Reflecting the Care of Christ
Several weeks ago Jonathan asked if I would write a post about my role as a nurse at Rift Valley Academy. As he does most of the writing, most of you don’t often hear about my experiences in Student Health – so we decided it might be helpful if I did it. There was one condition – that he help me! So he sent me several questions to organize my thoughts. Here goes!
Why did you want to be a nurse at RVA?
I love my job as a nurse and I have always been open to mission work and living overseas. Growing up at RVA and spending seven years of my life here as a boarding student myself were wonderful years (mostly) of my childhood. Understanding life here from a boarding student perspective and wanting to make a difference in the lives of these kids, I was thrilled that the Lord called us to serve here. I also have a desire to support missionaries by taking care of their children in a way that reflects the tender love of Jesus and in a way that enables missionaries across Africa to continue their gospel labor knowing that their children are being well cared for. I understand, first hand, the importance of this ministry in keeping missionaries on the field. My parents are some of many that testify to the truth of this.
What do nurses do at RVA?
- We consult, examine, assess, diagnose, and treat students who come to us feeling sick. With the desire to treat holistically, we take into consideration all aspects of the students’ well-being (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), and corroborate with other staff to offer the best help to each student
- We offer bedside care to those who are too sick to be in class/in the dorm (we have 20 beds in our clinic building)
- We help those who have had injuries and sometimes take them to the nearby hospital for an Xray and/or to get Orthopedic care. We often refer our students with injuries to see our physical therapist
- We run a Health Fair at the beginning of each school year and do preventative care
- We offer a listening ear and provide counsel
- We provide a non-threatening and warm, loving environment
- We keep student vaccines up-to-date and administer as needed
- We communicate often with parents of boarding students and reply to lots of emails daily
- We order supplies and medications to keep our pharmacy well-stocked
- We run a flu shot clinic for our students and staff every October.
- We bring students to the nearby hospital when they are too sick to stay with us in the clinic (eg: need for IV treatment, declining health, etc…).
- Nurse Lilli gives as many hugs as possible but less now with Covid season ☹️
Out of those, which do you think is most significant?
To provide a warm, loving environment as well as have the ability to treat holistically, as a boarding school environment lends itself to unique challenges that other schools don’t face.
Who do you work with?
I work with a pediatrician (Dr. Hood), a nurse practitioner (Sarah), a registered nurse (Chip, also known as Chipper), two Kenyan ladies (Esther and Teresiah), and a Kenyan man (Dominic).
What’s your favorite part of being a nurse at RVA?
Getting to know the students, love on them, and care for them at bedside when they are sick. I love how the Lord has orchestrated my life in such a way that I can take my life experiences of Nurse and Mom, and utilize both these roles in the lives of all these RVA kids. It’s truly my joy to care for them when they come for help and healing!
Give one memorable moment since you started at RVA?
Something that will be forever etched in my mind and heart is the sight of partially covered precious faces. Though I miss smiling mouths, I’m learning to appreciate smiling eyes. Though I still haven’t gotten used to wearing a mask, I’m thankful to be wearing one when I’m checking a kid’s sick throat and he is saying “Ahhhh…” or when I’m preparing a stool sample to be sent to the hospital lab 😷. Although face recognition can become a guessing game, I’m thankful that so many of our students have remained healthy because of their mask-wearing!
In a way, my heart is resisting this “new normal” but in the midst of the strange, I am thankful for changes that have been made here at RVA, such as… screens placed on all dorm bedroom windows (keeping out the monkeys!), windows to remain open at all times for good ventilation (fresh air!), many meals at the Cafeteria served outdoors (picnics every day!), hand washing/sanitizing stations everywhere (good infection control!), more intermingling of staff and students playing sports together (laughter!), outdoor worship services, new student activities being offered on weekends, and more students hanging out together outside just enjoying each other (COMMUNITY!). My heart struggles to support the continued social distancing requirement as physical touch is a basic human need, and daily I encounter kids who need a HUG, myself included!
What’s the most challenging part of your work?
Dealing with sports injuries, urgent health situations, and mental health problems.
How can others pray for you?
Praise the Lord for the harmony and unity that we experience in our clinic among our Student Health staff. Praise the Lord for good health among our staff this term! Praise the Lord for His protection over us all.
Pray that we would continue to encourage one another and celebrate together God’s evidences of grace we see all around us! Pray for continued strength and wisdom from above as we press on to joyfully care for all these kids! Pray that we will always point our students to Jesus and represent Him well in everything we do! Pray for the gospel to transform many lives here at RVA, that these kids will fully surrender their lives to Jesus.
Also please pray for our staffing needs for the rest of this school year as well as next year. They are MANY (Click on the flyer below to see the opportunities)! One of the consequences of this pandemic has been a decrease in missionaries worldwide, which has significantly impacted RVA staffing.
