This morning started like every other day with knocks at the door before I am dressed and ready for my day. I am needed at the door to give our laundry to two women. We have not had laundry done for several days because my girl that does my laundry is in the hospital with three of her children, all sick with malaria and other parasite issues in their stomachs which is very common. I was also pulled to the door for purchases of various food items from different young ladies as they try to make a big sale before they even make their way to the market.
Every morning and every evening I am making peanut milk for the babies at the hospital that are mal-nourished. Wendy Roberts is putting together a nutrition center but for now she is treating the children in the hospital and helping them there. As of a few days ago she has gone to the states for a while. Wendy wants me to put together a food program to teach the mothers at the hospital how to prepare nutritious food for their children. Naomi comes to the door and I am always relieved when she comes. She helps me so much! I don't know what I would do without this women here in my life. I love her more everyday.
I can clearly see that God put us together without a doubt. The two of us together are suppose to figure out what to do in getting the women at the hospital started on making all the baby milk themselves and we provide the food. But in order to do this we have to have a plan. We both have prayed separately and together that God will give us knowledge on how to do this the best way for the babies. Wendy was hoping to have this plan in action before she left but there just wasn't time. We ask for prayer that all goes well for the sake of the children. Nothing is easy here. Nothing! We have to prepare all the different food for the women to use at the hospital so things are done properly. And everything will be needed to be done in bulk. We spent our morning making a practice "bwee" which is like a portage for the children with a lot of nutrition. We also had to wash beans and put them in a moirter and grind the shells off then wash them again and dry them out in the sun. We are in the process of working with "Moringa" which is a really rich with vitamin leaf from one of the local trees. We wash it and leave it out to dry and then grind it into almost a powder. Also we have peanuts that need to be cooked over fire and then put through some kind of grinder in the market that Naomi is going to show me. All this and many more things have to be done to each item before we can teach the mothers and give them the food. Until then I am making milk here.
But this particular morning Naomi and I went together to give the milk to the children. This is a good thing because then she can talk to all the women in their language. Today it was Nangjere and Arabic. This is a gift that God has given her. I can then ask how things are going and find out their needs. We walk in and give milk to the first woman who has been there the longest, weeks. She is pregnant with her fourth child due any day and has her third child in the hospital cause he is mal-nourished, her other two children died. My heart goes out to her because her husband told her if she was going to the hospital with their child that she better never come back unless she wants to get beaten. I take her a plate of food to help her out every evening. Today I found out that what I give her is all she eats all day. I am going to change that tomorrow and take her a few things that she can prepare herself while she is staying here. It breaks my heart. She just has nothing and no one to help her. Our next child is another one that breaks my heart. I guess I am too sensitive for this business. This kid is 12 years old and is the exact image of what the "Ethiopian Poster Child" looks like. The first day I met him I felt a connection with him and I promised myself from day on I was not going to let this child die. I walked home quickly with tears flowing down my face. I just couldn't help but think that this kid is around the same age as Tony and Brichelle and it was so sad. How can anyone let this happen. This kid has no mother and no father which I'm sure contributes to his current situation. The other relatives do not want to take the responsibility. Today Naomi and I walked in as the family was discussing the fact that they want to take him home. His history is that he has been there for 6 days and the last two he had stopped vomiting and his diarrhea stopped. He was getting better and so I had asked him what he wanted to eat and all he wanted was eggs so everyday for the last three days two times a day I was taking him 2-3 eggs along with other food I had already prepared and bananas. But this morning he is in the worst pain in the back of his neck and his lower back and even in his legs and he is back to vomiting. The hospital wants to treat him for malaria but the family wants to take him home. I insisted that they stay. I told them I would do anything they needed to get them to stay. I told them if you go he will die. We cannot help him if you leave. Naomi did all she could to beg them to stay. Luckily the family's pastor was there and he was able to talk them into reconsidering. Thank God they decided to stay. I went and got their medicine for them which took way too long.
Now Naomi and I need to go to the market to get all the things to get this nutrition center department started. While we are in the market Naomi meets many of her friends and we stop and say hello. One of the young girls we say hello to was concerned for her baby who she thinks may have AIDS. She and her husband both have AIDS and her baby is really sick right now. I told her I would help her with her medical bill if she wanted to get her baby tested, so she will be coming by first thing in the morning. Everywhere we go people are needing help. It is strange to me that there is so much hardship and pain andsuffering in such a small town like Bere'. Why?
As Naomi and I laugh as we try to get everything on the scooter that we have bought in the market many around us are laughing too. But we just don't care and laugh even more. We take the heavy load home and get right to work squeezing limes, sifting bugs out of flour and getting rocks out of the rice. We find a couple moments to take a break at 3:00 p.m. and get a small bite to eat for lunch. We try to find the humor in things as we keep on being disturbed by the constant knocking at the door. We finally put an end to things for the day and I have Jamie drive Naomi home on the scooter with five pieces of used rolled up roofing metal left over from the school that she puts on her head as they drive away. I should have taken a picture, somethings are priceless. Next time. After Naomi leaves I walk back to my house. But when I walk back to the house there is an old blind lady and a little girl with her sitting in the dirt in front of my house. They are hungry and need any clothes or shoes that I may have. I just cleaned my give away closet Friday so I knew just what I had to give. I get a bag together that Michelle one of the volunteers left behind and fill it with clothes and shoes from the American people and fill bags up with beans and others things that Wendy left behind. This lady really looked in need. After this I get back in my house and I clean the kitchen and make bread and more "bwee" for it is time again to feed the children. I have made an appointment at 6:00 p.m. to go and visit someone who is needing seeds for their garden which Wendy left for anyone who wants them. After this I come home thinking I am going to get a shower and relax and eat something but then there is another knock at the door. Naomi has come to me with an Arab baby that is just about to die. I look inside the bottom eyelid of the child and as I let go of the top of the baby's cheek the child was so dehydrated that the skin just stayed like that. The baby is only one year old. As we walk over to the hospital together Naomi asks me what I think? I told her that we will just have to get the baby the help that the hospital can give and then the rest is up to God. The baby is in really bad condition and I am afraid this mother has waited too long to come for help. After getting the lifeless baby checked in I insist that someone in my family take Naomi home. It is probably 3 miles to her house and she hasn't been able to eat either and now it is about 7:30 p.m. Tony volunteers to take my scooter and take Naomi home. I walk them both to the front gate to let them out and walk back to my house to find an old widow lady in my house waiting for me that needs money for grain for her field. I thought how in the world did she get in here so fast and why so late I am so tired. I meet with her and listen to her need and ask her to come back tomorrow. As soon as she leaves I jump into the shower fast before I can be disturbed again. As the cold water beats on the top of my head I just want to cry from exhaustion and from all the heartache I have witnessed today. But I also feel like I made a difference in many lives I think about how full the pediatric ward is today. I am sure that there are many sad stories in there if I just took the time with Naomi and listened. God sees it all and God hears it all. I can't even imagine how He must feel. This world can not last much longer. If you have the desire to work for God in a place like this, don't even hesitate. There are so many really good people in really bad situations that need your help. I know that there is work to be done right there in the states but if you have the slightest desire to go please do. There are not many people that are willing to go out of their comfort zone. The work is hard and sometimes long days but the rewards are so great. There is nothing that you can posses in the states that is worth hanging on to. I was reading the other day in Early Writings page 56 and 57. "If they have their property on the altar and earnestly inquire of God for duty, He will teach them when to dispose of these things. Then they will be free in the time of trouble and have no clogs to weigh them down.
I saw that if any held on to their property and did not inquire of the Lord as to their duty, He would not make duty known, and they would be permitted to keep their property, and in the time of trouble it would come up before them like a mountain to crush them, and they would try to dispose of it, but would not be able. I heard some mourn like this: "The cause was languishing, God's people were starving for the truth, and we made no effort to supply the lack; now our property is useless. Oh, that we had let it go and laid up treasure in heaven!"
I am not suggesting that everyone sell their property and move to serve but I do think that each person needs to set their possessions on the alter and ask God what He wants them to do. I know that there are a few people that have written me about moving out in faith and doing missionary work. I recommend it to any one. Giving up things for the Lords work is worth every penny. To be apart of something bigger is worth every "Long Day In Africa!"
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