Actually, I'm going to start this off with some GOOD news. I received a call from World Vision yesterday, confirming that my trip to Malawi has been approved for the dates planned. That's where the good news ended.
The BAD news is that Chawezi is in the hospital. Although this in itself is not TOO terrible, the part that hit me was that the last time I got an update on her condition (last fall), she was in the hospital. What is unknown at this time is whether or not she's been in the hospital THIS ENTIRE TIME or not.
When a child sponsor (which is what I'm considered, even though Chawezi is not actually a child) plans a visit, the World Vision field staff ask the family/child if there's anything they'd like their sponsor to bring, as this is a common question from sponsors. I had in fact wanted to know what she might want. Since they'd already asked, they had the answer ready for me, and that answer surprised me. She wanted soap.
She's in a hospital, and what she thought to ask me for was soap???
I don't know where in Malawi she's at right now, or how modern of a hospital she's been admitted to. But if she needs soap, that's a concern. Rural African hospitals are know to be typically under-resourced, but for her to need soap... wow. She also asked for lotion and clothes. (A note on clothes, I have NO idea what size she wears, so this ought to be interesting. But Aimee is going to handle that shopping trip.) Anyway, finding out that she is in the hospital, has possibly been there since late last summer, and that she needs soap... well, not very good news, all things considered.
Helps me put the problems I face in life into a very different perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment