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.
