Kopango! Greetings from Koro.

Today was my third day doing the wheelchair distribution. It has been so different and really great and really exhausting. The first day was just crazy trying to figure everything out. Yesterday was emotionally straining and today was really busy... and HOT. We distributed about 56 chairs today, which is actually a big number.

This is how the whole operation works: People come in, they get registered with a medical form. They go to a physical therapist who fits them with a chair and makes straps and cushions for them. sometimes the fitting takes 30 mins, sometimes 5 hours! Then they get trained on how to use the chair, and then finally they are given an opportunity to hear the gospel. My job is registration which is a busy job, but good for me :) I work with my new friend Heather and also a man named George... who has taken the liberty of making balloon animals for everyone.... and hats... and other weird things....

 This was our last patient today. I made him the hat :)

So yesterday was really hard. I don't know why but some of the people who came in really affected me. You know, these people come from far places like in villages. They have to pay to travel here, which for most is a LOT of money. I lot of them dont get any medical care, and might not even know what they have which has caused them to cripple. Sometimes they grew up perfectly normal but then got Polio, Meningitis, any disease really and it crippled them. The reason this ministry is so amazing is that these people would never ever have an opportunity to get these chairs otherwise. I am really impressed and very thankful that I got to be a part of this.

 This boy was really hard for me. When he first came in no one was with him, but he cant talk. So we had to wait for over an hour until his mother came and once she came we could register him. He was very very crippled, he kinda drooled and he was of course non-verbal. But once we asked a few questions (in the local language) you could just see, he understood you. At first I thought he wouldn't look at me because he couldn't focus well because of some mental incapability, but then I realized that he was perfectly functioning mentally, and maybe the reason he wouldn't look was out of shame or timidness. It took some time but I finally got him to smile and by the time he left he was looking me in the eye.

I just kept thinking about how this man is totally normal, but trapped in a disabled body. you know people here don't have a good understanding of the disabled and not a lot of acceptance for them. It is just so sad that this man is stuck like that and given no opportunities. What I need to learn more though is that I know God takes care of those people. That's why I have faith, because I believe God is in control, he is much more powerful than a wheelchair or anything.... it's just difficult for me to remember.

This guy named Benson was also very significant to me. His feet arent in the picture, but he is also totally crippled in his legs and partly in his hands. But when I really took a look at him I could see his kind and genuine spirit... I don't know why but there are some people that I just really like when I see them.

Later though (after hours) I saw him with another man who had recieved a wheelchair and the other man was arguing with some people. I guess they were having trouble figuring out how to transport the man and Benson to their homes. It was funny because the one guy was really upset, but Benson was just laughing. 2 hours later, he was still there! (I had been sitting with him some of the time... actually I was mostly playing around with his chair haha....) The angry man had found a ride, but Benson still had no way to get home. He lived in a remote village over 30 Km away (like 25 miles). The cost was too high for him to pay a taxi, so he was just waiting... but he was so patient and not complaining. Finally I asked someone, can I please just pay for the taxi??? It was only 10,000 shillings, Which is maybe 5 dollars! So he got a ride home after all that time.

I tried to put up other pictures but at the moment it's not working. For me, I am pretty exhausted. People here kind of treat me like I am weak... and i guess I kinda am. If you are praying for me please pray for strength, emotionally and physically. The malaria medication I am on is also causing a lot of issues. It makes my skin very sensitive and I have some sunburn that isn't healing fast enough. Also it makes my stomach feel gross. At night, these DOGS bark SOOO loud haha. They sound like they are dying... but it also affects my sleep! I know the Lord will make me stronger, so if you could just be praying for that I would be so grateful.

Thanks for keeping up with me!