Unexpected Love

We went to a large hospital in Kampala to pick up a new girl who has special needs to come join our family at GSF.  When you get calls like this, you have no idea what each situation will bring.  We walked in and met the nurses, social worker, doctor, and others. You could tell that she had been well taken care of during her time at the hospital.  She was dressed in clothes, was clean, and smelled good.  The people there taught us what she liked, didn’t like, what to feed her, and how to feed her.  There were some children around the ward who looked extremely healthy, but I just assumed that they were one of the workers kids who did not have a place to stay since school was out.

When we got home with this beautiful little girl, we were talking about our day, and I was asking a Ugandan with me about the people in the hospital ward I saw when we were there.  I asked them if the lady who had the children and taught us how to feed the girl was her nurse.  Their answer was no. NO?? Then who was she? She knew the most about our little girl and how to care for her. If she wasn’t the nurse, then what was she?

She was the mother of another patient in the ward. 

This confused me because her children looked healthy and fine.  Why were they there? I was told that her children were healthy and fine because they had been released two days earlier.  They were staying there to take care of our little girl until we could come pick her up. 

This blew me away. Who stays at the hospital extra days? It is bad enough in America, but HERE??? Even in America, I would have felt sorry for someone who had to stay at the hospital longer than me, but I NEVER would have contemplating staying around.  By the time people are done with hospital stays, they usually cannot get out of there fast enough, especially with stir-crazy little kids of her own. 

Here I am supposed to be the “missionary;” yet, here is a woman showing so much love and compassion to a little girl with special needs. It was a beautiful reminder of God’s love for me, the good in the world, and my own selfishness. 

So when you go back to reading about all of the terrorist attacks, crime, and depravity in the world, remember that there are people like this mother who loved a “less than” more than I could ever imagine. 

Prayers:

Wisdom with decisions for the children

Strengthen our relationship

Finances

Safety for daily travel

Praises:

New Car

Special Needs Schedule Working

New supplies for Special Needs Center Purchased

5 months successfully living in Uganda