Walking

This week I have been encouraged to see three of our sweet kids walking this week.  I know many of you have been praying for them, so I wanted to share some of the joy! {If you do not know much about these kids, please click on the captions to read more of their stories and why we are rejoicing that they are walking this week!}

Ivan

Moses

Esther

That stick will take her far and hopefully one day she will no longer have to use it!

Praise God for his provision for these 3 blessings!

A year free of struggles & sorrows ....

.... for Gloria

Dearest Gloria,

When we came to GSF four years ago I honestly didn’t know how to respond to you.  At first I didn’t really even want anything to do with you.  I don’t remember when that changed, but now I am so glad it did.  There were so many times when I would go see you in the hospital and thought you wouldn’t make it out.  You did sweet girl, you made it out of the hospital every. Single. Time.  God had a bigger plan for you … A much bigger plan for you.  I am forever grateful that I got to sit and watch that big plan for you unfold.  Many people would think you wouldn’t have even made it to GSF.  Many little girls and boys in your village just like you ‘accidently die’ as little babies.  Gloria, that wasn’t God’s plan for you.  He made it nearly impossible for that to happen to you, sweet girl.  He brought you to GSF where you would be safe and loved.  Maybe part of His beautiful plan for your life was to come and change my heart.  Because, you and the other special needs kids at GSF did.  My heart for special needs kids has grown beyond what I could have ever imagined.

Gloria, a year and almost a month ago I heard something I always knew was coming, but wasn’t prepared to hear.  Auntie Justine told me ‘Gloria, she … she … dies.’  I put on my shoes as fast as I could knowing my mom was already there.  Looking back now I would think I would have walked quickly.  No, I didn’t I walked slowly along.  Solome was walking that way but I didn’t tell her, ask her, or cry then.  I didn’t want to believe it, sweet girl.  I always knew that would happen but I didn’t think it would be right then.  You had seemed perfectly fine.  My mom found Solome and I coming and told us ‘she’s with Jesus.’  I immediately knew it was you but Solome didn’t know.  I didn’t cry then either.  I think I was in too much shock.  I remember as Nurse Sarah told Auntie Marjorine, ‘remember how Gloria always used to try to dance when we turned on music?  Now she’s really dancing.’

 I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I didn’t cry right then.  Later that day I sat in the pavilion crying with the girls in your house.  You probably think that’s the craziest thing you’ve ever heard because you’re having a great time now!  No, we weren’t crying because we were sad for you, we were crying because we missed you, because we loved you and we still do and I was crying because I was wishing I had spent more time with you.  Sweet Gloria, to us here on earth the one year you have been gone seems like such a long time, but I know that to you it seems like you have only been gone for a little while.

I remember that one time I came to see you in the hospital.  You had a big old nasty wound and it was filled with ants.  We asked the nurse to clean and put a new bandage on it but she said all the sterile bandages were locked in a room and the ‘man with the key’ was gone.  You would have to wait till tomorrow.  I know that was only one of your many struggles and you have probably had much worse troubles than ants in a disgusting wound.

Gloria, there are many times when I sit with Rosie and want to do that more because I feel like I didn’t sit with you enough and I regret that now.  I can’t wait to one day have a huge dance party with you, Emma, Norah and all the others with Jesus.  I have found myself singing ‘I can only imagine’ a lot these days.  I would like to think that I will sing and dance for Jesus and then come and find you, Norah and Emma. Anyways, there are countless times we think about you, sweet girl … countless.  Even now as I am writing this tears are welling up in my eyes.  I miss you so much sweet girl.  You don't even know how much we miss you.

We miss you so much this side of heaven and still love you more than you can imagine (but not as much as Jesus loves you:)).

All my love,                                                                                                                                        

Caralina

To all those reading this: I know that Gloria can’t read this, but I like expressing my thoughts in this way as if I’m really writing to those I am telling you about.  For those of you who weren’t around here last year Gloria had cerebral palsy.  In fact, the very first blog post I wrote was about Gloria.  Here are the two posts I wrote about her:

Gloria

Dancing for Jesus

And here are post’s about Gloria’s passing from others:

Moving up in life and death – Nurse Meredith

Lessons learned from Gloria  - My mom

Unusual Things – Nurse Sarah

Monib

I haven’t really done many posts on this blog where I just focus on one child.  I have kind of decided that once I get caught up on other stuff I want to start doing that more.  So, today I start with Monib.

Monib is a little boy on the feeding program (see last post).  He is about three years old and has some sort of special needs. Monib brightens my day every single Thursday.  Every week when I walk down on Thursday I head straight for Monib and his mama sees me and hands him over to me.  It is always so easy to make him smile unless he is sick.  His smile brings so much hope that with a lot of love and a little bit of therapy this little one will thrive!!  This little cutie is a favorite of many.  I love cuddling with him while talking with his mama.  When I throw him up in the air his smile and giggle lights up my world.  I’m usually not able to hold this one for the whole time as just about everyone else wants to hold him as well.  But, as you know there is always another little one I can pick up. 

With Emma

Two Special Kids

There are nine Special Needs Kids at GSF. Two of them make me sad when I'm around them. Tom and Rosie are both very special to me - I will never forget them.

Tom is about four years old now. The way Tom spends his days is not the way anyone would choose to live or should have to live. Tom spends most of his days wandering around the house or laying on the couch, and chewing on his shirt. He cries all the time - when they put him to bed, when they bathe him, when they put him on potty and just about any other time. When he eats a lollipop he licks his fingers and then touches the lollipop over and over again. He does that sometimes with his milk too. His life is so sad but who knows if he's ever known another way of life.

Tom laying on the couch.

Tom's usual look.

Rosie is almost nine years old. She came to GSF when she was seven. You would have never guessed that she was seven. When Rosie was two years old she got either cerebral malaria or meningitis. After that she has never walked again, she never told anyone anything again, and her world became a dark one where she could never see again. When Rosie came she was very malnourished. Every bone in her body was tight her fists were clenched. She literally was and is living a life of fear. Every time you touch or move her, she cries. Slowly with many people working with her and helping her patiently and persistently and with the grace of God her hands are opening. Rosie is still a long way away from being a normal - or even almost normal - little girl, but God has brought her a long way and he can bring her even farther.

Rosie on her first day at GSF.

Rosie was very malnourised.

Rosie still lives life in fear but looks much better.

Rosie's hands look much better!

No one should have to live the way that Rosie and Tom have to live. No one should have to constantly be in fear or confusion. No one should have to live without ever being able to talk to anyone, or walk anywhere, or see anything, or understand all that much. But, that's the way that Tom and Rosie have to live and God has a plan and a purpose for their broken lives just as much as He does for anyone elses' life.

Dancing For Jesus

Gloria is now at the feet of Jesus dancing and singing with Norah and Emmanuel. She lived a very difficult nine or ten years but died peacefully on Monday morning around 8:45. During her life on earth she spent a lot of time laying miserably on a hospital bed. She also spent days at GSF being miserable too, but her whole life was not miserable she had times of laughter and joy as well but those were few. Look at http://caralinag.blogspot.com/2011/02/gloria.html for something I wrote about her while she was still alive.

Now, she is always happy, she will never again have to lay on a hospital bed and be miserable. She will never have to crawl around on the floor with flies buzzing all around her again. Never again will she have ants crawling on her wounds and drool coming out of her mouth. She is dancing. She is singing. She is happy.


I will forever miss that beautiful smile on her face. I will miss her and I can't wait to see her... and Norah... and Emmanuel... again someday.

Gloria

Gloria is an eight year old little girl with CP who cannot talk or walk and can hardly hold herself up. Gloria is sick most of the time and doesn't smile much. So, when she does smile everyone around her smiles as well. Last week she was in the hospital for four or five days and then was able to come home. Two nights ago she choked on some food (even though it was soft and small) and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital. They only treated her for malaria and sent her home yesterday. She went to a hospital in Jinja today and they looked at her but she was not admitted. We hope that Gloria will get better soon.