Regaining strength...

I wanted to give you a quick update about the newest member of our home, Lovemore.

He is still in the hospital, but he is doing really well. I was actually able to go to the hospital to visit him today and on our way through the halls, the doctor stopped us to tell us about Lovemore's condition. He said that he was happy with his progress so far and that he was hopeful. That was just what I needed to hear. Earlier this week they were all very concerned with his condition since he was suffering from a bad cough and severe diarrhea. Lovemore was just today moved out of the critical care section of the Malnutrition Ward, so that is one huge answer to prayer. He is eating more and seems to be a bit more alert. They are doing a bunch of tests to see if he has TB or any other sicknesses that might keep him from getting completely healthy, but the main concern was certainly his malnutrition. He is now moving in the right direction - that's for sure.

After we spoke to the doctor, we went in to see our little Lovemore. I walked up to his bed and he was just lying there. I bent down to say hello and he opened his precious little eyes and he smiled at me. He was looking right at me, and it was as if he remembered exactly who I was.

In that moment, I stopped and thought about what exactly that meant to me. This little boy who I spent no more than 3 hours with on one single day, who has been so sick and so close to death, who lost his mother and his father and all other family, looked a ME and smiled, and that meant so much to me. It was as if that little boy was saying thank you....thank you for fighting for me when everyone else had given up...thank you for giving me hope...thank you! It made me remember that it is possible to make a difference in someone's life...it is possible to help someone just by showing them love, by holding their hand, by letting them sleep in your arms or by giving them a kiss on their forehead...and also, that God is a God of miracles.

This little boy should not have lived. He has been neglected and sick for a long time now and the only people in his life who should have been trying to help him get better were also sick and were also dying. They couldn't care for themselves, so how were they supposed to care for him? But somehow, for some reason, this little boy ended up in my arms and I will never forget that. When I first held Lovemore, he was hopeless and helpless - he didn't want to eat, he didn't have energy to talk or to even keep his eyes open for very long...but today, he is already a different boy. He even had enough energy to smile, and I will never forget that.

As I looked around the Malnutrition Ward I was overwhelmed. This type of ward doesn't even exist in North America, yet here in Zambia, it is all too common. Lovemore shared a bet with one other little girl, and each of the other nearly 100 beds in that ward were shared by 2 or 3 children, all sick, all hungry, all neglected. But as I continued to look around, my sense of feeling overwhelmed diminished and I started to feel so grateful. I felt so grateful that Lovemore was brought to our home and I was so thankful for each of the family members or friends who cared enough to bring in each one of those children, because now they do have hope....now these children can get better and they essentially get a second chance at life.

I don't know exactly what our purpose for coming to Zambia was, but I do know that I have been changed by this experience. I do know that it is possible to make a difference in the world today - even if it is just simply loving someone.