Jesus loves the little children

“Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belong the Kingdom of Heaven.” And He laid His hands on them and went away.”

Matthew 18:13-15

Today began like any normal day, but we had no idea what this seemingly ordinary day would hold. We headed out to Wako Bupi, one of the villages we had been visiting, conducting surveys on the Chujios (water filters) and sharing Creation to the Cross. However, once we got there we realized we had already visited all the Menyattas with Chujios, so it was time to move on the next village. This village was called Kubi and it was beautiful! It was set up on the side of a mountain and the Menyattas were tucked in the hills and behind the trees.

S dropped us off to begin with the surveys, but little did we know that all the women would be out of their homes fetching water and food for their families. We visited one house and then sat around and played with the kids for the remainder of the afternoon. The children were playful and curious, covered in dirt and worn clothes, as they normally are. There was this one child in particular, who looked about the age of two, wobbling as he walked around. He seemed big enough to be walking with no problem. His limbs looked like tiny sticks supporting him, waiting to snap at any moment. And once we got a closer look, we saw that his fingers and toes had some sort of growth on them, they looked as though there were clumps of mud dried on his tiny phalanges. It was so sad and almost terrifying because none of us had ever seen anything like that before.

[Sweet Shelby feeding the sick baby]

S had noticed this little boy before he left the village. When he finally returned to pick us up (more than four hours later), he hurriedly told us to get the kids and put them in the car. The doctors were waiting for us at the clinic and they closed in half an hour! This little toddler was one of eight children. Shelby wanted to take them all to the clinic, but we couldn’t find them all (plus I don’t know how we would have fit the entire family in the Land Cruiser) and the mother was unwilling to accompany her children to the clinic. We took the four that we knew of and pilled everyone in the car (twelve people in a five passenger car-get the picture?).

We quickly arrived at the clinic in Marsabit where Dr. Ivy was awaiting us. Paige and I noticed that we had a flat tire; unfortunately that was the least of our worries. The four children were immediately seen by the doctors. The doctors said that they couldn’t even begin to give them medicine because they were so malnourished. The oldest boy was around the age of ten, the second probably six or seven, and the two babies were maybe two years and eight months, but all of these ages were estimates made by the doctors because the children themselves did not know their own birthdays. The oldest boy was obviously the caretaker in the family, carrying the youngest sibling on his back the whole day we were at the village. The two-year-old (the one with the fungus on his fingers and toes) was running a very high fever. The doctors said that the growth on his fingers was identified as “Chigas,” which is caused by an infestation of fleas (the fleas burry themselves under the finger and toenails and cause an infection). The doctors said that the two youngest children had to be admitted to the hospital in order for them to regain any nutrients they lacked, so that they would be able to receive treatment for their illnesses.

S and Tyler quickly fixed the flat tire and we were on our way to our next destination…Marasbit Hospital. And let me tell you, this is not a place you would want to find yourself, no matter how serious your condition. I know when I say, “hospital,” you automatically have a picture in your head. Erase any preconceived visuals you may have because this place resembled more of a prison than a hospital…it honestly looked like a scene you would be found in a horror film (and I’m not exaggerating in the least bit). Walking through this real-life nightmare, I was filled with emotions of sadness, anger, and disbelief. I could not believe that these children could possible get any better while being housed in this institution. I was angered because I could not fathom how the government officials of Marsabit or even Kenya could allow this sham to be in this current state. I was disturbed to see the gigantic gab between what our hospitals in America provide (to everyone!) and the care this place provides (to only those who could afford it).

[This is ward that the children stayed in at the Marsabit Hospital]

And the madness didn’t end there; the workers were unwilling and disagreeable. They were only willing to admit one of the two children (even though they had strict orders by the official doctors from the clinic to admit both children due to their condition). With a little stern encouragement from S, they finally agreed to admit both ill children. After we checked the two children in, we had to go by the house to get the essentials for the two babies and their caretaker (the hospital didn’t even provide 24 hour nursing care, so S had to use his outside sources to ensure that these children would be adequately cared for). We had to retrieve simple items such as sheets for the bed, clean water to bathe and feed them, clean clothes, and food (all items that any institution in the U.S. would provide).

It can go without saying that each of us was deeply affected by what we experienced that day. We were left with so many questions, so many concerns, and so many emotions. That night, after returning the two older boys to their village, S picked up the mother and brought her to the hospital where her two youngest were being kept. Everyday since that day, we have returned to that hospital to check on those two precious babies. They are both doing much better! Both of them are without fever, they are cleansed from all the dirt and insects, they both have life in their eyes and color in the tiny faces again. The Chigas on the toddler’s fingers and toes have shown much improvement. We are so thankful to see those improvements because the doctors said that they probably would not have made it much longer in those living conditions.

S and M are currently looking into finding a better living environment for these children since the mother obviously does not have the ability to care for her eight children on her own. We don’t want to see these children go straight back into the unhealthy environment they were living, only to be right back where we found them. They need a change of life to ensure that they will be adequately taken care of. So please join with me and our team in praying for these children and their mother. Pray that these children would continue to get well and that they find a new home. Also, pray for salvation and healing for this mother.