Clinic, Sponsorships, Photography, and Loving on Children…

Clinic, Sponsorships, Photography, and Loving on Children…

What a day! We started with an early, breakfast at 7:15 and didn’t get back to the hotel until almost 6! At 6:45 my Ugandan phone, in a very nice British accent, advised me it was time to rise and shine. Without any hesitation, much to the surprise of many of you I’m sure, I was up, dressed and out the door.  We spent the day at Bulubandi today and it was a full day for all of us. We ran an medical clinic where the children were weighed and given a wellness exam and then given a vitamin A pill and a deworming pill. By the looks on their faces I think it is fair to say that neither medication tasted great. But it was our objective to make sure that the pills were chewed thoroughly and completely so none could be spit out upon leaving. Since there is a language barrier it was much like watching a game of charades. The pills would be dispensed and our team members would start mimicking chewing. Every once in a while they’d find a creative child who would do his or her best to hide the pill without swallowing. But much to their chagrin they were always caught! I don’t think any child left without the pills being digested! It was a victory for the home team! The group did find several cases of malaria and one case of typhoid today and were able to begin treatment so it was a hugely successful outing.

Vicki, who saw the child with typhoid was fairly sure that what she was seeing. But in her own words she is a Mzungu and this is a disease she doesn’t often come in contact with. So the recommendation was to send this child to a larger clinic for diagnosis. So they loaded her in a car with one of our pastors and sent Adam (a first timer to Uganda) on their way with this child. We attempted to ask Adam tonight where the clinic was located and he looked at us like we all had three heads. His response was “Somewhere in Africa”. Fortunately Adam is back with the group and the young lady is getting the treatment she needs to recover.  Many of the children were treated for ringworm, but overall they seemed to be healthy and without a doubt a really happy group.

Meanwhile, I was right in my element taking pictures of all the sponsored children. They are all so beautiful and have the most wonderful smiles. They love to have their picture taken and even enjoy more having the chance to look at it when its done. There were times I must have had at least a dozen children grabbing at my camera to see the picture I ‘d just taken. And then they would just laugh! The sparkle in their eyes just says it all.

Several of the children just stole my heart today. They are so endearing and so gentle but yet so full of life. I am continually amazed by how patiently they wait. They don’t push or shove and they don’t fight with one another.  There is a level of tenderness that is just beautiful to watch. One little girl, Faith, who is probably around two, I got to hold for a while. She very willingly allowed me to pick her up and just nestled her head into my shoulder. Had I not been so busy I could have held her all day long. She was just the cutest little girl. At one point she took a fall face first into the dirt and came up crying. I immediately picked her up and the tears stopped. It is the only time since I’ve been here that I have seen tears; except on the faces of my team members. We seem to cry quite easily at all the emotion around us.

I wasn’t in Bulubandi long enough to learn many names. But I was there long enough to have the children worm there way into my heart.

Last night when I wrote about the parts of the day that were so special to each of us on the team I inadvertently left Judy off. Being team members for all of three days now she very kindly reminded me of that tonight at dinner! That should tell you how well the team is getting along – we really can kid and joke about most anything and do! So in her honor I am now posting what she reported as yesterday’s most special moment. She saw so much joy in everything around her but sees that there is still so much more that she wants to do. She also loved seeing Les and Vicki sitting in the grass with their sponsored child, Grace, after so many years.

Tonight as we went around the table this is what each of us shared:

Russell:  On a non-serious note he loved carrying the 120 lb bags of sugar up the flight of stairs! (We then put 2 cups of sugar in smaller bags, along with salt, tea, soap and a mosquito net and dispense them to people in the village we will encounter tomorrow). He enjoyed working in the clinic with all the children looking them in the eye and trying to get them to look back. He loved hearing them say, “I am fine”. He also enjoyed watching his son, Adam, and daughter-in-law, Stacia, on their first trip interacting with the kids.

Sylvia (Russell’s wife):  Gifts were dispensed today to children from their sponsors. She loved watching a little boy open his package. He opened a card that had five cars on it. When he saw the cars he squealed with joy.  Little Faith, who I mentioned earlier, also fell asleep in her lap. All was well until Faith went potty!

Adam:  He took his new sponsored child, Sharon, to the clinic today. Just being there with her to make sure she would get the medical care she needed was great.

Stacia:  She said that though a lot of the kids are very shy they look at you in a quiet way that says how thankful they are for all we are doing for them. She loved hearing them read their sponsor letters.

Judy:  In the past she has always been a part of the team that has worked in the clinic. Today she was part of the sponsorship team and she felt this gave her more of a chance to interact with the kids. She also enjoyed watching Stacia and Adam as they experience Uganda for the very first time.

Vicki:   She feels it is a huge honor to get to see these kids every year; to see the improvements in their health, in their growth, to get to hug them and love on them. She questions why she is so blessed to have this job that she loves so much. She is so thankful for the wisdom to send Sharon to the clinic to get treatment for typhoid and to see her getting better already.

Lynda:  She had never worked in the clinic before this year and loved the opportunity to greet every child. She commented that the older children would attempt to fake chewing the pills but she would make sure they were chewed before letting them leave. (Sidebar: she also straightened every child’s collar before they left. A mother’s touch!)

Vicki H:  She loved working in the clinic touching each child and looking in their eyes. She and Les had the chance to meet Grace’s mom (their sponsored child). At first she would not look them in the eye. After giving Grace a few gifts she invited them to her house where they got to meet his siblings. At the house her demeanor was very different. She got down on her knees and thanked them for everything and then went outside and cooked them a small meal.

Les:  He loved the time he got to spend with Grace. He and Vicki gave him a solar powered lantern and Grace was translating for his mother as Les explained how to make it work. Then when Grace got the soccer ball the grin on his face was unbelievable. It spread from ear to ear. At days end he told Les that he loved him very much.

As for me, I stopped to take a picture of a little boy that was leaving the school. His father stopped me and touched my arm. He told me thank you for being so kind to his son – that without us his son would not be able to be educated. This put into perspective exactly why I do the things I do.

The team is also a great group of people to be with and to work with. I am so impressed by how hard everyone works and how well we are working as a team. There is definitely no “I” in this group. Everyone pitches in where needed. I am blessed to be a part of the group.

In closing please continue to pray for strength, health, and wisdom. Marvin and Tina I am thinking about you and praying for a speedy recovery. As for my family you know how much I love you. All the way to God’s house and back.