We had a little girl in the ministry who was sponsored for several years. She first got a sponsor when she was six years old. Her parents were both dead and she lived with her Grandmother. Her Grandmother was sickly and very poor but did the best she could.
The little girl was called Esther. She had big beautiful eyes but they always looked sad to me. She often got sick, usually malaria. She was small for her age. By the time she was seven we realized something was wrong to make her sick so much. We had her tested first for AIDS, but she was okay, then many other things. After months of trying to find out what was wrong, something we did not even suspect was wrong. She had syphillis.
We began to wonder how she at the age of seven could possible have such a disease. Was she the victim of sexual abuse from someone in the family? It turned out that someone she shared a basin for bathing with was a carrier and this is how she got it.
Esther always seemed to be trying her best to survive. She got a bad case of malaria and was not strong enough to fight it. She had to walk like a mile to get to the clinic for her injections and often would not go, even though it was on her way home from school. She was afraid of injections so much. The Grandmother was too sick to go with her. Then the medical officer came and told us that she was not coming regularly for her injections, so we went to find out why and we found out she had passed away trying to walk home from the clinic.
It was a sad moment and to this day when we visit the Grandmother and other children in the home, I go to Esther's grave and cry. I realize that she was very young and she seemed to love the Lord, Jesus, and believe that she is in a better place.
It is often that kids get sick and have to walk to the clinic, or even continue going to school. They do not get a chance to rest in their culture. We do not have a vehicle for the clinic to go and get them or to take them any where. When there is an emergency then we are called and take them to Mbale town.
The next time your child gets sick, I pray you will pray for the children in Uganda who suffer so much, even in just getting to a clinic. God bless you.
The little girl was called Esther. She had big beautiful eyes but they always looked sad to me. She often got sick, usually malaria. She was small for her age. By the time she was seven we realized something was wrong to make her sick so much. We had her tested first for AIDS, but she was okay, then many other things. After months of trying to find out what was wrong, something we did not even suspect was wrong. She had syphillis.
We began to wonder how she at the age of seven could possible have such a disease. Was she the victim of sexual abuse from someone in the family? It turned out that someone she shared a basin for bathing with was a carrier and this is how she got it.
Esther always seemed to be trying her best to survive. She got a bad case of malaria and was not strong enough to fight it. She had to walk like a mile to get to the clinic for her injections and often would not go, even though it was on her way home from school. She was afraid of injections so much. The Grandmother was too sick to go with her. Then the medical officer came and told us that she was not coming regularly for her injections, so we went to find out why and we found out she had passed away trying to walk home from the clinic.
It was a sad moment and to this day when we visit the Grandmother and other children in the home, I go to Esther's grave and cry. I realize that she was very young and she seemed to love the Lord, Jesus, and believe that she is in a better place.
It is often that kids get sick and have to walk to the clinic, or even continue going to school. They do not get a chance to rest in their culture. We do not have a vehicle for the clinic to go and get them or to take them any where. When there is an emergency then we are called and take them to Mbale town.
The next time your child gets sick, I pray you will pray for the children in Uganda who suffer so much, even in just getting to a clinic. God bless you.
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