One Hard Week

This week has been one of the hardest weeks of our lives, but at the same time it has been great. We got to live with one of the best girls ever for three weeks. She came to Mattaw to help with School, her name was Courtney. When she taught, you could tell that she was given more than just a lesson for the day, but incorporated compassion into everyone she came in contact with. It was awesome to end each day, laughing and getting to know Courtney as if she was an old friend. She left early this morning to go back home.

But she is not the only one that we lost today. We talked about a girl in our last blog Esna. She passed almost an hour ago. It is good to know that she is not suffering anymore and gets to rest in the arms of Jesus. My heart hurts for all the suffering that she endured, but the last few weeks she was loved, and well taken care of.

For whoever who reads this, Esna is gone. But pray for all the other girls in the same situation. Pray for them to be rescued and healed, and for them to know that no matter how others might be treating them, there is One who loves them no matter what. And the most ultimate love, love that they have never been shown, true love. The love of Jesus.

Esna’s story goes on, in our hearts, and is a great reminder that there is more to be found and shown the love of Jesus. Esnas left something very special behind, Blessing her beautiful daughter. We are breaking her family curse of poverty and disease. She will be the new start to this family’s line of things that are passed down. Hope. Life. Love. She is a precious girl.

Blessing in her new dress and shoes

We also have been going to the district hospital. Hospitals here have doctors and nurses, but are still very different than what we have in the states. You have to provide someone to take care of your sick. You also have to pay in advance to get treatment sometimes. This was shocking to see babies, 3 months old to young children the last time we went to the hospital. They have been there for a couple of days, waiting for money to get treatment.

There was this grandmother with a 3 month old baby she lifted up his shirt and there was nothing but bones, and his skin was sagging off. She only needed like $3 to start getting treatment for her grandson, which the mother ran off and left with her. Then another women placed a baby in mine arms smaller than the first, this one was not as skinny, but was reaching its tiny little arms up at me and opening its mouth innocently like a helpless bird. Hunger. This brings up a whole different definition. We knew we were in the worst ward in the hospital, but it was not until our last visit we realized it was all malnourished children. Seeing all the different effects of malnourishment was heart breaking. So what did we do, we fed the hungry. Anna went and got some biscuits (Kenyan crackers or cookies) outside and was passing them around, to see the joy that we were given something so small but put smiles on faces that have not been happy for days.

So lets just say, people were just putting children in our arms, we loved on them and pray over them. I am just glad that Jesus sent us Holy Spirit so that we can go on continuing the wonderful work that Jesus started.