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Published: April 1st 2010
From time to time the missionaries here in Tanzania have made trips to Nairobi seeking professional medical care. I had heard that this Kenyan city is (in some parts) as modern as anything found in America. We have been blessed over the last three years with relatively good health, so no trip for additional care was needed.
Our son Jacob was born with a one adult tooth missing. We have known that eventually he would need to have a tooth implant if his existing teeth were to remain in their proper positions. We learned that this procedure could be accomplished in Nairobi. Equipped with two full tanks of diesel fuel, a box of bottled waters, a few clothes, and a GPS, Jacob and I headed for the border. The Tanzanian/Kenyan road is under major construction. We were making our way along the dirt/rock road and it began to downpour. We stopped momentarily for Jacob to hop out and lock in the front wheel hubs so we could proceed in four-wheel drive. The torrents of rain soon turned some sections of road into literal streams. We are thankful to our many supporters who helped us with vehicle cost; this Landcruiser has an air intake snorkel that receives air for the engine way up at vehicle roof height. In some sections we were driving through water that was about to the top of the 16-inch all-terrain tires.
We reached the Kenyan border without a problem in a vehicle that looked like it had been in a mud bog rally. Border crossing entailed paperwork filing on both sides. First, there were needed documents prepared to take the vehicle out of the country. Then we made the short drive across the “no man’s land” section between the countries. On the Kenyan side our passports were stamped with a visa, and also documents were prepared to bring the vehicle into the country. We had to pay a $90 fee to receive temporary insurance. I sat in a little shack as they prepared the insurance sticker for the windscreen and the paperwork.
Some sections of road on the Kenyan side were newly paved. How strange the feeling was to glide along at 90 kph! Once we reached the big city we were treated to the kind of traffic I had been accustomed to in San Francisco. Thankfully Jacob acted as co-pilot using his GPS. It would have been difficult to find our way around, but technology can be a wonderful blessing. We arrived exactly at our intended destination. We met with the surgeon and he confirmed that Jacob was in need of the procedure. The next day he had his rootless baby tooth extracted, the jaw drilled, the implant base inserted, and the gum stitched together. This was the first of a three-step process for the implant. He'll finish up when we return home from furlough in October.
We left the office about 5:00 p.m. and headed for home. The trip described above was basically repeated in reverse. I felt for Jacob as we bumped along the bad roads, but he said the medication was helping him feel better; mainly just some bearable throbbing. We arrived home at 11:00 p.m. Needless to say, we have added to our mental log of memorable African adventures! ~George~
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Patrick Swayne
non-member comment
Glad it wasn't a "grin" demise
Sorry about the title, it was the best pun I could come up with on short notice. What amazing experiences you all have over there! We'll be keeping Jacob in our prayers.