What a week it has been! So busy, so tiring, but so rewarding. It all started Monday when we traveled to Kampala to The Children’s Medical Center. This place was nice! So that was a plus to begin with. We took Mercy and Kenny. Mercy is a child that was brought to GSF August 8th of 2011. She was neglected by her father because she was special needs and shortly after her mother stopped caring for her too. She was brought to Buikwe hospital because she was severely malnourished and then to GSF. Mercy is now three years old and has spastic hemiplegia cerebral palsy. This means she has cerebral palsy that has effected only one side of her body, her right side. For all who aren’t aware of what CP actually is, it is caused by injuries that have taken place to the brain. It is a group of disorders that effect the brain and nervous system functions. There are different types, for example Mercy has it only to one side. Kenny is different, he has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. This means his CP has effected all of his body, all four limbs, he cannot do anything by himself. Kenny is two and a half years old and was brought to GSF this past November. Kenny is such a sweet boy. Kenny’s family believes he was cursed and they blame him for all the misfortunes that happened in their family. Due to this, he was discriminated by his own family and neglected. About a month ago, Kenny started to refuse food and cried constantly. He also was very tense and had fits where it looked like something was pushing all his limbs/muscles back. He was very tense and you could see the pain and fear in his eyes. Kenny was taken to two doctors before we took him to Kampala on Monday. The doctor wanted to admit Kenny to the hospital for a short time to get fluids in to his system. Kenny was admitted and a feeding tube was put in place. Kenny was brought back home that day with the feeding tube still in place. Thursday he got the feeding tube taken out because it was irritating him and Kenny was eating food through his mouth. Which is great! Kenny still has to be fed every three hours, but he is improving a lot. His great smile is coming out more and more. Mercy was put on Baclofen, which is a muscle relaxer. She is scheduled for a MRI on the 23rd. Please say a prayer for her! We hope to get good results and some wisdom on what next steps to take! Also keep Kenny in your prayers that he keeps improving and will not be in anymore pain due to muscle tenseness and spasms.
I spent a lot of time with the toddlers this week and through that I have had my heart stolen by quite a few of them, actually most all of them. The toddler is house is a place where you can always guarantee leaving with a huge smile and a heart full of love. There is never a dull moment in that house. There are two kids in the toddler house that I have really grown close to, David and Efrance. I have also grown close to their older brother, Daniel. He is in a house with older boys since he is 8, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see him in the toddler house. Any chance Daniel gets, he is with his little brother and sister. It is incredible to see how close their bond is and how much love they have for each other. When those three are around each other, they are all smiling and laughing. I promise you, they would capture your heart too. David is the youngest of the siblings. His full name is, Mugisha David Mulekwa and he is one. Namulinda Efulansi, Efrance, is four years old. Daniel Sisye, the big brother, is an angel to his two younger siblings. The relationship they have is just so humbling to everyone around them. They all have HUGE eyes and they are not just cute, they are beyond beautiful. The three of them arrived here this April, so they are very new to the GSF community. They lost their mother to AIDs in February of this year. Their father is also HIV positive and spends most of his time in bed due to his illness which makes it very hard to support his children. David was separated from Daniel and Efrance and relocated to Nyenga to live with his Auntie due to his mother’s death. The auntie was not able to provide proper care for Baby David and due to his young age, this made him very vulnerable. He was moved to GSF and since they wanted to keep the close sibling relationship, Daniel and Efrance also came to GSF. The dad is still in contact with the children and has visited them before. Hopefully one day, these three can be with their family again. I always am filled with so much joy when I am around these three. Even just looking at pictures of them makes me smile so big. They have truly made a lasting imprint on my heart. I hope someday my family can come here and meet them. The love they have for each other reflects the love Jesus has for us. It is incredible and such a blessing to know them.
The best type of chaos at the toddler house.
The best type of chaos at the toddler house.
Daniel, David, Efrance and I
As I mentioned before in an earlier blog, Phillip has also become a special person in my life. Even the past week I have gotten a lot closer to Phillip (on the right of picture). I continuously chase him around the house at 7 pm every night before he takes his medicine. His laugh is just one of those contagious, very contagious laughs. There is also Henry (on the left) who is also an HIV kid here at GSF. He recently turned 13 and his quite the stubborn but charming one. He has a beaming smile and great compassion for all. Phillip and Henry both live in the same house which makes my mornings, days and nights even that much better. They are also both in my Sunday school class, so my weekends are even filled with them. It is great. This past Thursday at the HIV lunch (the Warfield’s have lunch made for these kids 4 times a week) we were stating prayer requests. Phillip’s request broke my heart in the best way possible. Phillip said, “please pray that one day I will never have to take medicine again and that everybody knows Jesus loves them.” Seriously? Phillip is such a disciple of the Lord. Even today in church, I got the chance to sit and worship with Phillip. I looked over during one of the songs and Phillip had his hands up and eyes closed and a big smile on his face. He was dancing around and singing with so much joy. It is such a refreshing feeling to be around Phillip. Then I looked over to the front and saw Henry playing the Africa drum with this big smile on his face singing along. These boys are sick, but you would never be able to tell. They love every day, unconditionally. They have so much joy that radiates to others around them. It has been the biggest blessing to get to work and draw close to not only these two, but all the kids here at GSF. I couldn’t be more thankful.
We ended the week on a fun, adventure filled night. We got in the car with Uncle Rob and headed off to the rainforest. We climbed on top on the ’94 Land Cruiser and made our way into the forest. We got chicken on a stick on our way there and enjoyed that for dinner. We ended up getting a little lost, but I am so glad we did. We drove through this hidden village that was deep in the forest. The roads were terrible and there were times where we didn’t think the car would make it. But, IT DID! Along the drive, we had to stop and ask many people for directions. The conversation consisted of us asking “Buikwe?” (which is the village we needed to get to) and then the Ugandan’s answering with hand signals. We saw the most adorable, loving kids. We were even able to give them some dinner. The smiles on their faces, indescribable. We then came out into the sugarcane fields where the green goes on for eternity, and watched an incredible sunset. The golden sun lined the clouds and beamed for miles.
Tomorrow I will be heading to Kampala to take little Chum Chum (Sebastian) to CORSU hospital to get a check up on his clef pallet surgery. Sebastian is such a cute kid. I am excited. Wednesday we will be heading to seizure clinic in Jinja again. Also I will be experiencing Carolyn Jacobson’s ministry at Nyenga hospital. She works with the HIV moms and babies in the hospital. I am really excited for that. Busy, but exciting week ahead! Pray for all the interns that we feel refreshed, revived and energized in His love. Thank you all for your continuous support, love and prayer.
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:1-2
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