is remodeling our laundry room, so I am at times called upon to help him in moving water pipes, electrical outlets, tile flooring, etc.  I just painted the walls and ceiling today, so that things can keep moving.

I am going to stop, as I have to work this week and need to get to bed.  4 am. comes around so fast, and being a night owl, it’s hard to make myself stop doing, and go SLEEP!!

Talk more later, Sue

There are a number of vaccinations you have to have in order to go to third world countries, like yellow fever, Hep. A and B, and tetanus.   Since we went to the Amazon in 2006, I had gotten the yellow fever one, and then received the others before going last year.  They are good for 10 years, so don’t need to go thru getting them again.   It’s always interesting to experience pain in some form or other, and see how the essential oils so greatly help after applying!!  As soon as I received the injections, the arm started aching.  I put PanAway and Relieve It on the area, and within a minute or two, the pain was GREATLY diminished.  

I have to tell you, I LOVE my essential oils, and carry my ‘first aid kit’ with me everywhere.   There’s always someone around with a need!

Last year, I took a lot of my own personal oils to use on the patients, other staff, and just for any need expressed.  Having gotten more of a feel of what the people deal with, this time I am able to be more focused on which oils I take. 

Pastor Timothy with his daughter

The pastor of the village fell, and injured his shoulder and ribs when he was going out and about to inform the people that the Doctor was in their area, so I put Wintergreen, PanAway, and Relieve It on his shoulder/ribs.    Even with him speaking no English, we didn’t have a problem communicating!   He would come to our building, smile at me, I’d hold up an oil bottle, and he’d nod.  He was faithful in coming over 2-3 times a day.  

Pastor Timothy had a very interesting history, so William translated, as he told about killing a lion as a young man.  As part of their achieving manhood, the young boys/teenagers are sent out in the bush for a period of time.  Timothy encountered and killed the lion, so was given the mane to wear as a sign of high status in the village.  This year I am going to interview and record what they share with me, to help me remember, and to be able to share those ‘talks’ with you.   So you can look for those in the future, after we return from our trip in June.

During one of the nights last year, the moon was bright, and I was having a hard time sleeping, because it was so noisy outside!!   It sounded like a big cat, or some animal, was ‘coughing’, or making its specific cry just outside our back window.  I kneeled on the end of my bed, and just watched—-hoping to catch sight of whatever was out there.  Never did see anything, but not long after, I heard the cries of an animal that had been caught, and was being killed.  Horrible sounds, but just part of nature.   I finally put my headphones on at 4:30, so I could block the noise and get 2 hours of sleep! 

Some of the other girls and I would walk around the village before supper, and it was fun to see the kids run to come with us.  They would chatter away, and once we asked them to sing, so they all lined up, and one would sing the verse, they’d all sing the chorus, and then another child would sing the next verse.  They sang with such enthusiam and volume!  The little ones run up to you and bow their heads for you to put your hand on them for a blessing.  Some of them would call us “mazungu” which means ‘white person’.  

In their school house, they did have words and numbers in English, so they learned some English.  Most of them didn’t speak it with us, and I’m not sure if that is because they don’t have enough chance to practice speaking with English people.  Good thing you don’t always have to use words to communicate.   Hugs, and smiles, and pats went a long way to express our feelings to them. 

During some of the nights, we would have torrential rains.  You had to wait until a lull in the storm to run to the

The storm is coming!

bathroom.  Well, one night Stephanie and Janet decided they had to go, and Kathy and I (in the back room) said as soon as it slows down, ‘go’.  So they got all ready, and went out the door, and about 20 seconds later, it poured even harder than it had been.   Kathy and I got so tickled, thinking we had sent them out like lambs to the slaughter, and got to laughing so hard, we could hardly stop!   We tried to open the door, but the rain was blowing in hard.  We just stood there with towels, laughing, and then the other girls finally came back.   They weren’t as drenched as they could have been, because the guard went out with an umbrella to get them.  We apologized for sending them out, and laughing!   Even now, I get tickled just remembering it!    Sorry, Janet and Stephanie!

Well, enough of my sharing.   I could go on and on, but don’t want to bore you.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions, about anything!!

Sue

Our waterfall

to the sounds of nature and the water—always sounds like it’s raining.  We enjoy our time there, seeing friends, getting outside, and sometimes relaxing.

We also did some work, laying stone steps, and stepping stones in the pathways, and then putting what seemed like 100 steps down the side of the house to the bottom of the slope.  We

The killer stone steps!

ended up being a good bit stiff and sore, using seldom-used muscles in doing heavy lifting and carrying of the rocks.   It was worth it though, as it looks so much nicer.

When we would go out in the mornings, driving to the next place to set up clinic, we would see many animals.  Once there were 3 cheetahs in the road, a mother with 2 cubs.  They ran into the high grass so fast I couldn’t get good pictures.  Also saw baboons, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, ostriches, plus many others.

One interesting older woman came in with a very sore knee, as she had been knocked down by a buffalo 3 yrs. earlier.  She kept spitting on everyone/everything, and would just smile, say “sorry” when told to stop, but then keep on.   We

The lady who loved to "bless us"

found out later that is their way of “blessing” you.   I wiped her knee off with an alcohol cloth so Dr. Tonya could inject it, and just as she was ready to insert the needle, the lady spit on the ‘field’, plus Dr. Tonya.  There was no way to stop her!   She also wanted to have oils rubbed on her knee, so I got to be “blessed” also.  You can’t help but laugh, and love them!!

An older man with many aches and pains came in, and after getting a Depomedrol injection, got rubbed with the oils.  He kept moving his clothes, wanting me to rub everything that hurt—shoulders, back, hips, elbows, wrists, knees.  I was busy trying to keep vital areas covered for modesty, and he was busy trying to get areas out to be rubbed!!!  He put his feet up on the bench, wanting his feet rubbed too.   He was smiling the whole time!  The other girls were laughing at me, saying I was going to be wife #13, and there would be a line of people outside the door, waiting for their massages, and that my fame would spread far and wide.  Kathy named me “oils mama”.

Also had a little 5 year old boy come in, with shingles all over his right arm.  He was carrying it so gingerly, as it was causing him a lot of pain.   His father thought it was from a spider bite.

Mom's with babies waiting to be seen

There were still a lot of babies to be seen, so everyone sat on the ground, and Dr. Tonya went thru them, marking with an X on the hands of the ones to be seen the next day.  Lots of colds, runny noses, coughs, and several who just looked sickly.  Without any medical help, they all just cope as best they can when health problems arise.   We saw several adults who had scars on their abdomens and chest.   We were told they would make small incisions, put herbs in them to deal with abdominal pain, or bad colds/chest problems.   You have to wonder—what would we do, without any access to medicines or medical help??

We are blessed beyond measure, and yet take it all so much for granted.  It takes going way out of your comfort zone, to see those who live with the barest of necessities, and yet manage to be happy to make you look at your own life differently.  It has changed my priorities, as I said in an earlier post, and opened my eyes and heart to see others in a new light—–to see their heart instead of the outward appearance.   I pray for God to use me as long as I have life and breath!

Until next time,

Sue

Remember me telling you about the guard around our building at night?  Well, Peggy, the nurse that assists Dr. Tonya

Peggy on the bathroom 'trail'

 in her trips and seminars by taking care of all the administrative details, got up to go to the bathroom around 2:30 am.  The guard stopped her, telling her that an elephant was out around it.  Needless to say, she turned right around and went back to bed!!  They can be un-predictable, and charge you if you give them cause.  Even so, I know I would have wanted to stand there, just to see if I could see it! 

On our first clinic day, 5 women went on the van, with 3 interpreters, plus William to a village about an hour away.  Peggy and I stayed behind to work with Leonard, a young medical person who was the source of health care for the village, 24/7.    We saw patients in the end room, where the clinic was located.  The clinic has minimal supplies for basic health care, very minimal lab capabilities, and one examining table in the back area of the clinic.  We had brought basic medicines, supplies, and lab tests to use as we saw patients. 

It was market day in Ngoswani, so many people had walked long distances to buy and sell things, like clothes, materials, and foodstuffs.  It was conducted out in the open air, with things laid out on the ground.   That also meant that people would take advantage of being close to medical care, and come to get checked out.

The first man we saw had symptoms of malaria, so we did a lab test and he came up positive.  He was given medicines, and went on his way.   Leonard would talk to the patient, then tell us their story, and we’d together decide what the symptoms indicated and what to do.  Leonard was a joy to work with.  He was somewhat shy, but as I used the Young Living Essential Oils on patients, he wanted to learn about them and how they worked.

I was able to use essential oils on most all the patients.  We saw many kids with respiratory problems, ear problems, aches in joints, coughs, runny noses, etc.   For the respiratory cases, I would rub R.C. on their chests and backs, on the lung areas.  R.C. stands for “respiratory congestion”, and this blend consists of 3 different types of Eucalyptus, a number of fir tree oils, like pine, spruce, myrtle,  then marjoram, lavender, cypress, plus peppermint.  Very effective on colds and congestion.  If the child was 18 mos. or younger, I rubbed oils on their feet, which then was absorbed into every cell in their body within 20 min.  I also used Thieves on many of them, which is highly anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic.   Very good for colds and coughs.

Maasai man herding his goats

The Maasai people wear very colorful sarongs—lots of red, black, and yellow.  The men carry long sticks, and a shorter club to keep their herds of goats or cattle moving, and also as protection from the wild animals.  They are a thin, wiry people for the most part, as they walk many miles to get from one place to another.  The men take their herds of goats or cattle out in fields to graze,  staying all day out there to guard them, and then bring them home at night.  With their red blankets on, you could see them a great distance away.  Occasionally, you’d see one lying on the ground, all wrapped up in his blanket, taking a nap.

One of the exciting things going on in the village was the start of the new medical clinic!  The men of the village had

Working on the clinic foundation

laid out the foundation, placing cement blocks all around, and outlined the rooms with them.  They filled each room with rocks, smashed them with a huge mallet, (whatever that tool is called!!!??)  and then stirred up concrete mix with water right on the ground.  They’d fill a wheelbarrel with the mixture, and move it to the area to be filled.  So much back-breaking work, but they kept at it, so that by the time we left to come home, the foundation was all finished, and the walls were started.

They are also going to build a church, and school for the village.   All of this was the vision that God laid on Dr. Tonya Hawthorne’s heart  many years prior, and she was finally able to see things coming together to achieve this dream.  To play a small part in seeing health care, education, and a place to worship God being raised right in front of your eyes was absolutely awe-inspiring.   This trip truly moved my heart in a deep, life-changing way.  I want to be used by God to reach out to those who have nothing unless someone comes alongside to help in a tangible way.  

We found out that William was sick all night with a fever.  He tested positive for malaria this morning, but after taking medicine, still went out with the team to show the way to the village, and act as interpreter!  When he was ready for bed that night, I rubbed his feet with lemon oil, one of the oils specific for malaria.  You can also mix 3-6 drops of the lemon oil, with a tsp. of blue agave syrup, mix with 8 oz. of water, and sip to build up the immune system.

Our meals are very simple there.  Breakfast consists of boxed cereal, bananas, milk and toast.  Lunch was mashed potatoes with peas in a sauce, also slices of mango.  Dinner was rice with some meat stew, and pineapple.  Now if I could just walk as much as they do, I might get as slim and trim!!!   Probably would take more than just 2 weeks to achieve it, though!!

At 9:45, it’s time for bed, and hopefully, a good night’s sleep.  We’re going to another village tomorrow.  Oh, one last picture of the gorgeous night skies!! 

Gorgeous night sky!

See you then, Sue

We were given our bed assignments, and Kathy and I shared the back room of one of the units.  She is a pediatric RN., and a lot of fun.  She is from Indianapolis, Ind. where I had also lived in the past.   In the front room, Stephanie and Janet had their beds.   Stephanie is an ARNP, specializing in OB/GYN, and Janet is a Home Health RN.  I am a CRNA, (nurse anesthetist).  

After settling in, we had lunch at 2 pm, which is normal lunch time there.  We had a stew over pasta.   Then at 5 pm., we had chai tea, and then 8 pm. was supper time.   Juliana and some of the women of the village cooked our meals while we were there, and because of the water situation, we could not eat salads.  Most of our foods were pastas in one form or another.   We were able to eat some  fruits that could be peeled.  Our supper meal was usually eaten in William and Juliana’s living room, as it was dark out, and the mosquitos were out from dusk to dawn.  We had to wear DEET as soon as it started getting dusk-y.  Malaria is a big problem there, so we all took anti-malaria tablets as a preventive, along with wearing  long sleeves, and using a high percentage DEET.

That first evening, William honored us by making us Maasai women—-gave us each a handmade bracelet.   Mine was blue and white, and I wore it all the time while there.  We could hear sounds of partying going on in the distance, and William and Julius, (his co-worker) esplained that they were celebrating the ceremony that was going to take place at 6 am. the next morning.  Some boys were going to be circumcised, so the warriors would drink, sing, and jump around the fire all night.   The boys are 14 yrs. old, and they go thru a whole ritual to achieve manhood.  They have circumcision done without any anesthesia.  They must NOT make any noise, clench their fists, blink eyes, or move while it’s being done.  If they do so, shame is put on them.

Girls have female clitoris circumcision done at age 9.  They are immersed in cold water to numb the area, then sit on a log with legs on 2 logs, and have it done—with NO anesthesia.  Many of the people watch the ceremony, so there is much pressure on the boys and girls to not cry out.    This is definitely something that is not understood by our culture.   There are some things you just have to realize you can’t change, because you are in THEIR country, and can’t force your ways upon them.  It will only come about by education, and God changing their hearts.

The next morning we are going to leave at 7 am. to go to another village to do a 1 day clinic.   So we all cleaned up, and went to bed.  The night sky is absolutely beautiful, full of stars, and SO BIG.    It is so peaceful, just listening to the night sounds.  There is a guard around our building at night, as animals roam all around.  We are close to the river, where they drink, and an area where elephants cross.  I got up around 3 am. to go to the bathroom, and didn’t see the guard, but knew he was there.  It gives you a sense of security, knowing someone else is ‘up’ with you at that time of the early morning, and keeping watch over you.

 Kathy was very restless, unable to go to sleep, so I gave her a relaxing massage with the Essential Oils, and a short time later she was snoring away!!  You can’t beat Peace and Calming for helping you wind down, calm down, and then sleep.  Also used Relieve It on her back, along with Wintergreen and PanAway to help relieve her tight, stressed neck and shoulder muscles.  I used them on myself, and went to sleep.  Shhhhhh, see you in the morning!

Sue

I want to continue telling you about our trip just to get to the village where we were going to spend our two weeks in Kenya.  After getting out of Nairobi, the rest of the trip was almost anti-climatic, with no more guns and shields, and policemen all around!

The scenery is quite different from what I see here in Florida.  No lush palm trees, lots of flowers and greenery, big, modern and even palatial homes.  What you saw were small buildings with wood or cement block walls and tin roofs, lots of dirt yards, and evidence of a much poorer lifestyle.  The people are an attractive people, with their dark skin, big beautiful eyes, and white teeth.  Their landscape is somewhat barren, with trees that are flat on top, called acacia

Flat-topped acacia trees

trees, or cactus bushes that can get really big standing alone, or in groups.   Every now and then you’d see bouganvilleas with their brightly colored flowers.

The roads could be a combination of pavement, but with a good portion of the roadway just dirt.  In this dirt were MANY ruts and holes that were bone-jarring when you hit them at 50-60 mph.  As a result of all the holes, and really rough areas, the drivers of the vans and trucks would just drive where it looked to be the smoothest—even if it was on YOUR side of the road.  Many times it seemed like we were playing “chicken”, and at the last moment one would swerve enough so you could pass without crashing. 

 Because of all the dirt, it was very dusty.  I turned around in my seat to see Dr. Tonya and Kathy, one of the other

Kathy, looking like a bandit!

RN’s, with scarves up over their noses and mouths.  They’d been there before and knew what to expect, but I had to laugh because they looked like bandits!   We made a potty stop at the ONE place Dr. Tonya knew of on the whole trip, so it was either do or die.  As soon as you stepped out of the van, the men who were trying to sell their wares would come right up and give you their sales pitch. 

The potty place was very interesting, as it hung out over the side of the mountain.  It’s called a “squatty potty”, and you literally have to do that, and hope your leg muscles are strong enough to support you!!  You have to carry your own supply of cleaning wipes, as they are not provided.  They also forgot to put in any deodorizer-hanging things!

Going on, we passed down into the Rift Valley, where they have active volcanoes, and 3 of the world’s largest lakes. 

2 huge satellite dishes in Rift Valley

In the midst of the landscape, we saw 2 huge satellite dishes, which seemed very out of place in the middle of so much poverty.  Never did find out what they were for.  We did see a good number of people with cell phones, so it may have been part of that service.

We finally arrived at the village of Ngoswani.  I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t what we saw.   The homes were all spread out haphazardly, and it seemed quite small.  We drove back to the area where we were to ‘live’ for our time there.   It was a cement block building with 4 different rooms.  One room was for the medical clinic for the village people, 2 of the middle rooms were for us, and the last room was where our project manager and his family live.  The ‘bathroom’ was up a slight incline and approx. 100 yards from the main building.  That consisted of 2 shower areas and 2 bathrooms.  The showers were done with rain water collected in containers on the roof.

We were greeted warmly by the other team members who had been there for the first 2 weeks, and William and

Our project manager, William and Julianna

Juliana, our project manager and wife.  They are a most handsome couple with beautiful smiles and joyful faces.  They have 2 precious kids.  We got settled in, and then were shown around the area by William.  Very close to the building was the river, which is the water source for the village.  You would see the women going by very often, to go down and fill their barrels, and then carry then back home with straps over their heads and around the water container. 

Maasai woman carrying load of wood

Talk about having sore necks and backs!!   The women were also responsible for collecting the wood for their fires to cook their food, and keep their homes warm.  This too, was carried on their backs with the strap around the forehead.

I have so many pictures I could share with you, but have to learn how to get them from my file  to here.  So I am working on that!   I’ll stop and share more next time.

Sue

Us 7: Janet, Linda, Sue, Dr. Tonya, Peggy, Stephanie, Kathy

I was with a team of 7 women, one of them being our leader, Dr. Hawthorne. Some of them had gone on 2 weeks before, so there were 3 of us that went on the team for the second 2 weeks. It took us almost 24 hrs. to travel to Nairobi. Have to say, we were a little tired when we got there!!

 We spent the night in Nairobi at a lovely guest house, which was gated and guarded. Left the next morning for the 4-4 1/2 trip to the village of Ngoswani. Just getting out of Nairobi was a thrill ?, as there was an uprising going on with the rebels.

 A wife of a govt. official had been killed, and because of the tensions, 7 other people were killed, big trucks blocked traffic in and out on the major roads, tires were burned at intersections, police armed with guns and shields were evident all around us as we tried to drive out. We sat in traffic for a while, and then 2 jeeps full of police pulled out of a police station, which we were close to, and we were able to pull in behind the first one, with the 2nd behind us. Since the roads were blocked, we had to drive on a bumpy, dirt road on the edge, close to shops, and homes to get out of town. It was a tension-filled ride for a while! We did finally get past all the road blocks, police, and get to the turnoff we needed to go on our way.
I’ll share more next time. I got goosebumps just telling you about that part, isn’t that weird??? Things do get better!
Have a great day, Sue

I have to thank Marilee Tolen for taking us step by step thru this process, and making it easier for a big group of us health professionals, who are internet-challenged!  So thank you Marilee, and Prinny, too!

I am preparing, and pulling together supplies for a month-long trip to Kenya, come May 16th.  I am going with a doctor from Clearwater, Fl. who goes on medical missions all around the world.  We went to this same village last year, and saw the beginning of the medical clinic that has been Dr. Hawthorne’s dream for many years.  It is now finished, and there will be a dedication of the clinic while we are there.  

Last year was a life-changing experience for me.  I saw how people could live with very little, very close to nature, and still be happy, still have the same hopes, dreams and fears that we do.  It made me evaluate my priorities, and make some changes when I came back home.  I walked into my home and saw how much “stuff” we have, so I have been trying to downsize and clear out the unnecessary things.  My passions have become more bright, and my focus more clear in what I want to do with the rest of my life. 

I will share more on these as I go.  I welcome any comments or questions along the way, and will do my best to answer any that are presented.

Back with you soon.

Sue