Thank you so much for reading my blog, at
present I am still $3,700 under my final support goal of $14,300. I am in great
need of mission partners who are willing to commit to a monthly support amount
for the next 6 month. Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter of my
mission. Thanks!
It will never cease to amaze me the way God works. In less than one month I’m going to be turning 30, a fact I was so unkindly reminded of yesterday when the doctor wrote that at my age on my patient forms. I have been to the doctor more times in the last 2 months than I have in the entire year prior. Test for malaria, parasites, amoebas, finger pricks, blood draws, urine samples. I thought at my age I’d just be too old for some illnesses, but sometimes God’s plans trump age restrictions.
Two days ago I woke up tired as usual, we walked 5 or 6 miles to the teachers college to give a message and meet with the students, on the way there I noticed it hurt on the right side of my throat every time I swallowed and the lymph node was swollen. The message was given and we went to the market, at the market I had to stop several times as not to pass out, we took a cab home had a late lunch and I put myself to bed, before I went to sleep my temperature was reading at 98.0 when I woke up for feedback it had risen to 100.4. Plans had been made for speaking and small groups for the following Sunday morning but when I awoke to find not one but two swollen lymph nodes it became clear I would not be included in those plans. It hurt to drink water and to speak, even to lay with my head back. I skipped breakfast and stayed in bed aching all over unable to get warm, writing blogs. I took some pain killers which failed to kick in and another temperature reading. 101.6. Once my team arrived home I expressed my desire to see a doctor. Jeremiah and Koku were going to town to get bus tickets for the team leaders so they took me to the hospital too. After another malaria test and a maze race to find the lab it was decided that I have tonsillitis. I was given medication for my fever and some penicillin.
I felt a little better in the morning when it was time to go to the orphanage. Since I wasn’t contagious I was excited to go. We arrived to find a bunch of toddlers who weren’t sure if they were scared or happy to see us. We were taken to a dinning room by the head Sister and given tea and biscuits. When we had finished she showed us around to the children’s bedrooms. We went to two empty bedrooms filled with cribs with mosquito nets around them. The third room was filled with sleeping babies, some of them looked sick and some were just healthy little nippers. One little boy way crying and trying to pick himself up but couldn’t do it. Unsure what to do we watched for cues from the Sister but none came. The sister gave Andrea the ok to pick him up and his crying immediately ceased. She carried him out into the courtyard and throughout the rest of the tour. When we reached the toddler room they piled out ready to play. All my teammates suddenly had a little hand in theirs, some people like Beckman had 3 or 4, but I didn’t even have one. I waited to see which child would pick me, and then Andrea came to me with Emmanuel the little boy from the baby room, and asked if I would take him. She was being climbed by 2 or 3 children making holding a baby very difficult. So I took him and we sat and chatted.
Emmanuel was very interested in pulling my hair and trying to climb onto Jeremiah who was sitting beside me. It was during an attempt to climb over that I noticed the wet spot on my leg. After asking around about changing with no success I picked him up and went to the laundry room. I managed to explain the issue to the ladies there, one woman took him from me and sat him beside her and continued to eat sugar cane. I tried to explain I wanted him changed and given back but was unsuccessful. In my heart I just couldn’t handle leaving him for an unchanged diaper, like he was now somehow defective. I went to try and get someone to translate for me, Koku told me they have specific changing times for them because there are just so many. I couldn’t handle that he was sitting wet and traded in, I went back to the laundry room and went to pick him up. I would rather he sit wanted and wet with me than abandoned and wet. The woman became obviously frustrated with my impatience and took him to the changing table. When she laid him down to change him he wailed inconsolably. When I sat him up it stopped, back down it started, up again it stopped. I collected my freshly changed koala baby and we went back into the courtyard back to our seat. We sat and we chatted and then Koku noticed his little ear. His ear was oozing mucus, and it clicked, that’s why it hurt him to lay back, I felt his little neck and found the swollen glands just like mine. I took him to the head sister and showed her these things which she looked surprised to see. I have been learning that the Lord is my defender and my protector and He is that for little Emmanuel too. He brought that little boy who can’t yet speak for himself a voice to speak for him all the way from America. I will get to see him tomorrow, I am excited.
