Only 10 days young.....

 On March 18, we were called from the Hospital. A mother passed away, who just delivered a baby boy. If we could help with the little baby. Together with a staff  I drove to the hospital, we were met by the doctor and the father and we filled the papers and took baby Nathan to Amecet. The baby looked okay, but he had fever. So we took the baby straight to the doctor. The cord was made shorter and the baby was started on antibiotics.. There were no other problems, he was drinking fair, not very much, but enough, until Sunday morning...... He didn't want to drink anymore, we took him to the doctor, but nothing was found only oral thrush. We started medication for that and we put an NG tube in. We fed him every two hours. The next day the mouth was clear of thrush, but still he didn't want to drink on his own, so we used the NG tube. Monday afternoon he started to get difficulties in breathing, we contacted the doctor and he was started on IV fluids. In the evening we had to put him on oxygen.And the electricity went off... so the solar on, that also stopped , the last result was the generator, which was started by Elias, who was called by the night duty!!!

Tuesday morning Nathan was at first breathing on his own again, when I took this beautiful picture of this beautiful little man. But then it changed, the doctor came to see him, still no fever, no diarrhea, no chest infection, no vomiting. we saw him going worse. I was working together with Deborah, our Ugandan nurse and we decided to hold him in our arms on turns. We felt it will not take long and we can be with him and comfort him. I had called the father in the morning and he came directly, he also held him for at least one hour. I realized that it was probably the first time(and the last) for the father to hold his son. When he was born in the hospital and the mother died, it was all panic and stress. It touched me, to see him sitting with his little son.

He left after promising to keep his phone on, we had explained him that it was very serious. We went on holding him and praying over him, he was more peaceful now. At 4.15 Nathan passed away in my arms. He was only 10 days young...

The father came back to Amecet and Elias had gone for a small coffin. We brought them back home. Nathan will be laid to rest, next to his mother, behind their home......

Good Friday...

Together, we looked back, what Jesus did for us on this day, long time ago. We came together in the living room and we read the story about the crucifixion. Then we shared the Lord's table. we took the bread and the juice and thanked God for His plan of Salvation, which started so long ago and still works today.... Without having this hope, knowing about the resurection, it would be very hard to live.

Full House in Amecet....

Yesterday afternoon we received a phone call from a neighbouring  district: please can you help us, a lady gave birth to twins, but she passed away.

Knowing that twins are mostly smaller and needs more attention and give more work, because there are two children, we said: okay you bring them....

It was a bit late, the father came with some relatives. The twins were boys, they were born the previous day. The mother started to bleed and even they referred her from the clinic to the hospital, they couldn't save her anymore. The two boys were small, they were not fed yet, only some sugar water. The weight from Elijah was 2 kg. and the weight from Emmanuel was 1.8 kg. while we were writing all the data on our forms, the father received several phone calls, there were problems at home, because the dowry was not yet all paid. The family of the late mother was angry and aggressive. The custom is that the dowry had to be paid first, before the burial can take place, we have even had situations where the family of the late mother, burns the home of the husband. So after everything was filled and signed, they rushed back home. And we rushed to get bottles ready for two hungry little men!

One hour later the Police from Serere came with a little boy of maybe 1,5 years old. He was found the previous day in a village in Serere, they tried to find people who knew him, no family member was found. If we could take him in Amecet, while they were trying to search further. We were just having supper, so that was a good moment for him to join. No name, so we call him Ruben for now..

That makes the total children in Amecet now on 26, I think It is the highest ever, except when we have those emergency groups from the Police coming in. I just realized that we have 4,5 twins in the home!!!

First twins: Peter and Moses (5 years old)

                                  Second twins: Christine and Grace (2,5 months old)            

          And the third set of twins: Teddy and Lisa
          (2 months old)                                                            

And our beautiful little Patricia, who is part of twins, but her brother is with the family and is doing well! We hope that she will joins him soon again!

Norah is HOME...

We left Amecet at around 10.30 am, to drive to the village where Norah would be buried. Yesterday, Simon, together with some of our staff, brought the coffin with Norah's body, but today the burial would take place. So Elias and me went, together with some of our staff and some friends from Norah. It was dusty and hot, as we drove on the village roads, I saw people with branches of palm trees, yes it is Palm Sunday, we had almost forgotten in all our emotions and business...

After two hours drive, we arrived in the village. It is an area where people have ran away from, in fear for the Karomajong. But slowly, slowly, people come back to their land and build their houses again.

There are not many homes yet, it was a beautiful place with the mountains from Moroto at the background.We were brought to sit under a small cover. And in the middle was the coffin with Norah's body.

There were not so many people, they were singing hymns and we got at least 4 preachings, two were done by women. In between there was singing. Someone just starts singing and everybody joins in. Later I discovered that they were filling the time, the real preacher had not arrived yet. But it was good, peaceful and as everything was going in the local language, I had enough time to think and say goodbye in my mind to Norah. While I was looking to the mountains at the distance and the beauty of the landscape, I was so mad in my heart to this awful disease called AIDS....  There in the coffin in front of me was the body of a beautiful young girl of 16 years (I wrote before 17 years, but today I got her real date of birth...) an innocent victim of this terrible sickness. When will this end?? How many more I have to bring to their grave?? All those thoughts went through my mind as we were sitting around the coffin. I have no answer and I did not get an answer.....  

When the  "real" preacher arrived, there was a short message (translated this time) some more singing and then they carried the coffin to the grave that was digged some distance from the home. Here they carry the coffin and we all followed and the coffin was placed in the grave.. and buried.

We brought Norah home in her village, but knowing that she is in her eternal HOME gives so much more peace. It is Palm Sunday today, next weekend we have Good Friday and then we celebrate Eastern, And because all that. I do got an answer: Jesus is Risen, that is why we have Hope and we know that Norah is also alive with Jesus. We are still in this world, with a lot of sorrow and suffering, but we have a Hope, death has not the last word!!!!!!!!!

R.I.P. Norah....

This morning at 12.45 am, my telephone went. It was Amecet and as soon I saw the name on my telephone, I knew: it is Norah...... And that was right, she had just passed away. The night duty had tried to give her medicines at 12 o'clock, but she didn't want to sit  and they called Anneke, the nurse, she came together with Alice, the other nurse. They saw that she she was dying and they stayed with her, 10 minutes later she breathed her last breath, very peaceful, without any struggle, in her sleep. Norah had been sharing the room with Mary. Mary was also peacefully sleeping, she didn't even wake up. Over the phone we talked and after that they carried Norah to our medical room, to prepare her and not to shock the other children in the morning. We talk with them and if they want, we go and say goodbye to Norah together.

I was shocked and relieved at the same time. It had gone so fast now, I had no thought that it would go so fast! Just yesterday, I wrote the blog about her, and that morning we had taken her for special X rays for her throat. According to the doctor, there was a problem in the brain, she could not coordinate the nerves with the mucsles and that is why it came back out of her nose. When we were waiting in the doctor's room I had said to Anneke, that I always do the crying when the children are still alive and suffering so much, their death is then almost as a relieve. Yesterday I have had several times tears in my eyes, when I looked at Norah. This picture, I made yesterday, she looks how she was, sweet and kind and a bit puzzled, what is going on.... When I told my daughters, this morning, that Norah had died, Helen told me that Norah wanted to die. Last Sunday, when they were together in the room, she had said to Helen and Mary, I want to die, I have suffered enough, I want to go out of this world, I want to go to be with Jesus......

I believe that Jesus heard her and wanted her to be with Him, where there is no pain and sickness and where is no AIDS...

The coffin is made and we go to bring Norah back to the village. The burial will be tomorrow, we will go again with some of the staff, to bring Norah to her last resting place.

Norah....

Norah has been in Amecet in the past, she went back home, we saw her regularly, we helped with the school needs that she had. Her parents have passed away, so she lives with her uncles and also her sister is there on and off. She is around 17 years old now. Last year, her sister brought her to Amecet, she was very sick and was diagnosed with TB. She was admitted in the hospital and her sister stayed around to care for her. After the hospital, they stayed in Amun for a while. Norah was doing well, and she really picked up. When she was strong again, her sister and her went back to the village. We kept following up, she also came to Soroti for new medicines every month.

In January, when we invited her for the Amun week, she came some days earlier, we saw that she was not fine and we took her for tests, she had malaria. By the time that the other children arrived for the Amun week, she was a bit better and she joined the others during the days (but not with games etc.). When everybody went home, we kept Norah in Amecet, because she was not good, we felt that she was talking strange and not reacted on the right ways, we were worried... The doctor wanted to admit her again, but now in the ward with adults, where many HIV+ patients are. The sister came and stayed with Norah in the hospital, while we visited her everyday with medicins and food etc. She stayed 2 weeks in the hospital, in that time we saw many patients dying around her. They had found out that she had an infection, but was resistant for almost every antibiotic. We had to buy a very expensive medicine and this one worked. The doctor also changed her ARV's into stronger medicins... When they discharged her, we took her back in Amecet. Norah has mental problems now, she gets medicins, but we feel she is getting worse. Last week I could make her still smile easily, but today I tried and she just looks at me... When she is drinking, it comes back through  her nose, She can't walk without support and she doesn't know what is going on anymore. It is so hard to see Norah like this. Her HIV blood tests show that the HIV is very high and the stronger medicins are not doing much. We are all so worried and sad about Norah. She still eats and has no infections at the moment, but sometimes her fever is very high. Please pray for Norah, and also for us...

12 children brought by the police....

We had heard in the morning a rumor about 40 children who were found in a house at the outskirts of Soroti. It was an organisation who tells people that they take care of the education of children. The parents have to pay money and they take care of the rest. they tell them that there are sponsors who will pay the rest... many parents believe this, they pay, they sometimes have to sell their cows or goats to get the money together. Those 40 children (age 4-20) were all housed in a small house, there was a room they used for classroom, bedroom, room where they ate and lived. The Police got involved after tips from concerned neighbours. They worked the whole day on this case, some people were arrested and parents were called. there were a lot of children from families from nearby, but at the end of the day there were 12 children left, who came from far. Parents were not able to pick them and also had to get the money fro travelling together. so the request came if we could help with those 12 children. Simon picked them and they will all be sleeping in our second home, Amun. 

 Washing hands before supper....

Then trying to squeese everybody around the table for supper.....

In the meantime we have two sick babies in our medical room on IV drip. there are several children with problems, fever, malaria etc. 

 This is Teddy, she was born on Jan19th as part of twins. her twin sister is also with us and is doing very well. Teddy came into Amecet when she was 10 days old and her weight was 1.7 kg. now, 5 weeks later, her weight is only 2.5 kg, while her sister is already over 3 kg. The doctor came to see her and she is on IV medication. please pray for this little girl, that the breathing will change and her diarhea will stop.