Advertisement
Published: April 21st 2009
Sunshine and Rain
Over Into Abba's Arms sign board.Visiting America is always a joyful time. It is a joy taking a hot shower any time of day. This is not the case here at my home in Kenya. My shower has one knob and it is always a surprise to what temperature of water will come out when turning that knob. There are really only two variables: freezing or scalding. Therefore, it is advisable to have a back up basin full of hot water. If it is freezing water shooting, sputtering or dripping from the shower head, just add to hot water to basin. If it is scalding water, just add cold water to basin. Inevitably you end up just taking a bucket bath. The water coming out of the head really only acts as a ploy trying to make you believe you had a shower.
Into Abba’s Arms just got new showers in their baby dorm. However, more exciting than that is the fact that they got new BABIES in the almost completed baby dorm! Three year old Faith with an attitude and eyelashes to kill and Martha, approximately age two, with her glorious smile and personality joined the IAA family two weeks ago. When Jane, IAA’s
Faith
She was all smiles at Auntie Jen's house founder, and Christine, IAA’s amazing administrator drove up with the tiny girls it was like they also were delivering a truckload of joy onto the property which spilled out, saturating the children causing them to jump and squeal with delight. New babies, new babies…oh how they have waited for new babies!!
On Wednesday I had the honor to pick up two more babies to deliver to IAA. Nairobi Children’s Home called and said they were overloaded with kids and asked if we could please come take some. They have a plenteous supply of children and it is so bizarre to think there are more children in the institution that need to be placed than there are loaves of bread on the shelf at the grocery. We arrived at the dark and damp institution and walked through the dingy urine drenched corridors back to a room where about 30 children were napping. One bed had seven little kids sleeping back to back like a little can of sardines. In the corner was Al Bashir; a little 3 week old frail baby that had been left in an abandoned house for 2 days. He was found in a Somali part of
Jacob Israel
Found in an abandoned house after 2 days. He was taken to a state run orphanage. IAA brought him home at 3 weeks weighing 6 lbs. town, thus the name. When we picked his little waif of a body off the mattress we knew he had to go home with us. We renamed him Jacob Israel. (Taken from a story in the Bible where the first part of Jacob’s life was hard but God redeemed him and gave him the name Israel. Israel means “You have struggled with God and man and have overcome”). Our little Jacob had to struggle to stay alive after being discarded like yesterday’s trash and he overcame. As we were taking care of the paperwork for Jacob one of the staff brought 18 month old Sharon out to us. She is a sweet butterball of a baby who’s mother died and father did not want her. She landed in NCH as well. We were given the option to take her and we quickly said yes. We finally had to ask them to stop bringing kids out because we were not going to be able to say no to any of them.
Thank God Christine, Maggie (a 16 yr. that has become mine out of default but more so out of love), and my niece were all with me. Everyone had
Maggie and Faith
Faith expresses her dislike of something or another. a baby in tow (Faith had come to town for a Dr. visit) and off we went to the Dr. for checkups. Worms, skin rashes and malnourishment were on the list of ailments. One of our little ones had been eating dirt and we don't know if she has parasites from eating dirt or if she is eating dirt because she has parasites. Not your normal run of the mill malady when you take you child to the Doctor.
Next day we arrived on site and the welcoming committee of all our girls was standing in line at the top of the hill ready to welcome the babies with the love and joy overflowing from them. The car stopped and the squealing girls raced towards our car. Everyone quickly grabbed a baby and took them around to show all the other kids and staff. The only tears flowing that day were tears of joy.
Oh how I wish that life could only consist of the joyful moments. But I suppose our joy could not be so extravagant if pain did not run so deep. Two weeks ago that pain sabotaged our hearts…
I have written about Haven
Martha and Jacob
Martha is a spunky 2 yr. old that has been a chatter box since arriving at IAA. on the Hill Orphanage in previous chapters. It is a wonderful home built by my friends Janice and Phil and directed by my friend Trena. All were out of town so when the oldest boy John (age 7) got sick his caretaker Naomi called to inform me. She had taken him to a local clinic and they diagnosed him with malaria. The clinic, which is a tiny room with limited resources, gave him an injection and said to wait around to see if he would have a reaction. Naomi and John waited then had to leave so they could catch public transportation to travel the hour over bumpy roads to get back home. After arriving at home John’s condition worsened. By evening they had to ask a friend to drive them to the hospital.
Now when someone refers to a “district hospital” one would get visions of a decent facility with the means to treat ill patients. I quickly learned otherwise. I went to see John on Wednesday (he had been admitted Monday night). I arrived to deplorable conditions in the “ICU unit” which basically was a cramped room with 10 beds, 10 children in critical condition, their mothers
and other family members. There was barely enough space to get between the beds. I felt like I had just walked into an abandoned building that was found and determined by someone that it would make a good place to keep sick people. State run facilities standards run lower than most because that would mean politicians would have to care and make an effort to make a difference.
I walked over to see little John lying limp on his bed with no sheets and his torn piece of foam that acted as a pillow. He was hooked up to an IV and an archaic oxygen machine. He had fallen into a coma. His eyes were wide open but wherever he had fallen was a long way away. His breathing was labored. Immediately in tears I was asked the nurse to find the Dr. so we could get John to a Nairobi hospital. The Dr. had not been communicating with Naomi so she really did not know how serious his condition was.
My mom, 18 year old niece, and fiancé were with me and of course everyone was staring at us as they do not see many Wazungus (white
Intensive Care Unit
Gatundu District Hospital ICU unit where John was taken. Four children died in the matter of 2 days in this ward. people) or foreigners in this remote town. The nurse seemed disturbed at our presence so mom and Jessica went to the car to wait. We were pleading with the nurse to ask the Dr. to hurry as I felt death was inevitable in the place.
She told us, “Oh, yes. When I saw such a sick child I thought the Dr. should transfer him”. I wanted to grab her and ask “WHY DIDN’T HE?!”. “WHY IS HE NOT IMPORTANT TO YOU?” “WHY IS HE LAYING IN A LISTLESS HEAP ON A DIRTY BED?”
Anger, hurt, frustration and despair were surging through our veins like wild horses as each second ticked by. “Wait” is all we kept hearing. So, Naomi and I went back to sit with John and wait. We were rubbing his arms, praying and talking when we realized that the labored breathing we had been hearing had stopped. He simply quit breathing. His waiting was over.
I frantically ran for the nurse telling her he had stopped breathing, to please come and do something. She looked at as if I was asking her to do some random task such as reciting the Gettysburg Address in
In Loving Memory
John of Haven on the Hill English. My fiancé tried to pump John’s little chest, we pleaded with him not to leave us, we begged the nurse to do something. All she could do was shuffle over after a few minutes with her cold stethoscope and pronounce his sentence. I have never felt so helpless in all my life. There was nothing we could do. We found out later that he was the fourth child to die in a matter of two days.
I am not saying it was the nurses fault that he died but I want to place blame. I want to blame the Kenyan politicians for stealing from their people- eating their people’s food and leaving them to starve in the dust. For clothing themselves with the money that should be fixing their hospitals and sending the children to school and for lining their pockets with the resources that could make their country a better place. I want to blame the Dr. for not caring about this boy that was an orphan and had such a rough little life. I want to blame the mother who bore this beautiful boy then left him. However, blame will never change the situation and anger
John and the crew
John in front with Auntie Trena, Auntie Liz, Uncle Stu and John's little brothers of the home. will only cause a festering wound.
The fact is that John is now experiencing joy that we can only dream of and this causes me to reflect on the last year of his life. In between my tears I thank God that John got leave the life of desperation of the slums and enter into an amazing home called the Haven on the Hill. He became part of a family where he was showered with love and taught about eternal life. He learned of his Father that would never ever leave him (Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.").
John experienced joy and got to play ball and roughhouse and laugh and go to school. He got to experience happiness during the last part of his life. During all of the emotions of this last week gratefulness has come close in the race to sadness. My appreciation for those who start orphanages, those who run them and those who support them has been greatly enhanced.
So, as I go through my sunny days of being
Letesia
14 yr. old Letesia is a beautiful orphaned girl who desires a good education. allowed to help rescue children and rainy days of sadness I am driven to my knees in prayer to the One who provides joy and helps us through our pain~ The giver of both the sunshine and rain.
Children:
I encountered a beautiful 14-year-old orphan named Letesia. She currently goes to school in a shack. She desires to go to a good school where she can get quality education. She wants to have opportunities for success. If you would like to sponsor "Leti" the cost for this year is $500 ($200 for first term, $150 second term, $150 third term). Just send me an email and I can get you more information.
If you would like to assist in the work we do please send a tax-deductible check to:
ITHM
23223 S. Warmstone Way
Katy, Texas 77494
Thanks to all for aiding in feeding kids, educating and clothing them and putting a big smile on their faces!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.267s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 9; qc: 58; dbt: 0.1407s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
