Tonight I want to write about one of our residents and her child. I wish to share what God has taught me in the last 5 days. He has taught me how simple it is to show His Love and words are not always necessary (which those of you who know me...know that is a huge feat). Of course I will change the names.
Sometime in the 6 years I have been coming to Ntuzuma, I met this girl, I will call her Miss S. She was the niece of one of caregivers and the cousin of a family we have helped with several orphans over the last few years. I didn't remember meeting til we got the call from her cousin that told us she had lost a baby and was very sick. We went to the house she stayed in and she was on a mattress on the floor of a tin attachement to the house. As is tradition she sat on a straw mat, with a candle burning on a saucer at the end of the mat and baby clothes folded. I believe she had lost a son about 3 weeks prior. Not only was she sick but heartsick as nobody was helping her bury the baby. No money and some family issues. We were called to see if we could help. We prayed with her and later I put out a plea and many of you gave and we were able to have a funeral for her child. While we were at the cementary I saw her other child, a spitting image of her mom a little girl 3-4 , I will call her Star. They were so grateful to get the baby buried and at the funeral a drunk man went to hug the little girl Star, (I think he was the father of the baby) and she fell down.
A few weeks later she was admitted to Ukukhanya Life Care Centre and brought her 4 year old Star as there was no place she was comfortable to keep her. They have been with us now a couple of weeks. Miss S. is 26, as a child she was abandoned in the township by her grandma and an auntie went looking for her and brought her home. So she was an abandoned child (I learned this over the weekend). Poor girl she had tremors so bad, she would sweat and her arms just trembled as well as her hands and even her head a bit. Friday we took her her to the hospital, I was driving the loaner car, she was in the back seat along with another resident waiting for the caregiver. Suddenly she says Gogo, I am going to throw up, we opened the door and called for a bucket. Bless her heart....we took her straight away with a caregiver to say with her.
She sat in casualty (ER) from noon til l0:00 pm when we left knowing she'd be admitted. What a night. She lay on a gurney with a drip, no pillow, a sheet, and oxygen mask. To her right about l8 inches away was an older lady who had abcesses on her leg open to the bone about 5 open wounds that stunk so bad. On the gurney on her left was another young lady who had several siezures while we were sitting there. The room was Chaos. People patiently and some not so patiently waiting for a decision. Usually it is a 3 hour wait from when they draw the blood, minimum. I arrived at 5:00 and the caregiver and I stayed on til 10:00. But what I observed in those 5 hours was amazing.
First of all you must understand that most of our patients dread going to this hospital, most have lost a loved one there and all fear theywill die if they go there. Miss S. did not want us to leave. So we waited til we were sure they were going to admit her (as it is risky to drive in and out of the township at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and drinking, and well....when you are white. So we waited.
A nurse made her way by each bed, and the old lady next to us who had been rubbing her leg and moaning in pain, there was an exchange in zulu and I asked my caregiver what happened... she said, the nurse told her "she'd be the last one they would help". Soon I went to her and asked if I could pray for her... she said yes and showed me her legs and then she cried. She just needed someone to care. Later she was struggling with a pillow to put against the wall so she could sit back, I went and helped her and felt the Lord say, these little acts of kindness are "compassion" you are putting yourself in their pain and feel what they are feeling. We asked the Lord to help them notice her and give her something for her pain. Sure enough in about an hour that very same nurse came and took her and bandaged her leg and gave her a pain shot.
The other lady had a spinal tap, now I don't know if they give something for pain in the states, but here she put her legs through the rail that wouldn't go down and bent over it. The dr comes with a cart and says she has to put a needle in her back. this moves the gurney closer to our girl (who is afraid to be there ) we are sitting accross from the beds in chairs. It is a huge open room we all see everything. The Doctor wipes a spot and jabs in a needle.... the girl screams, the worst scream I have ever heard, and begins to cry, the Dr takes samples of fluid I think... it lasts forever and I think....how painful it must be and how rough the Drs. are. My poor Miss S. the lady screaming inches from her face. The Dr. pulls out the needle and then the girl faints and begins to seize. The Dr. turns and walks away. Soon a nurse comes back as the lady has passed out now over the rail, and my caregiver and the nurse lay her in the gurney and she seizes several more time in the next few hours. I am sitting there thinking....is this what is coming to America? Will our government medical care be this way so insensitive, so rough, so limited? Nothing for pain, hours of waiting, and staff that are over worked and over whelmed. All I can say is God help us. But for me .....as we left that night, Do unto others as you want done unto yourselves." Simple.... just put yourself in their place.
Saturday I was afraid there would be no family, so went to see Miss S. again. Her cousins (who they call sisters) were there, Just looking at her and saying she'd be alright. I had stopped and gotten some amahewo a drink they like when they are so sick and berry energade, ice cold, the only think I could drink with the measles. She was in the ward, with her IV and I asked is she wanted the juice she said yes (I wonder if they had given her anything to drink as she can't lift with her arm tremoring. I lifter her little shaking head and gave held the bottle of juice to her mouth. It has a sippy thing so it is like drinking a bottle sort of. She drank and drank, when I pulled it down, she smiled, her teeth all red from the juice and she smiled and said "that is nice", I gave her more, and soon she had drank half the bottle. She was enjoying it!!!! A simple thing. Then as I was talking to her I said do you think you can drink it all, and she smiled and laugh as I couldn't leave her til the whole thing was gone. She enjoyed it so much. "I was thirsty and you gave me drink"
Monday I went again, it was right after visiting hours and I brought her more to drink, she drank about half. I asked her if they had told her what she had, she said "my funeral". Then this morning I got the word as I drove in to work that she had passed away. Thankfully we had talked about Jesus and she assured me she knew Him so I know she was in eternity.
26 and her life is over here on earth. Friday night when I asked who should care for her child if anything happened she said "you Gogo". Monday night as I went to leave little Star was trying to climb in my car, I asked Zipho what she was saying (another orphan boy living with us 9), he said she wants to come home with you, we all do....Oh my aching heart. And now this morning I have to tell this sweet little baby who waves to me when I drive in....that her momma isn't coming back. For her in about 6 weeks her family is all gone. Prince and I prayed and then Hillary and I spoke with her, I would say things and Hillary would ask her, but first she explained heaven to her an what had happened. We don't know how much she comprehended. She let me hold her on my lap for a long time and layed her head on my shoulder. And later she took crayons and made pictures for us while I worked she sat on the floor and drew pictures.
Oh my heart! I have never had to do anything like this before. And the sad thing...nobody has asked about her yet. I know tonight that "Jesus Loves the little children, ALL the children of the world" I pray she is resting in His Love tonight.
I know I don't preach a huge sermon to millions, or have crusades or healing services, nor have I seen mighty miracles performed, but I just want you to know that in those moments of bringing a smile to someone dying because you gave them a drink, or holding a child who is sad and lonely, or giving a pencil to an orphan who is writing with a 1/2 inch piece of pencil in school. Or transport someone to the Dr who can barely wallk, a smile, a prayer, and a kind word are pretty mighty in the bringing of His Kingdom and it is something we can all do.
I can't help but remembering my first trip to S. Africa preparing to go to my first township, and feeling some fear for seeing orphans and sick children and knowing there are many more capable people and fancy ministries that are so organized and efficient, and saying "what am I doing here? Africa is already responding"> And He told me the same face I see in the US with AIDS is the same face I'll see here. It is the face of fear, shame and hopelessness .....all over the world the face of AIDS will be the same, but as "the church", we have the Answer....Jesus, A loving personal relationship with the One whose perfect love casts out fear, He is hope,and He covered our shame. That is what the difference will be. I pray His Kingdom Come!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Orphaned & Vulnerable Children's Camp
OVC Camp is coming soon...
help bring a light in the darkness
Ukukhanya Life Care Centre is sponsoring this outreach to the community of Ntuzuma, a township in Durban, South Africa
June 13 - 17
the 2010 outreach will be from May 28th through June 19th with the OVC Camp the last week. The estimated cost is $3500.
commit now so we can book flights as it is the World Cup in South Africa. If flights go higher we might need to raise the price.
if you need more information contact: pennydu@juno.com
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ukukhanya Life Care Centre
Well, I believe it has been about 6 months since I last blogged. So again I don't know where to begin to share what all we are seeing happen here at Ukukhanay Life Care Centre. Since the last blog we began working on the facility and have remodelled the 7 rooms for patients, we added two bathrooms right outside the old sactuary, we have converted the sactuary into our "everything" lounge, we have the offices up and running and the kitchen is in full operation. By Princes room and the old bathroom we have a laundry room and we are only now preparing to work on the last 7 rooms and the existing bathrooms.
We opened the facility 3 weeks before I returned to states and over the period I was gone (Nov-Jan) they only had a total of 7 people max and only one baby with her mom. Upon my return with my friend Faith from Newton (for 3 weeks) and Rachel Griffis from Andover for 3 months. We have grown in leaps and bounds.
We had hired 4 caregivers, and 2 cooks and 2 security guards before I left. The Lord was so faithful to send some caregivers doing their practicals to fill and we hired them the end of February....by March we were so overwhelmed with patients we just hired 4 more caregivers, brought Trevor and Welcome on Staff, and 2 more cooks and one more guard....I'm sure the Lord knows our grown and our needs....things are quite tight.....but He has always been faithful.
We got two more babies in February a 4 month old and History the orphan we have helped with his Gogo for l8 months now. When the babies arrived we added the additional workers. Then we filled up all the beds. We now have the babies in the lounge. We have a mom with her l4 year old daughter and we have the 3 orphan boys we have been helping for almost two years. They were not making it at home with their brother....their mud house washed away during a rain storm and they were not eating even though they were now granted. The said they wanted to stay with us and well, it just seemed right. They are doing well. So that gives us 7 men 5 women and one is a l6 year old mom of the 4 month old, and 7 children. 19 in all. With the staff the kitchen cooks for about 32! that is a lot of food.
For those of you who have been here you won't recognize the place. We are up and running and daily people from the community come in to report cases. We actually have a waiting list.
Now a typical day is Rachel and I leave our place about 6:45 to get to Ntuzuma. By 7:l5 Prince and I are taking the girl to Inanda to school and the boys to lindelani to school. Then we have to pick up about 2:30 and 3:00. When we get back we are usually taking people to the clinic and dropping off with a caregiver. We have prayer and worship in the morning at 9:00 am when the office staff get in. Sometimes the patients join us and usually by then the singing is putting the babies to sleep as they have started their day very early. Since opening the babies started crawling especially History who was so underdeveloped with muscle tone. Trevor and Welcome love the kids so much....welcome got History to take his first steps this week and we were all cheering. For being and orphan he is blessed with many people who love him! His Gogo still comes over and goes to the Dr. with us and stays with him when he has to go to the hospital.
We have some very sick people, and some are actually getting stronger. We see them live better, with nutrition and people to care for them and they are beginning to thrive. We see people crying about coming in and now not ever wanting to leave. Many have come back to their faith and are receiving hope.
So usually we have l2 hour days....if we get out of there before dark, rachel and I call it a holiday!
We celebrate birthdays for the month. Prince and I are usually driving all over, it is good he can now drive the car without me so we can divide and conquer. I would say my worst day is grocery shopping day. It freaks me out to buy so much food. We go to the butchery and buy a freezer full of meat, and to Makro (like Sam's) and by bulk the other things. Then we go to fruits and vegetable stands for that part. Weekly we go to the store and fruits and veggies.
Baby formula and nappies (diapers) are a huge expense for us....we find many of the gogo's giving their babies waterd down porridge and tea to drink, so we supply those in our care with formula til they get granted.
We are building relationship with Welfare and they now come to us to see our patients. Welcome is really like a social worker and escorts the babies and patients to the Dr. Pretty does the medication and overseas the caregivers. Hillary manages the office, Trevor, does our forms, and helps with our building stuff, and we see him moving into our human resource part.
We serve several Gogo's and their positive grandkids in the community, when we go to Mccords hospital where are children are treated, Welcome packs sandwiches for about 6-8, and juice and yogert for the babies, the leave early in the morning and return in the afternoon. The good news is that won't be monthly now but 3 months soon. History goes with Rachel and Welcome and sometimes his Gogo, Luanda goes with his aunty sometimes and sometimes just with us, he is 9, sarah and her mom go, sphe the tiny baby goes with Rachel, we have another Gogo and her baby that goes. It is a full vehicle. But all the children are doing well and we thank God for this.
Recently we had a mom die and she had an l8 month old, and we had several others who had children to be tested, we went to their house and tested and all 5 tests were negative....we just pray first and everytime has been negative.
After school welcome has about 40 boys that come and play soccer and he and one of guards take them to the beach to jog in the sand and train. It is amazing. HMMMM, I guess when God told us to call it a Life Care Centre He knew why. We see life happening, we see church happening and it is all so natural and day to day. nothing spectacular in the natural, but we are seeing people helped, receiving hope, seeing them believe in the power of prayer, seeing them respond to a little Love and dignity.
Sometimes we labor and labor and think....Is God ever going to move, but when He does....it just comes into being before you know what has hit you and you just look back and stand amazed. His Love is Amazing, His Grace is Amazing, and His Faithfulness is Amazing. What and Amazing God we serve. Thanks to all of you who help support this work.....your support is needed and if any others are looking to sow into His kingdom here in Ntuzuma, it is needed as I only see us getting bigger and bigger.
I know His Grace is Sufficient.
We opened the facility 3 weeks before I returned to states and over the period I was gone (Nov-Jan) they only had a total of 7 people max and only one baby with her mom. Upon my return with my friend Faith from Newton (for 3 weeks) and Rachel Griffis from Andover for 3 months. We have grown in leaps and bounds.
We had hired 4 caregivers, and 2 cooks and 2 security guards before I left. The Lord was so faithful to send some caregivers doing their practicals to fill and we hired them the end of February....by March we were so overwhelmed with patients we just hired 4 more caregivers, brought Trevor and Welcome on Staff, and 2 more cooks and one more guard....I'm sure the Lord knows our grown and our needs....things are quite tight.....but He has always been faithful.
We got two more babies in February a 4 month old and History the orphan we have helped with his Gogo for l8 months now. When the babies arrived we added the additional workers. Then we filled up all the beds. We now have the babies in the lounge. We have a mom with her l4 year old daughter and we have the 3 orphan boys we have been helping for almost two years. They were not making it at home with their brother....their mud house washed away during a rain storm and they were not eating even though they were now granted. The said they wanted to stay with us and well, it just seemed right. They are doing well. So that gives us 7 men 5 women and one is a l6 year old mom of the 4 month old, and 7 children. 19 in all. With the staff the kitchen cooks for about 32! that is a lot of food.
For those of you who have been here you won't recognize the place. We are up and running and daily people from the community come in to report cases. We actually have a waiting list.
Now a typical day is Rachel and I leave our place about 6:45 to get to Ntuzuma. By 7:l5 Prince and I are taking the girl to Inanda to school and the boys to lindelani to school. Then we have to pick up about 2:30 and 3:00. When we get back we are usually taking people to the clinic and dropping off with a caregiver. We have prayer and worship in the morning at 9:00 am when the office staff get in. Sometimes the patients join us and usually by then the singing is putting the babies to sleep as they have started their day very early. Since opening the babies started crawling especially History who was so underdeveloped with muscle tone. Trevor and Welcome love the kids so much....welcome got History to take his first steps this week and we were all cheering. For being and orphan he is blessed with many people who love him! His Gogo still comes over and goes to the Dr. with us and stays with him when he has to go to the hospital.
We have some very sick people, and some are actually getting stronger. We see them live better, with nutrition and people to care for them and they are beginning to thrive. We see people crying about coming in and now not ever wanting to leave. Many have come back to their faith and are receiving hope.
So usually we have l2 hour days....if we get out of there before dark, rachel and I call it a holiday!
We celebrate birthdays for the month. Prince and I are usually driving all over, it is good he can now drive the car without me so we can divide and conquer. I would say my worst day is grocery shopping day. It freaks me out to buy so much food. We go to the butchery and buy a freezer full of meat, and to Makro (like Sam's) and by bulk the other things. Then we go to fruits and vegetable stands for that part. Weekly we go to the store and fruits and veggies.
Baby formula and nappies (diapers) are a huge expense for us....we find many of the gogo's giving their babies waterd down porridge and tea to drink, so we supply those in our care with formula til they get granted.
We are building relationship with Welfare and they now come to us to see our patients. Welcome is really like a social worker and escorts the babies and patients to the Dr. Pretty does the medication and overseas the caregivers. Hillary manages the office, Trevor, does our forms, and helps with our building stuff, and we see him moving into our human resource part.
We serve several Gogo's and their positive grandkids in the community, when we go to Mccords hospital where are children are treated, Welcome packs sandwiches for about 6-8, and juice and yogert for the babies, the leave early in the morning and return in the afternoon. The good news is that won't be monthly now but 3 months soon. History goes with Rachel and Welcome and sometimes his Gogo, Luanda goes with his aunty sometimes and sometimes just with us, he is 9, sarah and her mom go, sphe the tiny baby goes with Rachel, we have another Gogo and her baby that goes. It is a full vehicle. But all the children are doing well and we thank God for this.
Recently we had a mom die and she had an l8 month old, and we had several others who had children to be tested, we went to their house and tested and all 5 tests were negative....we just pray first and everytime has been negative.
After school welcome has about 40 boys that come and play soccer and he and one of guards take them to the beach to jog in the sand and train. It is amazing. HMMMM, I guess when God told us to call it a Life Care Centre He knew why. We see life happening, we see church happening and it is all so natural and day to day. nothing spectacular in the natural, but we are seeing people helped, receiving hope, seeing them believe in the power of prayer, seeing them respond to a little Love and dignity.
Sometimes we labor and labor and think....Is God ever going to move, but when He does....it just comes into being before you know what has hit you and you just look back and stand amazed. His Love is Amazing, His Grace is Amazing, and His Faithfulness is Amazing. What and Amazing God we serve. Thanks to all of you who help support this work.....your support is needed and if any others are looking to sow into His kingdom here in Ntuzuma, it is needed as I only see us getting bigger and bigger.
I know His Grace is Sufficient.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)