Sa Sa

Tuesday
Tuesday was a blessed day because I got to and get to do Care and compassion. I went with Marieke one the Dutch volunteers and Julie a local volunteer. We went to Manyatta which is an area that is about 15 minutes away by Tuk Tuk. We did home check ups and brought patients their weekly food.
Moreen was our first patient. She is 4 years old. She is also in our ministry care point in Manyatta with her cousins Faith and Neema. When we got there she was outside washing her clothes. Moreen is a total orphan and lives with her aunt. There are 4 other children who live in the house and 2 more children who are away at boarding school. She is a very sweet silly girl. She has the funniest tendencies and she is the most unpredictable girl I have ever met, but absolutely unbelievably precious! I had a children's Bible with lots of pictures. I was trying to tell her a story but she loved the pictures so much she just wanted to look at the book. I brought her and her cousins crayons and color sheets and she was thrilled. The whole time we were there she played hand clapping games with Marieke and I. It was so great to see her sweet face more then once a week. It also opened her up to me more at the MCP this week.

Our next stop was Pamela. She used to be one of our patients, but she also has 5 children and 4 of them are in our Ministry Care Point. Pamela was not there but her oldest daughter Macerin was. She has been home from school because she has not been healthy. Macerin has epilepsy and her whole life has not been able to get the proper medicines to control it. She is extremely bright but does not have full function of her leg and arm. Macerin and I connected the first day that we met which is not always the case with our MCP kids. She got a huge smile when she saw us. Marieke  was talking to her grandpa about her health so I pulled out a pocket mirror. Macerin loves to just stare at herself in the mirror. Most of the kids laugh and go crazy when they see their reflection. Something to think about....
We then went and saw Fiona. She is a current patient who is doing extremely well. She sells charcoal outside of her house. Her husband passed away and she has a two year old son. Her house is so beautiful and she has done an amazing job of decorating it and making it a home. She lives in a house with four other women. They have a merry-go-round with their money. Each week they put 100 shillings (about $1), which is what Fiona profits from her charcoal. The person who collects the money each week buys the groceries and the things for the house. They do this so no one spends money on things they don't need. It is really amazing how they all work together and rely on each other. While we were talking with Fiona she starting crying because she really wanted to buy another bag of charcoal so she could profit more. The only problem is she profits 100 shillings per bag and she puts that towards her merry-go-round. One bag of charcoal costs 800 shillings (about $8) It is so hard not to just give her the money to her then and there, but it is SO important here not to just give Kenyans things and also to have it be from a Muzungu. Markieke and I are talking about different ways that we can get Fiona another bag of charcoal. Pray that we will come up with something that will benefit Fiona in the best way possible.

Veronica was our next stop. She used to be our patient. We were just stopping by to check on her. She is no longer in our Care and Compassion program anymore, because Christ's Hope assisted her in recovery to the point that she is able to work and provide for her family. While we were there God sent us a new potential patient, Caroline's husband. Caroline was a friend of Veronica. She was there with her 9 month old son Trevor. She had not talked to her husband in over a week. He was visiting his family in the village. They are both positive. Marieke let Caroline use her phone to call her husband and see how he was doing. When she talked to him she found out that he was sick. He was supposed to go to the AIDS clinic in just a few days and she was really praying that he would make it home. Caroline was so excited that we were there and able to assist them. She even wanted to take us to their house right at that moment, so that when her husband came home we would know where they lived. Pray that Caroline's husband will make it to the clinic to get his ARV's and that we will be able to care for and encourage their family.

Jane was our last patient. She also has children in our Ministry Care Point. Two of them were home from school, so we were able to sit and pray with the three of them. Jane's health is doing great. She was having pain in her feet due to her TB meds, but after some vitamins she is doing much better. She has her own business selling candy and other different foods. It is so obvious by just being in there house that Jane takes such good care of her children. Her husband is not alive and has to take care of the girls on her own. They are all sweet precious people and Jane loves the Lord. Pray for Jane's health, her business, and her children's health and spiritual growth.
Russia (Hospital Visits)
One of my favorite things to do here is hospital visits. It is an experience that cannot be duplicated. It is almost as if you walk into one of the wards and immediately feel the presence of God. The patients hold on to every word of the Lord and are so encouraged by prayer. I cannot even fathom how strong, courageous, and tough these people are.

Our first patient that we saw was Sharon. MY Sharon. She has been discharged but cannot pay the bill. That is extremely common. She was sleeping when I walked up but opened her eyes and got a big smile on her face. She doesn't speak much English but she told me she missed me. I spent lots of time with her. I gave her some bananas, which she really enjoys. She told me over and over that she wanted to go home. That again is another circumstance cannot step in and pay the bill. Her bill is probably only about $75-$80 after being there for a month. She loved my scripture and prayer. She teared up. I told her Jesus loves her and is always with her. Then she said "I am very happy." Pray that Sharon will get out of the hospital. Pray that she will be encouraged even if she has to stay longer and she will continue to trust in the Lord.

We then went and saw Samuel who has a very bad leg injury. He has a wound all the way to the bone and the bone is dead in some parts, but he has been discharged. He also is not able to pay. We gave him some bananas. He speaks great English and is always SO happy to see us. No one could be in a bad mood around Samuel. I read him scripture and every time I would finish a sentence he would smile and say thank you. It was such a sweet time of worship. He is a new believe but he loves the Lord and the word so much. We had extra bananas so we gave them to all the men in the room. The man next to samuel did not have full function of his hands and he seemed to have a mental disorted. he tried to put the whole banana in his mouth and Samuel reached over and kept saying his name and was trying everything he could to help his friend out with his banana. It was so sweet. Pray that Samuel's Leg will heal. Pray that we will be able to visit him even when he leaves the hospital. Pray that he will continue to grow with the Lord even when he is out of the hospital.

The best part of the day was sharing scripture and praying with each patient/household. Even though most people did not understand me I made sure Julie translated even the prayer. I shared Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" and Isaiah 40:28-31"The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint." Giving encouragement through the word of God gave them hope and strength that we could not. We could literally see there body language attitude and face change after that special moment. That is why this is all worth it.

God is SO good and SO Faithful!

Jessica