Friday night, after we got off work we went out to dinner with Maria (from VA) and Melody (from SC). They are 2 other volunteers that are here for the summer. We ate delicious pizza from Mimmo’s. We sat on their outside patio. Supposedly, it never rains in the winter here in Johannesburg, but it started to pour when we were almost through eating. We were under an umbrella, but it was leaking awful and we all got completely soaked…it was a good laugh. I'm so thankful for new friends here. It feels like I've known them for longer than just 3 weeks!
Yesterday (Tuesday), I had to work with the small babies because one of the aunties was sick and couldn’t come to work. Being in small babies is very different than being with the older babies. All day we just fed, changed diapers, and tried to keep a few from not wailing constantly. About 2 weeks ago, we received twins from the hospital that were just a couple weeks old. They are very pre-mature and I feel like they would still be in the NIC-U if they were back in the states. Now they are about 4 weeks, but still so tiny. The girl is 1.93 kg and the boy is 2.13 kg (which is both about 4 lb). They are so fragile and I was so scared that when changing nappies or even picking them up from their crib they would snap in half.
There is another girl that came in last week that is in small babies. She is about 1.5 weeks. She has a heartbreaking story…she was found in an abandoned apartment all by herself. In the apartment there were a lot of rats and they ate at her feet so her feet (heels especially) are really bad. The hospital could not treat her, but thankfully they found a private clinic that is providing free medical care. She is on a couple medicines and for pain and healing.
One of the aunties that always works in small babies has been working at Door of Hope since it was opened 10 years ago! Her name is Auntie Margaret and she has 4 children of her own and also takes care of her sister’s son. She was with Cheryl Allen when she found a dead baby in a dustbin in Berea and from that point on, she has dedicated her time to taking care of the babies that come to Door of Hope. She took in the first baby in her house and watched after her until she was adopted. She now lives in North Carolina! Auntie Margaret is so sweet and always encourages and looks after Rachel and me.
Today was hard. A stomach virus and chest cold is going around in big babies and 8 out of our 12 babies are in the isolation room. We had to set up one of the bedrooms as an isolation room and pull a couple of extra beds into each. It is so hard to have so many babies sick… We are feeding them re-hydration water to help them stay hydrated. The girl that is getting adopted on Monday got the stomach bug this evening, so pray that she gets better before she leaves.
But, the coolest thing happened today!! About 2 weeks ago, 2 boys got adopted into families from Sweden and Holland. As part of the adoption procedure, the families have to stay in South Africa for about 2 weeks before they return home. Before the families headed home, they came by to see the Baby House and meet the aunties and uncles. It was so amazing to see the families and how the 2 boys were already so much a part of their family. I got emotional as they met and hugged the aunties and were given a tour of the home where their sons had lived and been loved. It amazed me to see how big they have gotten since we last saw them just 2 weeks ago. One of the families had adopted a boy from Door of Hope about 3 or 4 years ago. This boy was first tested as HIV positive and through lots of prayer and patience was tested again and the results came back negative. He was given a new name and his new little brother was also given a new name. The whole time I could only thing about how I am adopted into the family of Christ. 1 John 3:1-3 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” I am overwhelmed with gratefulness and my love tank bursts when I think of how Christ died on the cross so that I could have a way to become part of his eternal family. And, just like the family, Christ has given me a new name! Isaiah 62:2-4 says, “The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.”
Well…tonight is our last night at the Gospel Resource Center in Alberton. Tomorrow afternoon we are moving in with Uncle Colin who works as the handyman for Door of Hope. He is 75 and is currently house sitting for someone just 5 minutes away from the Baby House. There are 2 friendly and really huge dogs named Frankie and Buddy. The house is really nice and this will be the last time we are moving…praise the Lord!! I'm so thankful that we could find housing for the rest of our time here. Unfortunately, this house does not have wireless internet…we have been spoiled here at the Gospel Resource Center. We will start going back to the Mugg & Bean on some of our days off to update blogs and email!
Every day we work, we get to see the sun rise and the sun set...it is always so beautiful!!
Funny words that are used here…
-Robot- traffic light
-Rocket- lettuce
-Chips- fries
-Nappie- diaper
-Dummy- pacifier
-People say, “Oh, shame” a lot…
Prayer requests:
-Currently, the Door of Hope does not have a social worker. They need to find one quickly so they can continue to do adoptions.
-8 out of 12 of our kids have stomach bug and cold…pray they heal quickly and the healthy ones stay healthy!
-2 more of our kids leave on Monday for adoption! Praise the Lord!
-Pray that our move to Uncle Colin’s goes smoothly and we can settle in quickly.
Love always, and thank you for your prayers!
Katherine
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