Some Updates

We’ve posted about three specific baby boys who have faced some health challenges in their short little lives. Thank you for praying for them.

Baby Blessing is off and running, taking at least 100 mls of formula the last few times Mama Sherry (aka Cheryl) has fed him. He was transferred out of the isolation room to the infant room, where he joined four roommates, on  Friday.  He’s very curious and is  loving being where there’s a little more activity  to be a part of.


                 Blessing


Baby Edwin came home from hospital on Thursday. He is doing much better but still needs to be watched closely and still requires aerosol treatments.  We don’t have an updated picture of him but here’s a cute one of him taken the day before he came home.




                 Edwin

 
Baby Darius is improving slowly. He is still somewhat weak, still requires IV antibiotics and has difficulty feeding. However, his infection seems to be clearing and he is much brighter. After I fed him today he almost smiled, but not quite.


                 Darius



You may remember that on our arrival we learned that one of the security guards had just lost his wife and newborn baby. Bosco returned to work today. He was to have returned sooner but he and his children have all been suffering with malaria. Please pray for him as he continues to grieve and adjusts to the challenges of being a single father to three school-aged children.

Ready...Set...Go!!!!

Here is a sampling of the activity at Sanyu's new playground today. There is still some finish work to be done but the children couldn't wait any longer to try it out. 

We'll save the story of how it all came together for another post. 

We’re Not in Canada

We have daily reminders that we are not in Canada. Thought you might enjoy hearing about a few.

You have read here before that one of our challenges here is getting across the street. Well Cheryl and I think we may have found a solution - we need to get a goat. A few days ago we walked to the grocery store and on the way back we watched 9 goats walk down the street and nonchalantly make their way to the other side while all bodas, taxies, buses, etc. gave them the right of way.  Why won’t they do the same for us?



One average afternoon we suddenly heard an unusual sound among the regular street noises. When we went to investigate,  there was a souped up car with a muffler like we’ve never heard speeding up the street across from Sanyu. It spun a quick 180 and sped back down and kept repeating the act. It didn’t take long for a crowd to form to take in the entertainment. The people would fill the street to watch it coming, then disperse to the sides as it approached. This went on for about 10 minutes before the event was over.

Another day on the same street we watched a small herd of goats (maybe the same ones we’d seen a couple of days before) being chased down the street by a little boy. They were able to lose him by making a sharp right turn on a side street.

A  couple of nights ago I was sure I heard babies crying in the rooms of the adjacent section of the guesthouse and thought they must have had to bring some of the babies over for some reason. It was dark so I went back to my room to get my glasses so I could go help them. I stepped outside to walk the few steps to the next door and could see the forms of two animals in the dark, about the size of raccoons facing each other in a noisy confrontation that sounded just like crying babies.  I turned and went back to bed. 

The next morning I asked Joel, the operator of the guesthouse, what they would have been and he said they are rodents. After some research we determined they were probably cane rats which can grow to be 17lbs

As I’m writing this at 10:30pm we heard a thud outside our window. An avacado just fell off the tree. 

Nope, we’re not in Canada!

...but maybe that’s where my font went. 😏

Visiting Nurses

This afternoon we walked to the local hospital to visit Baby Edwin and Mama Jesca. We were happy to see how well Edwin looked.

 He was taken off oxygen this morning and if all goes well tonight he will likely be discharged tomorrow afternoon as soon as the medical bills are paid by Sanyu. Once he returns to the home Mama Jesca will have some days off to rest.

Mama Jesca has had her prayers for Edwin answered. When he was at his worst on Sat night she opened her bible to Mark 10:13 and laid it by his head. The verse says "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." She prayed and prayed that God would not take his life and told God he would be well cared for at Sanyu.

 After we fed and bathed Edwin Mama Jesca went for a break. Edwin 'talked' to is for 30mins non stop, cooing, gooing and smiling.

We prayed for Baby Edwin, Jesca and the other children in the room before we left.

On the way out the door we noticed the verse from Mark 10 was painted on a wall in the Pediatric Ward. Interestingly enough, the Holy Spirit led me to use that verse while sharing devotions with the staff today.

Thank you for your prayers for Edwin and Mama Jesca.

Baby Darius

This morning we discovered that a new baby had arrived at Sanyu last night. We don’t know the circumstances that brought Darius here but we know he is now safe in the care Sanyu Babies’ Home. Please pray for Baby Darius as he is sick and requires IV antibiotics which are administered by the two nurses on staff.
Today, in a light rain, I walked with Nurse Caroline to the local hospital with Darius to have some blood tests and get some oral medication. Though little is known about him, the midwife who saw him was gathering as much information as she could. When it came to his age, Nurse Caroline provided an estimate of 3 months. The midwife then turned to me and asked me to “assign” him a date of birth. It was a unique and sad privilege but Darius now has my Dad’s birthday - January 20th.
The walk back was very wet so I covered Caroline and Darius with a rain poncho I’d stuffed in my purse for the messy and slippery return trip.
Welcome to Sanyu, Darius! You’ll be well loved and cared for here.

Imagination

No pictures with this post. You’ll have to use your imagination...just like Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is not quite 3 years old. Today as I was sorting clothes she and 2-year-old Ethan joined me. Elizabeth had a piece of paper approximately 1”x0.5”. She had Ethan stand in a specific location then held the piece of paper in front of her face and said, “Ethan. Say cheese.”  She repeated this several times.
Not long after, she held the same piece of paper to her ear and said, “Allo” and told the person on the other end of the line quite a story...but I couldn’t decipher any of the words.
Later in the day she had Solomon sitting in one of the seats in the dining room, pretending to feed him lunch using a small straw she had found.
Toys may be limited and luxuries non-existent but with a good imagination you can have all kinds of fun.

Day out with the children!

Today we ventured out with 17 of the children for a day of fun.  The children were invited to go to a sponsored day of children's activities.  Fun was had by all.  The children were falling asleep on the bus coming back to Sanyu.  There were a lot of firsts for some of the children that we would take for granted in Canada.  Bouncy castles, swimming in a pool and even a ride in a bus.

Some of the Mamas even got into the bouncy castle action.

Picnic lunch

The children didn't know what to think of the bouncy castles. They soon caught on! Lots of squeals and giggles.

The children loved spending time in the pool. There were a few that refused to go in.