 Wendy w/ 6 mo old Kadiri before they embark to Kumasi |
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I can see them in their flipflops, their feet stained red from the dirt. The kids all have sweaty hair and are squinting from the sun when they look up at you...Wendy is walking briskly like she always does, a girl on a mission, taking advantage of every minute of the day. I can see Sukanya lolly-gaggin' behind the rest of the group. I can picture the narrow dirt trail to the chicken farm, the dirt path to the orphanage; the main street of Nalerigu has 2 buses that look like they are 70 years old. Each bus is overflowing with people...1 bus has several men sitting on top, squeezed in with the luggage piled another 10 feet high. Another bus is coming down the street and rather then men sitting on top, I see 3 goats trying to keep steady while the bus bumps along its way. The pigs and goats are wondering between mud huts. Manassah, on his bicycle, is holding up several cartons of eggs with one hand as he takes them to the "store" to be sold off the street. Greg pulls out a tiny notebook from his shirt pocket to write down how many eggs the chickens laid that day. Today is a good day...they have laid over 100. The BMC "holding area" is full of sick people, young and old, many of them having traveled miles and miles...and now they wait. The nutritional feeding center is a buzz of activity as the young mothers (or grandmothers) tend to the infants. When I walk by they are all sitting on mats, their babies lying or sitting next to them. When I approach, the babies scream but the mothers don't seem to mind. However, out of respect for the baby I keep my distance even though every part of me wants to scoop them into my arms. The women all smile at me, some wave.
Today I can see the half naked children at the orphange...most of them are running down to the truck before we even have time to get out. Their excited giggles fill up the big open African sky. Some of them are sick...Falilah is getting over measles, Sampson has not been well, and Atu is also getting over a virus. Wendy finds out that 2 of them have missed 2 days of school because their shoes were broken and is frustrated that no one contacted her to inform her. She realizes it is time to get these children some NEW clothes...new underwear, new shoes, new shirts, new shorts...they have so little and the little they have is covered with holes and stains. She asks a volunteer who will be going to Togo if they would be willing to pick up some new things for the children. Once again, she prays for God to "fill up" their cup as she hands over another stash of money.
Back at the BMC, Wendy and Greg have been helping 3 Muslim families. The first child, Kadiri, came to the hospital months ago and had a horrible condition that "ate away" his nose/mouth. They have sent this mother/child on several big trips to larger cities, hoping for a miracle. Today Wendy told me they have paid for them to return once again to the capital, Accra, where the child needs more plastic surgery. The 2nd child, Miriama, is 5 years old and she has an enlarged heart...Wendy said it is 3 times the normal size...her breathing was labored and she weighed in at 16 lbs. Greg and Wendy bought her and her relative bus tickets to Kumasi to have an EKG/CAT...but Wendy doesn't even know if she is a candidate for surgery. The 3rd child's name, also Kadiri (pronouned KAH-DREE) is 6 months old and has a hole in his heart. Clement got to see this adorable baby boy the morning he arrived in Nalerigu. They have much in common, and it seemed as if Clement, although only 2 1/2 years old, had empathy. Greg and Wendy bought bus tickets and sent this child to Kumasi as well. You see, Kumasi is the closest place to get an EKG. Wendy said it is a very old machine and sometimes it doesn't work. By the way, Kumasi is a miserable full day's ride that even the strongest of stomachs has a hard time handling...let alone a child who is dying. Clement made this journey many times in the past 2 years. You have to understand that when they send these sick children/adults, they not only pay for their bus fare, but meals, lodging, and look after the family members who are left behind. They make everyone bring back receipts of every purchase and hold them accountable. But its constant. Somehow God continues to supply their needs and all we can figure out is that people are being moved to support them and are OBEYING. So on their behalf, THANK YOU.
Wendy has asked specific prayer over the chickens who have slowed down egg production. The other day they only laid 29 eggs. These eggs are so very important for the children at the orphanage. They sell the eggs which pays for their schooling, their food, and their every day needs. 29 eggs will not do this. Please pray. Of course they are still learning and make adjustments to the chickens food, etc...but have been at a loss as to why production is down.
Pray over missionaries. They are humans, just like us. They get tired. They get discouraged. They get angry. They get lonely. They get scared. They get sad. They get excited, hopeful, and surprised. Don't forget about them. Support their work prayerfully and financially. Have a "world view" vision. It's not all about us. Skip that McDonald's lunch w/ the kids and put $10 in an envelope and give it to missions the next time you're at church. Look at all the ways God could use it...it could send a child w/ a sick heart to a hospital, it could buy 3 pairs of shoes for children who need to stay in school, it could donate a crate of eggs to the Nutritional Feeding Center...Share this vision with me, I beg you! It's time to RE-PRIORITIZE...starting with ME. God didn't take me half way around the world for nothin'...so know I"m talking to MYSELF as much as I'm talking to you.
Thank you for reading this today...and for "seeing" just another typical day in Nalerigu, Ghana.
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