Our sick kiddos

Thandie is on her way to the hospital with four of our children. Please lift them up in prayer! (Tuesday 11:44pm PST)
Update: 8/1/07 7:15am (PST), scroll down for updates written in "red".

On May 6th Richard fell and hurt his hand. It is has been an extremely long and complicated healing process. He is still having trouble with swelling and pain. Today Thandie is taking him to the hospital because there is something hard sticking out of the wound. She said it seems like a bone. Please pray that the Lord gives the doctor's wisdom to determine the cause of this prolonged healing process.
The hard thing in Daniel's wound was an abscess. The doctor opened the wound and cleaned it. He is on another round of antibiotics.

Simion is still suffering from Malaria. The medicine should be working by now and there should be some improvement, but he seems to be getting worse. Thandie says he still has a high fever, headache, backache and no appetite. Please pray for this little guy! I just love this picture with the paint on his face.
Simion was given antibiotics, and a vitamin boost. The doctor said if he isn't better in 5 days they will do a chest x-ray and check for TB.

Alinafe is suffering from a bad headache.
Alinafe has Malaria. It is "one plus" which is the least severe type. She was given anti-malaria medication.

Anne has some blisters in a place where it is no fun to have blisters. Hopefully the doctors can determine the cause and treat her quickly and as comfortably as possible.
Our sweet Anne has Shingles. I have heard that Shingles is very painful. She was also given medication.

Simion Has Malaria

Our precious Simion was diagnosed with Malaria on Sunday. Thandie says it is "Plus one" which is the least severe type of Malaria. Please pray for this little guy. He has a compromised immune system and has been through so much medically in his little life. Simion is such a fighter though, he actually tried to convince the staff to let him go to school today! I cant wait to squeeze those cute cheeks! Only two more weeks :)

Update: I spoke with Thandie 7/31/07 at 7:30am (PST) and she said Simion is doing much better.

Please scroll down for an update on the Malawi Projects.

Packing and Project Updates

I leave for Malawi two weeks from today! I am getting more excited each day. I am especially encouraged by the generosity of so many who have donated funds, medical supplies and time. I can't wait to execute these projects!

Project updates:

Village Project: I hoped to raise $3500 for this project. I am only $280 away from this goal!

Dress Project: The cost to buy each of our orphan girls a new dress is $300. So far half of the money has been promised!

Suitcase Project: The medical supplies have been coming in by the bag fulls! What a huge blessing! Items still needed are Tylenol, Motrin, Children's Vitamins, Adult Vitamins and Maxi Pads.

I can't thank you all enough for all your support! If you are interested in helping me reach the final goals of these projects please click the name of each project and it will take you to the post that explains how you can help. Thanks!

The packing has officially begun!

62 linear inch duffel bag, Even fit Beth, my 10 year old packing helper!

New polo shirts for the Good Samaritan boys

Some skirts/shirts/dresses/hair bands for the Good Samaritan girls
Medical supplies!

The children have enjoyed their two week break from school. They all return back to school on Monday. During their break, the children have enjoyed playing netball and have been busy planting sugarcane. All of the children and staff at Good Samaritan are healthy and doing well. Thandie is hoping to get her computer set up and an Internet connection established this week.

Sugarcane

Birthdays and a prayer request

Happy Birthday Mrs. Gentry!

Mrs. Gentry had a birthday on July 25th!

Eda has always celebrated her birthday on February 22nd. She found out this week that it is actually on July 26th. She found out just in time to celebrate! Happy Birthday Eda!

If you followed the emails from my Malawi trip last summer, you may remember reading about a woman named Chrissie who had twin girls and was gravely ill. She was treated for TB and then returned to her village. Thandie told me today that she just had another baby and is very ill again. She is in the hospital. Please pray for her. This is a picture of Chrissie with her twin girls and her mother taken last summer. The girls were 14 months old then, although they look much younger.

The Round House

This is the Round House. The Round House was built on the Good Samaritan Campus to be used as a guest house for American visitors. I will be calling this home for 32 days this summer. This picture was taken in 2003, but is looks pretty much the same. Brother Gentry is having "burglar bars" attached to the windows as an extra safety percussion.

MIssionary Gilbert Anger

Missionary Brother Anger will be visiting Good Samaritan Children's Home this Wednesday (7/25). He will be preaching the mid-week service. He is also coming with sodas and cookies for the children. Everyone is very excited about his visit.

Brother Anger is from Australia and is a "missionary helper" to missionaries in Africa. He arrived in Malawi on Sat 7/21 and will leave on Sat 7/28. Brother Anger's desire is to help missionaries in 3rd world countries by supplying support threw literature or manpower if needed. He provides much encouragement to missionaries on the field in Africa as well as national church planters and their leaders.

Special Delivery has arrived!!!

It's here! Or should I say its there! The container arrived to Good Samaritan on Friday July 20th at 2:30pm. It weighed in at 290,900 lbs. and measured 40' long. I still can't believe it! Thandie said that it arrived and was placed on the platform without any problems or complications. Praise the Lord! The container will remain sealed until Brother Gentry arrives. When does Brother Gentry return to Malawi? He is scheduled to arrive on August 29th.
Note about the picture: This picture is of a container similar to ours and a crane similar to that which was used. But it is not our container. I don't have the technology set up yet with Good Samaritan to receive pictures quickly. But that could change soon as Good Samaritan may have an internet connection as soon as August.

Position #1

Sileni........................... Felix.................... Patrick

Dorothy................... Peter......................... Simion
These are the 6 children in position number one (Kindergarten through 5th grade) at the Good Samaritan School. Thandie gave the children an incentive of getting to go to town to eat at a restaurant. These children were able to eat chicken, fries and a soda. This is so huge for them. They usually eat chicken only twice a year at Christmas and Easter. And at that time they get some part of the chicken: claw, beak, head, brain....they eat the whole chicken, nothing goes to waist. At the restaurant they had chicken breast. The children also enjoyed the fellowship and feeling of accomplishment for reaching their goal.

Elizabeth is one of the 13 students who attends secondary school off campus. Thandie told these students that if they earned position number 1, 2 or 3 she would give them $500K (equivalent to $4. ). Elizabeth was the only one to place. She earned position number 3!

More birthdays and lots of other news!

Here are two more July birthday girls. I have posted before about the children not knowing their birthdays when they were brought to Good Samaritan. We later found out from their villages or the children became older and remembered when their birthdays were. These two girls were listed under January birthdays on my paperwork. It seems that someone somewhere had a difficult time telling "1" and "7" apart on the paperwork so some children are listed both under July and January. Thandie was able to confirm that Jennifer and Mwatitha are officially July birthday girls.

Mwaltitha likes to be called Janet. Her birthday was July 15th. She is in the third grade and enjoys playing netball. Janet would like to be a typist when she grows up.

Jennifer P. turned 14 years old on July 3rd. She is in the 6th grade and enjoys school and learning. Jennifer wants to be a nurse when she grows up. We have so many girls who are inspiring to be nurses. I can see a Good Samaritan Nursing School in our future.

Water Heater Update: Good progress has been made on the water heater project. We need a 800 gallon water tank in order for the water heaters to work properly. The spot where the water tank will sit has been cleared and the ground work has began. On July 18th the 4 solar panels and water heaters were installed on the roof. Wont be long now.

Medical Update: On 7/17/07 Simion became ill with a throat infection and cough. He was taken to the hospital and is now on antibiotics. Thandie says today he is resting at the Children's Home and feeling much better. Thandie was able to give him bread and ice cream as a special treat. Ida's boils on her neck have completely healed, but a new one is beginning on her lip.

Communication News: Thandie got a new cell phone! Woo Hoo! This is such great news. I kept telling her I was going to feed her phone to the alligators when I got to Malawi. I was actually able to get through to her on the first attempt and the call only dropped once! Woo Hoo! Thandie is also working on getting and internet connection at Good Samaritan so I can update the blog while I am in Malawi.

Rumor: Something that we have been waiting for since April 10th is supposed to arrive to Good Samaritan today (July 19th). I refuse to post it as a fact until I get confirmation that it has actually arrived. Stay tuned.....

The 100th post; Hebrews 12:2

This is a bit of an unusual post for me, but I felt lead to share something that the Lord has been working with me on. In 2003 when the 98 orphans were brought to Good Samaritan, 4 of them tested positive for HIV/AIDS. In September 2006, Ivy, one of the orphans began battling one illness after another. At that time I asked over and over again for her CD4 count. The CD4 count measures the T-Cells (fighter cells) in the blood. The more you have the better. No matter how many times I asked, I couldn't get any of the Malawians to ask the doctors what Ivy's CD4 count was. In November 2006 Thandie, the orphanage director came to America for four months to raise funds for the orphanage. On January 5, 2007, Ivy died. To this day I have no idea what her CD4 counts were. I eventually dropped the issue, until last week when I heard from the Gentry's that the little boy in the orphanage who is HIV+ was looking week and sickly. When I asked Thandie about him, I learned he was not taking the ARVs (AIDS medication). I was frustrated and confused. I asked Thandie to find out what his CD4 count was. I didn't think I would find out, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Yesterday I was given the CD4 count for him and for the two older girls in the children's home with HIV. I was very surprised by the results. Anything under 200 is considered "full blown" AIDS, above 200 is considered just HIV+. The oldest girl, who I was 100% sure was the sickest, had the highest count. Not only is it the highest, it is within the normal range and more than three times higher than what would qualify her as full blown AIDS. The little boy I was concerned about also had a high count. It is lower than someone without HIV, but still double what it needs to be to be considered full blown AIDS. The third child who by all outward appearances appears the strongest and the healthiest, had a critically low count. So low you would think the end of her life was near. After praying and meditating on this situation it became very clear to me why I never knew Ivy's counts. While the numbers serve their purpose in determining treatment and providing a guideline for doctors, they can't be used to determine lifespan. Only God knows the day we will die. If Ivy's counts were low, Thandie may not have come to the US and would have missed the opportunity God had for her to be used in a mighty way.

Many of us have had a medical issue or know someone who has, where blood counts and numbers were involved. Whether it is diabetes, cholesterol, cancer, anemia, AIDS, etc. ...we look to the numbers for answers. Hoping for them to go up or down depending on the illness. We turn our face away from God and look for answers in the numbers. God has shown this to me so clearly with this situation. It doesn't matter to God what the numbers are, when it is time for us to go home, that is when we will go. The numbers serve their purpose as a treatment guide, but they don't hold the hope or the answers.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (kjv)

July Birthdays

Edina turned 9 years old on July 2nd. She enjoys singing and wants to be a nurse when she grows up. Edina is in the third grade.

Margret's birthday was on July 6th. She also turned 9 years old and wants to be a nurse. Margret is in the 4th grade and enjoys playing netball.

Josofina turned 8 years old on July 6th. She is in the third grade and wants to be a typist when she grows up. Josofina enjoys playing netball.

Daniel's, our shepherd boy, has a birthday coming up on July 16th. Daniel is in the 4th grade and wants to be a soldier when he grows up. Daniel takes care of the goats and other animals at Good Samaritan.

Robeez Donation

Robeez granted my request for a donation and are sending me 20 pairs of shoes to take to the orphans in Malawi! These leather booties retail for over $25 a pair. I can't wait to distribute them to some needy bare feet! For more information on Robeez and their Heart and Sole program click here.
Other news: Not much to report today. Ida continues to be ill, still suffering from two boils on her face and a low grade fever. Thandie met with the solar water heater company today to see about getting the water heaters installed. Apparently we also need water storage tanks. This was a hidden cost. Brother Gentry received the quote for this today. Please pray that the cost of the tanks will not exceed the amount of money that has been designated for this project. The package I sent on March 14th still hasn't arrived. I haven't given up hope for it just yet.

PLEASE SIGN THE GUESTBOOK

Thandie sees the Blog!

Thandie went to the Internet cafe today and was able to see this blog for the first time in Malawi. This is great news for a couple of reasons. First, since this website if for Good Samaritan and about Good Samaritan, it would be nice for them to get to view it and be a part of it. Second, this means I will also be able to access blogger while I am in Malawi, so I should be able to update the site while I am there. Last year while I was in Malawi, I sent out email of each day's journal. I was hoping that this year I could just update the blog about each day's adventures. I wasn't sure though if I would be able to do it from Malawi, but so far it looks good. I do have some blogger friends that have agreed to post for me as a back up plan in case I get there and can't post.

Prayer Requests:

Malawi customs officials are charging Brother Gentry $2000 in fees and taxes for the items on the container. Please pray for the finances to pay this bill. Ida has two new boils on her face. She is again on antibiotics and may require surgery. Thandie doesn't have an update on the two caregivers who are ill, but please keep them in prayer as well.

Praises:

Mrs. Gentry is feeling much better!

A church in Indiana has financed the completion of Newland's Good Samaritan Baptist Church in Malawi. This is Rapson's and Clifford's church. The Indiana church payed for ceilings, windows, doors, floors and paint. Praise the Lord!

Bicycles and more news

Some supporters of Good Samaritan have previously donated bicycles for the children. After a couple of bad falls and broken bones, Thandie locked all the bicycles up in storage. The plan was to create a safe area for the children to ride the bikes. On Saturday July 7th the bicycle area was completed. Thande plans on meeting with the staff and the children regarding safety and responsibilities regarding up keep and treatment of the bikes in the next couple of days. The children should get their first opportunity to ride later this week. They are very excited.

In other news: On July 6th Malawi celebrated their independence day. They were declared independent from Great Britain in 1964. The children's home didn't do anything special to celebrate this holiday, but did pray and thank God for living in a free country, one that is open to the Gospel. Thandie's brother Blessings, is doing a little better. His next doctors appointment is July 17th. Please continue to pray for healing of his esophagus. Ida continues to suffer from the boil on her neck. It is not healing. One of the caregivers at the children's home, Nsompho, has come down with a very serious case of Malaria. She is currently hospitalized. Another caregiver, Mary who was sick about three weeks ago with pneumonia, is sick again. Thandie isn't sure what she has now. The container is not yet on the Good Samaritan property. The company that is supposed to deliver it, has not been able to as their only crane is broken. No one knows when it will arrive at Good Samaritan. When the container is delivered, it will stay sealed on the Good Samaritan property until Brother Gentry returns in September. Please continue to pray for Mrs. Gentry as she recovers from her bout of Malaria. Thandie says that the weather has been quite cold in Malawi. Please don't forget to sign the guest book!

The Backpacks!

The children at Good Samaritan worked hard in the garden and assisted with the landscaping. When the work was completed each child was rewarded their own backpack. The children were so excited. Thanks to Miss Joanne for donating the backpacks!

Giant Candy Bar

When Thandie and Peace were in Iowa this past December, the Oppmans gave them a giant Hershey bar. Thandie wanted to carry it back with her to Malawi for the children. She cut it up in small pieces, which was a mighty task. The children loved it! Hope you enjoy the pictures. Please don't forget to sign the guestbook.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for Ida. She has a boil on her neck. These are little reminders to us to thank God everyday that she is with us. Her immune system is so compromised. Please pray for her. Also keep Thandie's brother Blessings in prayer as he again is having problems with an infection in his esophagus.

Who do I make the check out to?

What a great blessing it is that people have expressed an interest in helping financially with the 3 projects God has put on my heart for my trip to Malawi this summer. I thank God for those of you that have sent and will be sending in support for these projects. So far I have received some support and still have need for some more if God would put on your heart to help me, help others not as fortunate as us in America.I forgot one thing as I was making mention of sending in support for the projects. Who to make the checks out to! Please make the checks payable to Lighthouse Baptist Church and in the memo section of the check put the name of the project you want the money used for (i.e. "Dress Project" or "Village Project"). If you make the check out to the church you can use it as a deduction on your taxes at the end of the year. If you do not care about the deductions then make the check out to Chrissie Burness and put into the memo section which project and I will make sure it is applied to that project. Please note: I cannot cash any checks that are not made specifically out to Lighthouse or to Chrissie Burness. Sorry for any confusion. I so appreciate your willingness to give and be apart of what God is doing through Good Samaritan in Malawi, Africa. I will need to have all the money collected by July 30th. I can't thank you enough for your support and know the children in Malawi will thank you also.
Mailing Address: Lighthouse Baptist Church, 1345 Skyline Drive, Lemon Grove CA 91945.

Click here to find out more information on the "Village Project"

Click here to find out more information on the "Suitcase Project"

Click here to find out more information on the "Dress Project"