The Girls Get Adventurous

I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything!! The excitement and newness of everything is beginning to wear off and I'm getting in the swing of things here in Kijabe. The hospital has continued to stay steady and we see different patients each week. This week I got to follow around Dr. Theuri at the clinic and help him do rounds. The cases that we saw ranged from follow up visits to constricted neck muscles to a man wanting to get cleared 15 years after his surgery to drive. One of the follow up cases that I had the priveledge to sit in on was Alpha. Alpha had his surgery on both of his deformed legs in February and now he smiles from ear to ear because he has crutches and gets to start walking. You can check out his story here. His story is a perfect example of why Cure does what they do. Rejected from school, healed from surgery and now the joy that this kid illuminates is remarkable. I decided this week that I was going to make get well cards for all of the kids in the ward. I've really been wanting to dive more into the ministry here, but when I'm in surgery's all day it makes it a little more difficult. I figured the get well cards would be an awesome way to love on kids and share scripture with them. I love getting more into a routine at the hospital. Cassie and I are more known around the hospital than when we first arrived, we know faces and are building really great friendships with a lot of the staff.

Friday, was a national Kenyan holiday, very similar to our Independence Day, so none of us had to work. Instead, the O.R. staff decided to go on a 6 hour hike. When they first told us that we were going on a hike, I expected trails and hills. Something similar to what we would hike in America....but oh how I was SO wrong. Our hike began when we were dropped off on the side of the highway to meet our guide. We walked a good 30 minutes around a mountain, down and up a 90 degree hill. We finally made it to where our hike was to begin. There we met up with 2 rangers, dressed out in full camo, boots and both equipped with fully loaded rifles. Walking towards the forest, Cassie slipped on mud and twisted her ankle. When you're in the middle of no where, having a sprained ankle isn't the best. The boys carried her back up to the road (30 minutes back) and she was picked up by a man on a piki piki (motorcycle) and he drove her back home. In the meantime while waiting for the boys to come back, I met some kids collecting firewood for their homes, learned how to carry firewood and Lauren and I both had a little fun with the machetes. We finally reach the opening of the forest and our guide tells us, "We see signs that there are elephants in the forest. We need to remain very quiet, do not panic because we don't want to disturb the wild elephants in their natural habitat." Then, both of the rangers simultaneously cock their rifles. Lauren and I both look at each other thinking "what the heck did we just get ourselves into." What we got ourselves into was a forest with no trails, our ranger Stephen made them for us with his machete, slippery 90 degree hills, spiky dangerous trees, wild elephants and monkeys in the distance and lauren and myself on our butts more of the hike than on our feet. At one point, we had to cross a river. All of the Kenyans manage to jump over, land perfectly and continue along their way. Well, Lauren goes first, jumps across and finds herself knee deep in mud. Then comes my turn, I jump across, land in the water, fight to stand up and straight sink in the mud. It was absolutely hilarious. I have never been so exhausted, delirious and ready to be back at the house in my life. Overall it was still an awesome day.

View of the Forest from the top

Trail Making Machete

The Elephants

Saturday, we had a much needed girls day out in Nairobi. We went to the Masai market and were straight attacked because we were white. We then went to the mall where we were able to get lattes, hamburgers, and pedicures. It was fabulous. Lauren's friend was in town, so while she went to meet up with him Cassie and I went to the park with our friends who drove us, Stephen and Samuel. They wanted to ride the paddle boats and then we all went to some hole in the wall Kenyan restaurant. The drive there and the drive home were so stressful. Kenyan driving is absolutely terrifying, lanes do not matter and neither do brake lights. Thankfully, we made it home safely.

Mall Time!

Paddle Boats at the Park!

I can't believe I only have a month left!! Please be praying for the Lord to use this next month to broaden His Kingdom even more. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how the Lord wants to use me in ministry here. I would love for people to be praying for every conversation, every get well card, even every time I paint a mothers nails. Pray that the Gospel is proclaimed, whether that be through actions or conversation. Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying and supporting me through th

Soap, Scrub, Rinse

Today I got to scrub into surgery!!!! I came into the O.R. this morning and one of the assistance, Peter asked me if I wanted to scrub in, so of course my answer was yes. The little girl they were working on is Abbie, she is 1 and on each hand she had an extra finger. I was so nervous! I was super excited, but I really didn't want to screw anything up or touch something I wasn't suppose to, etc. The experience was absolutely incredible. I assisted the doctors in handing them their tools, taking the fingers away from the table and holding the hands while they were being casted.

Learning the Different Tools

Prepping Abbie

Sweet little Abbie's Before and After

On a daily basis we are seeing kids healed. Today, Abdullani could barely walk because of his club feet. Now he's in recovery and within a few weeks, he'll be walking and standing. It is incredible the way that this ministry works. Before every surgery, the child and family are prayed with, once the child is prepped and ready for surgery, the doctors pray over the surgery and the healing process. This hospital proclaims the Gospel in so many ways. I absolutely love being here and I can't wait to head back into the ward tomorrow to hang out with the moms and kids!

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of starts; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground." Psalm 147:3-6

Black Coffee, Magnificent Views and the O.R.

welcome to Africa, all weekend the internet was down so I was unable to keep up this whole blogging thing. Secretly it was kind of nice not to have the internet to fret about. A weekend in Kenya is fabulous. There is a lot of down time, so we were able to do a lot. Saturday, Cassie and I went on a run around Kijabe. A combination of the elevation and the sun, we felt like there was no more oxygen in Kijabe within minutes. We spent the rest of the day ENOing in front of the Rift Valley until it started pouring down rain.

Our view from the ENOs

The view from our run

Sunday started off with church. Which was surprisingly very Americanized. The area of Kijabe that we are in is very populated by missionaries. We were still some of the only white people in the service, but the service mimicked a typical American service. We left church, made lunch and then headed up to RVA. RVA is a school that houses missionary kids. Lauren plays volleyball there every Sunday with the staff and some of the local Kenyans. Neither me or Cassie are particularly gifted in volleyball, so we chose to run and workout around the soccer fields. We also explored the area around the school. I don't really know if we were suppose to but we went outside the gate and ventured around the mountain to find a huge valley, of course neither of us had our cameras.

Monday, waking up bright and early and FINALLY feeling like I'm on a good sleep schedule. Today has been spent in the Operating Room. Not only did I get to witness my first surgery, I got to witness my first 4 with more to come! 3 of the surgeries have been for club foot and the other surgery was to drain an infected skin graft on a burn patient. I didn't pass out, I didn't feel queasy and I was still able to eat lunch after I finished! I can't wait to experience even more crazy surgeries. Check out one of the kids they are currently treating, his name is John and today he had his casts changed to continue his recovery! Tonight we're going to a bible study that Lauren is apart of and until then, I'm back in the O.R.!

Arriving and Adjusting

We are FINALLY in Kijabe!! After 3 long days, we finally arrived. I have realized that I love going to new places, but I absolutely HATE the travel. Flights are just not my friend. My first flight to New Jersey was delayed an hour, I was awake for the entire 7 hour flight to Amsterdam and I felt sick the entire flight to Nairobi. I have been so excited for this trip, but the weight of being gone for 7 weeks definitely hit me on my way to Amsterdam. I realized how much I was going to miss everyone on the way there. Once arriving to Nairobi, I found Cassie and the man who was there to pick us up.  He drove us to a little motel in Nairobi and told us there would be a man there to pick us up in the morning. I managed to get a solid 5 hours of sleep until my body told me it was done sleeping and I was wide-awake at 5 a.m. Before making it to Kijabe, the one thing that was keeping me going was Isaiah 41. Fear not, the Lord is with you. He has chosen me as His servant and He will guide me with His righteous right hand. Before Kijabe, I was feeling a little uneasy about the whole trip. It was hard arriving alone, not knowing where we were and not having any means of communication, but arriving in Kijabe gave me much more comfort about the journey. The house we are staying in is precious. It’s a little two-story house, Cassie and I both have our own rooms and we’re staying with a girl named Lauren. She works for Cure and has been such a help to us in adjusting. I can't wait to get to know both of these girls in the next 2 months. The view we have from the hospital is amazing. The hospital is located in the Rift Valley and with a five minute walk, you can see everything. 

Home for the next 2 months!

just our view...no big deal

new friends :) 

Today was our first day in the hospital! Our day started out with worship in the O.R. with the nurses and the doctors. There is a devotion every morning before work starts and Fridays are singing day. Christ comes first at this hospital. Which is how it should be. The prayer and worship that took place before work even began made it so clear that these people have a huge heart for the lost and that the hearts of these patients really matter to them. It was really cool to hear them pray over the patients and to worship the One who we are here for. Such a great way to start off the day. Fridays are slower than the rest of the week so there were no surgeries planned, but we were able to walk around the ward, meet the children and paint the mothers nails. I love connecting with the mothers by painting their nails. It's so funny because I try to talk with them and they just laugh (probably because I sound like a southern hick trying to speak Swahili), but painting their nails allows you to connect on such a different level, regardless of the language barrier. I am so excited next week to come, to get in a routine of things and experience more of what takes place at the hospital. 


Prayer Request: 

• For a continued ease in adjusting to a new lifestyle. 
• For me to fearlessly and boldly proclaim the Gospel while I am here. 
• For my heart to be open and receptive to anything the Lord has for me. 

New Seasons

How in the world does time go by so fast?? It seems like yesterday that I was moving into my apartment and starting sophomore year. I'm now entering finals and will end the year next Tuesday. So many things have happened in the course of this year, some for the better, some for the worst, but overall it has been an awesome second year at UGA. As the summer approaches, there are a lot of things going on in my life. For one, I leave for Kenya in a matter of 16 days. I have 4 finals to get through before I can even think about getting started on my packing for Kenya, moving out and summer. To add on to all of this my future has taken a huge turn. 


When I was home for spring break, I was talking with my cousins about finances and grown up stuff. Out of my immaturity, I had never sat down to look at my future debt and what my finances were going to look like for me coming out of college. After some calculations and looking at the overall picture of things, I realized I'm paying a LOT of money to go to school out of state. That's when the idea of me transferring really came along. I have always been pretty responsible with my money and to see the bigger picture of what my future finances looked like really freaked me out. I began praying a lot about the decision and what I needed to to. I made so many pros and cons lists, hoping that the cons of me transferring would outweigh the pros so I could stay at the University of Georgia, but they didn't. My reason for being in college is to get a degree so that I can do medical missions around the world. Coming out of college in over a hundred thousand dollars of debt would make it really hard for me to travel and serve around the world. I have no doubt that the Lord had me at Georgia for the past two years for a reason. I have made some of the best friendships imaginable and I have experienced so much personal growth from it, but now is a time for me to say goodbye and start out new. With a lot of prayer behind the decision, I have decided to move to Columbia in the fall. I've applied to USC and am waiting to hear back from admissions. Worst comes to worst, I'm not accepted and I work for a semester and then re-apply. I fully believe that the Lord has control of every situation and that He will bless our finances, but in order to receive that blessing we need to be responsible with our money and obedient to Him. 


There have been so many doors opened for me at the University of South Caroline. I am so sad to leave Athens, but I'm also very excited to see what lies up ahead. I can't even explain how I feel about everything, I'll be super excited for five minutes and then crying my eyes out the next 5 minutes. It has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions. 


This summer in Kenya is about to be the experience of a lifetime. I'm super nervous about traveling alone, but I'm so excited for the experience I'm about to have. It's going to be a really good summer of individual growth in a time of transition, but also a summer of serving the Lord and sharing His love to children who have never felt love before. Please continue to pray for this trip and kids who are already in the hospital. Also, I know I've posted this, but I'm still short on money for the trip. If you feel called to give please visit my donation page here. 


Thanks to everyone for the continued prayer and support throughout everything that has been going on in my life. It is very appreciated. 


-Haley

I need your help!

Getting to work alongside doctors, "Healing the sick and proclaiming the Gospel." I still cannot grasp that I have been given this opportunity. I have done absolutely nothing to get there and the Lord has literally handed me this opportunity, but before I can get there I have to have the money to go. I absolutely HATE asking people for things and if i could, I would choose to be completely independent. However, some things just cannot be done on my own and getting to Kenya is one of them. It would be greatly appreciated if you could join in and help me get there. Even if it's only $1.00, any amount will help. I know money is tight for a lot of people and if donating is not an option for you, I would love if you could partner with me in prayer for this trip. I expect lives to be changed and bodies to be healed, but with prayer SO much more than that is possible. The prayer is equally as important as the money. 


For an Online donation: 

Or checks can be made to: 

CURE International 

Memo line: Haley Sanders

Please Mail to: 
701 Bosler Avenue
Lemoyne, PA 17043

If you would like to support me through prayer, you can do so anonymously or if you would like to be apart of a prayer team you can email me at sanders.haley@yahoo.com

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported and the calling the Lord has placed on my heart, I am truly blessed. 

Back in Action

I guess it's about time that I start this thing back up! 


The past few months of my life have been so awesome. There have been many ups and downs, but the Lord's hand has been at work. My family has been a huge part of the roller coaster my life has seen this past year. After being released from the hospital last year, my mother remained sober for almost 6 months. This was a huge accomplishment. Over the summer, my mom, Mark, my brother and I would get to spend time together and relationships were being rebuilt. I was astonished at how much progress she had made. Halfway through my first semester this year, things started taking a turn for the worst. I began noticing her behavior was reverting back to her addict personality and I knew something wasn't right. Within a period of 3 weeks, she was back to all her old ways and so was Mark. Our relationship started going back downhill and it was really hard not to be angry with her and Mark. My brother and I spent Christmas with our grandparents and the rest of the family. After dinner with the family on Christmas night, I got a call from my neighbors/best friends that there was an ambulance at my house. Within 5 seconds, I was out the door and at my moms house. We spent the rest of the night in the hospital and the next few days. After being detoxed and receiving fluids, she was released and went home. It wasn't long until she was back at the alcohol and drugs. Within 2 weeks she had landed herself back in the hospital and this time things were not looking good. Quite frankly, her liver is pretty shot. The lifestyle she has been living will not allow her to live much longer if she continues. Those days she was in the hospital were not easy for her. The last time she was in the hospital, she was unconscious while her body was shutting down, but this go around she was awake for everything. Her experiencing all the pain and realizing what was going on has led her to where she is now. She no longer wants that horrible lifestyle. She is currently living with my grandparents while her body fully regains its strength. Once she reaches that point, she will going to a 3 month christian rehab facility in Alabama. Praise God for His faithfulness and continuous comfort through this journey. I am so proud of her for the decisions she has made and am praying that she has the strength to follow through with all that she says. But enough about the sappy family drama..


I cannot believe I am in my second year of college. It seems like yesterday that I was entering my senior year of high school! I absolutely loved my classes last semester, especially anatomy. It really reassured me that I am pursuing the right career path. I am still involved with Cure at UGA and YoungLife at Cedar Shoals High School. YoungLife has been so much fun. I love getting to hang out with the high schoolers every week and going to Sharptop Cove with them a few weekends ago was definitely a highlight of this school year. Cure at UGA has opened so many doors for me, including a 7 week internship at the hospital in Kenya this summer!!!! God has been so faithful through the entire process. I was able to meet some of the Cure International staff when I went to a conference with them in Atlanta and through an exchange of a couple of emails, I got the internship! Getting to go back to Kenya brings me so much joy. The children at the hospital are not only getting physically healed, but they get to hear about a Savior who loves them regardless of their imperfections and died so that they could spend eternity with Him. I cannot wait to be apart of this and see how the Lord plans to use me while I am over there. 


If you are interested in finding out more about Cure International, go here:

If you would like to help me get to Kenya, you can go here: 

Or checks can be made to: 

CURE International 

Memo line: Haley Sanders

Please Mail to: 
701 Bosler Avenue
Lemoyne, PA 17043

Please do not give if you do not feel compelled to. I do not write this blog because I want your money, I just want to share how the Lord is working in my life.  Thank you for reading :)