March 30, 2009 at 3:34 pm (Uncategorized)
T.G.I.M…. our weekend extends to Monday which is probably the only real day off we get on this team, unless we take another. Days off are a real commodity to me. I’m definitely not the kind of person who works from the time I get up to the moment I go to bed. I love putting in a good day’s work and then spending some quite time with my husband, with a good book, or in conversation with friends. I suppose the reason that I explain this is that my blog can tend to reflect the whiplash change of direction that I experience in my daily life working here. One day I am writing about the desperate circumstances of the orphans with whom I work, the next blog is about home decorating.
So, as we continue the process of settling in and putting our mark on our house, I find myself enjoying the challenge that lies in this creative process. Our concrete block house definitely lacks the inherit character that was present in our last house, a 1926 Craftsman Bungalow, so it is up to us to make this place homey and reflective of who we are. Aided by the paint that we brought over from the U.S. (most of which was paid for by loving friends) and Mark’s ability to take something old and re-create it, this house is turning into a home.
I am a believer in only retaining things that are useful, much loved, or are a particular reflection of our family. I also believe in using resources that are readily available to us. Arguably, anyone can make a room look “nice” by ordering everything straight from the Pottery Barn catalog. However the fun and exciting challenge is finding the items that are the perfect intersection of practical and personal, and that have character. I’ve been thinking about a coffee table or side tables for our sofa, and I think I am going to use the cheap wood frame, corrugated tin top tables that you can find at every roadside stand selling bread or bananas here. How will that look with the mix of weird furniture we already have? I don’t know but I guess we’ll find out.
In the end, our house may not turn out like a spread in House Beautiful, but if it’s a place that my family can feel totally relaxed and that reflects our tastes and values then it’s good enough for me.
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March 28, 2009 at 2:54 pm (Uncategorized)
Mark and I talk a lot about the process of creating art and its link to knowing God. I came across the blog of artist Jude Hill through alphainventions today that not only shows beautiful artwork, but invites you in to participate in the spiritual process of artmaking.
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March 28, 2009 at 11:36 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Africa, orphans, poverty
I just got back from a trip to the bank with my teammate, Becky. I am taking on the responsibility of helping the families who have taken in orphans get monthly support from donors in the U.S. through the Christian Relief Fund.
I wanted to take time to express my thanks to the Christian Relief Fund and to those who contribute to it for the difference they are making in people’s lives. There are so many children who are left without homes and families, and there are not enough orphanages to take them in. There are families who are willing to take children in but have to stretch already tight resources to do so. I know ideally we would like to empower people here to be able to support themselves and the others in their community without having to go to developed countries for help, but I look around me and I can’t deny that these people are living in poverty and that in many case that is impossible. At the very least, it is a long process that doesn’t occur over night and still takes resources outside of what is locally available to them.
For those who contribute to efforts like this, I want you to know that your money makes all the difference. We are seeing children who are going to school, receiving the nourishment they need, and who don’t have to worry about not receiving medical care because they don’t have the money. We see families who can joyfully give them the upbringing they need because they don’t have to worry about choosing to feed themselves and their children or feeding another child in need. Thank you for you help.
When I contrast that with the children I see who have nowhere to go it is clear that the service that Christian Relief Fund and other groups like them offer is truly making a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
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March 27, 2009 at 11:43 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Africa, HIV/AIDS, orphans, poverty
I wanted to post an update on Awe. We have not been able to find a new home for him, but have spoken with the grandmother and she is willing to start feeding him again and start him back on meds. His home situation is being monitored three to four days a week, and we have started him on a diet that should re-nourish his body. He has already gained some strength. We will continue to look for a home for Awe as his grandmother is still less than enthusiastic about his care. Thank you all for your prayers for him.
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March 17, 2009 at 1:35 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Africa, AIDS, HIV/AIDS, human rights, orphans
Today I went to the clinic and met with Capitaine who informed me that we needed to go check on a little boy who has been sick. Awe (Ah-way) is nine years old and has been living with his grandmother since his mother died in 2005. He is HIV positive and blind due to an illness he contracted in December 2007. Awe’s grandmother feels overextended by her responsibility to care for a child with a disability and has therefore made the decision to quit feeding him and giving him his ARVs.
When we went to Awe’s home, I asked if there were any other children living there, and Capitaine said that there weren’t. I wondered then, who is the child sleeping on the porch that looks to be around five years of age? It was nine year old Awe. We sat down and spoke with Awe for awhile, whose grandmother was out working in the fields quite a ways away, and we found that he had not eaten that day. He did not stir from laying in fetal position during the duration of our visit, but spoke to us freely and without complaint. All he asked was that we bring him some bread. We left to go get him some rice, peanut sauce with vegetables, and oranges, and then returned to feed him. He ate with trembling hands, but not very much as his stomach had grown so unaccustomed to food that he could only eat a few small bites at a time. After his “meal,” he laid back down in the same position we found him and talked to us some more.
After we left Awe, we went to visit a woman who is trying to help find a family who will take Awe in and nurse him back to health. Once he regains his health and strength, we will search for a way to get him into a school for the blind.
Awe’s full name means “What is beautiful in the world?” He is intelligent, sweet, and full of potential, but his life is like a candle flame in the wind that will surely be snuffed out unless someone intervenes. He will never cry out that his human rights are being violated. He does not even seem to realize that every child deserves to be fed, loved, nurtured and cared for. He doesn’t realize that having a disability does not make you worthless.
Please pray for Awe, and for the family who will take him into their home, and into their hearts.
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March 7, 2009 at 6:41 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Africa, AIDS clinic, orphans
I can happily say that I am starting back into work with the clinic. The last couple of weeks have involved home visits, meetings, and various other activities, but I was particularly excited about the meeting I attended today. It was a meeting for parents and caregivers of orphans and other vulnerable children, and the discussion centered on mass media’s effect of children’s perception of sexuality. In the U.S., this topic is widely discussed, but in Africa, not so much. In fact, it is rare to find a group of people willing to discuss anything having to do with sex here.
I was much encouraged to hear the thoughts and perspectives of the parents in the room. There was significant discussion over being discerning about what television and radio programs a parent allows a child to see or hear, and much discussion as well about monitoring peer relationships of one’s children. These are not easy topics to discuss in the Kabiye culture, but I am heartened to see these parents of children who are already in a vulnerable position being proactive in equipping their children to make good choices and to be on guard against those who may not have their best interests in mind. There were several strong statements that affirmed a parent’s right and responsibility to do what is best for their child, whether it is popular with their community or not.
I feel privileged to see these changes take place before my very eyes, and in the midst of all the bad news and travesty in today’s world, I feel joyful for these victories.
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