perspective

this post is dedicated to lori bassett. oh, what i would have given for her to see the joy from giving out pajamas. you allowed me a blessing beyond measure.

today we saw rural africa. i will do my best to communicate what we experienced, even though i know it will be impossible.

all the pictures you have seen of mud shacks with nothing inside and dozens and dozens of children outside everywhere in tattered clothing is true. women walking for miles with sacks of grain on their heads. people carrying 5 gallon containers for their water needs.

today was bittersweet. we traveled two hours mainly but red clay road into a village where thousands live. we toured a hospital. they are doing the best they can given available resources. the comparison between a US facility and here is such a world apart, i could never begin to do the description justice. we went into the children's room where there were 2 lb. babies and little ones with HIV. we gave them pajamas, hot wheels, baby dolls, glow bracelets and sandals for the mamas.

giving a little one a piece of joy and hope is priceless.

opportunities abound for assistance with their medical equipment, both procurement and repair. for example, they have no x-ray capability. can you imagine? the trimedx foundation excels in providing third world countries with not only the equipment but, more importantly, the ongoing assistance for maintenance and repair. the US doctors who live here permanently were rejuvenated with knowing people, who can do something, care.

from here, we went on two home visits. the way things are set up here is such a testament to community. there are five provinces in the country. in each province, are districts. districts are then broken down into community villages. each of these, provinces/districts/villages have respective leaders. health accountability social workers are in each village following up with patients. here is where i will never be able to describe adequately what we saw or felt. tonite at dinner, it was just us and tim (the trimedx pastor and foundation director). greg, tim, and i were telling some of our favorite God stories and we just sat weeping silently. our hearts were broke.

the two homes were mud shacks. the first home was the home of a man, women, and three children. the man's leg had been amputated. we each introduced ourselves and i said i was there because i loved the Lord and He wanted us to come and help. juliette translated and the man pointed to a small picture up high on a wall of Jesus and said He is my Savior too. hearts knit together. after we toured their garden and held their rabbits, we gave out toys. greg asked juliette how much to get him the prothesis he needed. she called. $400. done deal. greg told him next time he saw him he would not need the stick he used to walk.

the next home was even poorer. there was no door. there were no beds. there was no water. there was no electricity. there was no inside toilet or kitchen, those were out back. there was no dad. there was nothing. and the mom has HIV.

we went to the back of the SUV and got out the remaining pajamas. lor --tim has all the pictures and videos as i was the crazy lady getting all the blessings :) but there were more kids than i could count. i never detected that people felt like they were accepting charity. i didn't feel judged or detested because we were the 'haves' and they were the 'have nots'. they were just stinking happy to have something new. and does anything touch the heart of a kid more than fresh jammies?

it is overwhelming and yet it felt like God opened doors in incredible ways. each appointment today was a divine appointment. in 'a hole in our Gospel', the author explains that poor people in these countries are not usually stupid or lazy. like we often think. if they worked harder, they wouldn't be in this predicament. but that is not true here. there are NO options. ironically, they work 1000 times harder than you or i. they have to. if they don't, their children die. everyday is survival. the majority of their time is just spent doing what it takes to exist -- finding food and water.

the only comforting thing for me was knowing that they don't know any different.

it will take time to process the day. these kids were the most precious things i have seen. i have experienced no greater joy in a long time. i have no idea how God is going to use this, but He knows He has a willing vessel.

i keep thinking of all the kids outside. night comes. what do they do? there is no light. there is nothing inside their shack. what do they do?

so tonite i go to bed as last night. no AC, very little water that comes out, and will sleep under a mosquito net. but i washed my face with a baby wipe. i brushed my teeth with bottled water. i picked out what clothes i will wear tomorrow. i will crawl onto a mattress. i will turn out the light.

and thousands won't. now it feels like millions of miles from what i call home.