To give you insight of where we are in this study, we have just seen God remove the Holy Spirit from Saul and ask Samuel to go and anoint the chosen one. David.
I pray as I write this, you will understand where my thought process is. I know that those who know Ruth personally will understand completely..here goes!
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" Acts 1:8, David has just been anointed with oil and the Spirit is upon him. I believe the Spirit is upon Ruth Kahawa. I'm going to quote the book and then give my account.
"Second Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (NKJV)
That day so many years ago, the eyes of the Lord looked throughout the whole earth and fell upon an obscure little village called Bethlehem. There He found a heart-one like unto His own. He found a heart tendered to the little lost sheep, and He showed himself strong on behalf of that heart, just like he promised." -Beth Moore's a Heart Like His Bible study.
There is so much evidence in this scripture that God still seeks the whole earth looking for a heart like His. He found it in Pastor Ruth. She, like David has a heart tendered to the little lost sheep. With her obedient heart, God proves himself strong on her behalf time and time again in the lives of what some would call "the most despised tribe in Africa", the Karamojong children of Smile Africa. These children have Hope because of Jesus Christ, that lives in the heart of Ruth. It brings me to tears even thinking about it. Her unselfish love and determination to tender these little lost sheep makes me honored to know her. Her love for the children is evident every time you turn around. The government also knows her heart, and they appreciate, admire and stand behind her. Anytime a child is hurt, abandoned or abused, it's Ruth that they call to help. She may not be a King, but she is most definitely a Princess in the Kingdom of God and a Daughter of the Most High!
Thank You, Jesus for pastor Ruth!
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| Basil and Ruth Kahawa |
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| watching my coffee come to an end |
We headed down to breakfast around 8:00am. We were able to sit outside under the large tents. This was such a blessing. It allowed us time to fellowship together and have some privacy to discuss our daily events that unfolded. We discussed the days agenda and how we would proceed. The women and nurses would head to Smile Africa. We would bring medical supplies for the nurses. Our women and teens on the team would bring candy, baby items which included blankets and infants clothing, gymboree bubbles and some craft materials for the kids. The best gift we could bring them didn't come in a suitcase or container. It was free and in complete abundance. It was love, compassion and Jesus Christ. The men would head over to the conference Hall at 9:00 am to begin the men's conference. We had our daily devotion by our team member, and closed in prayer for the day. Each day of our trip one of the team members would have the opportunity to share a short devotional, and start our day in prayer. Pastor Ruth had arrived at the hotel about 9:00 am and let us know that the men had not yet started to arrive at the hall and that they would wait a few minutes before going over. The men loaded up and headed to the conference around 10:00am. This would be a common denominator for the trip. Plan on arriving at one time, due to unforeseen circumstances, arrive at another. Keep in mind, "Gods timing is always perfect!"
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| Karamojong children of Smile Africa |
There are 450+ Karamojong orphans at Smile Africa and only a handful of staff and teachers. The children make their way on foot for miles each day to reach the compound. Only a few actually live on the premises.
Children carry babies on their backs each day in order get a daily portion of porridge and rice. For the older kids, they also get a very basic education.
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| They take care of each others needs at such a Young age. |
Our team gets out of the van and head over the group of children under the veranda. They sing us a welcome song, which always puts a lump in my throat. After listening to the children, our team sings them a song before we head over to the classrooms. Children giggle and follow us, calling out "Mazungu" as we had to the clinic/school rooms. One little guy was sick as we entered in, stepping over the vomit. The classroom are overcrowded. The children are happy to see us, and amidst all the excitement still eager to learn. We tour the clinic with our nurses Jane and Cheryl. They are introduced to Elizabeth the on-site nurse. Elizabeth is a nurse sent to Smile Africa through a government program. She is part-time. They become familiar with what's available and begin to treat the children immediately. The rest of our team head out to help serve porridge to the toddlers and younger kids, play, help bath and play games with the children. You cannot know how much they long for just the smallest bit of attention! They circle you in large groups jumping, doing cartwheels to get a photo, giggle, ask for your name, and yes, cry. Most of the crying is done initially because the little ones are scared. After a while it's because they want attention and aren't getting it, there are just too many even with the size of the team we had.
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| P2 Classroom at Smile Africa |
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| Pastor Ruth introduces Jane and Cheryl to Elizabeth |
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| Michelle feeding porridge to the babies |
I had wandered into the clinic and watched Cheryl and Jane as the tended to the physical and emotional needs of the children. For every child that came in, they were treating the wounds and then giving out a sticker. Many of the children were far more brave than I would have been. Serious foot wounds were common as most of the children did not wear shoes. There were scalp issues, and other cuts and abrasions. Jane had mentioned that many of them needed antibiotics, but they had run out so they were doing what they could given the resources they had. There was a long line of kids at the door that didn't seem to dwindle at all. They would shuffle around and push and poke each other, waiting to be seen and receive the "gift" of a sticker. After a while the nurses had become aware that many children were coming in after picking an old scab so that they could get a sticker. Kids will be kids no matter where they live! Although it seemed funny at the moment, they decided to not hand out stickers in the future to keep the kids from injuring themselves.
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| Jane and Cheryl checking babies |
Heading back outside, I watched as the team were playing games with the children. It was so sweet!
I was introduced to Joshua. Pastor Ruth had emailed me prior to arrival about him. His father had tried to kill him and failed. The authorities were called and they in turn called Ruth. Joshua is about a year old and looks like he's about three months. The only way to be certain of his age is that he has teeth. He is suffering from the abuse of this father. He has had several trip to the hospital, as his stomach is not able to process food. He was very frightened to see me, so I carefully approached him. I also was able to see Difasi, the boy who was born with part of his bladder exposed. His mother brought him to pastor Ruth and God was able to do a miracle in his life. I saw Luke. Luke was tossed out of the home at two years old by his Aunt. His sister is one of the adolescent girls that Heart of God sponsors. His Aunt was upset that she no longer was finding food for her, so she pushed Luke out the door on his own. He was found a few days later by Ruth wandering a lonely road. So many needless child abuse cases are bought to Ruth. Her heart for these children is evident. When I sat with her and asked her how can all this be changed, when there are so many needs? It gets overwhelming and your heart aches so much. She put her arm on mine and said, "sister Denise, slowly by slowly it comes. We answer Gods call to look after them, and He takes care of the rest."
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| Sylvia holding on to the babies. Her heart for these babies and the kids is evident. |
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| Joshua is very scared |
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| Difasi and Joyce. Difasi needs another surgery, but is doing so much better! |
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| Luke with Joyce. He is so happy now. |
It was a warm day and I had not been feeling well since the day began. I was hoping it was nothing, and tried not to let it get to me, but as the day wore on I could feel myself getting worse. I had at least three mosquito bites on my foot and my symptoms were similar to malaria. I'd been taking my medication, and I think it had either been a slight case of it, or the onset of the flu. I would go in and out of the hut and drink water trying to feel better. I went out to get pictures of Sylvia playing ring around the rosie's and other games with the kids. It was soon bathing time and lunch time. The playground was full of kids running around. I headed back over to the medical clinic to sit down and received a text from Scott that really made my day in regards to the men's conference. This trip was so different for me. I was not able to be in all places at all times. It's difficult to manage everyone, but God is in the lead! I got another phone call from pastor Ruth telling me that Sarah and Michael from Kings Primary School would be at the Prime Hotel tomorrow for our meeting at 11:00am.
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| Scott's text from the men's conference, Praise God! Brought me to tears. |
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| Getting to know new friends |
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| Hand games were a big hit! |
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| Oh what love can bring from both our team and the children..it's unexplainable..no it is..it's GOD! |
There are just so many photos I can post, and I can still never fully explain what it's like to be with these precious gifts from God. To fully understand just how despised they are within their own country cannot fully be put into words. Children from birth to age 18, that have no way of supporting themselves, considered outcasts because of the tribe they come from, left abandoned. LORD, help me understand!
Pastor Ruth and her staff go into the city streets and the communities looking for these children to rescue. A woman after Gods own heart!
Each of our team members had prayed about what God would have them bring on this trip. Sylvia had packed two cases full of baby clothes and blankets. We had many articles of clothing brought, and tried to spread them out over our time there. Today, we passed out baby clothes. Many of the teachers at Smile Africa either just had babies, or were expecting. It was a blessing to watch them be able to pick special outfits for their children as well. The needs are great not only for the children, but the adults as well. It really is overwhelming to witness first hand.
Babies and toddlers were brought in with hopes of finding something that would fit. It's remarkable just how "flexible" they are when it comes to fitting into clothes. Onsies that were labeled for 6-8 months were put on children the age of two. probably even three depending on their size. The snaps were left undone and the children were so happy. It's very exhausting, both emotionally and physically to try and fit as many children as possible in something new, when there just isn't enough. Emotions run high and our thoughts and feelings sometimes get in the way.
My energy level was low to begin with as I was not feeling well from the beginning. Just praying for Gods strength, compassion and heart for everyone involved. God is good and He is faithful. He alone is worthy for praise and glory through all of this. Not anyone on our team is worthy of praise or glory, only Him. We come into this country to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It is our responsibility to enter into their lives, not to demand that they enter into ours. God has not sent us to judge their lives and values. The secret is out! It's not easy to live in another culture or to understand another culture, to enjoy or communicate Christ in that culture. But it can still be fun, with an adventure in dependency on God and seeing Him work in new ways!Amen!
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| Babies coming in for new clothes |
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| A new outfit is always a blessing |
At the end of our day were exhausted to say the least. It's common to experience culture fatigue, and it's not a sign that we shouldn't be there or that we're not spiritual enough to handle it. It's a very normal experience by falling into the gaps of our "home" culture and our new one.
We arrived at the hotel and I had to go take a shower and go to bed. I had no energy for dinner or anything else at that point. The team all headed down to the restaurant to order dinner. I could hear them from my room laughing and enjoying their time together..something they had plenty of since dinner took around two hours for some of them. Again, culture shock. Dinner does not arrive in our "timely" twenty to thirty minutes after ordering in America. God was about to deliver this message hard and heavy to our team over the next couple of weeks. Thank you, God for your never ending teaching styles, "slowly by slowly!
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