Sorry for the lack of posting this week. Just as the week before Christmas is a little crazy in the States, it is here too, but for slightly different reasons!!
Here's my week in a nutshell:
On Monday I was recuperating from my Sunday follies. I took Mary Clare to see the old house because she had never seen it. I could hardly believe it myself, how small and run down the house is. It's tiny kitchen, one bedroom for the boys, one for the girls, no real community room- that was what the courtyard was used for. The sides of the house are falling down, and the one bathroom is so tiny and dingy... I looked around and I think I really saw the place for the first time. In January, I was so focused on the kids and in a place that small, 35 kids take up a lot of it!!
But there were some advantages to being in a smaller house, not that I would want them to go back to that place. But when you are in a small place and have 35 children, you know where everyone is. In this new house, with its 8 acres of land, it is so hard to find all the kids. Most of them hang out in groups, but you have a few stragglers who you are always looking around for. It was also easier to keep clean!! A huge house and acres of land are hard to keep up... especially in this neck of the woods where everywhere you go, trash on the side of the road is a part of the local scenery. In a related diversion, sometimes the wind blows so hard, all the garbage and dust from the roadside blow up over the walls of the house and into the courtyard. The first day that happened, I felt like Chicken Little, believing the sky was falling!! Anyways, the kids have picked up the bad Ghanan habit of littering, which we are trying to change, but with 8 acres of land, it makes it difficult to keep clean!!
On Tuesday, I was in a cleaning frenzy. I put on my favorite Christmas CD, The Roches "We Three Kings" and cleaned my room. Mary loves this cd too. She thinks it's angel's singing!! You should see her look for them around the room! Mary and I also started her intensive physical therapy workouts (well, as intensive as you can get with a two year old!!) I missed Mary so much when I was sick. She's my sunshine!!
On Wednesday I woke refreshed as Mary slept through the entire night!! I was so proud of her, and happy for the extra sleep, of course!! I hope it's a trend. During lunch on Wednesday, someone brought John to us, who is about 6 years old, and showed us a rash he has on his legs and arms. We had been treating his left calf for ringworm, but this new rash was all over and was oozing pus and blood. We called Sister, who was out of town till Thursday, who told me to send Mary Clare with John to the Yendi Hospital. So, they left around one and I took care of the home. John returned around dinner time with medicine and cream for his rashes. Thankfully, they are already better and healing. We also found out about 8pm that we were taking 10 children to the psychiatric doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital at 7am tomorrow. So, there was a late mad dash for clothes, shoes and supplies for the kids.
On Thursday we awoke around 4:30 am to begin the process of getting ready for the hospital. Waking, bathing, dressing and feeding 10 children with severe mental handicaps is not easy!! Sister wanted us gone by 7am, and Mary Clare and I with the kids were ready be 6:50... but the workers weren't ready so we didn't leave until around 8... next time we will sleep a little longer. I said a rosary on the way to the hospital for patience and help from God for this trip. I don't know if you remember last month's journey with these kids, with Felicia and Fransisca biting and scratching us, Godfrey running away and Matina's seizure... I was scared it would all happen again. Well, as usual, God came through!! We had a good trip! We didn't have to wait too long. We were approached by some hospital employees who inquired about the children and were so moved by the circumstances of the orphanage and our involvement in it, that they helped get us moving. Then we met several doctors who gave me their contact info because they want to come and help. Sister told me to send them an email, but don't hold my breath... she's been let down so many times by local doctors promising to come and help. Maybe this time??? It was good to be able to go into the doctors room and be able to give specific information about each child. They all are on medication, the Teaching Hospital loves to give out phenobarbital!!!! We returned at a decent time too, around 2pm, so all in all, it was a good day at the hospital... wait... did those words just come off my keypad? It's a Christmas Miracle!!
And, today is Friday... the first day of Christmas vacation for the kids... yikes!! It is a good day so far, though. Mary Clare and I were busy in meetings with Sister most of the morning, so the kids were on their own, but the older kids really stepped up and helped out. Sammy is the second oldest boy here, about 15 years old. In January he was a part of everything and always with the little kids helping out and doing chores. He is the most changed since then, I think. He is separate from everyone, hardly ever at prayers, there are days that go by that I never see him. Last night Mary Clare and I had a talk with him about all of this. The younger boys look up to him so much, I just don't want him to get lost and go a bad way here, and lead others along the same path. He is on a huge precipice here, and one tip in the wrong direction and I fear we will lose him. Also, Sister had a police officer come to question him last night because he has been jumping the wall at night and going into the village, lying about where he has been after school, and has even stolen from Sister. Sammy needs a lot of prayers. Today he has been better, with the kids and helping out, but that's just today. He's probably spooked by the officer, who showed up with a huge rifle!! Please pray for Sammy, that we can help him to find his way to a bright and happy future!! Thank you!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend before Christmas!! We are going to be having choir practice and cleaning the house for Christmas. I love this time of year!! xo
