... until I read my emails.
Being in contact with Africa through emails is dangerous.
You find out first hand what's happening...
ALL.THE.TIME.
How do you reconcile their world with ours?
That's the hard question that I don't have an answer to,
and I just get wasted - again and again and again.
HERE are Nathalie and Lewis, enjoying life, parenting - and expecting another baby - YAY!!! ...
HERE is Jeremie is pursuing his relationship with Austen and working in Hawaii -
having a great time...
THERE is our son Richard in Uganda, who is just between Nathalie and Jeremie in age,
loosing weight through sickness, lack of money to eat and worry.
loosing weight through sickness, lack of money to eat and worry.
Yes, he is finished with his studies and working as a mechanic (when not sick), but not making enough to provide for all of his own needs as well as those of his extended family.
Just found out today that his Jaja (grandmother) died - that's enough sadness in itself.
She raised him from the time he lost his parents at age 8.
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| visiting Jaja - not sure where she is now, as she was a M*slim |
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| not sure if these are the ones (Jaja was looking after them when we visited) |
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They're in a village at quite a distance from Kampala, looked after by some woman.
They are freezing for lack of blankets (it's the rainy/colder season).
They are starving (along with the whole village, it seems).
And Richard is left with the burden to "find some money" to care for them...
My son - our (adopted) son - - - HOW can I bear it?
Yet, we cannot even afford to send him a single dollar right now to help out...
HERE is Leilani, comfortably finishing up high school (home-schooling) and having a full social life...
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| enjoying an afternoon at the park with Jeremie and the family before his departure for Hawaii |
HERE is Kylie, happily going to school every day
(I will home school her in 1 month to enable us to leave for Europe for 2 months)...
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| Gideon is CRAZY about Kylie - she's definitely his favourite! |
THERE is a 14-year-old orphaned girl who's 7 months pregnant. She had been staying with a woman who only made her work and even hired her out to work for other people. She was so desperate to go to school that she believed the 17-year-old guy who promised to send her to school in exchange for sleeping with him.
When he found out she was pregnant, he left her and she was brought to Praise as she's been found roaming the streets.
Praise (barely older than Nathalie and caring for now 24 orphans) can't have her stay with her in the village because she wouldn't be able to get her to the hospital to have the baby - when time comes - for lack of transport.
Where can she go?
HERE is Shayden, thriving with all our love - and the therapies and help a special needs child gets in New Zealand (horse, swimming, gym, bike, chiropractor - you name it)
THERE is little Alex, also one of Praise's children, who recently barely escaped death from malaria -
for lack of a mosquito net.
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| photo sent by Praise from the hospital |
I read these emails -
and pick up my Bible
only to read this in my daily reading (Ps.82):
"Do justice to the weak (poor) and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy;
rescue them out of the hand of the wicked."
My heart is broken
I am devastated
And in spite of being incredibly (and sometimes too)
I am COMPELLED to continue pouring myself out
on behalf of
THE POOR
THE POOR
THE WEAK
THE ORPHANS.
Just don't be surprised if you see me around Tauranga wearing my sunglasses in the middle of our (almost) winter...
Let the reader understand.
