Medical Woes

We sent Tiny Rose to the hospital yesterday because she has started having focal seizures again. She is on medicine for the seizures but it obviously Is not working so we wanted her to see the doctor. The person who saw her (not sure if it was a doctor but know it was not her regular doctor) said that malaria can cause the seizures (which is true) so they tested her blood for malaria. The test, however, came back negative, but instead of looking for other possibilities they still gave her medicine for malaria and sent her home! This is typical of so many in the medical field here because malaria is so common that the medicine for it is sometimes seen as a cure all. We have been fortunate that most at this hospital do not make this assumption.

More Medical, More Kids

God graciously moved us through the malaria.  It lasts about 3 days.  Some days are miserable, but the Lord is our help at all times.

Now we have chicken pox going around.  There are 5 kids at the orphanage who have it and we’re trying to keep it from spreading to the other 90 kids!  We wouldn’t mind the rest of them getting it, except we are always concerned for our HIV kids.

GSF received two new babies this week.  One was only 5 days old when he arrived.  His twin brother died at two days old and his mother died the following day.  Pray for this boy’s grieving father.  GSF will care for the baby for 2-3 years.  The other boy we took this week has a teenage mom who was raped.  A teacher in the village has been caring for him for a few months – she had previously counseled the mother not to have an abortion.  This wonderful, life-saving woman simply cannot care for him now that school has begun, so she brought him to GSF.  The boy’s name, Muzarsi, means “God is gracious.”  How fitting.

Malaria

Just a quick note to ask you to pray.  Megan had malaria last weekend.  She is over it now.  Titus & I both tested positive for it last night.  We had a rough night.  Caralina tested positive for it today.  Amy isn’t feeling well, but hasn’t run a fever yet.  She is starting the treatment for malaria.  We should know by tonight if that is really what she has.

On top of that, we got a phone call at 2:30 a.m. last night.  David Malisi, our tailor, had an emergency with his son Matthew.  Matthew was having seizures that wouldn’t stop – his whole body was stiff.  The condition could possibly have been meningitis or tetanus, both of which are very dangerous.  David didn’t know that I had malaria, so we called Claudia and she and Amy went together to check on Matthew.  Amy eventually stayed at Claudia’s house with her girls while Claudia took Matthew and the mother to Buikwe Hospital.  Matthew has been admitted, but we don’t yet know his condition.

A realization

This week our family has been visited by malaria.  Megan had malaria on Saturday and really just started feeling better yesterday.  Mark and Titus both tested positive today.  Tonight we sent Caralina to get some more medicine from Bob and Carolyn.  They did not have any at their house so Carolyn drove down to the clinic with Caralina to get some more.  Unfortunately, Carolyn could not get the clinic unlocked so she and Caralina went on a search for the nurse in order to get the key for the clinic.  Caralina came home and told me about the trail they took just to be able to get the medicines for her daddy and brother.  At the end, she told me that Auntie Carolyn at one point in despair jokingly said “your brother and dad could die before we get this medicine to them.”  Caralina then looked at me with all sincerity and maturity and said, “Mom, I know she was just joking but then I thought about all the people around us who struggle to get the medicine and may die because they can’t get it.”  Wow, a aha moment for a 13 year old.

Norah

We have 7 kids here at GSF who are HIV+ . They all go to a clinic once a month to be checked and receive their medications. Some of them get good reports and are doing well. We have 3 who really struggle with the disease. One of these is 15-year-old Norah. Norah gets sick often and sometimes refuses to eat.

Right before we went on furlough, a team from our church came to visit. Our pastor, Tim Lampley, spoke at a village crusade and Norah listened to him speak although she was not feeling well. When she got home that night, she asked to speak to Pastor Tim and Mark. After talking briefly, she gave her life to Christ! A teen who, many would say, has little or no hope found her hope in Jesus. We praise God for this change in her life!

Unfortunately, she had another change in her life while we were on furlough. She contracted toxioplasmosis, which is a parasite that has paralyzed her right arm and leg. We were saddened by the news but grateful to hear that she seemed to be taking it well. She is now in a wheelchair, but can briefly stand and take a few steps.

Since we arrived back at GSF, Norah's hemoglobin count has been very low and she has had to receive two blood transfusions. It has also been determined that she must start the stage 2 HIV medications because the stage 1 medications are no longer working.

Due to her condition, Norah was not able to go with the rest of our teenagers on a retreat to a mountainous area. Because of this, we all decided that Norah would get a shopping trip to town.

Mark, Megan and I took her to town yesterday to shop for a specific pair of sandals she wanted and to have lunch. Mark did well to maneuver the wheelchair over the broken and uneven sidewalks. We went to many stores before we finally found the exact sandals - the ones covered with goat skin! Please pray for Norah to grow in both physical and spiritual strength.

Just Like a Ugandan

Today started out with a miscalculation.  As a result, I had to drive to town to get some cash out of our own bank account to send with our teens for their two-day retreat.  Having no cash in my own pocket, I took both of our ATM cards so I could get money for the retreat and for ourselves.  Neither of the ATM cards worked today.  No money and no access to cash – that’s how most Ugandans spend their days.

Having had a small lunch today, I was ready for dinner early.  But I had to take a child to the hospital in the evening and the place was full and the doctors weren’t around.  So it was quite late before I got back home for dinner.  Hunger (only a little bit on my part) – that’s what many Ugandans face every day.

The child I took to the hospital has had malaria, she has palsy, she is on anti-seizure medicine, and she was having an allergic reaction to something in that mix.  The hospital was overcrowded and Tiny Rose had to share a bed with another child in the Pediatric Ward.  The Ward has 23 beds in one large room and every child has to have a mother or someone staying with them.  Other beds were shared; some children were on the floor – not to mention all the mothers crammed in the room with nowhere to sleep.   I get to sleep in my own bed tonight – Most Ugandans share a bedroom, but have no bed in their 1- or 2-room houses.

While at the hospital, I was talking to one of our nurses on the phone.  I ran out of airtime (which has to be prepaid here) in the middle of the conversation.  No airtime – that is a standard way of life for most Ugandans, even though they may have a cell phone.

No money; little food; no bed for a child; no airtime – these are all basics of life for the masses of people all around us.  For me they were only temporary inconveniences.  Such is life in Uganda.

A Few Vitamins

Here is a God-story that is still developing…

While on furlough, our kids’ previous school, SBEC, asked for a list of supplies they could gather to send back for the orphanage. We told the 2nd and 7^th grade classes that they could collect Gatorade powder (which is good for hydrating sick children, but is unavailable here) and children’s gummy multivitamins (to improve overall health of the children). The students collected enough Gatorade to make about 400 liters – that should last quite a while! They also collected over 30 bottles of vitamins – fabulous. But God had bigger plans from this great group of students…

At the end of November we got a call to inform us that one of the student’s parents had organized a donation of vitamins from a pharmaceutical company. They were shipping TWO PALLETS of children’s vitamins to the school for Good Shepherd’s Fold! We were blown away by a gift that is literally “more than we could have asked or thought possible.”

When the pallets arrived at SBEC, we took a picture with some of the 7^th graders and more than 250 boxes of vitamins in the school lobby. In total, there are 3,108 bottles of children’s multivitamins. Praise the Lord! They literally donated “a ton” of vitamins as the total weight is over 1,930 pounds.

Being unable to pack that much in our luggage, we began looking for shipping options with the help of a few friends. One person offered to donate the cost. Another friend in the shipping business looked up shipping rates for us. Someone else contacted their FedEx international shipping rep to inquire about a charitable discount. Meanwhile, we headed back to Uganda, waiting for more information. The offer from FedEx was the best rate and we were grateful for their generosity; yet the cost was still almost $4,000. FedEx was offering a HUGE discount, but it was still more than we felt we could responsibly pay. Customs fees can also be huge on incoming shipments. We turned to the Lord, grateful for the miracle of the vitamins and asked for another miracle to get them to GSF.

That is where the story is still unfolding. We asked the 7^th graders to be praying – the students at SBEC have a daily reminder to pray, because the pallets are still sitting in their lobby. I can’t give too much information regarding a plan that hasn’t come together, but… We have contacted a large team of people who are coming to Uganda in March. They are not coming to work with GSF, but we had already discussed ways we could connect while they are here. They have told us “not to worry” and a plan is being developed whereby they may be able to bring all 3,108 bottles of vitamins to us. Please pray with us and stay tuned. God is not finished with this miracle just yet!