Ambassadorial Scholar Megan MacDonald

Megan MacDonald

One of the joys of being a Rotarian is meeting other like minded people from around the world.  I first met Megan MacDonald at the Los Angleles International Convention.   Megan was going to study in Kenya for 12 months in Nairobi, my home town.  We have become friends ever since and I have been following her blog.  Megan has now returned to America and continues to keep us updated on Kenya.  Megan writes:

“On February 11 last year I came home around 10 at night and was grabbing a snack before heading up to bed. Suddenly Maureen came into the kitchen with wide eyes saying, “I think my water just broke.” I burst into a fit of nervous giggles before rounding up my housemates and jumping into the car for the two block ride to Nairobi Women’s Hospital.

I remember the distinct honor I felt to be driving this young woman to the hospital and the great sense of responsibility as we prepared for an event I had no personal experience with. I’ll never forget the nurses a few hours later asking me and my housemates how many children we had as we held hands and focused Maureen on breathing through the pain. “None,” we said.

Yet there we were, witnesses to a beautiful birth full of strength, faith, friendship and humility. Out of a forceful crime came this perfect little child, born to a girl who became a woman right before our eyes.

On Christabell’s first birthday while friends celebrated in Nairobi eating Ethiopian food and cake with the birthday girl, I said a prayer of thankfulness for this experience and continued friendship.

Look at our growing girl – in a dress I wore myself as a baby sent with love from her auntie far away.

Megan MacDonald

Christabell

Rotary International Director John Blount

We tend to think as Rotarians in the club sphere that our leaders in Evanston are in another world.  However they are not and put it simply they are Rotarians like you and I.  We had the enormous pleasure of meeting one of the 17 people who make up the Rotary International board at Orange for the District 9700 conference.  RID John Blount is a real character and very amusing with a wicked sense of humour.  John is a dentist and a great public speaker.

I upload here a video on some of what John is capable of doing just play the whole video and you will see what I mean.  John is a whole lot of fun!!!

RI Director John Blount E-Brief #1 from Sebastopol Rotary Club on Vimeo.