Sick kiddos and Tie Dying with the Carriers

Dalitso has Malaria. Please pray for him

Savannah-Hope (pictured here with Peace) is a bit under the weather. She has been fighting a cough and respiratory infection for about a month and has completed two rounds of antibiotics. A couple days after she finishes the antibiotics, the infection seems to come back. She went to the doctor this morning and had a full work up. The praises are she tested negative for TB and pneumonia! But she has a double ear infection, respiratory infection and is anemic. She is taking round three of antibiotics along with ear drops, cough medicine and iron supplements. This sweet baby is not a good medicine taker, so please be in prayer for Thandie and the Nanny as they try to get her to swallow the medicine without her aspirating it into her already infected lungs. There is some concern that she may be allergic to the little yellow flowers that have exploded all over the campus at Good Samaritan. Please continue to pray for Savannah-Hope's immigration paperwork. We are hoping for a response by the end of next week. As soon as the paperwork is approved Crystal can go to Malawi to pick her up. One more prayer request....I am sending another box via DHL. Savannah needs some American sick baby items. Some of these items may not be approved for international shipping. Please pray that the shipping inspectors and customs look over these well hidden and disguised items and pass the box through without any delays, fees or drama. I sure hope this is the last box, as I am running out of organs to sell to pay for the shipping fees. The next set of items should be able to go over with Crystal.

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I posted before about the Carrier's tie dying project here and here. I am posting about this project again because these pictures from the memory card are much better quality than the pictures I posted before. These are also the first pictures I have seen of the project in process. And this project was such a highlight for the children last year...I wanted to share it again. I love to see their smiling faces! I appreciate the Carrier's so much. It was not an easy task to bring 100+ t-shirts and dye kits, especially when you are only allowed 50 pounds in your suitcase. Their sacrifice was such a blessing to these sweet children.

I am hoping Mrs. Carrier can tell us what the children are holding in their hands. It looks like little boxes of sweets.....am I right?

And last but not least.....Savannah-Hope in her tie-dye onesie.

Building Projects

This is a picture of the Bakery House at Good Samaritan. We are still waiting for the electricity to be turned on, but otherwise it is finished. This picture was taken in October, before it was finished, but its the most updated picture we have, and I just got it....so I am sharing it now.

This is the water tower that was built to supply water to our new solar powered water heaters. Which are pictured below.

This is a new structure. For those of you who have been to Good Samaritan. This structure is located just in front of the swing sets. I believe it is going to be a car port.

This picture was taken just to the left of the last picture and is at the far left corner of the main property. If you look inside the brick structure you can see the container that was sent last fall and unsealed on September 3, 2007. I am not a hundred percent sure what the wood structure is going to be, but I can't wait to find out.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Well, I had good intentions this week of updating the blog with new pictures from the memory card I received from Thandie...but things have been so busy. If I had a third end I think I would be burning that too! Tonight I spent a couple hours loading pictures into draft posts....so get ready here come the pictures.

Sometimes no news is good news.

I received a message today from Thandie through Crystal (Savannah-Hope's mom) that all is well at Good Samaritan. No news to report today.

Please check back tomorrow. I am hoping to have a chance tonight to post some new pictures.

Heavy Rains!!!

The last couple of days there have been heavy heavy rains in Malawi. We had one tree that uprooted and the bamboo that is behind the dining hall has blown all over the campus. We are thankful that so far there hasn't been any structural damage or injuries.

Thandie received her exams back today from the Human Development Class she took last semester. She earned an A and passed the class!

Savannah-Hope had a major growth spurt this week and out grew all of her pajamas overnight. We were expecting her monthly weight check to reflect this growth spurt, but were shocked to learn that she actually lost almost two pounds! The doctors believe the weight loss is a result of her respiratory infection. Her current weight is 15 pounds 8 ounces.

Online again

The internet was repaired this morning at my grandmother's house, so barring any other obstacles I should be able to post updates more easily in the mornings. No pictures today though, because my portable hard drive with the pictures is at the other house.

I spoke with Thandie this morning and she didn't have any news for the blog. Everything is status quo at Good Samaritan. Which something to praise the Lord about.

Kondwani had his CT scan. He was a bit afraid of the proceedure but all went well. Thandie said that the headaches are coming from his brain being bounced around in the car accident. The doctor told Kondwani that in time he will recover and gave him some medicine. Kondwani was encouraged by the results.

Obstacles...praises and prayer requests

It’s amazing the amount of obstacles that have been put before me in trying to update the blog this week. I am taking this opportunity to Praise the Lord for the things I have been taking for granted. When I was in Malawi I prayed for electricity and running water daily. Most of the homes in Malawi don’t have either. And those that do, they only work some of the time. Each time I turned on a facet and water came out I praised Him. Each time I turned on a light switch and the lights came on I praised Him. I continued this when I got back to America. But now that it has been five months, I have begun to take everything for granted again. I expect to connect to the internet when I click the “e” on the computer. I expect to reach my blogger website when I type in the address. I expect the spell check feature to actually check my spelling. I expect the pictures to load when I click the upload button. I expect Thandie to answer the phone when I dial her number for an update. There has been a whole-lotta expecting going on over here. So today I praised the Lord that He allowed me to get up and hour earlier so I could drive to my other house and use the internet as the internet is not working at my grandmother's house.

Update on the box:

Thandie went to the airport today to see if she could get the box I sent released from hostage. She was hoping to speak with an officer there that knows Brother Gentry well and understands that the Children’s Home is unable to pay fees to receive donations. Unfortunately that officer was out of town for training. Thandie spoke to just about anyone who would listen. They re-inspected the box in an effort to reevaluate the value of the contents. Finally she was able to get them to come down from 40,000K to 6,000K which I am calling a miracle! We found out that as long as the content of the box is valued at below $100 there are no fees. Thandie plans to take pictures of Blessing and his siblings receiving the items from the box. I should have a new memory card with the pictures early next month.

Praises:


1 John 3:16-17 (King James Version)
16Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Individuals and churches have embraced Blessings and his siblings and have truly shown them the love of God. Good Samaritan has received funds to help this sweet child and his family. I can’t thank you enough for your generosity. Please continue to pray for this family and we will watch together to see what God will do.








Simion and Alinafe are improving. Simion is receiving a course of 5 injections, one a day. Today was his third injection. Each day he is improving. There are no new cases of Malaria or infection to report. Praise the Lord!!!!







Prayer Requests:

Please pray for Thandie’s grandmother. She has malaria. She is such a sweet woman. I enjoyed my time with her so much. She was so welcoming.

Please continue to pray for our garden boy Kondwani. He is having a CT Scan of his head today. The cost for this procedure is $190 US dollars. We couldn’t wait any longer for him to have this procedure so Brother Gentry sent the money by faith. Please consider helping with this cost.

Adventures in mailing....and other updates

The leadership conference at my church was amazing. I am already looking forward to next year’s conference. I am hoping the Gentry’s will attend. I should be able to update more regularly this week.

Adventures in mailing…

Sending a box to Malawi really is an adventure. There are three basic ways to send a package: ground, USPS or DHL. I have tried all three ways. My favorite way is option #4….fly there yourself and deliver it in person.

Sending a package by “ground” takes about 3-6 months and the package arrives looking like it traveled on a ship across the sea for 3-6 months. I have only done this once and never again! I sent the package in March 2007 and it arrived in November 2007! Using the United States Postal Service takes 4 to 6 weeks and costs about $100 depending on how heavy your box is. DHL takes 4 business days and costs 1 kidney and 3 pints of blood. I like DHL in that it gets there quick, but not only is it expensive it is extremely stressful. I have sent three packages via DHL. The first one was delivered to a different orphanage with a similar name; the second was delivered to Savannah’s nanny, while Thandie was driving to town to pick it up at the office. That leads me to the story of the third box…..

Last week I sent some supplies for Blesssing’s and his siblings and a few things for Savannah-Hope. These were items that aren’t readily available for purchase in Malawi. The package was supposed to arrive on Valentines Day, but it got held up in customs. When you mail a package overseas, you have to write a list of everything in the box and state the value of each item. Being the honest person I am, I wrote the list and listed the value of each item. Typically the value is about half the cost of the postage, and that remained true for this box as well. Malawi doesn’t allow any used clothing items to be mailed there, so if you mail clothes you must mark new on the list, which I did. When the box arrived to customs with a value over **secret amount** and listed as ‘new’, the customs officials decided this would be a great opportunity to get their fair share by taxing the box. The box is now being held hostage at the airport with a fee of 40,000K!!! ($290)

Nice! To make matters worse, Thandie is the only one that can try to resolve the issue since her name is on the box. Savannah’s Nanny had a death in the family and had to go to the village. Thandie has to remain now at Good Samaritan with Savannah-hope as she is recovering from a respiratory infection and can’t be taken off campus. The only other staff member that could watch Savannah-Hope is Miss Ester “the Matron”, but she is busy caring for two of our orphans who are extremely ill. So the box remains at the airport. Please pray that this gets worked out and the box can be released to Thandie soon and without any fees.

..........Alinafe K. ...............................Simion.............

Please continue to pray for Alifnafe K. and Simion. Both children have extremely high fevers and were taken to the hospital today. Neither child was admitted and both tested negative for Malaria. The doctor suspects Simion of having pneumonia. Alinafe is suffering and infection but the doctor can't determine the source. Both children are on antibiotics and being cared for by the Matron, Ms. Esther.

..............Junior.............Victoria........................

Please also pray for these two children. Junior has a headache and the chills and Victoria has been having stomach pains.

Late last week Crystal recieved a letter in the mail from the Memphis, TN homeland security office. They requested more paperwork and documentation for the adoption. Crystal has everything together that they need and will be overnighting the package tomorrow. Please pray for the officer that will be reviewing their file this week. God's timing is perfect....but the wait is so hard. There is also added pressure of plain ticket prices going up in the Spring...and you never know when Madonna is going to show up in Malawi and turn everything upside down again. Please keep Savannah-Hope's adoption journey in prayer.

Qucik Update

Coming soon…more updates…with pictures.

For today, here is a quick update regarding sick children at Good Samaritan.

Early Early this morning my cell phone honked…and then I saw:

Ida is suffering from diarrhea
James B. has Malaria (1 plus)
Evance J. has Malaria (1plus)

I called Thandie when I woke up. I have to say here that the phone connections for the past two weeks have been awesome. I have been able to reach Thandie on the first try and hear her clearly. That has been such a huge blessing. Today, I reached her right away but our connection had a bit of a delay and a little fuzzy. She said that Savannah is feeling better. Simion is only a little bit better. He will have to go to the hospital again if he isn’t better by tomorrow. He is still has a fever and back pain. Alinafe Ka is feeling better but not yet well enough to return to school.

More sick kiddos at Good Samaritan

Alinafe Ka. has a high fever and infection in her blood.

Fales K. (Junior’s sister) has a fever and sore throat

James has a fever, head ache and body pains. Very likely that he has Malaria. He will be checked first thing in the morning.

Simion went back to the doctor today and was given a new type of medication. If he isn’t better in three days he will need to go to the hospital. He is having back pain which is pretty concerning.

Kondwani,the garden boy, went back to the government hospital today. He is so sick and desperately needs a brain scan. Unfortunately this can’t be done at the government hospital. The procedure will have to be performed at a private hospital with a fee of $198. Please keep this need in prayer.

Savannah-Hope was very crabby and not feeling herself yesterday. Thandie says she is better today and cracked a few smiles. Please continue to pray for her respiratory infection.

There was an electrical fire today at the private school where Peace and Margret attend. Nobody was hurt and there wasn’t any major structural damage. Praise the Lord! Last week at a different private school there was a fire that killed an 8 year old boy. All of the children at Peace’s school knew about that little boy, so when the fire happened at their school today many children were crying and screaming in fear. Peace was happy to see her mommy and Savannah-Hope….and she got to get out of school early.

***sorry no pictures today****

Join me in prayer

Prayer Requests:


Simion has been suffering from a dangerously high fever since Tuesday Morning. He was taken to the hospital today for tests. The malaria test came back negative, but he is being treated with anti-malaria tablets as a precaution because sometimes malaria doesn’t show up on the blood test. He was given antibiotics to fight an infection of unknown origin. Please lift this little cutie up in prayer. He has a compromised immune system due to AIDS. A minor infection can be life threatening for this little guy.

Savannah-Hope has been coughing for two days. She has coughed so hard it has caused her to vomit. She was seen by the doctor today and diagnosed with a respiratory infection. By the symptoms I am guessing bronchitis. She is taking antibiotics and cough medicine. Please continue to pray for her adoption journey. Things are moving slow with the Homeland Security Office in Memphis , TN. Please pray we get the approved immigration form soon. Please pray specifically that God will touch Officer Cox’s (officer processing immigration paperwork) heart and give the Johnson’s favor in her eyes.

Many of you will remember the terrible car accident that happened in Malawi on October 31, 2007. One of the garden boys, Kondwani continues to suffer the effects of this accident. He is not well. Kondwani is suffering symptoms that would suggest a major head injury. He is in need of a head scan (CT-Scan or MRI). Unfortunately he doesn’t have the funds to pay for this test, and neither does Good Samaritan. Please pray that the Lord will provide the funds for this procedure. The cost is $190.

The updates to the blog this week will be somewhat sporadic as my church is having a leadership conference this week. I am gone from 8am to midnight each day leaving little time to post. The conference has been so amazing! I am hoping that the Gentry’s will be able to attend next year. This week the Gentry’s are in North Carolina for a Missions Conference.

Last year at this time Thandie and Peace were in San Diego . We had such a wonderful time, I am sure missing them!

Choir practice

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls choir.

They are wearing clothes donated during the "dress project" last summer.

**Update**

The house that was going to be rented for Blessing's and his siblings close by Good Samaritan, didn't work out. It has some major leaks in the roof that can't be repaired. So they are staying at the Children's Home until a house can be located or built for them. Please keep praying for Blessings and his sibling.

Everybody is healthy at Good Samaritan! Praise the Lord!

"Blessings House"

The Past:

Here is a picture of Blessings and his brother John age 11 and sister Gertrude age 6. They are standing outside the house they rented in Bangwe. This was the first time we had met John and Gertrude. They are wearing the only outfit they owned and they went to school dressed like this because neither had a school uniform. We had already provided a new outfit for blessings which is why he is looking more put together.

This is a picture of the mosquito net they were using as a blanket along with the two small pots they were using for cooking and bathing.

Here is a picture of the inside of the house. Showing tarps covering a large hole.

The kitchen

This picture shows Gertrude receiving her new school uniform. All three children received a new warm blanket. They were so happy and thankful! These items were purchased by faith. Brother Gentry and the staff at Good Samaritan were praying that individuals and churches would come forward to help this special family during their time of need. Some donations have already been promised, but the need continues so please prayerfully consider sending this family a special blessing.

The Present:

Thandie has located a small mud brick house near Good Samaritan for Blessings and his siblings to rent. The children will be attending school at Good Samaritan. Yesterday (2/7/08) Thandie went to Blessings home village in Mulungi to have some papers signed with the child welfare department. While she was there she went to see Blessings' 4 year old nephew Yamakani ("Praise Him"). What she found was a very disturbing sight. Yamakani has Malaria 2 plus. The elderly woman in the village that was caring for him also has Malaria. Thandie took Yamakani to a clinic for treatment and then brought him back to Good Samaritan. Yamakani will now join blessings and the other children at their new rented house as soon as his Malaria is stabilized.

The Future: "Blessings House"

God has laid a special project on Brother Gentry's Heart after hearing the story of Blessings. Brother Gentry would like to build a cottage on the Good Samaritan campus called "Blessings House". This cottage will house 8-10 boys that are in an emergency situation. This project will cost approximately $10,000. Please consider being a part of this special project.

Funds for Blessings and/or "Blessings House" can be sent to:

Victory World Outreach

C/O Victory Baptist Church

7808 Beulah Church Rd

Louisville, Kentucky 40228

Please write "supplies for Blessings" or "Blessings House" on the memo portion of the check.

Empty Pigggy Banks

We had an expensive month at Good Samaritan, our piggy banks our empty. With nine bouts of Malaria, heavy rains, two car accidents, need for a cow, secondary school fees, high gas costs, vehicle maintenance and the list goes on and on. Please pray without ceasing for the funds to keep Good Samaritan Children's Home running. Please pray that the Lord will financially bless those who faithfully support Good Samaritan. There are currently 97 children at Good Samaritan. Only a few are fully supported at $80 a month. Most of the children (80+) are partially supported at $25, but there are still about 10 children who aren't supported at all.

If you already support one of the children or several children we want to thank you for your faithful support. If you or your church would like to support a child please contact me through email (chrissieburness@yahoo.com) and I can let you know which children are not supported. I am working on a future post that will feature the unsupported children. Please prayerfully consider bringing a partially supported child up to full support with a monthly donation of $55 a month. Or a yearly one time donation of $660.

January was a difficult month for Good Samaritan, so difficult that we don't know how we will cover the February bills. No contribution is too small and every contribution is tax deductible. Please consider sending an extra special financial blessing to Good Samaritan.

Please send donations to:
Victory World Outreach
C/O Victory Baptist Church
7808 Beulah Church Rd
Louisville, Kentucky 40228
Please write "Good Samaritan Children's Home" on the memo portion of the check.

More updates tomorrow....please check back.

Mango picking....and begging for continued prayer.

Here are two photos taken on December 15th when Thandie took some of the children to her home village to pick Mangoes. The children has such a wonderful time. Click here to read more about that day. (You'll have to scroll down past the Christmas tree).

Please continue to pray for funds to send the next container to Malawi. For more information please click here.

Please continue to pray for Savannah-Hope's U.S. Immigration form I-171H. The Johnson's are making the 4 hour trip to Memphis tomorrow to see if they can get some answers on the delay. Please pray that the paper comes today and saves them the trip! She is already dressed in her "Amercian Girl" outfit....now we just need to get that paper and bring her home!

All 9 of the children that contracted Malaria in January are fully recovered and back in school. Praise the Lord! Thanks for your prayers. New pictures coming soon! Thandie's memory card is in route and should be here soon. There are over 500 pictures on the card. WooHoo!

Update on Blessing and his siblings

Thandie has written down the story of 17 year old Blessings and his siblings. Its on the way to Brother Gentry. But since I have has so many inquiries about him, I thought I would post the part of the story I know. I will post the complete story when I receive it.

Blessings has an 11 year old brother named John and a 6 year old sister named Gerturde. Their parents died in 2004 after a long illness. The children remained with their adult sister and her husband in their home village in Mulungi. In 2005 the sister and her husband died and left a 2 year old little boy (name unknown). I was originally told that this was a niece....but it is actually a nephew. After the sister and her husband died the children remained in the village alone. Blessings cared for the children himself and went to different fields begging for casual labor. He made enough money for the children to eat one small meal a day.

At some point Blessings was no longer able to get casual labor so he decided to make the trip to Bangwe by foot. After some time they arrived in Bangwe where they knew a lady that was from their home village. She was unable to take them in because she could barely meet the needs of her own children. Blessings started renting a small one room broken down hut for 400 kwatcha a month. He found a job as a security guard paying him under $10 a month. He then heard about Good Samaritan on the radio and felt God leading him there. He arrived there last week and spoke to Thandie. Unfortunately Good Samaritan was unable to take him in, but our staff has been praying with him that God will meet his needs.

On 1/30/08, Thandie visited Blessing's broken down mud hut. Thandie said that there are huge holes in the house that leave the children exposed to the elements including wild animals and thieves. The floor of the house is muddy and some areas have standing water which is extremely dangerous because of the mosquitoes. They were using shredded rags and an old mosquito net for blankets. Six year old Gertrude has one dress that is torn exposing one shoulder. She has no panties, no shoes, no socks, no shirts, no skirts, and no pajamas...just the one torn dress. Eleven year old John also has one torn outfit, no shoes. Neither child had a school uniform. Gertrude’s hair is matted down and in dread locks. She is also covered in a skin rash. They have no buckets for bathing.

It really touched Thandie's heart that when she asked Blessings to make a list of the items he needed, he asked for money to be set aside for school fees for his siblings, which is a huge worry for him. He also asked for blankets and some clothes. Thandie was so surprised that he didn't ask for bread, sugar, salt, soap, or buckets. Blessing's really felt those things weren't necessary....he needs to pay his siblings school fees and they need clothes because they are nearly naked. He didn't ask for any extras. Blessings loves the Lord and has faith the he will continue to provide for him and his siblings, but last week became so distraught, when Good Samaritan turned him away. He felt that his siblings maybe left for dead and sobbed and sobbed. He is still a child himself, has such a huge responsibility on him. He needs our help and our prayers.

The day that Thandie visited Blessing's, a lady from their home village came and took away the nephew. The woman is a grandmother who was friends of the family. She heard that Blessings had no means to care for the 4 year old and came and got him. She was not willing to help the other three. Blessing's was devastated to see his nephew leave, but felt he had no choice and no way to care for this boy. He has experienced such loss in his young life. Please continue to pray for him.

I should have pictures of Blessings, Gertrude and John in the next week or two. They came to church yesterday at Good Samaritan. Peace gave Gertrude some of her clothes. Thandie found some shirts for Blessings and John that were left over from the dress project when I was there this past summer. Thandie also stepped out by faith and purchased shoes for each child, a couple of buckets for bathing and some antiseptic wash for Gertrude's rash. Please prayerfully consider contributing funds for Blessing and his siblings.

Funds for Blessings can be sent to:

Victory World Outreach
C/O Victory Baptist Church
7808 Beulah Church Rd
Louisville, Kentucky 40228
Please write "supplies for Blessings" on the memo portion of the check.
**Please note that these funds can be made available immediately to Thandie for Blessings as long as we know that the check is on its way.

In Search of a Fat Cow

This is a picture of a typical Malawian cow. Skinny and about to blow over. We try to purchase one cow a month ($500) so that the children can eat beef once a week. But we have been having trouble lately finding a fat cow. I talked to Thandie last night and she had good news. A fat cow has been located. I guess that is not particularly good news for the cow, but we are praising the Lord for providing us with a strong healthy cow. It is a bit more money that we have allotted for, but a much wiser purchase than this skinny cow that wouldn't feed much at all.

This is the memory card that works in Thandie's digital camera. But more importantly it is an answer to prayer! I started this blog just about a year ago. And the biggest struggle has been having new pictures to post as well as pictures of new projects and events at Good Samaritan. The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to take two trips to Malawi in which I took lots and lots of pictures. I have also been able to get pictures from others who have visited. But my hearts desire was to find a way to get updated pictures quickly and inexpensively. While Mrs. Carrier and Mrs. Miller were in Malawi this past September, Thandie learned how to email pictures from her home computer. But then the ground phone line was stolen, and she hasn't been able to connect to the internet. And the internet fees were outrageous. My next idea was for Thandie to burn the pictures on to a CD and send them to me with visitors. We have been able to do this a couple of times, but Thandie doesn't know how to do it on her own. Recently Japhet took Thandies camera to an internet cafe and spent two whole days and gobs of my money to send me a handful of pictures. Which I am extremely grateful for, but not a solution for ongoing picture communication. Then I found out from Brother Gentry's daughter that a business man in Malawi recently began sending paperwork to Brother Gentry once a month through DHL (the fastest way to send mail). But I didn't think that I would be able to take advantage of this opportunity because it was too expensive to develop the pictures in Malawi and no one in Malawi could figure out how to put them on a cd. And then the Lord gave be a great idea! Send the memory card! It is small and cheap to send and holds over 500 pictures! WooHoo. I sent Thandie some money to purchase a new memory card so she won’t be without one. I hope to send several memory cards with Crystal when she goes to pick up Savannah-Hope. The business man is sending the memory card to Brother Gentry today. I am so excited! So if it all works out according to my plan...(which rarely happens) I should be able to get new pictures once a month and they should only be a couple of weeks old. This is such exciting news for people who like to see pictures on the blog.

Andrew's (Good Samaritan vice president and school principal) daughter Madalitso age 18 has Malaria. Josofina and Owen are both feeling better and are going to school today. Ida still is vomiting and having body pains. Please continue to pray for her.

Savannah-Hope is still waiting to come to America. The Johnson's are still waiting for their immigration form, I-171H. Please continue to pray for Savannah-Hope's adoption journey. It has been a much longer process than we were originally told, but of course she is worth every minute. We are trusting completely on God's timing.