Rewarding feelings

As many of you know, we just spent 3 days in a nearby village called Kweikrum.  Highly impoverished, yet the people eager to know about Christ.  On the first day, it did not take long for many of us to notice a silent, timid girl in the crowd of children with a very swollen right eyelid.  It was so large, she could not get it open and was tilting her head backward to see out of it.  On day 2, the eye was about the same, maybe slightly smaller.  I connected with the interpereter, who asked some questions for me.  The girl, Lucy (age 7), said that her said her eye had not been in this condition very long and told us it was a boil.  We noticed each day that Lucy was sweating profusely. Now, it is very hot here, but she was was the only child we observed sweating like this.  She constantly used the hem of her skirt to wipe the sweat from her face.  She did not talk much and appeared to use every ounce of enerty she had just to attend the VBS, which required standing patiently with the other children for about a 30 minute Bible lesson, songs, and prayers. 

 

On the third day the interpereter helped us connect with her father.  He confirmed that the eye had not been in that condition long, and stated he had been putting cream on it.  It appeared to me that possibly it had been lanced and drained recently, as there was evidence of a healing wound.   After discussion about the girl with Mark and the rest of the mission team, we thought it would be a good idea to see if we could purchase some medicine for her, as it was obvious her body was trying to fight infection and we feared the worst for her eye without treatment.  Mark talked to Tommy, who also thought the idea to be favorable, and made arrangements for us to bring the girl to the clinic. 

 

Thursday morning, Mark told me the driver was ready for us to go and get the girl and her father and bring them to the VOH medical clinic.  I was elated, both in happiness for Lucy and excited to be able to help.  Tommy offered us his pickup and supplied the gas money for the trip.  Justice was the driver/translater and we set off to pick up Lucy and her father.  They were waiting for us when we arrived.  Justice talked to the man a bit, but I was unable due to the language barrier.  Lucy appeared very tired.  She could barely hold herself up and was always leaning on things, always sweating.  I went in to see the nurse and the doctor with them, adding the observations of our group to give the doc additional information.  She told me Lucy would be treated for the eye problem, and for Malaria.  Despite the prevelence of malaria in this region, I was still a bit shocked.  I had no idea how badly Lucy needed this medical attention, and I was relieved that we could be there for her.  It was no wonder she was so weak... 

While the pharmacy filled the prescription (also located inside the clinic), I ran back to our team's house to get money.  Most of the ladies were at home by that time tidying up.  They gave from their own pockets to see that this child received the care she needed.  The bill was 87,000 Cedi.  For those who don't know, that translates to less than $9 in America. 

 

Lucy's father thanked me several times and wanted my address.  I felt like he was possibly wanting to repay the debt.  On the way to take them back to Kweikrum, I asked Alex (another driver - very nice man) to explain that the debt had been paid by our entire group because we saw that Lucy had a need.  I asked Alex to tell him that sometimes God works in mysterious ways, and that he sent our group to his village for many reasons, one being to help Lucy.  We gave freely from our hearts and we hope that he will also help those in need in the future.  I could tell he was moved by what we had done for his daughter, as he had shown obvious concern for her when we approached him before.  It was such a wonderful thing to watch this unfold and a great opportunity to offer an example of our faith that God will provide for our needs - something that had actually been discussed with the adults of Kweikrum on our last day there. 

 

We later reimbursed Tommy for the gas.  He was very generous to offer his vehicle and help this happen.  Words can not explain the giving nature that Tommy has.  The Arlington Team is truly full of selfless people who have done spectacular work here in Ghana, both physically and spiritually.  I feel blessed to be a part of this team, and completely enriched by this experience.  When we first got here, were were overwelmed by the sad stories of the children at the VOH, who are so sweet and loving, God-centered, thankful and talented... yet motherless and fatherless.  However, upon returning to the VOH from a place like Kweikrum, we all realized how very lucky these orphans are.  Anyone who is able to give to this cause, please do.  If you only have $10 and think its not enough - -  you couldn't be more wrong.  $10 may pay for an uninsured child to visit a clinic and receive life-sustaining medication.  If you do not already have a favorite charity, or if you do.. I encourage you to consider what you can do for the children at the VOH.  I hope you have been as moved by this as we were.  Thanks, and God Bless.

Love,

April  

 

---

Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check.
Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta.