Africa, part 6

Well, I think that about covers it for my stories from Africa... There's a little more to tell, but for now it just doesn't seem like the right time, so you'll just have to stay tuned for later. I thought you might enjoy some of the photos of the children I met...

These are amazing children... I won't tell their individual stories, I feel like that would be disrespectful of their privacy...but in general, you can know that most of these children have experienced atrocities that most of us can't even begin to imagine...rape, slavery, physical abuse, starvation...some are HIV positive... And yet, in many ways, they are the "after" picture of experiencing God's amazing love and healing power... God is still in the miracle business, all you have to do is meet these children and you see that first hand!

One story that I feel comfortable to share is about a precious little girl, Jedidah... She was found under a tree in Swaziland... At the time, she was probably around 2, but she was the size of a 5 month old... She couldn't walk, talk, or crawl... She had been living off of dirt... All of her family had died... The other relatives who were taking care of her had died and the people in the community, who had agreed to care for her, weren't able to anymore...so they just left her under the tree.

I know that sounds horribly harsh and cruel, but that is the result of a nation with 70% below the poverty line... I really don't believe that their heart is to be cruel, but how can you share what you don't have? Would you starve your own child to take care of another's child? I hope I never have to be faced with that question... But God had his hand on this precious little girl, the children's home took her in and she is doing wonderfully!!

This is Jedidah, just a few weeks ago...

This next little girl is Phoebe... I met her on my first trip, 2 years ago, and even though hundreds of people have been through the children's home since then, she remembered me! God's love through us leaves indelible marks on the hearts of the people He sends us to minister to...

This is Debrah...



And this is Caleb (the tall one in the center)...

Caleb and Debrah directed and led a Bible camp for the 150 children this summer...their poise, their grace, their understanding of God's Word and their heart for the things of His heart are amazing!! And wow...can they sing and dance!!

And this is Ethan... His story will break your heart... You can actually watch a video of it here, on You Tube... The Story of Sindi... It's about 10 minutes long, but it is worth your time...

Now here is Ethan's older brother, Ndumiso (pronounced in-du-me-so) They live in different children's homes because of their age.

When we went to New Hope two years ago, a picture was taken of my mom and his little brother, Ethan. When Ndumiso saw mom on this trip, he went to get his photo album...someone had sent that picture to him and he recognized my mom! That precious child had to have studied and studied that picture of his little brother to so easily recognize my mom, whom he had never seen.

And this little girl is Gift... She was a little ray of sunshine...

I'll post some more of my favorites on my photo blog... Thanks for reading my stories... It was an amazing journey...it has touched my heart in ways that it will never be the same... I will tell you this much, I'm going back in November...but that is a story that needs to wait a little while longer! I do have one more post that I want to share, I guess kind of a summation of what God has been doing in my heart... I'll do that next week...