Purpose

I write this morning from my seat on a small bus, headed to safari. We were up before the sun to drive 5 hours south to enjoy some R&R as a team after working hard. We raise a lot of money to go on this trip, but safari is one portion we ask team members to fund themselves. It’s a time for us to debrief, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Malawi. It's so worth it!

But first let me wrap up our clinic days with some of the things we have seen. We estimate that we have seen over 450 kids and women over the last week. We held clinic in 3 villages. We will have one more afternoon of clinic at International Christian Academy, which is located on COTN property. We will see all the program children currently attending secondary school there. We will do that on Friday afternoon, just before we head home on Saturday.

We saw a lot of healthy kids! For that we are grateful. COTN does an amazing job caring for these children! For those that were sick, we saw a lot of colds, coughs, and respiratory infection type things. We gave out a LOT of cough syrup, Tylenol, and some antibiotics. We saw a lot of boys with sore knees (from playing football/soccer), many of them received some Ibuprofen and some had knees wrapped in an Ace bandage. We also saw a lot of tinea which is a fungal infection common here from living in the conditions that they do. We treat this with the clotrimazole cream so many of you purchased at Dollar Tree! As is common, we saw a few more serious injuries and illnesses along the way. One little boy with what was likely a broken wrist and possibly thumb came into the clinic yesterday. His hand was badly swollen and just touching him caused tears to roll down his face. Bill and Ann were able to wrap it to stabilize it, give him some antibiotics and ibuprofen, and give instructions to come back to see the nurse in about 3 days.

COTN should be able to take him to the ABC clinic after the swelling goes down. It was heartbreaking for us to have to send him out without more help than we could offer. However, we also know that had we not been in that village, on that day, he may not have had help at all. Many here will suffer with broken bones until they just “heal” on their own, never to be straight again. Bill saw a number of advanced skin/fungal infections, some that we didn’t have the right medicine to treat. We saw a few kids and babies with handicaps, cerebral palsy type symptoms, some blindness and cataracts, and adults with blood pressure and diabetes issues. It’s tough when we don’t have the resources to treat these types of illnesses. It’s heartbreaking to send them away without the things they really need.

At the end of clinics, it's easy to ask “what difference did we make?” Does a few days of ibuprofen for pain relief, or an antibiotic for a respiratory infection, or some cold medicine for symptoms really help? It doesn’t solve the problems the lack of access to medical care brings. The answer is an absolute YES! For one day, the medical team came and cared for them. They gave them relief of symptoms, a smile, and someone to listen. They see it as an answer to their prayers for help. They are so very thankful for the care they receive. After 6 years of coming, some of the children even remember our names.

We had a very special experience this year. In one village we had an older boy, now a university student, come to Bll and I and ask to speak with us. He then proceeded to express deep gratitude for the years we have come. He shared his memories of us caring for him when he was a younger boy in our clinics. He shared that the testimony of our faithfulness to keep coming back encouraged him and made him feel valuable. He remembers us sharing with the children and encouraging them to love Jesus. It was one of the things that helped him work hard to do well. He told us he prays for us and asks that God would allow us to continue to come to Malawi until we are old enough to need a cane to walk. Bill and I were greatly moved and humbled by his expression of gratitude. To God be all the glory! We are just privileged to serve.

Our last day of clinic was in the village of Mgwayi. It is located just outside the walls of COTN’s property, so we walk into the village. As we enter the village the children come out to meet us and escort us into their “home.” It’s a show of hospitality and love. It is one of our favorite things. The older children try out their English on us and laugh at us trying out our little chichewa. Our translators fill in the gaps so we can communicate. Mostly they want to walk with us and hold our hands. At the end of the day they walk us all the way back, hug us goodbye and shout “tioaana.” As I walk away I always pray that I will indeed see them later!