The hand of God -- from Terese Benton

Hello,

We finally made it back to Mumba where our girls and teen guests were wonderfully taken care of during our safari and time in Nairobi for Zach's surgery of his broken leg. The Sherman Family, Brook Seekins, and Mike and Lynn Caraway all graciously and without hesitation, told us to go and take care of Zach and that the kids would be fine here. Praise the Lord for the missionary co-workers God has placed us with! You'll hear about other great families as your read on.

From beginning to end, we saw God's Hand in Zach's accident. Zach regretted over and over again jumping off the top of the car (in the dark) but we are thankful that he wasn't hurt worse and that he was so courageous through it all. Sometimes, boys will be boys:) I enjoy writing down praises and prayer requests in my journal and after talking with Mike about 14 ways we saw God's Hand, he asked me to share them with othres. Here they are:

1) Everyone was in the best place possible to help

As much as we missionaries travel, it was a blessing that both Mike Caraway and Steve Sherman were in Mumba with us. A few years ago Mike attended a medical course for people living "where there is no doctor". He was a tremendous help in treating Zach the first night. The Rabenold family had traveled to Kenya where they were visiting their daughter at Rift Valley Academy. While in Kenya, the Rabenolds were staying with one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Africa, Dr. Tim Mead. Mike Caraway was able to talk to Dr. Mead on the phone and Dr. Mead told him that it was important we set the leg right away and explained how to do it. Our Mike, Zach's dad, does not do well with blood and limbs that are pointing the wrong direction, especially with his own kids. So we were thankful that Mike Caraway and Steve Sherman were there and willing to do it. Steve's wife Barb, who has worked as a nurse, was also a great help and comfort. After letting some pain meds kick in, we laid Zach on several mattresses with his leg hanging. Mike and I held Zach's hands and encouraged him while Mike C. and Steve pulled on Zach's foot for about 10 minutes. Steve said he felt like he was pulling about twenty to thirty pounds of pressure. It got very painful for Zach but he was very strong and did great! Finally, we heard a click and the leg looked aligned.

2) The leg set and stabilized

There were several complications that could have occured during and after setting the leg but everything went well. Mike Caraway even had a splint that worked perfectly to stabilize the leg and the Shermans had a pair of crutches. The splint was especially helpful during the 7 hour drive the next day over the bumpy dirt roads as we headed for Mbeya, the nearest "big" town. The crutches were also a blessing over the next few days as we went in and out of airplanes, airports, and taxis. Even now, Zach is using the crutches and will be for the next two months.

3) Pain medication

Lynn Caraway had some pain medication on hand that worked well with Zach. The first night we tried some other medication that didn't work well so Zach had a rough night. Mike and he were awake all night so at 6:30 a.m. we tried the medicine Lynn had and by 7:00 a.m. the pain had dulled and both Zach and Mike slept for about an hour and a half. Now the amazing part. Lynn handed us several pills, not knowing where we were going or how long all this would take. As it turns out, it took two days of car rides and plane rides and we gave Zach the very last pill 4 hours before his surgery! God is Good!

4) Passports

Whenever we travel to Mumba, Mike will usually just leave our passports at home locked up. Just before hopping in the car to go to Mumba, Mike felt prompted to grab the passports and put them in the car. Without the passports we could not have gone to Kenya. If we had needed to drive back to Kapenta to get our passports before going on to Mbeya, we would have missed our flight, the only flight from Mbeya that week.

5) Cash

The bag that contained our passports also contained some U.S. dollars that guests that were staying with us had brought out. We were able to use this cash to buy plane tickets and get Kenya Shillings to use in Kenya. Without the cash I'm sure we could have figured out something but it would have been complicated and time consuming. As it was, the timing of everything was perfect. Don't worry, we have already transferred in funds to replace the money we used :-)

6) The doctor is not in

After Mike and Zach got a little sleep the next morning, the three of us packed a few belongings and began the 7-hour journey by car to Mbeya where there is a hospital with a doctor from Switzerland named Dr. Andy. We knew that Dr. Andy would be able to take x-rays and give us good counsel and/or treatment. About 1/4 of the way there we found out that Dr. Andy was on vacation and couldn't be reached for two weeks. We were at a loss for what to do and began praying and making phone calls. What at first was discouraging turned out to be a blessing...

7) "The" doctor is in

Some of the calls we made were to our friends and co-workers, the Rabenolds, who as previously mentioned were in Kenya and staying at Dr. Mead's. Dr. Mead is a leading orthopedic surgeon at the CURE International Children's Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. He has been a missionary doctor for about 10 years and started the work there. The previous night we had sent pictures of Zach's leg to Ted Rabenold. I asked Ted if the doctor had seen them and he said he had not. About a 1/2 hour later Ted called back and said that the doctor had looked at the pictures and believed that it was a dislocated fracture and Zach would need surgery. He said he would help us and recommended we go there.

8) Hold that plane

It was a very difficult decision for us as we headed toward Mbeya. Do we drive for another full day after Mbeya and hope for good treatment in Dar es Salaam, not really knowing what we would find there? Or do we spend the extra money and fly to Nairobi, Kenya where we know we'll get the best treatment? Do just Zach and Mike go or do all of us go? Do we stop in Mbeya to at least get an x-ray? How do we get to Nairobi if we decide to go there? As we are discussing all these questions, Ted called back and said that he found out from Mission Aviation Fellowship that there is a flight from Mbeya to Dar that day, Monday, and that it is the only flight each week. We called the airline, Gazelle Safaris, and found out that the plane was scheduled to leave at 3:00 p.m., exactly the time when we should arrive in Mbeya. They said they would hold the flight for a 1/2 hour.

9) Terese gets to go

The price Gazelle Safaris quoted us for the flight was quite high so we reluctantly decided that just Mike and Zach would go. This was very hard on me and also on Mike as we knew we would be faced with many difficult decisions and challenges over the next few days. Mike called the airline back and asked if they would give us a discount of $300. They said they didn't think it was possible. About an hour from Mbeya, a representative of the airline called back and said that she had talked to her bosses and they agreed to the discount. Praise the Lord! We took this as a sign that Terese should go and we were all relieved.

10) What do we do with our car?

As we were driving to the airport and knowing that all three of us would be getting on the flight, we needed to make arrangements for our car. We couldn't leave it at the airport (it's quite undeveloped and the runway is a grass field) and our co-workers in Mbeya are home on furlough. Then Mike remembered that Jeriko, the head of our vocational school in Kapenta, was in Mbeya buying a milling machine for Ted. Ted had taught Jeriko how to drive about two years ago. Mike called Jeriko who just happened to be at the bus stand trying to buy a bus ticket. He said that all the buses were full and he couldn't get a ticket. Mike told him to forget the bus and get to the airport right away, he could drive our car back! Perfect!! What a blessing for both of us.

When we got to the airport Jeriko was there waiting. We handed him the keys, loaded our bags on the plane, and boarded with about 15 minutes to spare.

11) Room at the Inn

When we arrived in Dar, we took a taxi to the guest house we usually stay in close to the airport, not knowing if they had room. Upon arrival they said they had one room left because the air conditioner was broke and nobody wanted to stay in it. We took it and praise the Lord they had a fan for us and it made it bearable. We were all so exhausted anyway that we slept like babies.

12) As if it was planned

We arrived in Dar too late to make arrangements for a flight the next day to Nairobi. So, the next morning we figured we would just get to the airport as early as possible and try to get a flight. At 6:45 a.m. Mike peaked out the window and saw Josef, a driver for the guest house, leaning on a van. Mike asked if it would be possible to get a ride to the airport sometime that morning. He said he was leaving in 5 minutes to give another guest a ride and that he could delay 5 more minutes if we could make it. Zach and I jumped out of bed and we threw all of our stuff in bags, loaded them in the van, and off we went. On the way to the airport we were able to book a flight for all three of us at 10:20 a.m. on a Kenya Airways flight. They quoted us $330 per person and said we could pay at the airport. When we went to pay they only charged us $284/person. After paying, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat and freshen up before going through check-in.

13) Dr. Mead and his wife Jana

I had mentioned Dr. Timothy Mead. He, his wife Jana, and their daughter Abby are the heros of this amazing story. They graciously allowed us to stay in their house with them and the Rabenold family (Abby gave up her room). Amazingly, they had been preparing for three guest speakers from America to stay with them but just before our arrival they found out that plans had changed and the speakers would be staying elsewhere. So, they had a room with three beds all made up and ready for us. Only God can do that! This not only saved us money but we were made to feel at home and comforted by the fact that the doctor that did the surgery was in the same house. Wow! Dr. Mead is such a humble man who did for us what so few people on the continent could do - perform surgery on our son. Especially in the proper way. Zach's fibia was broken in two places, about 3/4 of an inch apart, and his tibia was cracked and completely shifted off of the growth plate. It was a bad situation that could have gotten worse, depending on who did the surgery. Dr. Mead said that often doctors do not fix the growth plate properly and you can end up with one leg shorter than the other. We know Zach still has some growing to do and still needs our prayers but God gave him the best chance possible by placing him in the care of Dr. Mead. By the way, the Mead's have a young man named Michael from Sudan living with them. Michael is in a wheelchair as a result of a disease that attacked his spine. Zach and Michael became friends and spent hours playing Wii and cribbage.

14) No need to run to the hardware store

Dr. Mead had the proper plates and screws and pins he needed to perform the surgery. He said that was a miracle in itself and that he didn't have to improvise to make them work. Zach now has one plate with five screws on his fibia and two pins in his tibia, holding his growth plate in place. The pins will have to come out 4 weeks after his surgery and Ted was able to get all the information from Dr. Mead on how to do this so we can do it here. Please be in prayer for this. They are sticking out of his skin but we haven't seen them yet because of his cast. After they come out, Dr. Mead gave us a boot for Zach to use for another month. This boot is so nice. It's an air cast that you can blow air into to support the leg. Dr. Mead said we could keep it after Zach uses it, since our co-worker, Mark Guilzon, is starting a medical clinic in Kapenta. What a gift.

15) Think of others as more important than yourself

Ok, so there's actually 15. The Bible tells us to think of others as more important than ourselves. The Rabenolds lived that in front of us. They gave of themselves to see to it we arrived safely and got the treatment Zach needed. They spent time with us and helped out time and again. Ted was planning on going to a beekeeping seminar in Dar es Salaam and canceled his plans so that they could give us a ride home and get Zach home as soon as possible. These dear co-workers packed us all in their car for the four day trip home. It was an adventure in itself, but a fun one with our good friends. They had been given a new puppy at RVA, so we even had a cute little German Shepherd in the car with us. By the way, Savannah, the Rabenold's daughter, fell while playing and got a small fracture in her wrist the same day Zach broke his leg. They are both in casts.

Thanks for your prayers and love. Zach thanks you also. May God have all the glory and all the praise! -Terese for the Bentons