Last Saturday, I FINALLY managed to get back to G. for the health education. We tried 3 Saturdays in a row to get there but one week our translator/language helper Butros was very sick and 2 other weeks it rained heavily (being rainy season and all!). Last week we went and had a good group of women and children, as well as Issa's father, out for the lesson on Vitamin A deficiency. As usual, the group was very attentive and interested and discussed things a lot. Grace and I did a little skit on night blindness, pretending we were 2 little M. girls in a village, which was fun. Then I read the story of Jesus healing the man born blind from the M. New Testament, which I had been practicing with Butros, and we discussed that a bit. At the end of the lesson, we gave all of the children there a high dose Vitamin A supplement.
We also saw Issa that day, and to our dismay he had taken a turn for the worse. His little body, especially his legs, feet, and face, were once again swollen with fluid from electrolyte displacement caused by severe malnutrition. I talked to his parents a little with Butros but it was difficult to ascertain what had caused this relapse and we didn't have too much time to spend with them.
I began to pray about how to help this family and to cry out to God to heal Issa once again. I wanted to do something before I leave for Nairobi on Oct. 1st. I knew that if nothing changed and his malnutrition got worse, he could die of heart failure or severe infection since his immune system is so weak. I had the idea that I should talk to some church elders and go back to G. during the week, specifically to pray for Issa and to have a serious talk with his family.
I talked to Abebe, one of my team members, and Nehemiah, our compound manager who is also a Mabaan church elder, and they volunteered to go with me to G. on Tuesday. In the meantime I prayed about what to say to this family and how to communicate the seriousness of his condition.
On Tuesday, the 3 of us rode our bicycles to G. and found Issa and his parents and siblings outside their tukul. Nehemiah asked them to gather extended family members together and people began to wander over and sit down. I had felt that we needed to talk to the extended family about helping Issa's parents get enough goat's milk and sugar and oil to make the high protein/high energy milk feeds that he needs to have in small quantities every 3 hours. His mother had told me on Saturday that their goats had been sick and that they were struggling to buy sugar. So we gathered the extended family together so they could all hear what we had to say, which is a very African way of doing things anyway. Families live their lives in community very close together. With Nehemiah translating, I tried to communicate clearly that Issa could easily die if he continued in his present state but that there is hope--they had seen him improve a few weeks ago and he could become well again. The day and night 3 hourly feeds are crucial to severely malnourished children's recovery and we proceeded to carefully explain how they were to make these up and give them. Then Nehemiah read the Scripture about Jesus welcoming children and blessing them and about us needing to change and become like little children to enter the kingdom of God. Then we all bowed our heads and Nehemiah prayed for Issa and for his family as they care for him.
He has been on my mind a lot this week and we have prayed for him often as a team here. Today (Saturday) Butros and I braved the looming thunderclouds to trek through the bush and maize fields back to G., to see how he's doing. Praise the Lord, his swelling has gone down some, his diarrhea has stopped which indicates his guts are recovering a bit, and he looked more alert and less irritable. His mother seems encouraged that he is improving and they seem to be following the feeding plan carefully. We explained a change they need to make to his feeding in 3 days time that they will continue for 2 weeks. The wind started to blow and the rain started to sprinkle so we had to quickly head back home, but not before several ladies presented us with a pumpkin each and a few cobs of maize!
Juang bala--always, even when He seems absent. I confess that I was a bit disappointed with God when I saw how sick Issa was again but I continued to pray for him and seek God's guidance in this situation. We walk by faith, not always by sight. Issa's family is learning how to care for a severely malnourished child and about what kinds of food he needs to be healthy, and that is a blessing from God that can empower this whole community. I pray they are also sensing the presence and power of God to heal and His great love for one little suffering child.
On the way home through the rain drops, Butros commented that God is with us on the path. I looked up at the tall grasses, the massive trees and palms, and the dark thunderclouds ahead bringing us the refreshing African rain, and smiled. Indeed--Juang bala.
No comments:
Post a Comment