Here's a picture of Daniel....I hope! He's our 5-year old boy, with cerebral palsy. We are praying great things for Daniel.

Jan.18, 2008

My English tutorials continue to be fun for me, though at times I think they are informal counseling sessions! I go through the day's lessons, and then I listen to the events of the students' day, give support or answer questions as they come at me.
It has started to flow differently than I imagined, but I am "going with the flow", trusting that the Lord is using me in someone's life.

Will now make another attempt to share Daniel's picture!

Pray for the health of those in the compound; Erwin is sick, the social worker is sick, and Rowena is recovering...slowly...from bronchitis.

Daniel is here!

We've anticipated the arrival of our "first orphan" for months. At last, Daniel is here! He is 5 years old and has already lived a life that would be daunting for many adults. His mother did not want him, abandoning him at the age of 2 weeks. Perhaps her behavior during the pregnancy had something to do with his cerebral palsy; perhaps not. He has been living with a family in Mati since he was 2 weeks old, but his health care costs are becoming too much for them to handle. The father of this family was murdered last year, so their income has been drastically reduced.

They sought advice from the local office of "children's services", and they were referred to us.
We brought Daniel home to Agape House yesterday.

In a few hours, we realized we were not prepared with the supplies (rubber pants, diapers, baby wipes, etc.) that Daniel required. His "accident" during prayer time left no doubt that we needed a shopping trip ASAP!
Daniel's first night was short. I think he and his nannies might have slept for 3 hours. He made up for it by napping this morning. The nannies did not nap. I hope his second night is easier for all of them!
Please pray for us as we seek to nurture and love and provide for Daniel; please pray for Daniel.

Happy New Year

I haven't "celebrated" bringing in the new year in ages....till I came to Mati.
We attended church services, had a huge feast afterward and then watched "One Night with the King". Conveniently, this ended at 11:55 pm, and we proceeded straight to the street in front of the compound where our younger residents were launching rockets and lighting fireworks.

The racket of honking car horns, stereos and many firecrackers welcomed 2008 to Tindalo-Yakal St. Just to make certain we were not overlooked, the noisemaking went on nearly an hour. But no one complained....it was city-wide!

Most everyone then went to the house for yet another feast, but I retired to my room, finally sleeping at around 2 a.m. It was a pleasant evening, but I can only do it once every 364 days!