Dear Family and Friends, 30 March, 2008
Late Happy Easter greetings! I hope that all is well with you on your side of the world and that spring thaws are allowing the flowers to pop up and reflect the glory of our God. We had a week or two of spring-like temperatures and now we are in full-blown summer with afternoon temperatures of 110+ degrees.
The flu epidemic that I mentioned last month has passed through and now we are in the meningitis season. Sometimes I feel like here in Burkina we experience plagues similar to what God sent on Egypt to soften the heart of Pharaoh. Our plagues are somewhat different but still they come in swarms of insects, dirt, frogs, and sickness that leave the people suffering and helpless. Our God is in control though even in the midst of our suffering and lack of understanding so we stand firm and we trust in His un-measurable love.
I wrote to you last month about the loss of two of our babies to the flu epidemic and mentioned that Balguissa was still in the hospital. Just this past week, Balguissa passed away. Balguissa was born on January 2 and her mother died a few days after she was born. Balguissa’s birth weight was small and when the flu symptoms of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea started at about 2 weeks of age, she very quickly got very sick. We sent Balguissa to Dr. Zala’s clinic in Ouayaghuia in February and then again in March but she just could not fight off the infection. Losing a baby is always hard to accept but because of Balguissa’s long hospital stays we were full of hope that she would completely recover. The Lord knows all things though and He decided to take Balguissa to be with Him.
Thank you so much for standing in prayer with us concerning the civil unrest that was occurring here last month. The prices of grain and basic necessities of life continue to increase almost weekly but the rioting and demonstrating by the university students and general public has calmed. Please continue to pray for solutions to the high prices. Burkina is listed as the third poorest nation of the world and the people are suffering from the increased prices.
Hmmmmm, it seems that I have a lot of negative things to report to you today. There are some happy things but first I must give you an update on the land situation for the church. As a summary, the village of Yako had given our local church the piece of land just north of the orphanage to build a new church. The taxes had been paid on the land and the church was seeking God for the money to begin construction. In the meantime, it seems that the village also gave this same piece of land to the CNSS, the division of the government that equates to our Department of Social Security.
The national church hired an attorney to fight for the land because the church holds valid papers of ownership for the land. The attorney hired to do the work and others hired to help the church fight the case have literally dropped the ball and have not done their work. The reality of life here is that an attorney or a judge could sign the paper to end their career by taking a stand against the government. Although it appears that corruption is going to rule and over-ride justice in this case, we know that our God will have the final word against those who raise their hand or their voice against His church. The local church is discouraged but at the same time, after having done all, they are standing firm in the Lord and they are blessing the construction of the walls and buildings that are going up on what was ‘their land’.
On to wonderfully good and positive things—
The children at the orphanage are all doing well. We have several new babies who are all well and we have several toddlers who have recently integrated back into their family structures. A short-term team who recently visited us bought paint and all the necessary supplies to paint the toddler room. It has been almost 5 years since we last painted the orphanage and as you can imagine the walls are badly in need of re-freshing. The team scrubbed of layers and layers of dirt from the walls and applied 2 coats of fresh green paint. They put colored hand-prints around the windows and wrote ‘Jesus loves the little children’ in French and in Mooré as a border around the room. The room is beautiful and clean and will serve as an inspiration for us to do the same in the other two baby rooms.
The older children have been on Spring break and most of them have gone to their villages to see their families. Most of our older children are doing well in school this year. The hard work of last summer with French and math tutors has paid off and we are all thankful for the blessing of better grades this year. There are 2 or 3 children who are still really struggling to pass. Please pray that the Lord will help them to learn how to study so that they can completely understand the material in their classes.
We broke ground this past week on the construction of a small clinic that is being built in the Sheltering Wings compound. The primary goals of this clinic are to serve the 45 children living in the orphanage and the 90 children attending our primary school. The design of the clinic is multi-functional but there are sick rooms, a consultation room, a lab, a pharmacy, and reception and storage areas. I will try very hard in the next week or two to include photos here in my blog so that you can rejoice with us as the walls of the clinic start to go up.
We have hired Josie and Bea, two of our girls who have completed nurses’ training, as nurses. They have already been a tremendous blessing to the orphanage and the school children and they will lay the foundation work of our clinic. After the clinic is established we hope to open the clinic to the children in the community for one or two mornings a week.
March 22nd was the day of the quarterly food distribution for the sponsorship program. As usual, this distribution day was a day of rejoicing. All of the children in the program came with one or two family members and their family donkey carts to carry home a 100 pound bag of corn and other small food items. We assured everyone that even though Lynn Peters has left Sheltering Wings, the sponsorship program will continue to function just has it has since it was started in 2000. Many of the local pastors of the region of Yako attended the distribution and were asking how they can become involved and help in this wonderful project. After the distribution we met with these pastors to begin talking and praying about how the local churches can participate in weekly meetings with the children to evangelize and to more closely follow their progress in school. No final decisions were made at the meeting but we will continue to meet and to pray about incorporating the churches more deeply in this work.
Our primary school continues to be a great blessing and joy to everyone. When you consider that Burkina has a literacy rate of only 18%, you can understand why a child sent to school here in Burkina is a privileged child. Our teachers are working very hard to prepare the children and the children are working very hard to succeed. Please pray for all the sixth graders in our region as they prepare for a standardized test which will be given in July. This is a pass/fail test which will permit the student to continue to seventh grade or force him to remain in sixth grade. This test is very difficult and many children take this test 2 or 3 years before they pass it. In pre-tests that have been given, our children have done very well. Please pray that 100% of our sixth graders will pass this year.
Well, I must close for now. Thank you so much for your prayers, for your love, and for your tangible support which allow us to continue to help and to bless the children of Burkina. Without your support the work could not continue. You are here with us, touching, healing, and loving the children of Burkina.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Please pray for Burkina!
Dear Family and Friends, 28 February, 2008
Greetings from Africa! I hope that all is well in your corner of the world. We are struggling over here with various illnesses, civil unrest, and injustice in various levels that greatly affect daily life. The most important thing that I can ask is for you to pray for Burkina and block the power of the enemy who comes like a thief in the night wanting to kill, steal, and destroy.
In the past few weeks we have lost 2 babies, Adama and Hassane, and Balguissa is now in the hospital fighting for her life. The ‘flu season’ this year has hit very hard. It is a viral infection so antibiotics do not work. The symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea are treated but because of compromised immune systems the babies and older people often do not survive.
I am in Ouaga this week for another series of meetings with Social Action to define how the orphanages and Social Action can and should work together. Social Action is like our Division of Children and Family Services. Out of the 37 orphanages registered here in Burkina, only one of them is run by Social Action. All of the others are privately run either by nationals or by missions like ours. We work under the supervision of Social Action but because of lack of organization and planning, many things that are supposed to be working between us and them, are not really working. There are several ‘decision makers’ attending these meetings so please pray that they will actually hear what we are saying and that a good foundation will be laid for the sake of Burkina’s suffering children.
The 6th graders in our school have been working very hard preparing for the standardized test that they will take in June. This test is a pass/fail exam which allows them to continue their studies to middle school or to remain in primary school. Many children get passing grades in their classes yet do not pass this test and cannot continue their studies.
Please continue to pray with us concerning the land north of the orphanage which was given to the church. The case went before the judge in Yako this past week with a request to stop the construction until the true owner of the land could be determined. But, the judge refused to even make a decision saying that the case needed to be transferred to the Ouaga courts. The translation of this ‘lack of decision’ is most likely that the judge is refusing to make a decision for political reasons. His position is assigned by the government and if he rules against the government in this case, it could affect his career. And, in the meantime, the construction work on the land continues to develop at a very fast rate.
We’ve been experiencing some civil unrest in Burkina. The issue is the rising cost of food and supplies, especially milk, grain, oil, and soap. Last week, there were demonstrations in Bobo, Ouagadougou and Ouayaghuia. They all started peacefully but mob control took over and there was rock throwing, burning of buildings and cars, and in Bobo, one man was killed. The greatest physical damage in Bobo was that rioters burned the mayor’s office destroying very valuable paper documents as well as what was stored on computers.
Today there was more rioting and demonstrations held in Ouaga. People are trying to get the government’s attention by throwing bricks at buildings and cars, burning cars and buildings, destroying signs, etc. Please pray for order and calm to be restored to Burkina and that the Lord will intervene on behalf of those in poverty who are struggling so much with the increased prices.
Well, I must close for now.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Greetings from Africa! I hope that all is well in your corner of the world. We are struggling over here with various illnesses, civil unrest, and injustice in various levels that greatly affect daily life. The most important thing that I can ask is for you to pray for Burkina and block the power of the enemy who comes like a thief in the night wanting to kill, steal, and destroy.
In the past few weeks we have lost 2 babies, Adama and Hassane, and Balguissa is now in the hospital fighting for her life. The ‘flu season’ this year has hit very hard. It is a viral infection so antibiotics do not work. The symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea are treated but because of compromised immune systems the babies and older people often do not survive.
I am in Ouaga this week for another series of meetings with Social Action to define how the orphanages and Social Action can and should work together. Social Action is like our Division of Children and Family Services. Out of the 37 orphanages registered here in Burkina, only one of them is run by Social Action. All of the others are privately run either by nationals or by missions like ours. We work under the supervision of Social Action but because of lack of organization and planning, many things that are supposed to be working between us and them, are not really working. There are several ‘decision makers’ attending these meetings so please pray that they will actually hear what we are saying and that a good foundation will be laid for the sake of Burkina’s suffering children.
The 6th graders in our school have been working very hard preparing for the standardized test that they will take in June. This test is a pass/fail exam which allows them to continue their studies to middle school or to remain in primary school. Many children get passing grades in their classes yet do not pass this test and cannot continue their studies.
Please continue to pray with us concerning the land north of the orphanage which was given to the church. The case went before the judge in Yako this past week with a request to stop the construction until the true owner of the land could be determined. But, the judge refused to even make a decision saying that the case needed to be transferred to the Ouaga courts. The translation of this ‘lack of decision’ is most likely that the judge is refusing to make a decision for political reasons. His position is assigned by the government and if he rules against the government in this case, it could affect his career. And, in the meantime, the construction work on the land continues to develop at a very fast rate.
We’ve been experiencing some civil unrest in Burkina. The issue is the rising cost of food and supplies, especially milk, grain, oil, and soap. Last week, there were demonstrations in Bobo, Ouagadougou and Ouayaghuia. They all started peacefully but mob control took over and there was rock throwing, burning of buildings and cars, and in Bobo, one man was killed. The greatest physical damage in Bobo was that rioters burned the mayor’s office destroying very valuable paper documents as well as what was stored on computers.
Today there was more rioting and demonstrations held in Ouaga. People are trying to get the government’s attention by throwing bricks at buildings and cars, burning cars and buildings, destroying signs, etc. Please pray for order and calm to be restored to Burkina and that the Lord will intervene on behalf of those in poverty who are struggling so much with the increased prices.
Well, I must close for now.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Adoption News
Dear Family and Friends,Our very first US adoption was finalized on January 24, 2008! It was for Stephon Zoundi McAlister!
Stephon’s story is rather typical for orphans here. His mother was very young and not well mentally. She became pregnant and it was not possible to determine who the father was. Because of strain this caused in the family and because of the mental state of the mother, she left the family courtyard and was living here and there, even sometimes on the street of one of the major cities of Burkina.
When Stephon was 9 or 10 months old, out of desperation, his mother abandoned him at Social Action, the social arm of the Burkina government, and he was placed in our orphanage.
We quickly noticed that Stephon had a problem with one of his eyes and that he walked with a limp. Through working with another mission organization, we were able to get Stephon to the States on November 13, 2003 for a diagnosis and for medical care. Stephon was placed in the home of Steven and Rosemary McAlister.
The McAlisters had been talking and praying about international adoption and after having Stephon in their home, they asked whether he was available for adoption. A home study was done here in Burkina and the conclusion of the study was that he was available for adoption. A home study was done for the McAlisters and they were approved as an adoptive family.
On June 9, 2006, Stephon’s case passed through the Burkina courts and he was declared adopted by the McAlisters. Then, on January 24, 2008, his case passed through the Maine court and the final phase of the adoption was completed.
For his day in court, Stephon requested that the family dress in their ‘African clothes’ which were made for them in Yako. They sang a song entitled ‘Yaa Bamba’ in Moore which means ‘We’re leaning on Jesus’. The judge said that he had never seen an adoption proceeding quite like this one. Many family members and friends attended the event and celebrated with the family in this declaration of adoption.
Stephon still has some physical and emotional issues that he and his family are dealing with. Without a doubt, the love of our Father can be seen in the placement of Stephon in the McAlister family. He is a very special boy and God has placed him in a very special family.
Other children already adopted by Sheltering Wings in Burkina Faso!
This is 2 year old Assya with her Italian parents - 2007.
This is 6 year old Téné in France - 2007.
This is 2 year old Mathieu who is now in France - 2007.
This is 2 year old Lisa Mariam now in France - 2007.
In 2006 we placed Paul, now 5 years old, and Jacques, now 4 years old, in France. I do not have digital pictures of them to show you. I do hear from both of their parents from time to time and they are doing well.
We have also placed Dieudonné in a loving Burkinabé family. Dieudonné was abandoned outside of a Catholic sisters’ home when he was just a week or two old. The woman who led the sister to our orphanage ended up being Dieudonné’s adoptive Mom. Dieudonné is a French name which means ‘Gift of God’. We feel that the Lord has very special plans for this very special little gift. I do not have a recent picture of Dieudonné but will try to get one to let you see him now. He is a big 3 year old boy.
Love to all!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Little successes along the way!
Dear Family and Friends,
I know that am going to overwhelm you with my excitement of new technology mastered so you probably need to be seated. With the help of a friend, Mark, I have mastered putting photos in my blog! I was close before. . . but was working in a minimized screen so never got to the 'download' button. Duhhhh!! But, now I hope that my blogs will be a bit more interesting with pictures of our beautiful children.
Just for fun, I want to show you this picture. We have lots of pictures of our babies and children eating but then I love to see fat babies eating! This was a day of celebration because spaghetti is considered holiday food here.
This past week has been pretty hard. There is a virus going around which is attacking the babies and the old people. The symptoms are flu-like with fevers, diahrrea, and vomiting. All of the hospitals are full of babies connected to IV poles, struggling for their lives The orphanage was hit very hard and we hospitalized 2 little newborns, Adama, just 2 weeks old and 3 week-old, Balguissa. Adama was just too tiny to fight off the infection and he died on Sunday. Balguissa recovered though and she was released from the hospital yesterday. Please pray for the children of Burkina. The infant mortality rate is 25%. I am thankful that we have the resources to take our children to the hospital 70 kilometers away. The average family here does not have these resources and more often than I even want to think about, their children end up in this terrible statistic.
I am in Ouaga right now for some meeting with the national office of Social Action. The meetings have been long and tedious but little my little we are moving forward in defining how the orphanages of Burkina work and interact with Social Action (the government branch of social work). In just the 8 years that I have been here the number of orphanages in Burkina has quadroupled. This is a very good thing because the need of the children is so great, but, now we are grappling with policies and procedures of how to make things work smoothly. The orphanages have formed a local association which the government recognizes and through this association we have a voice to ask for change. Please pray for wisdom and courage for the leaders of the local association to clearly define our requests to the government and for favor from the decision makers in the government for the cause of the children.
And, our truck. . . this week, the story is good. I did quite a bit of traveling in taking children back and forth to the hospital, plus the trip to Ouaga, with no breakdowns. I am very thankful for this because a couple of the trips were emergency trips when it was dark and there would be no help available in an emergency. Please continue to pray that the Lord will keep our truck functioning. . . it transports us here and there, it hauls dirt and rock, wood, sand and cement, it serves an an ambulance, it serves as a hurse. Please pray with us concerning the funds to another vehicle.
Well, I must close for now. I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Thursday, January 31, 2008
January 31, 2008
Dear Family and Friends, January 31, 2008
My truck died on me this morning and so I am stranded in Ouaga for one more day. Mandatory rest, another nice, hot shower, more online time. . . well, things could be much worse, huh? I am very thankful that the problem occurred before leaving Ouaga and not halfway between here and Yako where no help would be available.
I just had some major repairs done to the truck last week. It seems that it is almost becoming a ‘fix or repair daily’ routine which is becoming expensive and tiresome. We’ll see. . . I need to return to Yako and check just how much we have spent on repairs in the last year or so to see if we need to seriously pray about buying a new vehicle or continue to try to make this one work. Please pray with me about this.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to insert photos into my blog. If anyone knows how to do this, would you please send me the instructions? I usually type my blog in MS-Word and then copy it into the blog website. I can insert pictures into the word document but then when I do the copy, the photos are left out.
We have received 2 more babies this past week. One of them is just a month old and the other is just one week old. Both boys are good size for Burkina newborns and I will try again to insert a picture of Hassane so that you can see him. He is just one month old and his mama died. With no one in the family to care for him, Social Action placed him with us until he is past the ‘infant needing formula’ stage and then he will integrate back into his family.
A church in St Louis, New City Fellowship, called me while I was recently home and asked whether we could use some cans of infant formula. It seems that there was a drug bust in St Louis and this stolen milk was found in the warehouse. Usually stolen goods like this are destroyed but one of the police officers spoke up and asked whether the church could have the milk. The story goes that the stolen milk was being sold to customers with food stamps and then the money redeemed from the food stamps was being sent to fund the Talaban. Instead, the milk has made its way to Africa where it is being used to feed orphan babies. Truly, what the enemy meant for evil, the Lord turned into a blessing for us and for our children.
Access to email is still not working for us in Yako. In talking with friends in Yako, although the access is slow, they are able to send and receive mail. So, now I am wondering if the problem may be something in my computer. I had some service done when I was home and also a new package of MicroSoft installed. . . but, I am clueless as to what the problem may be. Sigh! Again, if anyone has any ideas, please send me a note.
Well, must close for now and try to find some dinner.
Talk to you again soon.
Love you lots,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
My truck died on me this morning and so I am stranded in Ouaga for one more day. Mandatory rest, another nice, hot shower, more online time. . . well, things could be much worse, huh? I am very thankful that the problem occurred before leaving Ouaga and not halfway between here and Yako where no help would be available.
I just had some major repairs done to the truck last week. It seems that it is almost becoming a ‘fix or repair daily’ routine which is becoming expensive and tiresome. We’ll see. . . I need to return to Yako and check just how much we have spent on repairs in the last year or so to see if we need to seriously pray about buying a new vehicle or continue to try to make this one work. Please pray with me about this.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to insert photos into my blog. If anyone knows how to do this, would you please send me the instructions? I usually type my blog in MS-Word and then copy it into the blog website. I can insert pictures into the word document but then when I do the copy, the photos are left out.
We have received 2 more babies this past week. One of them is just a month old and the other is just one week old. Both boys are good size for Burkina newborns and I will try again to insert a picture of Hassane so that you can see him. He is just one month old and his mama died. With no one in the family to care for him, Social Action placed him with us until he is past the ‘infant needing formula’ stage and then he will integrate back into his family.
A church in St Louis, New City Fellowship, called me while I was recently home and asked whether we could use some cans of infant formula. It seems that there was a drug bust in St Louis and this stolen milk was found in the warehouse. Usually stolen goods like this are destroyed but one of the police officers spoke up and asked whether the church could have the milk. The story goes that the stolen milk was being sold to customers with food stamps and then the money redeemed from the food stamps was being sent to fund the Talaban. Instead, the milk has made its way to Africa where it is being used to feed orphan babies. Truly, what the enemy meant for evil, the Lord turned into a blessing for us and for our children.
Access to email is still not working for us in Yako. In talking with friends in Yako, although the access is slow, they are able to send and receive mail. So, now I am wondering if the problem may be something in my computer. I had some service done when I was home and also a new package of MicroSoft installed. . . but, I am clueless as to what the problem may be. Sigh! Again, if anyone has any ideas, please send me a note.
Well, must close for now and try to find some dinner.
Talk to you again soon.
Love you lots,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Friday, January 25, 2008
January, 2008
Dear Family and Friends, January 25, 2008
Wow! How the time flies by! I have so much to tell you.
My trip home was just wonderful. We have a new baby in the family named Claire Marie. She arrived Nov 2nd and her proud parents are Todd and Amy Shaw. Claire and older sister, Lillian, are both doing very well. The joy of being home for the holidays greatly overshadowed any inconvenience or minor discomfort of the snow, ice, and cold temperatures of the mid-west winters. It had been many years since I had driven on snow and ice but thankfully my schedule was light and it was rare that I needed to be out in it.
Three of our children were adopted this past quarter and left Burkina. Assya is now living in Italy with her parents and 2 older brothers. Mathieu and Mariam are both now French citizens and are living with their respective families in France. We have received news from each of these families and the children are all doing well and are quickly adapting to their new environments. We are thankful to God for these courageous parents who are willing to persevere through the tedious process of international adoption and welcome our children into their homes
Just this week, Stephon, became a US citizen. Stephon went to the States on a medical visa and the family receiving him asked whether he was available for adoption. After a home study was completed here in Burkina, it was documented that his mother had abandoned him when he was about 9 months old and his father was unknown. His case passed through the Burkina courts and he was declared adopted by his American family. Subsequently, on January 24, 2008, Stephon had his day in court in America and was adopted. This is a picture of Stephon and his family.
Last summer we changed our regular routine and hired tutors in French and in math to come to the orphanage and work with the children in secondary school. Everyone really worked very hard. When the children were not in class or doing class exercises, they were working in our fields of millet and peanuts.
Well, the grades are in for the first grading period of this school year and the hard work of last summer is paying off. Several of our children received very high marks, well above average! All but two of them had 10 or above. . . 10 is a passing mark here. . . and the two who are under ten have 9.88 and 9.87. For these two it is very possible for them to work very hard and still get an average for the year of 10 or more.
The children in our primary school continue to prosper. They also did remarkably well in their first grading period accomplishments. The sixth graders are working especially hard this year because they will be taking a standardized test at the end of the year. This is a pass/fail test which will allow them to continue to 7th grade if they pass or force them to re-do 6th grade if they fail. Please pray for this group of students. The pressure is very intense. Please pray also for wisdom for their teacher, Innocent, as he does all that he can to prepare them for this test.
We have received 3 new babies into the orphanage in the past 6 weeks. Céline was born in October, 2007. Her mother and father are cousins, from the same extended family. Because of the shame of this situation, Céline is not welcome in either of her parents’ families. After a thorough home study by Social Action, Céline will most likely be available for adoption. This is little Céline.
Dafimatou and Bassirou are both 4 months old and both of their mothers just recently died. Because there is no one in the families who can care for the infants, we will care for them until they are 12 months old and then they will integrate back into their families.
In mid-December a team from Friends In Action came to Yako and drilled a well for the orphanage. They found water, lots of water, but for the moment there is a problem of a lot of sediment in the water. We are hoping that the sediment will settle and if not, there is a solution of putting small, clean rock down the hole and allowing this rock to serve as a filter for the sediment. The team will be back in mid-March to again test the quality of the water to see if it is safe to drink. We are gathering estimates for a water tower and a tank which we will build when we are sure that the water is good.
Our last but very exciting piece of news is that we have received a very generous contribution which will provide for the construction of a clinic on the orphanage property. We have blueprints and estimates but these are almost 3 years old. The blueprints are still good, but I have been going back to the contractors asking them to review the estimates and see if we can build with these prices. Very favorable estimates are coming in so hopefully we will be starting construction soon on the long awaited clinic.
In preparation for the clinic and also to meet an immediate need for the orphanage, we have hired ZONGO, Josie and TENKODOGO, Beatrice as nurses. Josie was the very first child to come to the orphanage and Bea was with us for 4 years before we sent both of these girls to nursing school. They graduated last summer and have been working at the orphanage, at our local hospital, and at Dr Zala’s clinic in Ouayaghuia since then in order to improve their practical experience. Both girls excelled both in their studies and in the practical application of what they have learned. Already, they have been a tremendous blessing to the orphanage and as the clinic is realized, they will also be a blessing to the community of Yako.
In closing, please pray for all of our local workers. Each one of them is a blessing from the Lord and they do their work as a ministry until the Lord. Pray for their health and the health of their families. None of our projects could survive without the faithfulness of our workers.
With love and blessings!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Wow! How the time flies by! I have so much to tell you.
My trip home was just wonderful. We have a new baby in the family named Claire Marie. She arrived Nov 2nd and her proud parents are Todd and Amy Shaw. Claire and older sister, Lillian, are both doing very well. The joy of being home for the holidays greatly overshadowed any inconvenience or minor discomfort of the snow, ice, and cold temperatures of the mid-west winters. It had been many years since I had driven on snow and ice but thankfully my schedule was light and it was rare that I needed to be out in it.
Three of our children were adopted this past quarter and left Burkina. Assya is now living in Italy with her parents and 2 older brothers. Mathieu and Mariam are both now French citizens and are living with their respective families in France. We have received news from each of these families and the children are all doing well and are quickly adapting to their new environments. We are thankful to God for these courageous parents who are willing to persevere through the tedious process of international adoption and welcome our children into their homes
Just this week, Stephon, became a US citizen. Stephon went to the States on a medical visa and the family receiving him asked whether he was available for adoption. After a home study was completed here in Burkina, it was documented that his mother had abandoned him when he was about 9 months old and his father was unknown. His case passed through the Burkina courts and he was declared adopted by his American family. Subsequently, on January 24, 2008, Stephon had his day in court in America and was adopted. This is a picture of Stephon and his family.
Last summer we changed our regular routine and hired tutors in French and in math to come to the orphanage and work with the children in secondary school. Everyone really worked very hard. When the children were not in class or doing class exercises, they were working in our fields of millet and peanuts.
Well, the grades are in for the first grading period of this school year and the hard work of last summer is paying off. Several of our children received very high marks, well above average! All but two of them had 10 or above. . . 10 is a passing mark here. . . and the two who are under ten have 9.88 and 9.87. For these two it is very possible for them to work very hard and still get an average for the year of 10 or more.
The children in our primary school continue to prosper. They also did remarkably well in their first grading period accomplishments. The sixth graders are working especially hard this year because they will be taking a standardized test at the end of the year. This is a pass/fail test which will allow them to continue to 7th grade if they pass or force them to re-do 6th grade if they fail. Please pray for this group of students. The pressure is very intense. Please pray also for wisdom for their teacher, Innocent, as he does all that he can to prepare them for this test.
We have received 3 new babies into the orphanage in the past 6 weeks. Céline was born in October, 2007. Her mother and father are cousins, from the same extended family. Because of the shame of this situation, Céline is not welcome in either of her parents’ families. After a thorough home study by Social Action, Céline will most likely be available for adoption. This is little Céline.
Dafimatou and Bassirou are both 4 months old and both of their mothers just recently died. Because there is no one in the families who can care for the infants, we will care for them until they are 12 months old and then they will integrate back into their families.
In mid-December a team from Friends In Action came to Yako and drilled a well for the orphanage. They found water, lots of water, but for the moment there is a problem of a lot of sediment in the water. We are hoping that the sediment will settle and if not, there is a solution of putting small, clean rock down the hole and allowing this rock to serve as a filter for the sediment. The team will be back in mid-March to again test the quality of the water to see if it is safe to drink. We are gathering estimates for a water tower and a tank which we will build when we are sure that the water is good.
Our last but very exciting piece of news is that we have received a very generous contribution which will provide for the construction of a clinic on the orphanage property. We have blueprints and estimates but these are almost 3 years old. The blueprints are still good, but I have been going back to the contractors asking them to review the estimates and see if we can build with these prices. Very favorable estimates are coming in so hopefully we will be starting construction soon on the long awaited clinic.
In preparation for the clinic and also to meet an immediate need for the orphanage, we have hired ZONGO, Josie and TENKODOGO, Beatrice as nurses. Josie was the very first child to come to the orphanage and Bea was with us for 4 years before we sent both of these girls to nursing school. They graduated last summer and have been working at the orphanage, at our local hospital, and at Dr Zala’s clinic in Ouayaghuia since then in order to improve their practical experience. Both girls excelled both in their studies and in the practical application of what they have learned. Already, they have been a tremendous blessing to the orphanage and as the clinic is realized, they will also be a blessing to the community of Yako.
In closing, please pray for all of our local workers. Each one of them is a blessing from the Lord and they do their work as a ministry until the Lord. Pray for their health and the health of their families. None of our projects could survive without the faithfulness of our workers.
With love and blessings!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Thursday, September 06, 2007
News from the orphanage
Dear Family and Friends, Aug. 27, 2007
First, a quick ‘Jeanette update’. Her splint has been removed and a new x-ray shows that her leg is now healed. There is a lot of calcium build-up on the top and bottom of where the break was, but the doctor said that this should not keep her from walking. Her mother comes to the orphanage each day to care for her and we are working with the mother to help Jeanette to catch up on normal development for her age. She is now 22 months old. She is sitting up but she is not pulling up, crawling, or walking.
This past week we had a wonderful unexpected visit from Janine Jackson, the US Ambassador to Burkina. She was passing through town on her way to Ouayighuia and stopped by the orphanage to see our Peace Corps volunteer, Sarah. Sarah is working on developing our soap and weaving projects and has been with us for a little over a month. We spent 2 days frantically cleaning up inside and outside the courtyard and all of the orphanage buildings. The clean-up days went well and in fact, were much needed. Because of a really good rain the night before though, our courtyard was a virtual mud pit when the Ambassador arrived but she seemed to take this problem right in stride.
The Ambassador toured our facilities, played with some babies, and listened to some our primary school children sing. She brought a gift of 120 books for our school. This gift was from a joint project sponsored by the US Government and the World Bank. The books are beautiful and they are for grades 1 through 6.
Our Canadian friend, Christina, left last week. She was a short-termer who came to us through SIM. It was a joy to have Christina with us. She played with and cared for our babies, and made lots of friends with our older children who speak English. We miss Christina but wish her the best as she begins her studies in nursing.
Two of our babies, Aminata and Lassane, have returned to their families. Aminata comes from a village about 130 kilometers from here. Her mother died just a few days after Aminata was born. In the 18 months that Aminata has been here, her father has found a new wife and they came to pick up their daughter and take her home. Lassane’s mother also died when he was born. He has rejoined his family and will now be cared for by an aunt.
We are still waiting for news on the adoptions of Mathieu, Mariam, and Assya. Mathieu and Mariam are going to families in France and Assya is going to Italy. We expect that all of these adoptions will be finalized in the next month or two.
Thank you so much for your prayer support and your tangible monetary support. The Lord is good and He abundantly provides all that we need through faithful friends like you.
With love and blessings,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
First, a quick ‘Jeanette update’. Her splint has been removed and a new x-ray shows that her leg is now healed. There is a lot of calcium build-up on the top and bottom of where the break was, but the doctor said that this should not keep her from walking. Her mother comes to the orphanage each day to care for her and we are working with the mother to help Jeanette to catch up on normal development for her age. She is now 22 months old. She is sitting up but she is not pulling up, crawling, or walking.
This past week we had a wonderful unexpected visit from Janine Jackson, the US Ambassador to Burkina. She was passing through town on her way to Ouayighuia and stopped by the orphanage to see our Peace Corps volunteer, Sarah. Sarah is working on developing our soap and weaving projects and has been with us for a little over a month. We spent 2 days frantically cleaning up inside and outside the courtyard and all of the orphanage buildings. The clean-up days went well and in fact, were much needed. Because of a really good rain the night before though, our courtyard was a virtual mud pit when the Ambassador arrived but she seemed to take this problem right in stride.
The Ambassador toured our facilities, played with some babies, and listened to some our primary school children sing. She brought a gift of 120 books for our school. This gift was from a joint project sponsored by the US Government and the World Bank. The books are beautiful and they are for grades 1 through 6.
Our Canadian friend, Christina, left last week. She was a short-termer who came to us through SIM. It was a joy to have Christina with us. She played with and cared for our babies, and made lots of friends with our older children who speak English. We miss Christina but wish her the best as she begins her studies in nursing.
Two of our babies, Aminata and Lassane, have returned to their families. Aminata comes from a village about 130 kilometers from here. Her mother died just a few days after Aminata was born. In the 18 months that Aminata has been here, her father has found a new wife and they came to pick up their daughter and take her home. Lassane’s mother also died when he was born. He has rejoined his family and will now be cared for by an aunt.
We are still waiting for news on the adoptions of Mathieu, Mariam, and Assya. Mathieu and Mariam are going to families in France and Assya is going to Italy. We expect that all of these adoptions will be finalized in the next month or two.
Thank you so much for your prayer support and your tangible monetary support. The Lord is good and He abundantly provides all that we need through faithful friends like you.
With love and blessings,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Monday, August 13, 2007
Jeannette update--
Dear Family and Friends, Aug. 13, 2007
This is a ‘Jeannette’ update. This saga continues but I think that we are getting closer and closer to knowing the truth of the story.
Jeannette’s leg seems to be better. She is immobilized in a splint and she does not cry even when she is moved around to change her diaper or to pick her up. This is improvement.
Jeannette’s father told us when he brought her to us, that her mother had left Burkina for the Ivory Coast with another man and that he did not have anyone in the courtyard to care for Jeannette. Well, we found out this past week that this is not true. Jeannette’s mother is in Yako living in her parents’ courtyard, not far from the father’s courtyard. We called the mother to come to the orphanage and talk with us and then took her to Social Action so that the agent that we are working with there could hear the other side of this story.
Jeannette’s mother found out about a year ago that her husband was being unfaithful to her. She confronted him on this but he refused to admit it and to stop seeing the other woman. Around this same time, her husband’s mistress approached the mother accusing her of spreading a rumor that she was pregnant by Jeannette’s father. Jeannette was on her mother’s back at this time and the two women started fighting. The mother fell backwards onto Jeannette, breaking both of her legs and scratching and injuring her face.
Mother took Jeannette to the hospital but they did not notice that her legs were broken. She then went to the police to file a complaint against her husband and the mistress. The police noticed that at least one of Jeannette’s legs were broken and went out searching for the husband. They found him in town and forced him to return to the hospital with Jeannette. The doctor said that the couple needed to take Jeannette to Ouayaghuia to the hospital for x-rays. But, the father refused to take her saying that he did not have the means and that he wanted to treat her with traditional methods.
When the family returned to their courtyard, the chef of the family kicked Jeannette’s mother out of the courtyard saying that she was the cause of all of this trouble. He gave Jeannette to her grandmother to care for her.
Now since Jeannette’s mother came to the orphanage to talk with us and also went to Social Action, she has been kicked out of her parents’ courtyard! Social Action has agreed to talk with the chef of her family to ask for forgiveness and to try to help reconcile the family. At the same time, we are looking into a couple of centers in Ouaga who receive young women like this who have been excluded from their family courtyards.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit for us and for Social Action. Jeannette’s mother does not want Jeannette to return to her father’s courtyard. She wants to care for her child. The best solution would be for her to remain in her family courtyard. But, if this is not possible please pray that we will be able to find a safe place for them in one of these special centers in Ouaga.
With love,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
This is a ‘Jeannette’ update. This saga continues but I think that we are getting closer and closer to knowing the truth of the story.
Jeannette’s leg seems to be better. She is immobilized in a splint and she does not cry even when she is moved around to change her diaper or to pick her up. This is improvement.
Jeannette’s father told us when he brought her to us, that her mother had left Burkina for the Ivory Coast with another man and that he did not have anyone in the courtyard to care for Jeannette. Well, we found out this past week that this is not true. Jeannette’s mother is in Yako living in her parents’ courtyard, not far from the father’s courtyard. We called the mother to come to the orphanage and talk with us and then took her to Social Action so that the agent that we are working with there could hear the other side of this story.
Jeannette’s mother found out about a year ago that her husband was being unfaithful to her. She confronted him on this but he refused to admit it and to stop seeing the other woman. Around this same time, her husband’s mistress approached the mother accusing her of spreading a rumor that she was pregnant by Jeannette’s father. Jeannette was on her mother’s back at this time and the two women started fighting. The mother fell backwards onto Jeannette, breaking both of her legs and scratching and injuring her face.
Mother took Jeannette to the hospital but they did not notice that her legs were broken. She then went to the police to file a complaint against her husband and the mistress. The police noticed that at least one of Jeannette’s legs were broken and went out searching for the husband. They found him in town and forced him to return to the hospital with Jeannette. The doctor said that the couple needed to take Jeannette to Ouayaghuia to the hospital for x-rays. But, the father refused to take her saying that he did not have the means and that he wanted to treat her with traditional methods.
When the family returned to their courtyard, the chef of the family kicked Jeannette’s mother out of the courtyard saying that she was the cause of all of this trouble. He gave Jeannette to her grandmother to care for her.
Now since Jeannette’s mother came to the orphanage to talk with us and also went to Social Action, she has been kicked out of her parents’ courtyard! Social Action has agreed to talk with the chef of her family to ask for forgiveness and to try to help reconcile the family. At the same time, we are looking into a couple of centers in Ouaga who receive young women like this who have been excluded from their family courtyards.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit for us and for Social Action. Jeannette’s mother does not want Jeannette to return to her father’s courtyard. She wants to care for her child. The best solution would be for her to remain in her family courtyard. But, if this is not possible please pray that we will be able to find a safe place for them in one of these special centers in Ouaga.
With love,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Sunday, August 12, 2007
August 7, 2007 update
Dear Family and Friends, August 7, 2007
Greetings from Burkina!
Life is moving fast and furious pace here in Yako but the Lord is in the midst of all and we are resting in His grace and favor.
The rains have continued to be good this year. Our peanuts and beans are now small plants and our corn is about 2 feet high. Our children have been very diligently clearing the fields of weeds after each rain. They have also been diligently studying French and math so we are hopeful that the 2007-2008 school year will be much more successful than this past year.
I introduced Jeannette to you the last time that I wrote. Working with Jeannette’s family has been a great challenge. Her father has consistently lied to us and even now we are not sure that we really know the history of this child. This past week, we took Jeannette to the hospital because of pain in her leg. She would not move it on her own and whenever anyone touched her she cried. Well, an x-ray showed that Jeannette’s leg is broken. We called the father again to the orphanage and he admitted that he knew that the leg was broken but he did not tell us about it when he brought her to us. He said that he did not know how or when the break occurred.
Jeannette’s leg has been set and immobilized in a splint. Please pray that her little bones will completely and quickly heal. Please pray also that her father will understand his responsibility to his child and see that she is properly cared for when she leaves the orphanage.
Another little baby, Nemata, was hospitalized in Ouayighuia and was diagnosed to be HIV positive and to have Noma. This little one was also severely malnourished. We received a call this past week that Nemata had died. As hard as it sounds, it is the grace of the Lord that Nemata is no longer suffering in the hospital. We are working with Social Action to see that her mother and father are adequately instructed about AIDS so that they can get care for themselves and protect others.
This week we learned that 2 of our babies have scabies. Yikes! We have been treating them for 2 months through our local hospital but they were not getting better. As it turns out, they were not correctly diagnosed and they were receiving the wrong treatment. We took them yesterday to see Dr. Zala in Ouayighuia who immediately diagnosed them to have scabies and prescribed the correct treatment for them. The treatment is not complicated and tomorrow we will wash and boil all of the babies’ clothes, sheets, diapers, etc., and then bath the babies with the medicine. Dr. Zala has assured us that this will kill all of the parasites and set our babies free from their terrible itching.
Lots of rather difficult things to tell you about this time! But, we also have been enjoying several special gifts from the Lord. We have been blessed this summer with several short-term workers who have come to us through SIM and SIL, other mission organizations working in Burkina. Some of the girls have come for just 2 or 3 weeks and one has come for 5 weeks. These girls have cared for, played with, and loved on our babies and the babies have thrived under all of this attention.
We also have received 3 visitors from the St Louis area. Sarah Torretta was with us for 2 weeks. Sarah teaches French in a middle school in STL. Each day Sarah worked with our primary school children strengthening their French and reading skills and teaching them to tell time. Jenny Griebel and Heather Romine are pediatric nurses and have spent two weeks with us. They also have played with and cared for our babies as well as helped us with medical needs. As nurses coming from the sterile and hygienic climate of American hospitals they have been very quick to adjust and adapt to some of our difficult situations here. We are thankful to the Lord for each of these visitors and for all the help and gifts that they brought to our children.
Josie and Bea, two of our girls, have finished their nursing training and have returned to the orphanage. We are so proud of their accomplishments and they are very glad to be finished with this phase of their studies. Dr. Zala has consented for them to do a 1 to 2 month internship with him at his pediatric clinic in Ouayighuia. This will give the girls invaluable experience and exposure to the various tropical diseases that they will be dealing with here. Already after just one week to rest and to visit their families in the village, they have taken over the distribution of our medicine in the orphanage. They have started temperature and growth charts for each child and a separate record for the medical treatment for each child.
Well, I must close for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my blogs. May the Lord richly bless you. Please pray for the protection and favor of the Lord for each one of us and for each of our children.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Greetings from Burkina!
Life is moving fast and furious pace here in Yako but the Lord is in the midst of all and we are resting in His grace and favor.
The rains have continued to be good this year. Our peanuts and beans are now small plants and our corn is about 2 feet high. Our children have been very diligently clearing the fields of weeds after each rain. They have also been diligently studying French and math so we are hopeful that the 2007-2008 school year will be much more successful than this past year.
I introduced Jeannette to you the last time that I wrote. Working with Jeannette’s family has been a great challenge. Her father has consistently lied to us and even now we are not sure that we really know the history of this child. This past week, we took Jeannette to the hospital because of pain in her leg. She would not move it on her own and whenever anyone touched her she cried. Well, an x-ray showed that Jeannette’s leg is broken. We called the father again to the orphanage and he admitted that he knew that the leg was broken but he did not tell us about it when he brought her to us. He said that he did not know how or when the break occurred.
Jeannette’s leg has been set and immobilized in a splint. Please pray that her little bones will completely and quickly heal. Please pray also that her father will understand his responsibility to his child and see that she is properly cared for when she leaves the orphanage.
Another little baby, Nemata, was hospitalized in Ouayighuia and was diagnosed to be HIV positive and to have Noma. This little one was also severely malnourished. We received a call this past week that Nemata had died. As hard as it sounds, it is the grace of the Lord that Nemata is no longer suffering in the hospital. We are working with Social Action to see that her mother and father are adequately instructed about AIDS so that they can get care for themselves and protect others.
This week we learned that 2 of our babies have scabies. Yikes! We have been treating them for 2 months through our local hospital but they were not getting better. As it turns out, they were not correctly diagnosed and they were receiving the wrong treatment. We took them yesterday to see Dr. Zala in Ouayighuia who immediately diagnosed them to have scabies and prescribed the correct treatment for them. The treatment is not complicated and tomorrow we will wash and boil all of the babies’ clothes, sheets, diapers, etc., and then bath the babies with the medicine. Dr. Zala has assured us that this will kill all of the parasites and set our babies free from their terrible itching.
Lots of rather difficult things to tell you about this time! But, we also have been enjoying several special gifts from the Lord. We have been blessed this summer with several short-term workers who have come to us through SIM and SIL, other mission organizations working in Burkina. Some of the girls have come for just 2 or 3 weeks and one has come for 5 weeks. These girls have cared for, played with, and loved on our babies and the babies have thrived under all of this attention.
We also have received 3 visitors from the St Louis area. Sarah Torretta was with us for 2 weeks. Sarah teaches French in a middle school in STL. Each day Sarah worked with our primary school children strengthening their French and reading skills and teaching them to tell time. Jenny Griebel and Heather Romine are pediatric nurses and have spent two weeks with us. They also have played with and cared for our babies as well as helped us with medical needs. As nurses coming from the sterile and hygienic climate of American hospitals they have been very quick to adjust and adapt to some of our difficult situations here. We are thankful to the Lord for each of these visitors and for all the help and gifts that they brought to our children.
Josie and Bea, two of our girls, have finished their nursing training and have returned to the orphanage. We are so proud of their accomplishments and they are very glad to be finished with this phase of their studies. Dr. Zala has consented for them to do a 1 to 2 month internship with him at his pediatric clinic in Ouayighuia. This will give the girls invaluable experience and exposure to the various tropical diseases that they will be dealing with here. Already after just one week to rest and to visit their families in the village, they have taken over the distribution of our medicine in the orphanage. They have started temperature and growth charts for each child and a separate record for the medical treatment for each child.
Well, I must close for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my blogs. May the Lord richly bless you. Please pray for the protection and favor of the Lord for each one of us and for each of our children.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Monday, July 16, 2007
July 16, 2007
Dear Family and Friends, July 16, 2007
Finally, the rains have started and everyone is happily working in their fields. The orphanage is planting two fields this year. One is a field of peanuts and the other is corn and beans. Our children are also working in one corner of our courtyard. Each child has a small portion of land where they can plant whatever they want. Some have planted corn and millet. Some have planted tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. One boy planted watermelon. . . how fun is that! Some have planted okra. Some have planted peanuts.
In addition to working in our fields, our children have been diligently studying French and math this summer. We have two classes of two different levels for each subject. We have hired two local high school teachers, one for French and one for math, for the more advanced students. Valentin and Ernest are teaching the children in the lower level. The children’s attitude towards all of this work is really positive and we are thankful for these children that God has given to us.
We received another new baby last week named Jeannette. Jeannette came to us through Social Action with the story that she was 9 months old and that her mother had abandoned her. After just a short time with Jeannette we discovered that physically she is much smaller than 9 months but developmentally, she is much advanced for 9 months. As it turns out, Jeannette is actually about 22 months old. She is severely malnourished. Social Action has attempted to contact her father but according to the extended family, he has left the area and they do not know where he has gone. Only time will tell the real story for this child but for now we are giving her a vitamin substitute called Ambrotose, and as much food as she will take.
Please continue to pray for Thérèse, our little one with the enlarged heart. We took her back to see the heart specialist and she changed most of Thérèse’s medications. She explained that for some of them it was only safe to be on them for a certain amount of time. Please pray that the Lord will heal Thérèse. The medical expertise that she needs is just not available here in Burkina but our God is the Great Physician who can heal her.
I went back to Ouahighuia this past week to see Nemata who is HIV positive and suffering with Noma. She is still a very sick little girl. Please pray that our merciful God will heal her or else take her to be with Him. She is suffering terribly and so is the grandmother who is caring for her.
While in Ouahighuia (OHG), my truck broke down. It started making a terrible noise and lost all power. Dr. Zala recommended a mechanic who is currently working on it. It is really hard to find a good mechanic here. We have a good mechanic in Ouagadougou but OHG is 180 kilometers from Ouaga. Please pray that this mechanic will ‘really’ be able to fix our truck and not just a patch which would continue to give us trouble.
We applied for and have been assigned a Peace Corps volunteer to work with our soap and weaving projects. There is a new program in the Peace Corps here in Burkina which allows volunteers to work in small enterprise projects and our soap and weaving projects qualified. Sarah arrived this week and is currently learning how to make soap and how to weave. She will be responsible for managing these projects and will be marketing the sales of our products.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Finally, the rains have started and everyone is happily working in their fields. The orphanage is planting two fields this year. One is a field of peanuts and the other is corn and beans. Our children are also working in one corner of our courtyard. Each child has a small portion of land where they can plant whatever they want. Some have planted corn and millet. Some have planted tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. One boy planted watermelon. . . how fun is that! Some have planted okra. Some have planted peanuts.
In addition to working in our fields, our children have been diligently studying French and math this summer. We have two classes of two different levels for each subject. We have hired two local high school teachers, one for French and one for math, for the more advanced students. Valentin and Ernest are teaching the children in the lower level. The children’s attitude towards all of this work is really positive and we are thankful for these children that God has given to us.
We received another new baby last week named Jeannette. Jeannette came to us through Social Action with the story that she was 9 months old and that her mother had abandoned her. After just a short time with Jeannette we discovered that physically she is much smaller than 9 months but developmentally, she is much advanced for 9 months. As it turns out, Jeannette is actually about 22 months old. She is severely malnourished. Social Action has attempted to contact her father but according to the extended family, he has left the area and they do not know where he has gone. Only time will tell the real story for this child but for now we are giving her a vitamin substitute called Ambrotose, and as much food as she will take.
Please continue to pray for Thérèse, our little one with the enlarged heart. We took her back to see the heart specialist and she changed most of Thérèse’s medications. She explained that for some of them it was only safe to be on them for a certain amount of time. Please pray that the Lord will heal Thérèse. The medical expertise that she needs is just not available here in Burkina but our God is the Great Physician who can heal her.
I went back to Ouahighuia this past week to see Nemata who is HIV positive and suffering with Noma. She is still a very sick little girl. Please pray that our merciful God will heal her or else take her to be with Him. She is suffering terribly and so is the grandmother who is caring for her.
While in Ouahighuia (OHG), my truck broke down. It started making a terrible noise and lost all power. Dr. Zala recommended a mechanic who is currently working on it. It is really hard to find a good mechanic here. We have a good mechanic in Ouagadougou but OHG is 180 kilometers from Ouaga. Please pray that this mechanic will ‘really’ be able to fix our truck and not just a patch which would continue to give us trouble.
We applied for and have been assigned a Peace Corps volunteer to work with our soap and weaving projects. There is a new program in the Peace Corps here in Burkina which allows volunteers to work in small enterprise projects and our soap and weaving projects qualified. Sarah arrived this week and is currently learning how to make soap and how to weave. She will be responsible for managing these projects and will be marketing the sales of our products.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Friday, July 06, 2007
Week of June 27, 2007
Dear Family and Friends, June 27, 2007
The past month has passed so quickly! There is no way that I can write about all that has happened but I will try to give you a condensed version of our activities.
We have received news a couple of times from Tene and her adoptive parents in France and they are doing wonderfully well. They sent us two beautiful pictures of Tene playing at school and in a field of flowers with two of her new friends.
I recently returned from spending a week in Ghana where I took a course entitled ‘Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills’. The course was excellent and we were a class representing 8 nations. The discussions were interesting and were seasoned with various cultural backgrounds and perspectives.
Last week was really hard in that several families with very sick children came to us asking for help. The first were 15 month old malnourished twin boys, Seni and Lassane, who weighed just 8 and 10 pounds respectively. We took them to Ouahighuiya where they were hospitalized. They will be treated with IVs and antibiotics until they are well and then will transfer to a Cren, a special clinic for malnourished children. At the Cren, they will receive good nutrition and their mother will be trained in how to continue the care of the children.
Then 2 days later, a grandmother came by with a little girl, Nemata, who was also malnourished and was suffering from noma. Noma is a disfiguring disease caused by poor dental hygiene. The disease is easily treated with antibiotics if it is diagnosed early but Nemata’s case is advance and has already started eating away parts of her gums, lips, and nose. We took Nemata to Ouahighuiya also where she was hospitalized. Blood tests at the hospital revealed that Nemata is also HIV positive so she has been transferred to another clinic to see if there is medicine available that can help her.
Then 2 days later, our little Therese fell to the ground, unconscious. We rushed her to the Yako hospital where the nurse inserted an IV and started treatment for malaria. I was not comfortable with this diagnosis and again made the trip to Ouahighuiya. Blood work there indicated that she had a bacterial infection and she was treated with antibiotics. This next week we will take her to Ouagadougou to see the heart specialist to be sure that the dosage of her heart medicine is still working properly for her.
We have been blessed with some wonderful visitors this past month. Nichole’s brother, John, has been visiting for 3 weeks and will be returning to the States this evening. John was an absolute joy to have with us and the children all love him. He played soccer with the big boys, played games with the little children, played with and packed around babies, participated in the widow’s distribution, ate tô, and opened his heart to see and experience everything that he could.
Arienne, from Canada, and Rebeccah, from the US, are also visiting right now for a period of two weeks. These girls are doing internships through their universities and have come to us through the mission organization, SIM. Arienne speaks French and Rebeccah is studying French so these girls have slipped right into daily life with us and are playing with and caring for our children.
Lynn returned from a 3 month visit home and it is great to have her back with us. The school year for the primary children is almost over and our school ranked first out of the seven primary schools in our community. This ranking is based on standardized testing that is given three times a year.
And, Ami Galaske joined us two weeks ago. Ami is from Columbia, MO and she has been to Burkina 4 times now. This time she has made a commitment to work with us for one year. Ami has finished her undergraduate work and is doing an extended internship with us through her university. Ami will have the opportunity to work in all of our projects and she is especially interested in continuing her studies at home to work in international adoptions.
We have received three new babies this month. Dieudonne is a little newborn boy whose mother is not well mentally. She gave birth in Gourcey, a small village nearby, and Social Action called us and asked us to take the baby. Social Action will do an investigation to try and find the family of the mother and to identify the father but if these efforts fail, Dieudonne will be available for adoption. We named him Dieudonne because this name means ‘given by God’.
Ibrahim is a little 12 month old boy who is the product of cousins within the same family. The mother is very young and the father is already married with two children. Because of the shame and embarrassment of this situation in the Mossi culture, Ibrahim does not have a place in either of his parents’ families. After a thorough investigation by Social Action, Ibrahim will most likely be available for adoption.
Another newborn, Harounna, came to us this month through Social Action. Harounna’s mother died shortly after giving birth and there is no one in the family who can care for him. We will keep Harounna for 12 months or so giving his father time to adjust and either find a new wife to care for the baby or else someone else in the extended family who can care for him.
So these are glimpses of daily life in Burkina.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
The past month has passed so quickly! There is no way that I can write about all that has happened but I will try to give you a condensed version of our activities.
We have received news a couple of times from Tene and her adoptive parents in France and they are doing wonderfully well. They sent us two beautiful pictures of Tene playing at school and in a field of flowers with two of her new friends.
I recently returned from spending a week in Ghana where I took a course entitled ‘Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills’. The course was excellent and we were a class representing 8 nations. The discussions were interesting and were seasoned with various cultural backgrounds and perspectives.
Last week was really hard in that several families with very sick children came to us asking for help. The first were 15 month old malnourished twin boys, Seni and Lassane, who weighed just 8 and 10 pounds respectively. We took them to Ouahighuiya where they were hospitalized. They will be treated with IVs and antibiotics until they are well and then will transfer to a Cren, a special clinic for malnourished children. At the Cren, they will receive good nutrition and their mother will be trained in how to continue the care of the children.
Then 2 days later, a grandmother came by with a little girl, Nemata, who was also malnourished and was suffering from noma. Noma is a disfiguring disease caused by poor dental hygiene. The disease is easily treated with antibiotics if it is diagnosed early but Nemata’s case is advance and has already started eating away parts of her gums, lips, and nose. We took Nemata to Ouahighuiya also where she was hospitalized. Blood tests at the hospital revealed that Nemata is also HIV positive so she has been transferred to another clinic to see if there is medicine available that can help her.
Then 2 days later, our little Therese fell to the ground, unconscious. We rushed her to the Yako hospital where the nurse inserted an IV and started treatment for malaria. I was not comfortable with this diagnosis and again made the trip to Ouahighuiya. Blood work there indicated that she had a bacterial infection and she was treated with antibiotics. This next week we will take her to Ouagadougou to see the heart specialist to be sure that the dosage of her heart medicine is still working properly for her.
We have been blessed with some wonderful visitors this past month. Nichole’s brother, John, has been visiting for 3 weeks and will be returning to the States this evening. John was an absolute joy to have with us and the children all love him. He played soccer with the big boys, played games with the little children, played with and packed around babies, participated in the widow’s distribution, ate tô, and opened his heart to see and experience everything that he could.
Arienne, from Canada, and Rebeccah, from the US, are also visiting right now for a period of two weeks. These girls are doing internships through their universities and have come to us through the mission organization, SIM. Arienne speaks French and Rebeccah is studying French so these girls have slipped right into daily life with us and are playing with and caring for our children.
Lynn returned from a 3 month visit home and it is great to have her back with us. The school year for the primary children is almost over and our school ranked first out of the seven primary schools in our community. This ranking is based on standardized testing that is given three times a year.
And, Ami Galaske joined us two weeks ago. Ami is from Columbia, MO and she has been to Burkina 4 times now. This time she has made a commitment to work with us for one year. Ami has finished her undergraduate work and is doing an extended internship with us through her university. Ami will have the opportunity to work in all of our projects and she is especially interested in continuing her studies at home to work in international adoptions.
We have received three new babies this month. Dieudonne is a little newborn boy whose mother is not well mentally. She gave birth in Gourcey, a small village nearby, and Social Action called us and asked us to take the baby. Social Action will do an investigation to try and find the family of the mother and to identify the father but if these efforts fail, Dieudonne will be available for adoption. We named him Dieudonne because this name means ‘given by God’.
Ibrahim is a little 12 month old boy who is the product of cousins within the same family. The mother is very young and the father is already married with two children. Because of the shame and embarrassment of this situation in the Mossi culture, Ibrahim does not have a place in either of his parents’ families. After a thorough investigation by Social Action, Ibrahim will most likely be available for adoption.
Another newborn, Harounna, came to us this month through Social Action. Harounna’s mother died shortly after giving birth and there is no one in the family who can care for him. We will keep Harounna for 12 months or so giving his father time to adjust and either find a new wife to care for the baby or else someone else in the extended family who can care for him.
So these are glimpses of daily life in Burkina.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Our 5th Adoption--
Dear Family and Friends, May 27, 2007
Since last writing, our little Téné has met her new family and has left for France. Téné’s parents and her older brother, Eloi, spent a wonderful week with us in Yako getting acquainted with each other and learning a little about Téné’s culture and life-style. It was hard to say ‘good-bye’ to Téné but we are thankful for this family and for the new life that the Lord has given to her.
Thérèse, our little one with an enlarged heart, is still with us and is still doing well. Her heart medicine is helping to stabilize her heart and the congestion in her chest is under control with cough medicine and decongestants. We are in a holding pattern regarding Thérèse because we do not have any news from the States regarding her visa.
The 2006-2007 school year is almost over and our children are looking forward to a little break from their studies. They will take about 10 days to go and visit their families and then they will return for additional help in French and in math. We are hiring teachers this year to come to our courtyard to tutor our children in these subjects. Most of the problems that our children have in school are in math and because of poor French skills. We are hoping that by working really hard this summer everyone will have a better chance of success next year in school.
Valentin and his wife, Monique, and their baby, Wendpanga, have returned to spend the summer vacation with us. Valentin has completed the first year in a three year course of Bible School. Valentin will be teaching math and will be responsible, with the help of our children, for the planting of two fields. This year we will plant a field of millet and beans and a field of peanuts.
We have a small construction project in process. Thanks to a very generous gift from some friends who visited us in March, we are constructing an iron fence around the back terrace of the orphanage. This will give us expanded and safe crawl space for our babies which will also get them out of their rooms and out in the fresh air.
We have had 2 good rains already this year and everyone is very happy about this. Some have already started working their fields in preparation of one more good rain and then planting will start. The temperatures have been unusually high recently but as soon as the rains start we will have cooler and much more tolerable temperatures.
From time to time someone reads my blog and then sends me a note or comment. I appreciate this very much and enjoy hearing from you. But, if you want a response, please include your email address when you write so that I can write back.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Since last writing, our little Téné has met her new family and has left for France. Téné’s parents and her older brother, Eloi, spent a wonderful week with us in Yako getting acquainted with each other and learning a little about Téné’s culture and life-style. It was hard to say ‘good-bye’ to Téné but we are thankful for this family and for the new life that the Lord has given to her.
Thérèse, our little one with an enlarged heart, is still with us and is still doing well. Her heart medicine is helping to stabilize her heart and the congestion in her chest is under control with cough medicine and decongestants. We are in a holding pattern regarding Thérèse because we do not have any news from the States regarding her visa.
The 2006-2007 school year is almost over and our children are looking forward to a little break from their studies. They will take about 10 days to go and visit their families and then they will return for additional help in French and in math. We are hiring teachers this year to come to our courtyard to tutor our children in these subjects. Most of the problems that our children have in school are in math and because of poor French skills. We are hoping that by working really hard this summer everyone will have a better chance of success next year in school.
Valentin and his wife, Monique, and their baby, Wendpanga, have returned to spend the summer vacation with us. Valentin has completed the first year in a three year course of Bible School. Valentin will be teaching math and will be responsible, with the help of our children, for the planting of two fields. This year we will plant a field of millet and beans and a field of peanuts.
We have a small construction project in process. Thanks to a very generous gift from some friends who visited us in March, we are constructing an iron fence around the back terrace of the orphanage. This will give us expanded and safe crawl space for our babies which will also get them out of their rooms and out in the fresh air.
We have had 2 good rains already this year and everyone is very happy about this. Some have already started working their fields in preparation of one more good rain and then planting will start. The temperatures have been unusually high recently but as soon as the rains start we will have cooler and much more tolerable temperatures.
From time to time someone reads my blog and then sends me a note or comment. I appreciate this very much and enjoy hearing from you. But, if you want a response, please include your email address when you write so that I can write back.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Another day from Burkina--
Dear Family and Friends, April 30, 2007
I had set a personal goal to blog once a week. . . but it has already been more than a month since I have written. Ah well, time passes so quickly. Sometimes try as I may, it is hard to keep up.
The 2006-2007 school year is almost over. Somewhere around mid-May, depending on when the rains come and on whether the student is in a standardized-exam-year, classes will be over. In our primary school, the children are still diligently studying and yet at the same time there is the feeling in the air that everyone knows that school is almost over.
It has been a hard year for several of our older children in the orphanage. Some have worked hard and some have not. The public school system is not well organized and does not offer much help or support to a student who is struggling in his studies. It is looking like several of our children will not pass. We are still waiting for the final grades, of course, and we are praying that they have all done well enough this 3rd trimester to allow them to have a passing grade for the year.
On April 16th, Téné’s adoption case went before the judge here in Yako and she was officially declared adopted into the Alonzo family in France. Téné’s parents have already bought their air tickets and will be coming for her on May 19th. Téné will be integrating into a beautiful family where she will have 2 older brothers.
Also in April, Dieudonne, was officially adopted by a local Burkinabé couple. Dieudonne came to us as a newborn who had been abandoned outside a Catholic sisters’ home. When he was just 6 months old the couple asked for him and at 8 months of age, they took him into their home as one or their own. Dieudonne, which means ‘given by God’ is now almost 2 years old and he is living in a family with one older brother and a new baby brother.
Another of our little ones, Perpetue, is 16 months old and her case will go before the judge on May 14th. Perpetue’s mother is just 17 years old and still a student. Her father is a married man with 3 children. Because of the circumstance of her conception and birth, there is no place for Perpetue in either of her parents’ families. We expect that the judge will release Perpetue for adoption but we must wait for the final decision before we can say that she is available.
Many of you have been very involved in the story of little Therese. I had hoped to be able to tell you the final chapter of this story but we are still waiting and praying for positive responses from the States. Therese is a little 6 year old who has an enlarged heart which cannot be treated here in Burkina. We have been in contact with two organizations in the States which bring children from all over the world to the States for medical care. One organization has responded that they believe Therese needs a heart transplant and they cannot write a letter of invitation or guarantee free medical care for a case as serious as this. We are still waiting to hear from the other organization but we are beginning to lose hope that medical treatment will be the avenue of help for Therese.
For several weeks Therese has been doing very well. But, in the last few days she is coughing a lot, has congestion in her chest, and is having trouble breathing.
Please pray for Therese. We believe that Jesus can perform a creative miracle and give Therese a new heart.
We received a new baby this past Tuesday. His name is Ousmane and he was born on April 27th. Ousmane has 4 older siblings. His mother is still living but she is not well mentally. She was fine before but sometime during her pregnancy she started talking strange and doing strange things. When the baby was born, she refused to care for him and even tried to kill him. The father contacted Social Action and they asked if we had room to care for one more baby.
Ousmane weighed almost 6 pounds at birth which is huge for a newborn baby here. He is already taking 2 to 3 ounces of milk at a feeding. We will take care of Ousmane until he is around one year old and then he will integrate back into his family. His father told us that even if his mother is not yet well, there will be an aunt or a grandmother who will take care of him.
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Mali last month with Soniya Carvalho and her daughter, Lara, and Lara’s friend, Cleo. We drove to Bangdiagara where we spent 2 days touring Dogon Country and then flew to Timbuktu. Both of these areas are very developed for tourism and were very interesting. And yes, I bought a T-shirt that says I’ve been to Timbuktu and back!
This past weekend was the monthly food distribution for our sponsored widows. All of our widows are doing well. Outside of aches and pains that go along with old age, no one had specific complaints. One woman had huge ulcer on her ankle that we have been treating for months. But she showed us that the sore was now completely healed. Several women said that after we prayed with them last month, their pain or their sickness went away. Praise God! It is a joy to visit these ladies each month, to give them a hug, to pray with them, and to give them the tangible love of Jesus in a basket of rice and some vegetables.
Well, I must close for now. Please pray for us whenever the Holy Spirit brings us to your mind. God is doing wonderful things in our midst everyday. We rejoice in His love and mercy.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
I had set a personal goal to blog once a week. . . but it has already been more than a month since I have written. Ah well, time passes so quickly. Sometimes try as I may, it is hard to keep up.
The 2006-2007 school year is almost over. Somewhere around mid-May, depending on when the rains come and on whether the student is in a standardized-exam-year, classes will be over. In our primary school, the children are still diligently studying and yet at the same time there is the feeling in the air that everyone knows that school is almost over.
It has been a hard year for several of our older children in the orphanage. Some have worked hard and some have not. The public school system is not well organized and does not offer much help or support to a student who is struggling in his studies. It is looking like several of our children will not pass. We are still waiting for the final grades, of course, and we are praying that they have all done well enough this 3rd trimester to allow them to have a passing grade for the year.
On April 16th, Téné’s adoption case went before the judge here in Yako and she was officially declared adopted into the Alonzo family in France. Téné’s parents have already bought their air tickets and will be coming for her on May 19th. Téné will be integrating into a beautiful family where she will have 2 older brothers.
Also in April, Dieudonne, was officially adopted by a local Burkinabé couple. Dieudonne came to us as a newborn who had been abandoned outside a Catholic sisters’ home. When he was just 6 months old the couple asked for him and at 8 months of age, they took him into their home as one or their own. Dieudonne, which means ‘given by God’ is now almost 2 years old and he is living in a family with one older brother and a new baby brother.
Another of our little ones, Perpetue, is 16 months old and her case will go before the judge on May 14th. Perpetue’s mother is just 17 years old and still a student. Her father is a married man with 3 children. Because of the circumstance of her conception and birth, there is no place for Perpetue in either of her parents’ families. We expect that the judge will release Perpetue for adoption but we must wait for the final decision before we can say that she is available.
Many of you have been very involved in the story of little Therese. I had hoped to be able to tell you the final chapter of this story but we are still waiting and praying for positive responses from the States. Therese is a little 6 year old who has an enlarged heart which cannot be treated here in Burkina. We have been in contact with two organizations in the States which bring children from all over the world to the States for medical care. One organization has responded that they believe Therese needs a heart transplant and they cannot write a letter of invitation or guarantee free medical care for a case as serious as this. We are still waiting to hear from the other organization but we are beginning to lose hope that medical treatment will be the avenue of help for Therese.
For several weeks Therese has been doing very well. But, in the last few days she is coughing a lot, has congestion in her chest, and is having trouble breathing.
Please pray for Therese. We believe that Jesus can perform a creative miracle and give Therese a new heart.
We received a new baby this past Tuesday. His name is Ousmane and he was born on April 27th. Ousmane has 4 older siblings. His mother is still living but she is not well mentally. She was fine before but sometime during her pregnancy she started talking strange and doing strange things. When the baby was born, she refused to care for him and even tried to kill him. The father contacted Social Action and they asked if we had room to care for one more baby.
Ousmane weighed almost 6 pounds at birth which is huge for a newborn baby here. He is already taking 2 to 3 ounces of milk at a feeding. We will take care of Ousmane until he is around one year old and then he will integrate back into his family. His father told us that even if his mother is not yet well, there will be an aunt or a grandmother who will take care of him.
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Mali last month with Soniya Carvalho and her daughter, Lara, and Lara’s friend, Cleo. We drove to Bangdiagara where we spent 2 days touring Dogon Country and then flew to Timbuktu. Both of these areas are very developed for tourism and were very interesting. And yes, I bought a T-shirt that says I’ve been to Timbuktu and back!
This past weekend was the monthly food distribution for our sponsored widows. All of our widows are doing well. Outside of aches and pains that go along with old age, no one had specific complaints. One woman had huge ulcer on her ankle that we have been treating for months. But she showed us that the sore was now completely healed. Several women said that after we prayed with them last month, their pain or their sickness went away. Praise God! It is a joy to visit these ladies each month, to give them a hug, to pray with them, and to give them the tangible love of Jesus in a basket of rice and some vegetables.
Well, I must close for now. Please pray for us whenever the Holy Spirit brings us to your mind. God is doing wonderful things in our midst everyday. We rejoice in His love and mercy.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Please pray for Therese--
Dear Family and Friends March 24, 2007
The hottest part of the dry season has been slow in coming this year and we are very thankful for this. The temperatures reach 100+ in our house each afternoon the but the evenings are still cooling down so that we are able to sleep well.
We have received news from the family who is hosting Grace and she is doing very well. She is gaining weight, gaining strength, and growing; she can now turn from her stomach to her back and then back to her stomach again; she is laughing and smiling and trying to talk; she is reaching and grabbing for toys; all of which she was not doing at 8 months of age when she left here to go to the States for medical care. Because of being premature, Grace was not growing and gaining weight because her little body was not able to digest protein. She also has developed asthma which also is rather normal for premature babies. But, with special formula and asthma treatment, Grace is growing and thriving.
Right now we are fighting for the life of another of our little ones, Therese. Therese came to the orphanage in January with a ‘heart program’ but because of limited technology and expertise here, we did not know just how sick Therese was. About a week ago, Therese came down with a fever and needed to be hospitalized. Within just 2 days, Therese was having difficulty breathing and had become very weak. We took Therese to see Dr Zala, a pediatrician that we know and trust in Ouayaghuia who confirmed that Therese has an enlarged heart that he feels is treatable by surgery but that this surgery is not possible here in Burkina. He also stressed that Therese would not live much longer without this surgery.
We had tried to send Therese to the US in January for treatment but because we cannot get a clear and accurate diagnosis, it is difficult to get a doctor to write a letter of invitation for a case like this. But, with renewed urgency we again contacted Lending Light Ministries in the Boston area and asked whether there was any chance of getting Therese to the States.
God is in control and His timing is perfect! In just one week, we have secured letters from a doctor and a hospital in the States, we have a signed parental consent from Therese’s parents and Therese has received her Burkina Faso passport. The only remaining things needed are her US visa and the money for air tickets for Therese and an escort. With the grace and favor of the Lord, Therese will be in the States within a week or 10 days from now.
We received a call this week from the national office of Social Action asking whether we had room for 2 more children. These children have lost both their mother and their father and the aunt who is caring for them works in a bar. She works from 1 in the afternoon until 2 or 3 in the morning. The aunt takes the 18 month old baby to work with her and leaves the 5 year old boy at home, usually alone. The little boy was found on the streets by a Social Action Agent and that is how they became aware of the difficult situation of these children.
Our house is already full but how can we turn away these children? Even though my head says that we do not have the room, my heart cannot turn these children away. So, next Tuesday, our family will increase by two more children.
The work of processing adoptions, both international and national, continues to consume a good portion of my time. We have 4 adoptions still in process, 2 to France, 1 to Italy, and one to a local Burkinabé couple. We have received requests for a child from 2 new Burkina couples and one couple from the States. What a joy it is to prepare a child for an adoptive family and then to see them introduced and integrated into their new family!
We received a note and photos from Paul and his parents in France this week. Paul is 4 years old now and by his photo he looks like he has grown 6 inches or more. His mama wrote that he loves to study, to color, and to ride with his bike. He is speaking fluent French and learning his letters and numbers.
We also regularly receive notes and photos from the parents of Jacques in France and Stephane in America. Both of these boys are also doing well in their families and have grown a lot.
I must close for now. The mechanic just came by to pick up my truck for some minor repairs. Some friends from Washington DC are coming in this evening and we are leaving tomorrow for a 5 day trip to Mali. We are going to visit Dogon Country and then continue to Timbuktu. I am looking forward to a little time away for rest and also to seeing these tourist sights.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
The hottest part of the dry season has been slow in coming this year and we are very thankful for this. The temperatures reach 100+ in our house each afternoon the but the evenings are still cooling down so that we are able to sleep well.
We have received news from the family who is hosting Grace and she is doing very well. She is gaining weight, gaining strength, and growing; she can now turn from her stomach to her back and then back to her stomach again; she is laughing and smiling and trying to talk; she is reaching and grabbing for toys; all of which she was not doing at 8 months of age when she left here to go to the States for medical care. Because of being premature, Grace was not growing and gaining weight because her little body was not able to digest protein. She also has developed asthma which also is rather normal for premature babies. But, with special formula and asthma treatment, Grace is growing and thriving.
Right now we are fighting for the life of another of our little ones, Therese. Therese came to the orphanage in January with a ‘heart program’ but because of limited technology and expertise here, we did not know just how sick Therese was. About a week ago, Therese came down with a fever and needed to be hospitalized. Within just 2 days, Therese was having difficulty breathing and had become very weak. We took Therese to see Dr Zala, a pediatrician that we know and trust in Ouayaghuia who confirmed that Therese has an enlarged heart that he feels is treatable by surgery but that this surgery is not possible here in Burkina. He also stressed that Therese would not live much longer without this surgery.
We had tried to send Therese to the US in January for treatment but because we cannot get a clear and accurate diagnosis, it is difficult to get a doctor to write a letter of invitation for a case like this. But, with renewed urgency we again contacted Lending Light Ministries in the Boston area and asked whether there was any chance of getting Therese to the States.
God is in control and His timing is perfect! In just one week, we have secured letters from a doctor and a hospital in the States, we have a signed parental consent from Therese’s parents and Therese has received her Burkina Faso passport. The only remaining things needed are her US visa and the money for air tickets for Therese and an escort. With the grace and favor of the Lord, Therese will be in the States within a week or 10 days from now.
We received a call this week from the national office of Social Action asking whether we had room for 2 more children. These children have lost both their mother and their father and the aunt who is caring for them works in a bar. She works from 1 in the afternoon until 2 or 3 in the morning. The aunt takes the 18 month old baby to work with her and leaves the 5 year old boy at home, usually alone. The little boy was found on the streets by a Social Action Agent and that is how they became aware of the difficult situation of these children.
Our house is already full but how can we turn away these children? Even though my head says that we do not have the room, my heart cannot turn these children away. So, next Tuesday, our family will increase by two more children.
The work of processing adoptions, both international and national, continues to consume a good portion of my time. We have 4 adoptions still in process, 2 to France, 1 to Italy, and one to a local Burkinabé couple. We have received requests for a child from 2 new Burkina couples and one couple from the States. What a joy it is to prepare a child for an adoptive family and then to see them introduced and integrated into their new family!
We received a note and photos from Paul and his parents in France this week. Paul is 4 years old now and by his photo he looks like he has grown 6 inches or more. His mama wrote that he loves to study, to color, and to ride with his bike. He is speaking fluent French and learning his letters and numbers.
We also regularly receive notes and photos from the parents of Jacques in France and Stephane in America. Both of these boys are also doing well in their families and have grown a lot.
I must close for now. The mechanic just came by to pick up my truck for some minor repairs. Some friends from Washington DC are coming in this evening and we are leaving tomorrow for a 5 day trip to Mali. We are going to visit Dogon Country and then continue to Timbuktu. I am looking forward to a little time away for rest and also to seeing these tourist sights.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
February 28, 2007 News from Yako
Dear Family and Friends, Feb 28, 2007
Greetings from sunny Burkina Faso! We are in the midst of the dry season here. Burkina has only two seasons; a dry season and a rainy season. We have not had any rain since October 8th and the temperatures are starting to daily climb to 100+ degrees in the afternoons. The evenings are still cooling down though and that makes it much easier to get a good night's rest.
Already this year we have been blessed by two visits from wonderful teams of friends from home. This past week a team of 8 came from Victory Fellowship in St Louis, MO. It was a short visit of only one week but the Lord wondrously arranged our time and allowed us to see and accomplish all that He had pre-arranged for us to do. Every member of the visiting team was impacted by what the Lord is doing here in Yako and our local team was greatly blessed and impacted by the visiting team.
Julie Rondeau has been living and working with us since October, 2006. Julie is a native of France so she was able to jump right into the daily activities of the orphanage and the school. She has been a tremendous help to us. About two weeks ago, Julie suffered two seizures and since then she has suffered severe pain in her back and in her abdomen. She has seen a local doctor whom we trust and he has recommended that Julie return to France for medical care. She was prepared to stay with us for one more month but the Lord is calling her home early. Please pray for safe travels for Julie and also that Jesus and the doctors in Paris will completely heal her.
We have three new children in the orphanage since I last wrote to you. One of them is a little boy of 5 years of age, named Ferdinand. Ferdinand's mother left him in the care of a local Yako woman when he was about 18 months old. The mother has not been heard from since she left. Ferdinand has not been well taken care of and neighbors have testified that the care-taker often sent him out into the streets to beg when he was hungry. He was often seen late at night sleeping at the bus station.
The first thing that we did for Ferdinand was to change his name. He came to us with the name of KooKoo. KooKoo is a meaningless and silly name which many people name their dogs. We did not want him growing up with this name. Ferdinand has settled very easily into our family. He studies and plays everyday with our other pre-schoolers and he is learning his numbers and letters and basic French.
We are in the process of handling five adoptions right now. If all goes well three of our children will be going to France, one will be going to a family in Italy, and one will be going to a local Burkina couple.
Assya is a little girl of 14 months and she has been matched with the family in Italy. Well into the adoption process, Assya's birth certificate was lost. We went to the prefecture in Yako to ask for another copy of the birth certificate to send to the Italien agency in Ouagadougou. When I received the copy I noticed that they had incorrectly indicated that Assya was a boy!
Assya's adoption proceedings are blocked right now because our local office is asking that the original paper be returned before they will make the correction and give us a new one. Please pray for us that the papers for each of these children will pass quickly from official to official, that all papers will be properly signed, and that no papers will be lost.
During the last rainy season our mud-brick house for the chickens fell down and we sold all of our chickens and our goats. For the last month or so we have been working to rebuild two houses and two pens for our animals and this work is nearly finished. We are again going to invest in chickens for their meat and eggs for the orphanage. Instead of goats though, we are going to try raising sheep. We will use the meat for the orphanage and also sell it for profit for the orphanage.
Lynn and the school are doing very well. We have 75 children enrolled in grades 1, 3, and 5. They have fallen into comfortable patterns of study and recess and study and lunch and activity changes are managed by the director blowing a whistle. From the orphanage we hear the children singing, reciting their lessons, laughing and playing, and it is a joy to hear them. Our school did very well on their first round of standardized tests that were given in that we ranked second out of all the primary schools in Yako. We are encouraged, our teachers are encouraged, and our children are encouraged by these test results and we look forward to even better marks on the next test.
I close with some really good news that our online problems in Yako seem to be resolved. The problem was diagnosed as 'noise on the line' which prevented us from connecting and/or keeping the connection. The phone company did respond and they did repair the line and we are thankful for this. We also got some really bad news about 3 weeks ago that the hard drive on our laptop was dieing. But, the team who just left brought us a beautiful new laptop so now we are all desperately trying to catch up with family and friends everywhere.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Greetings from sunny Burkina Faso! We are in the midst of the dry season here. Burkina has only two seasons; a dry season and a rainy season. We have not had any rain since October 8th and the temperatures are starting to daily climb to 100+ degrees in the afternoons. The evenings are still cooling down though and that makes it much easier to get a good night's rest.
Already this year we have been blessed by two visits from wonderful teams of friends from home. This past week a team of 8 came from Victory Fellowship in St Louis, MO. It was a short visit of only one week but the Lord wondrously arranged our time and allowed us to see and accomplish all that He had pre-arranged for us to do. Every member of the visiting team was impacted by what the Lord is doing here in Yako and our local team was greatly blessed and impacted by the visiting team.
Julie Rondeau has been living and working with us since October, 2006. Julie is a native of France so she was able to jump right into the daily activities of the orphanage and the school. She has been a tremendous help to us. About two weeks ago, Julie suffered two seizures and since then she has suffered severe pain in her back and in her abdomen. She has seen a local doctor whom we trust and he has recommended that Julie return to France for medical care. She was prepared to stay with us for one more month but the Lord is calling her home early. Please pray for safe travels for Julie and also that Jesus and the doctors in Paris will completely heal her.
We have three new children in the orphanage since I last wrote to you. One of them is a little boy of 5 years of age, named Ferdinand. Ferdinand's mother left him in the care of a local Yako woman when he was about 18 months old. The mother has not been heard from since she left. Ferdinand has not been well taken care of and neighbors have testified that the care-taker often sent him out into the streets to beg when he was hungry. He was often seen late at night sleeping at the bus station.
The first thing that we did for Ferdinand was to change his name. He came to us with the name of KooKoo. KooKoo is a meaningless and silly name which many people name their dogs. We did not want him growing up with this name. Ferdinand has settled very easily into our family. He studies and plays everyday with our other pre-schoolers and he is learning his numbers and letters and basic French.
We are in the process of handling five adoptions right now. If all goes well three of our children will be going to France, one will be going to a family in Italy, and one will be going to a local Burkina couple.
Assya is a little girl of 14 months and she has been matched with the family in Italy. Well into the adoption process, Assya's birth certificate was lost. We went to the prefecture in Yako to ask for another copy of the birth certificate to send to the Italien agency in Ouagadougou. When I received the copy I noticed that they had incorrectly indicated that Assya was a boy!
Assya's adoption proceedings are blocked right now because our local office is asking that the original paper be returned before they will make the correction and give us a new one. Please pray for us that the papers for each of these children will pass quickly from official to official, that all papers will be properly signed, and that no papers will be lost.
During the last rainy season our mud-brick house for the chickens fell down and we sold all of our chickens and our goats. For the last month or so we have been working to rebuild two houses and two pens for our animals and this work is nearly finished. We are again going to invest in chickens for their meat and eggs for the orphanage. Instead of goats though, we are going to try raising sheep. We will use the meat for the orphanage and also sell it for profit for the orphanage.
Lynn and the school are doing very well. We have 75 children enrolled in grades 1, 3, and 5. They have fallen into comfortable patterns of study and recess and study and lunch and activity changes are managed by the director blowing a whistle. From the orphanage we hear the children singing, reciting their lessons, laughing and playing, and it is a joy to hear them. Our school did very well on their first round of standardized tests that were given in that we ranked second out of all the primary schools in Yako. We are encouraged, our teachers are encouraged, and our children are encouraged by these test results and we look forward to even better marks on the next test.
I close with some really good news that our online problems in Yako seem to be resolved. The problem was diagnosed as 'noise on the line' which prevented us from connecting and/or keeping the connection. The phone company did respond and they did repair the line and we are thankful for this. We also got some really bad news about 3 weeks ago that the hard drive on our laptop was dieing. But, the team who just left brought us a beautiful new laptop so now we are all desperately trying to catch up with family and friends everywhere.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Saturday, February 03, 2007
BurkinaOrphanage
BurkinaOrphanage
Already it is the first of February! I cannot believe how quickly time is passing!
We are all doing well here in Yako. Our children, especially our babies, are all doing well. You know. . . we do have a winter season here and although this will make you all smile, we feel the cold very much. Our local friends suffer much in our cold temperatures of the mid-60's and low-70's. :o) We are very thankful though because our babies have done very well throughout the cold season this year. We have struggled with some pretty serious coughs and colds but in general, they are all doing well and they are growing fat.
Some of you may have heard that through the ministry of Lending Light Missions we were able to send little Grace to the States for medical care. Grace was born pre-mature and has struggled for life since her birth. At 8 months of age, Grace weighed only about 8 pounds. She would gain a little weight and then get sick and lose a little weight and it became apparent that without some serious help, Grace would not survive here.
We recently had a wonderful team visiting from Columbia, MO and the team agreed to take Grace back with them. Someone met them in Detroit and then Grace continued to a family in Maine who is now caring for her. The doctors reports have all come back negative and we are thankful for this and already Grace has gained more than 2 pounds! We don't know what the Lord has in store for this little girl but we do know that His plans for her are good and we rejoice in this.
We have another little girl, Therese, who has a serious heart problem and we are looking into the possibility of sending her to the States for care. It is very hard to get an accurage diagnosis of medical issues here but it does seem that Therese's problem is very serious. Please pray that the Lord will lead and guide and give us wisdom concerning how to proceed with this case.
We are in the process of finalizing 4 adoptions at the same time right now. It looks like 2 of our children will be going to France, one to Italy, and one to a local Burkinabe family. This also is a subject for great rejoicing!! Each of these children available for adoption have either been rejected by their families or taken away from their families by Social Action. But, the Lord has hand-picked a family for each of them and we are walking through this process with each of them and with the Lord. It is hard to let go of these children. Some of them have been with us for 2 or more years. But, when the day comes that their new parents come to get them. . . well, this will be a bittersweet day of tears and great rejoicing in what the Lord has done for them.
I mentioned earlier the visitors from Columbia. . . what a wonderful time we had together! We laughed together, prayed together, experienced Burkina life together. . . and then cried when they had to leave. I am always amazed at what the Lord does in and through short-term mission teams. He knit our hearts together immediately as though we had known each other for years and then He moved and worked through each member of the team. Dr. Jack ministered and healed the orphanage children, the children in our school, several sponsored children out in villages, and several local friends. Teacher, professor, educator Howard ministered and encouraged Lynn and our teachers and workers at the school. Pastor Mark ministered and blessed our teens and preached at our church. Debbie and Mary ministered and blessed each one of us by their servant hearts and loved and blessed each one of our children. Ami. . . on her 3rd visit here fit right in as though she had never left us and brought smiles and comfort to each one that she touched. And, Catherine, loved on, played with, cared for, and spoiled our children as though an angel were ministering to them. What can I say, huh? May the Lord richly bless you, Columbia Team. You touched our hearts. You touched our land. Our hearts are forever knit together. Blessings to you for all that you brought and poured out to us!
How we love short-term mission teams!
I know that there is so much that I am forgetting to tell you about. Nichole Ditillo is doing very well and she is a tremendous blessing to us. She is working very hard on her French classes and also has a strong desire to learn Moure. She works morning, noon, and night with our children helping with everything from changing poopy diapers to reading with first and second graders to tutoring English with our high schoolers. She also helps with various administrative things in the orphanage office, does sponsorship home visits, widow's monthly distributions, etc. Her love for the Lord is visible in all that she does and her joy is contageous. Thank you, Jesus, for Nichole.
Julie Rondeau is a beautiful young French girl who has been with us since October. Julie is also a joy to have here with us. She also works much with the orphanage children and with our school children. She plays with the children, she reads to the children, she studies and tutors the children as well as helps Lynn with sponsorship visits and administrative work. Julie and Nichole are planning a trip to Ghana next week and they are looking forward to this new experience. Julie has made a 6 month commitment to work with us and then she will be returning to France and then to Sweden to begin her university studies.
We have not had email access in Yako since last October. Please pray for solutions to our technical problems. Now our online provider is saying that the problem is with the phone lines and only the phone company can find this problem and fix it. I have talked with several friends who live in remote areas of Burkina and they are all experiencing the same symptoms that we are with email access. This has been very hard for us but we are trusting in the Lord. He is the Master of everything. . . even technical things. Please pray that He will stir our local technitions and give them the expertise needed to fix the problem.
Well, because of limited time here in Ouaga and because there are 2 other people here wanting to use this computer, I must say 'goodby' and close this note. I wish that I could talk to each of you individually. Please don't be offended by this mass letter but please pray that our email starts working real soon in Yako. You are all constantly in my heart and my thoughts.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Already it is the first of February! I cannot believe how quickly time is passing!
We are all doing well here in Yako. Our children, especially our babies, are all doing well. You know. . . we do have a winter season here and although this will make you all smile, we feel the cold very much. Our local friends suffer much in our cold temperatures of the mid-60's and low-70's. :o) We are very thankful though because our babies have done very well throughout the cold season this year. We have struggled with some pretty serious coughs and colds but in general, they are all doing well and they are growing fat.
Some of you may have heard that through the ministry of Lending Light Missions we were able to send little Grace to the States for medical care. Grace was born pre-mature and has struggled for life since her birth. At 8 months of age, Grace weighed only about 8 pounds. She would gain a little weight and then get sick and lose a little weight and it became apparent that without some serious help, Grace would not survive here.
We recently had a wonderful team visiting from Columbia, MO and the team agreed to take Grace back with them. Someone met them in Detroit and then Grace continued to a family in Maine who is now caring for her. The doctors reports have all come back negative and we are thankful for this and already Grace has gained more than 2 pounds! We don't know what the Lord has in store for this little girl but we do know that His plans for her are good and we rejoice in this.
We have another little girl, Therese, who has a serious heart problem and we are looking into the possibility of sending her to the States for care. It is very hard to get an accurage diagnosis of medical issues here but it does seem that Therese's problem is very serious. Please pray that the Lord will lead and guide and give us wisdom concerning how to proceed with this case.
We are in the process of finalizing 4 adoptions at the same time right now. It looks like 2 of our children will be going to France, one to Italy, and one to a local Burkinabe family. This also is a subject for great rejoicing!! Each of these children available for adoption have either been rejected by their families or taken away from their families by Social Action. But, the Lord has hand-picked a family for each of them and we are walking through this process with each of them and with the Lord. It is hard to let go of these children. Some of them have been with us for 2 or more years. But, when the day comes that their new parents come to get them. . . well, this will be a bittersweet day of tears and great rejoicing in what the Lord has done for them.
I mentioned earlier the visitors from Columbia. . . what a wonderful time we had together! We laughed together, prayed together, experienced Burkina life together. . . and then cried when they had to leave. I am always amazed at what the Lord does in and through short-term mission teams. He knit our hearts together immediately as though we had known each other for years and then He moved and worked through each member of the team. Dr. Jack ministered and healed the orphanage children, the children in our school, several sponsored children out in villages, and several local friends. Teacher, professor, educator Howard ministered and encouraged Lynn and our teachers and workers at the school. Pastor Mark ministered and blessed our teens and preached at our church. Debbie and Mary ministered and blessed each one of us by their servant hearts and loved and blessed each one of our children. Ami. . . on her 3rd visit here fit right in as though she had never left us and brought smiles and comfort to each one that she touched. And, Catherine, loved on, played with, cared for, and spoiled our children as though an angel were ministering to them. What can I say, huh? May the Lord richly bless you, Columbia Team. You touched our hearts. You touched our land. Our hearts are forever knit together. Blessings to you for all that you brought and poured out to us!
How we love short-term mission teams!
I know that there is so much that I am forgetting to tell you about. Nichole Ditillo is doing very well and she is a tremendous blessing to us. She is working very hard on her French classes and also has a strong desire to learn Moure. She works morning, noon, and night with our children helping with everything from changing poopy diapers to reading with first and second graders to tutoring English with our high schoolers. She also helps with various administrative things in the orphanage office, does sponsorship home visits, widow's monthly distributions, etc. Her love for the Lord is visible in all that she does and her joy is contageous. Thank you, Jesus, for Nichole.
Julie Rondeau is a beautiful young French girl who has been with us since October. Julie is also a joy to have here with us. She also works much with the orphanage children and with our school children. She plays with the children, she reads to the children, she studies and tutors the children as well as helps Lynn with sponsorship visits and administrative work. Julie and Nichole are planning a trip to Ghana next week and they are looking forward to this new experience. Julie has made a 6 month commitment to work with us and then she will be returning to France and then to Sweden to begin her university studies.
We have not had email access in Yako since last October. Please pray for solutions to our technical problems. Now our online provider is saying that the problem is with the phone lines and only the phone company can find this problem and fix it. I have talked with several friends who live in remote areas of Burkina and they are all experiencing the same symptoms that we are with email access. This has been very hard for us but we are trusting in the Lord. He is the Master of everything. . . even technical things. Please pray that He will stir our local technitions and give them the expertise needed to fix the problem.
Well, because of limited time here in Ouaga and because there are 2 other people here wanting to use this computer, I must say 'goodby' and close this note. I wish that I could talk to each of you individually. Please don't be offended by this mass letter but please pray that our email starts working real soon in Yako. You are all constantly in my heart and my thoughts.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Dear Family and Friends, December 15, 2006
Greetings from sunny Burkina! The dry season is well upon us and we have been enjoying some wonderfully cool temperatures, very few bugs, no frogs, and no mosquitoes. Dust storms are starting to pick up though as winds come in from the north bringing the desert sand and dust with them.
For two months now we have been having serious technical problems with our e-mail server. We are unable to send or receive e-mail from Yako right now and can only catch up on e-mail when we are in Ouaga. So, if we are slow in responding to you, this is the reason. You are constantly in our thoughts. Please pray that the Lord will help the technicians with of our local server to quickly find and resolve this problem.
Just this evening we took Sarah McGrew to the airport. We had a wonderful 3 weeks with Sarah and it was hard to let her go. Sarah used her nursing skills everyday to minister to our children and each one of the children fell in love with her. Under her care, our little baby Grace gained three-quarters of a pound. Grace was born pre-mature and has been sickly since her birth but in Sarah’s capable hands Grace greatly improved.
Nichole is doing wonderfully well here. The Lord is helping her daily to adapt and adjust to the challenges and difficulties of life in Africa. She is doing very well in her language studies and is able to communicate simple exchanges in French and also exchanges greetings in Moure. The kids all love her dearly. While Sarah was here the three girls, Nichole, Sarah, and Julie, took on some painting projects which brought a new and vibrant face to many parts of our orphanage.
Our primary school is flourishing. It is a joy to hear the sounds of learning, singing, laughing, and shouting coming from the school building. This past week mid-term exams were given and most of the children did very well. Some of our children were not doing well in the public school system and some of them had never even been to school. We have been watching these children knowing that they need special help and tutoring. Some of their grades were not good but this did not surprise us. We now know even more where they need help and concentration in their studies.
We have a little one in the hospital right now. His name is Amede. They are treating him for pneumonia. He is responding to the treatment and we are encouraged that he will be okay. He is in the local Yako hospital and one of our part-time workers is there taking care of him. Amede will be one year old the 22nd of December. Please pray that the Lord will completely restore him to health.
I want to send a huge ‘THANK YOU’ for all the generous contributions that came in for Christmas gifts for the widows and for the children and for a Christmas party for the children. This week will be full of planning and shopping in preparation for this event. We will butcher a goat to prepare with our holiday spaghetti and this will make the children very happy. We are also planning games and prizes and a special gift for each one of them.
Our holiday traditions here are very Christ centered and most activities revolve around the church. On Christmas Eve there will be a special time together where all of the children prepare skits and musical presentations. There will also be a Scriptural presentation of the story of the birth of Christ. Around 10 or 11 we will go home and then return again on Christmas morning to celebrate the birth of Jesus together as a family and then enjoy a meal together.
On New Year’s Eve the church again gathers together for a time of celebration, skits and musical presentations. We then sing and pray until the new year enters. After the service the children stay at the church and sing and dance and celebrate until early hours of the morning.
In closing, I want to wish each of you a warm and blessed holiday season. I hope and pray that the love of Jesus is burning in each of your hearts and that the new year brings you blessings beyond your greatest imagination. Our God is good and He is a faithful and loving father to all who love Him.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Greetings from sunny Burkina! The dry season is well upon us and we have been enjoying some wonderfully cool temperatures, very few bugs, no frogs, and no mosquitoes. Dust storms are starting to pick up though as winds come in from the north bringing the desert sand and dust with them.
For two months now we have been having serious technical problems with our e-mail server. We are unable to send or receive e-mail from Yako right now and can only catch up on e-mail when we are in Ouaga. So, if we are slow in responding to you, this is the reason. You are constantly in our thoughts. Please pray that the Lord will help the technicians with of our local server to quickly find and resolve this problem.
Just this evening we took Sarah McGrew to the airport. We had a wonderful 3 weeks with Sarah and it was hard to let her go. Sarah used her nursing skills everyday to minister to our children and each one of the children fell in love with her. Under her care, our little baby Grace gained three-quarters of a pound. Grace was born pre-mature and has been sickly since her birth but in Sarah’s capable hands Grace greatly improved.
Nichole is doing wonderfully well here. The Lord is helping her daily to adapt and adjust to the challenges and difficulties of life in Africa. She is doing very well in her language studies and is able to communicate simple exchanges in French and also exchanges greetings in Moure. The kids all love her dearly. While Sarah was here the three girls, Nichole, Sarah, and Julie, took on some painting projects which brought a new and vibrant face to many parts of our orphanage.
Our primary school is flourishing. It is a joy to hear the sounds of learning, singing, laughing, and shouting coming from the school building. This past week mid-term exams were given and most of the children did very well. Some of our children were not doing well in the public school system and some of them had never even been to school. We have been watching these children knowing that they need special help and tutoring. Some of their grades were not good but this did not surprise us. We now know even more where they need help and concentration in their studies.
We have a little one in the hospital right now. His name is Amede. They are treating him for pneumonia. He is responding to the treatment and we are encouraged that he will be okay. He is in the local Yako hospital and one of our part-time workers is there taking care of him. Amede will be one year old the 22nd of December. Please pray that the Lord will completely restore him to health.
I want to send a huge ‘THANK YOU’ for all the generous contributions that came in for Christmas gifts for the widows and for the children and for a Christmas party for the children. This week will be full of planning and shopping in preparation for this event. We will butcher a goat to prepare with our holiday spaghetti and this will make the children very happy. We are also planning games and prizes and a special gift for each one of them.
Our holiday traditions here are very Christ centered and most activities revolve around the church. On Christmas Eve there will be a special time together where all of the children prepare skits and musical presentations. There will also be a Scriptural presentation of the story of the birth of Christ. Around 10 or 11 we will go home and then return again on Christmas morning to celebrate the birth of Jesus together as a family and then enjoy a meal together.
On New Year’s Eve the church again gathers together for a time of celebration, skits and musical presentations. We then sing and pray until the new year enters. After the service the children stay at the church and sing and dance and celebrate until early hours of the morning.
In closing, I want to wish each of you a warm and blessed holiday season. I hope and pray that the love of Jesus is burning in each of your hearts and that the new year brings you blessings beyond your greatest imagination. Our God is good and He is a faithful and loving father to all who love Him.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Family and Friends, November 24, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that for each one of you your holiday was happy
and filled with the love of Jesus and close family and friends. Lynn, Nichole, Julie and I
went to Ouaga and celebrated Thanksgiving with some missionary friends there. We
were a ‘family’ of 14 and it was good to be together. There are several wonderful cooks
in this ‘family’ so we ate royally. After dinner, we watched a re-make of "Miracle on 34th
Street and that also was lots of fun.
Since my last writing life in the orphanage has been much calmer. Outside of
coughs and colds, all of our children are healthy and we are thankful for this. A set of
our twins, Awa and Bourema, rejoined their family this week and we were very glad to
release them as healthy and strong toddlers. When they came to us 10 months ago,
Bourema was malnourished and sick but now he is healthy and walking. Thank you,
Jesus!
We received a call from a French couple this past week who are thinking and
praying about adopting Tene. Tene has been with us for 2 years now and she is about
6 years old. Most often, adoptive families want to adopt babies because it is easier to
integrate them into the family. Because of this we have been praying for a family
especially prepared to receive Tene. This adoptive family has an eleven year old and
they specifically asked for a girl 5 or 6 years old. There is still lots of work to be done
before the adoption will be complete but we are thankful to the Lord for what He is
doing for Tene.
I attended a 3-day seminar in Ouaga last week sponsored by a national
association of orphanages that I belong to. The theme of the seminar was ‘keeping the
needs of the children as our priority’. For three of the sessions, the speakers were the
director and assistant director from the department of international adoption of Social
Action. The teachings that they gave were outstanding and after the classes we had
times of very open discussion about what is working and what is not working in the
arena of international adoptions. They listened to what we had to say and took notes
so we are hoping for change and improvement in the adoption procedures.
We have taken 5 new babies into our Friday Baby Milk Program in the past few
weeks. Each of these little ones have their own unique story but I want to tell you about
SEBOGO, Kiswendsida. His mother and his father are both not well mentally. His
mother was caring for him but one day she walked out of her father’s courtyard and did
not come back. The grandmother brought Kiswendsida to us asking us to take him.
Because we work closely with Social Action on cases like this, we sent them to SA to
talk with an agent before accepting the child. As it turns out, SA knew this family and
knew about some of their problems. And because here in Burkina, by law the children
belong to the father’s family, SA called the head of the father’s family to come in and
discuss the problem of the baby. As it turns out, there is an aunt and a grandmother in
the father’s family who are well and are willing to take care of Kiswendsida. The best
thing for a child is always to be placed in a family and in this case, we are happy to help
them with formula until Kiswendsida is ready for solid foods.
Another new child to the orphanage is Nanema, Pauline. Pauline is 15 years old
and she is a sponsored child. Her story is complicated. She was living here in Yako
with a grandmother. When the grandmother died, she went to Ouaga to live with an
uncle. For some unknown reason, the uncle brought her back to Yako this past
summer and left her alone in the vacant courtyard where the grandmother lived. When
school started, Pauline came by the orphanage asking for help with her school fees and
for food. At this time, we started asking about where she was living, who was looking
after her, etc., and we learned about her living conditions. We contacted her uncle and
also some family out in the village and no one wanted to take any responsibility for
Pauline. So we invited her to come and live with us in the orphanage. Pauline has
adapted easily and quickly to our routines here. This past Sunday, she responded to an
invitation from the Pastor and asked Jesus to come into her heart. Pauline is a sweet
girl but she is struggling greatly at school. Please pray for her as she learns what it
means to be a child of God. And, pray that the Lord will help her to understand her
lessons at school.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention. . . Yako now has electricity 24/7. You may
remember us complaining from time to time that the electricity was cut anywhere from
midnight to 2 AM and it was turned back on around 7 in the morning. We have been
promised 24 hour electricity for 5 years now. . . and we finally got it! So, if any of you
have been thinking of coming for a visit and have just been waiting for 24 hour electricity
to come to Yako. . . well, call and make your air reservations now!
Love you,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that for each one of you your holiday was happy
and filled with the love of Jesus and close family and friends. Lynn, Nichole, Julie and I
went to Ouaga and celebrated Thanksgiving with some missionary friends there. We
were a ‘family’ of 14 and it was good to be together. There are several wonderful cooks
in this ‘family’ so we ate royally. After dinner, we watched a re-make of "Miracle on 34th
Street and that also was lots of fun.
Since my last writing life in the orphanage has been much calmer. Outside of
coughs and colds, all of our children are healthy and we are thankful for this. A set of
our twins, Awa and Bourema, rejoined their family this week and we were very glad to
release them as healthy and strong toddlers. When they came to us 10 months ago,
Bourema was malnourished and sick but now he is healthy and walking. Thank you,
Jesus!
We received a call from a French couple this past week who are thinking and
praying about adopting Tene. Tene has been with us for 2 years now and she is about
6 years old. Most often, adoptive families want to adopt babies because it is easier to
integrate them into the family. Because of this we have been praying for a family
especially prepared to receive Tene. This adoptive family has an eleven year old and
they specifically asked for a girl 5 or 6 years old. There is still lots of work to be done
before the adoption will be complete but we are thankful to the Lord for what He is
doing for Tene.
I attended a 3-day seminar in Ouaga last week sponsored by a national
association of orphanages that I belong to. The theme of the seminar was ‘keeping the
needs of the children as our priority’. For three of the sessions, the speakers were the
director and assistant director from the department of international adoption of Social
Action. The teachings that they gave were outstanding and after the classes we had
times of very open discussion about what is working and what is not working in the
arena of international adoptions. They listened to what we had to say and took notes
so we are hoping for change and improvement in the adoption procedures.
We have taken 5 new babies into our Friday Baby Milk Program in the past few
weeks. Each of these little ones have their own unique story but I want to tell you about
SEBOGO, Kiswendsida. His mother and his father are both not well mentally. His
mother was caring for him but one day she walked out of her father’s courtyard and did
not come back. The grandmother brought Kiswendsida to us asking us to take him.
Because we work closely with Social Action on cases like this, we sent them to SA to
talk with an agent before accepting the child. As it turns out, SA knew this family and
knew about some of their problems. And because here in Burkina, by law the children
belong to the father’s family, SA called the head of the father’s family to come in and
discuss the problem of the baby. As it turns out, there is an aunt and a grandmother in
the father’s family who are well and are willing to take care of Kiswendsida. The best
thing for a child is always to be placed in a family and in this case, we are happy to help
them with formula until Kiswendsida is ready for solid foods.
Another new child to the orphanage is Nanema, Pauline. Pauline is 15 years old
and she is a sponsored child. Her story is complicated. She was living here in Yako
with a grandmother. When the grandmother died, she went to Ouaga to live with an
uncle. For some unknown reason, the uncle brought her back to Yako this past
summer and left her alone in the vacant courtyard where the grandmother lived. When
school started, Pauline came by the orphanage asking for help with her school fees and
for food. At this time, we started asking about where she was living, who was looking
after her, etc., and we learned about her living conditions. We contacted her uncle and
also some family out in the village and no one wanted to take any responsibility for
Pauline. So we invited her to come and live with us in the orphanage. Pauline has
adapted easily and quickly to our routines here. This past Sunday, she responded to an
invitation from the Pastor and asked Jesus to come into her heart. Pauline is a sweet
girl but she is struggling greatly at school. Please pray for her as she learns what it
means to be a child of God. And, pray that the Lord will help her to understand her
lessons at school.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention. . . Yako now has electricity 24/7. You may
remember us complaining from time to time that the electricity was cut anywhere from
midnight to 2 AM and it was turned back on around 7 in the morning. We have been
promised 24 hour electricity for 5 years now. . . and we finally got it! So, if any of you
have been thinking of coming for a visit and have just been waiting for 24 hour electricity
to come to Yako. . . well, call and make your air reservations now!
Love you,
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Back in Burkina--
Dear Family and Friends, November 3, 2006
Already we are into November! Where has the time gone? Since returning to
Burkina (almost one month now) we have had some serious challenges: in the area of
communication problems and in health issues with our children. Server problems and computer problems were blocking all of our e-mail. We were able to send but not to receive. This past week I found a friend, Eric, in Ouaga who had a little extra time to tinker and play with my computer and some of my software and he performed magic! It seems that my McAfee software was blocking all incoming mail as well as our internet access. Eric, uninstalled McAfee, installed a free virus protection package and set up Nichole, Julie and I with gmail accounts. What a relief to be back in touch with the outside world. Thank you Jesus for friends with computer
expertise and a heart to help.
The last time that I wrote, I told you about the twins, Alphonse and Alphonsene,
who just came to us from Koudougou. Alphonsene is strong and is trying to walk but
Alphonse was diagnosed to have some kind of brain damage, probably from his birth.
In the 3 weeks that Alphonse was with us, he was hospitalized twice, once with malaria
and the other time with a high fever but no actual diagnosis. Both of these times, when
Alphonse had a fever he would convulse. Well, Alphonse was back home and
seemingly doing better when just yesterday he took a turn for the worse again and
began convulsing. Jean immediately took him to our local hospital but before he even
arrived there, Alphonse passed away.
Just a few hours after Alphonse was buried we were back on the road to
Ouiyaghuia to the hospital with Grace. Grace is the little pre-mature baby who spent
the first 2 months of her life in Ouaga in a neo-natal ward. Grace is now 5 months old
but she is still tiny for her age. When Grace is sick. . . well, she is very sick. Grace was
admitted to Dr Zala’s hospital and is being treated for malaria. Please pray with us that
the Lord will heal Grace and bring her back to us healthy and strong.
Also yesterday, one of our little sponsored children, 5 year old Sibila, who had
just been diagnosed with AIDS, died at Dr Zala’s clinic in Ouiyaghuia. Lynn took Sibila
to see Dr Zala because of his symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration. But, after a
blood test, it was clear that his symptoms were because of the effects of AIDS on his
little body. The diagnosis was too late and his little body was too weakened to respond
to any treatment that could be offered.
Last week we had another little one, Jacob, in our Yako hospital. The doctor was
treating him for malaria but he was not responding well. Because of the malaria, Jacob
was dehydrated and anemic and the doctor referred him to the hospital in Ouiyaghuia
for a blood transfusion. At the same time, there was a little boy from the village who
also needed to go to Ouiyaghuia for blood so we had a truck full of sick children and
family care-takers. Just as we arrived in Ouiyaghuia, an hour and a half drive from
Yako, the little village boy stopped breathing. We continued to the hospital but there
was nothing they could do for him. The nurses moved very quickly and gave Jacob
blood. He revived a bit and we thought that he would be okay. But, we received a call
early the next morning that Jacob passed away around 4:00 that morning.
I don’t really have happy things to write to you about this week. Sigh! This is life
in Africa. This is the effect of sin in our world. I rant and rave against it sometimes until
I wear myself out. But, at the end of the day I know that the Lord is here in the midst of
us and that He is a faithful God. I know His love and his undeserved mercy. I rejoice
right now in each of our children who are healthy and I entrust these who have left us
this week into the everlasting love of our Father God.
With love and blessings!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Already we are into November! Where has the time gone? Since returning to
Burkina (almost one month now) we have had some serious challenges: in the area of
communication problems and in health issues with our children. Server problems and computer problems were blocking all of our e-mail. We were able to send but not to receive. This past week I found a friend, Eric, in Ouaga who had a little extra time to tinker and play with my computer and some of my software and he performed magic! It seems that my McAfee software was blocking all incoming mail as well as our internet access. Eric, uninstalled McAfee, installed a free virus protection package and set up Nichole, Julie and I with gmail accounts. What a relief to be back in touch with the outside world. Thank you Jesus for friends with computer
expertise and a heart to help.
The last time that I wrote, I told you about the twins, Alphonse and Alphonsene,
who just came to us from Koudougou. Alphonsene is strong and is trying to walk but
Alphonse was diagnosed to have some kind of brain damage, probably from his birth.
In the 3 weeks that Alphonse was with us, he was hospitalized twice, once with malaria
and the other time with a high fever but no actual diagnosis. Both of these times, when
Alphonse had a fever he would convulse. Well, Alphonse was back home and
seemingly doing better when just yesterday he took a turn for the worse again and
began convulsing. Jean immediately took him to our local hospital but before he even
arrived there, Alphonse passed away.
Just a few hours after Alphonse was buried we were back on the road to
Ouiyaghuia to the hospital with Grace. Grace is the little pre-mature baby who spent
the first 2 months of her life in Ouaga in a neo-natal ward. Grace is now 5 months old
but she is still tiny for her age. When Grace is sick. . . well, she is very sick. Grace was
admitted to Dr Zala’s hospital and is being treated for malaria. Please pray with us that
the Lord will heal Grace and bring her back to us healthy and strong.
Also yesterday, one of our little sponsored children, 5 year old Sibila, who had
just been diagnosed with AIDS, died at Dr Zala’s clinic in Ouiyaghuia. Lynn took Sibila
to see Dr Zala because of his symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration. But, after a
blood test, it was clear that his symptoms were because of the effects of AIDS on his
little body. The diagnosis was too late and his little body was too weakened to respond
to any treatment that could be offered.
Last week we had another little one, Jacob, in our Yako hospital. The doctor was
treating him for malaria but he was not responding well. Because of the malaria, Jacob
was dehydrated and anemic and the doctor referred him to the hospital in Ouiyaghuia
for a blood transfusion. At the same time, there was a little boy from the village who
also needed to go to Ouiyaghuia for blood so we had a truck full of sick children and
family care-takers. Just as we arrived in Ouiyaghuia, an hour and a half drive from
Yako, the little village boy stopped breathing. We continued to the hospital but there
was nothing they could do for him. The nurses moved very quickly and gave Jacob
blood. He revived a bit and we thought that he would be okay. But, we received a call
early the next morning that Jacob passed away around 4:00 that morning.
I don’t really have happy things to write to you about this week. Sigh! This is life
in Africa. This is the effect of sin in our world. I rant and rave against it sometimes until
I wear myself out. But, at the end of the day I know that the Lord is here in the midst of
us and that He is a faithful God. I know His love and his undeserved mercy. I rejoice
right now in each of our children who are healthy and I entrust these who have left us
this week into the everlasting love of our Father God.
With love and blessings!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Hello Family and Friends! June 18, 2006
It is Sunday evening here and again time to write to you. It is amazing how quickly the week can pass by. It does not seem like a week since I have written. This has been another wild and crazy week. Through weeks like this one, I am comforted with the thought that eternity will reveal the reasons and purposes for all that has happened.
Our children have continued to work in our field this week. They have cleared the land, burned it and started digging up ground that has not been plowed in several years. They have worked hard and joyfully. We are waiting for one more ground soaking rain and then they will plant. The rains have been slow in coming this year but we are trusting that the Lord will give us a good rainy season.
Pierre, Matthieu, and Emanuel spent 3 days this week in the standardized exam that follows 10th grade. They are all confident that they did well but we have to wait for a couple of weeks now to have their results. They have worked very hard this year and we are hoping that they passed and will be able to continue their education.
We’ve had a young mother, Awa, and her baby staying with us for the past two weeks. Awa is just 16 years old and she is not married. Her baby, Hamidou, is just one month old. Awa has not received much support from her family. In fact, when it was know that she was pregnant, she was sent away from the family courtyard. She has been living with an aunt here in Yako since then.
Awa came to us asking us to take Hamidou so that she could take the standardized exam that our children were taking. Her aunt sells vegetables everyday at the market and does not help her with the baby.
I refused to take Hamidou because Awa is nursing him and would have even greater problems if her milk dried up and she was not able to feed him. So instead, I offered Awa to come and stay in our girls’ room and to spend all of her time studying and preparing for the exam. Our ladies cared for Hamidou and called Awa when he was hungry.
This evening, Awa and Hamidou returned to the aunt’s courtyard and Awa promised that she would let me know her test results. Awa needs lots of help and lots of encouragement but we were thankful to be able to help her in this small way. She also desperately needs to know that Jesus loves her and has a way out of her difficult situation. Please pray for Awa.
A very special blessing came our way this week in the form of a check that was given to us from Social Action. A sum of money was given to SA by Unicef, the World Bank, and a couple of other Burkina banks, and they distributed this money to the orphanages in Burkina. Friday was the National Day of the African Child and we were invited to a ceremony where checks were distributed to the orphanages. The amount that we received was nearly $2,000!
We are very thankful for this money, of course, but in addition I am thankful for the recognition from the government of the overwhelming need of the orphans in Burkina. It is encouraging to see Burkina rising up and taking some responsibility for the great social need of her children.
There are many places where this money could go and we have not yet made decisions as to where to put it. One very pressing need that we have is for new screens on the windows and doors of the orphanage. With the rainy season upon us, we need all the protection that we can get from the mosquitoes. We also need some maintenance work done on the truck. . . like new shocks and repair to the A/C. Not very exciting things but definite needs for the project.
I have something really heart-wrenching to tell you. On Thursday, a thief broke into Lynn’s house while she and her guard, Boris, were out doing sponsorship visits. The police are investigating and evidence points very suspiciously that the job was done by someone who was very familiar with the courtyard and the house.
The thief entered probably through the front door and left through the side door. He took a brand new laptop computer, a camera, a CD player, a cell phone, and about $600. He went straight to what he wanted, even though some things were in a closed cabinet and in a file drawer. He did not disturb anything but reached in and took exactly what he wanted, knowing exactly where it was at.
As the shock of all of this is settling, our prayer is that the thief will be found and that Lynn’s possessions will be returned. Our prayer also is for justice as well as mercy and compassion for the thief. The justice system does not work real well here and prisoners are often severely mistreated. Please pray with us that all that is hidden will come into the light. Please pray for the salvation of the thief and for compassionate treatment of the prisoners.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
It is Sunday evening here and again time to write to you. It is amazing how quickly the week can pass by. It does not seem like a week since I have written. This has been another wild and crazy week. Through weeks like this one, I am comforted with the thought that eternity will reveal the reasons and purposes for all that has happened.
Our children have continued to work in our field this week. They have cleared the land, burned it and started digging up ground that has not been plowed in several years. They have worked hard and joyfully. We are waiting for one more ground soaking rain and then they will plant. The rains have been slow in coming this year but we are trusting that the Lord will give us a good rainy season.
Pierre, Matthieu, and Emanuel spent 3 days this week in the standardized exam that follows 10th grade. They are all confident that they did well but we have to wait for a couple of weeks now to have their results. They have worked very hard this year and we are hoping that they passed and will be able to continue their education.
We’ve had a young mother, Awa, and her baby staying with us for the past two weeks. Awa is just 16 years old and she is not married. Her baby, Hamidou, is just one month old. Awa has not received much support from her family. In fact, when it was know that she was pregnant, she was sent away from the family courtyard. She has been living with an aunt here in Yako since then.
Awa came to us asking us to take Hamidou so that she could take the standardized exam that our children were taking. Her aunt sells vegetables everyday at the market and does not help her with the baby.
I refused to take Hamidou because Awa is nursing him and would have even greater problems if her milk dried up and she was not able to feed him. So instead, I offered Awa to come and stay in our girls’ room and to spend all of her time studying and preparing for the exam. Our ladies cared for Hamidou and called Awa when he was hungry.
This evening, Awa and Hamidou returned to the aunt’s courtyard and Awa promised that she would let me know her test results. Awa needs lots of help and lots of encouragement but we were thankful to be able to help her in this small way. She also desperately needs to know that Jesus loves her and has a way out of her difficult situation. Please pray for Awa.
A very special blessing came our way this week in the form of a check that was given to us from Social Action. A sum of money was given to SA by Unicef, the World Bank, and a couple of other Burkina banks, and they distributed this money to the orphanages in Burkina. Friday was the National Day of the African Child and we were invited to a ceremony where checks were distributed to the orphanages. The amount that we received was nearly $2,000!
We are very thankful for this money, of course, but in addition I am thankful for the recognition from the government of the overwhelming need of the orphans in Burkina. It is encouraging to see Burkina rising up and taking some responsibility for the great social need of her children.
There are many places where this money could go and we have not yet made decisions as to where to put it. One very pressing need that we have is for new screens on the windows and doors of the orphanage. With the rainy season upon us, we need all the protection that we can get from the mosquitoes. We also need some maintenance work done on the truck. . . like new shocks and repair to the A/C. Not very exciting things but definite needs for the project.
I have something really heart-wrenching to tell you. On Thursday, a thief broke into Lynn’s house while she and her guard, Boris, were out doing sponsorship visits. The police are investigating and evidence points very suspiciously that the job was done by someone who was very familiar with the courtyard and the house.
The thief entered probably through the front door and left through the side door. He took a brand new laptop computer, a camera, a CD player, a cell phone, and about $600. He went straight to what he wanted, even though some things were in a closed cabinet and in a file drawer. He did not disturb anything but reached in and took exactly what he wanted, knowing exactly where it was at.
As the shock of all of this is settling, our prayer is that the thief will be found and that Lynn’s possessions will be returned. Our prayer also is for justice as well as mercy and compassion for the thief. The justice system does not work real well here and prisoners are often severely mistreated. Please pray with us that all that is hidden will come into the light. Please pray for the salvation of the thief and for compassionate treatment of the prisoners.
Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)