Little Ones

Little faces, innocent eyes, each one grasps your heart. The cry of a newborn…. the heartbreak of a mother as she releases her little one to the arms of Jesus…the distressed cry of a child unable to breath…. the fear in a mother’s eyes as she tries to wake her lethargic child burning up with fever…. the love in a mother’s eyes as she holds her young child, who will never be able to live a normal life. All these experiences fill the heart. We know it is only because of God we can do what we do.

Then we see a father who loves and cares for his 13 month old who got severly burned. His love for his child goes beyond what I see in many fathers. We watched a mother as she patiently talked to her son. She desperately wanted him to know who she was. He had been beaten with a rock. After suffering a major concussion, he walked away with few injuries. PTL!

This past week has been a record breaker with doing almost 500 consultations that doesn’t include the regular people that come on the blood pressure program. The unusual thing was almost 50% of those consultations were children. Our pharmacy is not stocked to support this amount of children. We are scratching to keep the amount of medications suspensions/syrups we need to support this population. We pray God will provide. 

We are also excited to welcome James and Katie Erdly to our team, a brother and sister from PA who have come to serve for a time. Katie is our new pharmacist. James is our field man doing emergency runs and filling in where needed. 

Due to a lack of words as to how to describe the past week. Here are some pics to give you a glimpse into our lives.

The little burn boy I have been bandaging. Kayla with her little boy who had a concussion, and Rachel, Katie, and I with a new baby. 

James with one of the children and a few of the other many faces we saw this week. 

Thanks for your prayers we feel them. 

~Alyssa 

moments

Letters joined make words,

And words to books may grow,

As flake on flake, descending,

Forms an avalanche of snow.

A single utterance may good

Or evil thoughts inspire;

One little spark, enkindled,

May set a town on fire.

What volumes may be written

With little drops of ink!

How small a leak, unnoticed,

A mighty ship will sink!

A tiny insect’s labor

Makes the coral strand,

And mighty seas are girlded

With grains of golden sand…

Our life is made entirely

Of moments multiplied,

As little streamlets, joining,

Form the ocean’s tide.

Our hours and, aye, our months and years,

Are in small moments given:

They constitute our time below,

Eternity in Heaven.

--Unknown

the beauty of a rose

I was struck by the profoundness of this poem the other week when Donny read it in devotions. Little things can have a huge impact on the world! It could be just a smile to brighten someone's day... or a word fitly spoken to cheer someone on their way. Or on the flipside, we could ruin someone's day if we have a sour attitude. Yes, we have an influence on the people around us! Will I be able to look back at the end of the day with joy or sorrow because of my actions and attitudes to those my life has touched?? 

a sunset on the trail

Life in the clinic continues... some days are easy; and some, not so easy. The weather has changed. Cooler air brings an over abundance of children and adults in with coughs and colds and fevers.

Rachel & Ellamae

And time brings more change... Our dear faithful teammate, Mis Ellamae, is gone. She was a huge blessing to the patients and a very supportive coworker! But, the time came for her to leave. We bid adieu and she went back to the land of snow flurries and warm fuzzy blankets. "We miss you, Ellamae! God be with you and bless you as you follow His will and move on from here."

Kayla and Ellamae with big smiles after a stressful birth

I apologize for the silence on this blog for the last few weeks. Just so you know, we are still here and covet your prayers as we continue on in the work. =) 

~Rachel