20 days!!! I cannot, cannot, cannot believe it! 20 DAYS!! Since I last wrote! NO WAY!!
I am so sorry. I know how many of you check regularly for updates and how frustrating it must be to check for 3 WEEKS with nothing! Yikes, I resolve to do better!!
So in these 3 weeks what as happened! WELL ...
We were able to complete 2 more families! One of our little girls and one of our little boys found forever families early in the month ... What a great and special time that is, to have the privilege of being a part of something so marvelous and miraculous!
I also, finally (after 2 years!!) got Mighty's adoption papers in the post! Now I can get Birth Certificates made and then add him to my Medical Insurance which will be a great weigh off my mind!
Last Thursday he had a followup Audiology appointment and his hearing has deteriorated. He now has moderate hearing loss in the left ear and moderate to severe loss in the right. The recommendation is to get him a titanium clip bone implant where a hearing aid can be attached because we cannot get regular hearing aids due to the constant leaking of his ears. ~Sigh~ So much money again!
Jerome had an appointment at the same time and his only option to access the hearing world is definately the cochlear implant. I am still working on finding a funder for this and have a new lead in Germany I am following up. So pray for that one please!!
The HIV check up for the Jarvis 6 went well. Only a hiccup here and there, a couple of concerns about liver function and a drop in one of their CD4's but it's under control ... so we march on :-)
Having some volunteer issues again ~sigh~ I wish you could get a thing like they use to measure heat signatures that could tell you what you're getting before you say yes! It is such a tricky business trying to keep your finger on the pulse of every little thing, making sure you address complaints but not to the detriment of the countless other considerations ... blah blah blah... I guess I'm a little frazzled :-) I usually don't blog the blah stuff! I hope!
OK so maybe I should log off but please pray for us. Things are so overwhelming sometimes it is easy to forget how much great stuff there is too :-)
We love you all
Pippa
Ps: Remember Selby the Pumpkin Money man?
Well, a few days after that I had fetched the kids from school and they asked me to stop and give this other old man a drink one of them had.
We see this man fairly often on our way to or from school.
He uses a homemade walking frame (picture to follow when this website will load them!) to get around and that day it was very hot!
He was cutting the grass on the roadside and tying it in bundles to sell to the thatch roof makers. You get about 20c a bundle ... what a terribly unrewarding job!He said his name is "Baba" which means father in Zulu but I reckon it is just what he is used to people calling him, not actually his given name.
Anyhow, he was quite taken aback by the gift and looked suspiciously at us until we left. I guess kindness is not an often experienced thing for him!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Selby and the Pumpkin Money!
How many times have you followed the nudging of the Holy Spirit and been really surprised when you have?
All the time there are opportunities around us to make a difference in someone elses life, in a small but meaningful way. Often these things are small choices, decisions that don't cost us much and because they are not great or grand we often overlook the impact they can have.
I just had one of these touching experiences and thought I would share it with you.
Today I went to the Pick n Pay, our local grocery store to buy the things we needed for supper. I had to take the bus as I was going to collect the children from school afterwards.
The route I took led me past a large tract of vacant land where for the last 2 or 3 seasons some industrious residents of the local community had set up several vegetable patches for growing their own food.
(I went back later and took the pics below :-) )
Today there were about 4 ramshackle stalls set up on the side of the road. Built out of scraps of wood and plastic, each stall was manned by a lady and each was selling the surplus from their crops.
I resolved that I would rather buy the pumpkins I needed from them on my way back rather than give my money to the big supermarket. So merrily I went about doing the other bits of shopping, packed it in the bus and then I made my way back with my R100 carefully tucked in my sleeve.
It was with great frustration that I noticed too late that there was no way I could pull the bus over onto the shoulder where the ladies were, as the recent rainfall had washed away the sand and left too big and sharp a drop to pull over safely.
I had no choice but to keep on driving. I was disappointed that I could not make one of the ladies happy but there was really nothing I could do so I drove on.
Soon a traffic light forced me to a stop and my attention was suddenly drawn to a little old man leaning on an old piece of stick and pleading for someone in the traffic to give him a lift. Generally I would not pick up a hitchhiker but something about the man made me feel like he was someone I could help. And he was so happy! As soon as I indicacted to him that he could come on the bus he grinned from ear to ear. He had eyes beginning to go milky with age but a bright bright smile.
Immediately my mind was taken to a piece of advice I read in a novel. A mother saying to her daughter "you can't solve everyones problems but you can choose to be the answer to someone's prayers everyday."
Isn't that lovely?
Just as he was getting ready to get off the bus I slipped it from my sleeve and said "God Bless You".
It was a special moment. Milky eyes brightened by sudden tears and a shaking hand of thanks in lieu of words.
All the time there are opportunities around us to make a difference in someone elses life, in a small but meaningful way. Often these things are small choices, decisions that don't cost us much and because they are not great or grand we often overlook the impact they can have.
I just had one of these touching experiences and thought I would share it with you.
Today I went to the Pick n Pay, our local grocery store to buy the things we needed for supper. I had to take the bus as I was going to collect the children from school afterwards.
The route I took led me past a large tract of vacant land where for the last 2 or 3 seasons some industrious residents of the local community had set up several vegetable patches for growing their own food.
(I went back later and took the pics below :-) )
Today there were about 4 ramshackle stalls set up on the side of the road. Built out of scraps of wood and plastic, each stall was manned by a lady and each was selling the surplus from their crops.
I resolved that I would rather buy the pumpkins I needed from them on my way back rather than give my money to the big supermarket. So merrily I went about doing the other bits of shopping, packed it in the bus and then I made my way back with my R100 carefully tucked in my sleeve.
It was with great frustration that I noticed too late that there was no way I could pull the bus over onto the shoulder where the ladies were, as the recent rainfall had washed away the sand and left too big and sharp a drop to pull over safely.
I had no choice but to keep on driving. I was disappointed that I could not make one of the ladies happy but there was really nothing I could do so I drove on.
Soon a traffic light forced me to a stop and my attention was suddenly drawn to a little old man leaning on an old piece of stick and pleading for someone in the traffic to give him a lift. Generally I would not pick up a hitchhiker but something about the man made me feel like he was someone I could help. And he was so happy! As soon as I indicacted to him that he could come on the bus he grinned from ear to ear. He had eyes beginning to go milky with age but a bright bright smile.
He started praising God and thanking me over and over again and then without taking a breath he went on in rapid speech as follows:
"... my name is Selby and I am a father of 2 underage children. God blessed my wife and I late in our lives with children and then she died. I have pins in my foot after an operation and can not stand long enough to do any proper work. I am going now to beg so I can take some food home for the children."
The way he spoke, so clearly and succinctly touched me. I know how quickly people close their ears and harden their hearts when people in need try to tell their stories. Many find it easier to assume the person is lying or that somehow they deserve their circumstance.
Immediately my mind was taken to a piece of advice I read in a novel. A mother saying to her daughter "you can't solve everyones problems but you can choose to be the answer to someone's prayers everyday."
Isn't that lovely?
So I chose to give Selby the Pumpkin money.
Just as he was getting ready to get off the bus I slipped it from my sleeve and said "God Bless You".
It was a special moment. Milky eyes brightened by sudden tears and a shaking hand of thanks in lieu of words.
May you all be so blessed as to know what that's like.
I love you all
Pippa
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