Unfailing Love

Well, wouldn't you just know it...Mary Moore cam back from a few days in the Village with no modern comforts at all and said her eye was healed. Just a little bruised on the eyelid! It probably looks fabulous, just the right shade! So, thanks for the prayers!

She shared in our online chat yesterday that she taught preschoolers, widows and teenagers! Was asked by the teacher to give 5 inpromtu Bible studies (at different times) and learned to make and eat nsumi made of flour and water. She goes back to the Village on Monday. I do wonder if she will be studying up on some Bible this weekend?! She is back with the babies for the weekend though. I can't wait to hear how all the little ones are doing.

He Carries then Close to His Heart

It is important as you read these wonderful stories from Malawi, Africa that we remember how much the Lord loves these babies. He has a plan for them. Yes, he called one little baby girl home this summer, but oh He loves each one and you and me. Pray for them as you read their stories.

And please pray for Mary Moore as she was hit in the eye with a soccer ball yesterday and lost her vision for 30 minutes and has a swollen shut eye. She left today for a week to 10 days in a poor village with no shower or toilets. She is going to be teaching some preschoolers and then will return to the Crisis Nursery for the remainder of her time in Malawi. Please pray the eye stays clean and protected. Thanks.

More Malawi Stories part 5- Ruth

Is this one of the cutest babies you have ever seen? Her name is Ruth and I think in an earlier post there was a picture of her in a black and white cow print. First of all Ruth has alot of style as you can see in her choice of clothes!! Mary Moore shared a little insight into this baby girl: ruth, i dont know her exact story...but she was so malnourished when she got to the nursery that her hips and legs are like jelly, she can't use them....they do phys therapy on her everyday. she is 8 months old and looks like a newborn.

So... continue to pray for all these children. I feel so blessed to have a bird's eye view into their little lives and so proud of the children at HopePointe church for bringing in their pennies to help these precious ones.

More Malawi Stories part 4 -Chisomo Joseph

This is a photo of my new friend Katie who has shared with me many of the photos from Malawi. She is holding a precious boy named Chisomo Joseph. Mary Moore shared with me a story about him.... there is the story i told you about chisomo joseph.....how his mom died during childbirth, his father and uncles blamed joseph for it, and were going to bury him alive in the coffin...and his aunt found out and escaped with him in the middle of the night to the crisis nursery. he's been there ever since. he just turned 1.

This was definitely one of the stories I could not share with the children at Vacation Bible School, but I wanted to let you know. The Crisis Nursery tries to place these children back in their villages after they can eat porridge (6 months) if they are well babies, to be cared for by someone in their village or by a family member. This little on can never return to his village. Please pray for a safe home for him. Thanks.

Porridge and Fiyfi

In the previous post I was talking about porridge and guess what? I found someone who had been at the crisis nursery in Malawi and was feeding a baby porridge!!

Also in the same group of photos was a picture of Fiyfi...the little one and a half year old twin that started walking last week! Actually Fiyfi is also the baby eating porridge!!

There is also a picture of Mary Moore singing in the church choir!!

Vacation Bible school 2009

Gosh what a funny feeling not to wake up and rush to church for VBS! Well the gift goes on even if our week has come and gone. I have gone to the bank 3 times with a big red bucket to deposit all the pennies raised for the children in Malawi , Africa. Mary Moore Lowenfield is there this summer and is using all the money to buy much needed food, books and clothing for the babies.

She told us that the first food the babies eat is porridge! We really don't even know the term "porridge" except in fairy tales. But it does conjure up a sweet picture . Hopefully in August when mary moore gets back, we can see what porridge looks like and see some babies eating it!

She also said some of the babies were growing and can't straighten out their legs in their feetie pajamas. So she is looking for some bigger sizes for our little friends

More Malawi Stories part 3

Here is a sweet story from Mary Moore this week about a Mobile Medical Unit she was on:

It was our busiest clinic so far. 180 people to be seen, and there were 4 of us working, plus one doctor....made things interesting. I started working the pharmacy, which is basically a trunk full of medicine and ziploc bags. Pharmacy is so hard for me--the prescription is for 10 or 15 pills, most of the time something as simple as Ibuprofen. I always slip a few more in than the doctor prescribed...and sometimes I couldn't read what the doctor had written and would have to just guess what it looked like. Never good. I was relieved when Sydney asked me to swtich and go take weight and pulse.

So, in order to tell the Malawians that I want to take their pulse (don't know how to say that in Chichewa), I usually hold out my arms, palms up, so that they will do the same. A five year old girl dressed in a holey salmon pink sweater and navy blue skirt was next in line for pulse...and although she was very adorable, I wasn't too thrilled--most children scream when it comes to their turn, frightened at the sight of an "azungu" (white person). Something different happened this time.

I held out my arms, smiling to let her know that I wasn't going to hurt her. There was a brief pause--she looked at me, looked at my arms--then smiled and rushed forward to give me the biggest hug. She thought that's what I meant.

I was so touched. I hugged her tightly back, and held it for a little while, forgetting that her mother is right behind her, watching the whole scene. Quickly I let go, and said "Pepani" (sorry) to her mother, a little embarassed. I didn't take the pulse of either the mother or daughter, even though I was supposed to...I hated to spoil the moment, and by no means did I want her to think that my outstretch arms meant anything other than a request for a hug.

The clinic can be so exhausting...mentally and physically. It's draining to see the poor, poor condition of these people and know that we can only do so much to help them, and then leave. The hug completely released me of my exhaustion. It was such a sweet moment. Such a sweet reminder that God is amongst us. And that He loves us.