What A Difference A Week Can Make!

The past month we have been frustrated because we seemed to be making no progress on getting babies to our nursery.  With house help and no where to really go, life was becoming very boring and we were wondering if we would ever make a difference here in Malawi.  We always say that God’s timing is perfect but we never seem to be patient while we wait for his timing!  Now I believe he was letting us experience the calm before the storm. 

Last Monday, we had no children and a week later we have two.  Now we have diapers, blankets and toys strewn throughout the house.  We have diaper pails full of nappies (diapers) to be washed.  We have a baby that likes to wake up every 3 hours for his bottle as he is making up for not having enough to eat.  We have a mama (me) who doesn’t get much sleep at night so when she finally gets up the other six children are wondering where their breakfast is.  Needless to say our lives have changed in the past week but what a blessing. Life is somewhat chaotic now but what a privilege to be a part of these little lives. 

Little Mphatso is 5 months old but developmentally he is 2 months old and he weighs only 9 lbs.  Even though he wakes up a lot at night he has become quite sweet in just a week.  He now smiles and coos at us and has become very use to all the attention.  We don’t know what his future will be as his mother is dead, his father has 4 other children to care for, and his chances of being HIV positive are great due to his family history.  Oh how we love him and pray that God has a purpose for his life.

Adorable Bridget is 17 months old and was quite malnourished when we got her.  She was very lifeless and her arms and legs were quite swollen so it was painful for her to move.  She was left at a daycare 2 months ago and the daycare operator had very little food to feed her so she went hungry most of the time.  The first night we had her she only took a few sips of water and a few spoons of porridge but when she saw the food coming she would smack her lips and after each bite she would take her little tongue and get all that was around her mouth.  The swelling in her arms and legs is going down as she is now eating better but we still have to coax her.  She wants nothing to do with me but loves Andy and Sarah.  It was quite moving the first time she reached her arms out to Andy.  We are all anxiously waiting for her first smile as she sets her jaw like a bulldog most of the time.          Today we began training a woman as a caretaker.  We are hoping she will work out and can stay here at nights so we can get some rest.  I realize how possessive I have become over these babies in just a week.  Even though I want my rest it is difficult to hand them over to a stranger to care for them.  I’m sure when the house is full of babies I won’t feel this way but the first 2 are very special to us. 

Our prayer for these children is that they will say along with the psalmist, “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. “ (Ps 71:5)