Willy is doing great today. We had to wake him up at 11:00 for breakfast after he slept for nearly fourteen hours. He drank is porridge and then took his medicine. Then he spent most of the afternoon just sitting outside soaking up the sun. He loves playing with the other kids and loves his cars the most. 

Outside time with Willy, Sammy and Newton.

I know that we made the right decision to take him. I know that God is helping him to thrive and adjust. We were told that when he was at District he was having at least one seizure a day and it has been two full days without a seizure. 

So happy!

Went to Sister Freda’s Hospital to give Sarah and Mary a tour of what a good private hospital looks like. A total opposite of the District Hospital. The patient still share a room, but have the privacy of having a curtain between them. The place is clean and the doctors give their patients the care they deserve. 

The delivery room.

The front of the hospital

Patient rooms

Of course we had to stop by and visit with the kids that live at Freda’s hospital and we were greeted with lots of cheers and smiles. They are the best!

The house where the kids stay.

Little Mary playing with Elia

Sweet John.

Moses was a little sad at first, but forgot all about it and started playing in no time.

Saying hi to Boaz

Sister Freda's granddaughter Gail. 

Playing with the other Moses who stays in the hospital. 

Boaz!

God’s timing is so perfect. There are so many kids in need. So many families who are struggling to make ends meet on top of trying to provide for a child with a disability. He brings so many kids into my path on a daily basis that sometimes it is overwhelming. How do you decide to take one child and leave another in a situation that you know might be just as bad? The answer is simple. I don’t have to choose. All I have to do is wait for God’s perfect timing and his tug on my heart. Then I know exactly what path to take, who he wants me to help and how he wants me to help them. 

Willy on the first day I met him

This is exactly what happened with Willy. I met Willy back in February before the house was even opened. He has severe epilepsy with pretty violent seizures that occur often. We had been warned about taking children from the District Hospital because sometimes the staff lies and says that is child is abandoned simply because they know the family can’t pay and they want the extra space for patients who have the money to pay. So we didn’t think that it would be possible for us to take him into the home. 

Outside the District Hospital

When I got back to Kenya we were saying that we needed to go down to the hospital and see if Willy was still there. We put it on our to do list, but before we had the chance to make it there we got a call from the social worker at the District Hospital that there was an abandoned child for us to go see. The second we walked into the children’s ward and saw Willy we knew that we couldn’t leave him there any longer. He looked like he was in worse shape than he was when we first met him. He was very lethargic and wasn’t walking or talking and his seizures were more frequent so they kept him confined to his crib. It’s ironic that at the hospital he would be more sickly than he was months before. Sadly, the quality of care that you get often depends on the amount of money that you are able to pay. 

The crib where Willy was kept.

The hospital room where Willy lived for seven months. 

So we began the process of getting Willy out of the District Hospital. We had them run a full blood work up to make sure that he didn’t pick up any other infections that could spread to the kids at the house. These all came back negative so we went to the children’s office in town to get a letter of approval to take the child to live at the home.  It took two full days, lots of waiting and a few meetings, but we finally got everything we needed to be able to take Willy to his new home. 

Meeting with the hospital staff to get Willy's release forms.

When we got to the hospital and told him he was leaving he couldn’t stop smiling. He was just a little bundle of joy and practically ran out to the car. 

So excited after he heard he was leaving.

All smiles and practically running for the door.

Waiting for the discharge papers.

Walking out of the hospital.

In the car on our way home.

When we got to the house, he fit right in. He ate a big meal and was so full of joy. He was active and played with the other kids the whole day. He had no seizures today and we are praying that with proper nutrition, medication and care that he can go to school next year. We had such a fun time hanging out with this little one today and I am so excited to have him at the house. 

Willy getting a haircut. At District he was not cared for properly so his little head
is covered with ringworm. All he needs is to be bathed properly and a little medicine
and he will be better in no time.

Putting on Willy's helmet to guard his head if he has a seizure.
 

Willy  loves playing with his cars and was just happy
to be able to walk and play outside.

Willy and Newton.

Willy with Little Mary

Willy with Manu.

Willy with Sarah.

At the hospital they only feed their patients porridge in the morning
and then again at three o'clock and that is the only food they get.
Willy was a hungry little guy today and ate two plates for lunch and for dinner.

Willy loves to color. We are getting him used to sitting
 in this soft chair when he does not want to wear his
helmet so that his head is still protected.

Playing cars with the other boys.  

Please keep Willy in your prayers as he makes the adjustment to living at the house. Pray that the medicine continues to work as it should and that his health will continue to improve. Pray for use to have the wisdom and understanding to know how to meet his needs. 

Today we went to Shimo and spent a lot of time catching up with families that we have developed relationships with. We started with Mary’s house. I had heard that her mom was concerned that her shunt wasn’t working properly. We went to the house and saw that her head has an open wound where fluid is draining out because there is just too much pressure inside her head. We bought some medicine to keep it clean and some medicine to prevent it from getting infected. Luckily she has no fever and hasn’t been vomiting, which are the signs that the Hydrocephalus is getting to a sever and possibly life threatening point. We will keep visiting her frequently and monitoring the wound to make sure that she is making a nice recovery. 

Mary with her sister

Mary's wound on her head.

So cute!

We also went to visit Julie. She was so happy to see us and greeted everyone with a big smile and a hug. We hung out at her house for a little while and talked to her mom. She said that Julie is still having seizures occasionally, but overall the medicine is helping her from having several each day like she was before she started taking it. 

We also checked on Henry and Sheldon. Sheldon can now sit by himself and is just the cutest. Henry is doing good. He is still having problems with his eyes and ears that are frequently getting infected. He will be traveling with his mother this week to go to a doctor near Nairobi to get a checkup to see if he needs a second operation.

Hanging with Henry

Of course along the way we saw many other faces and friends that we love from Shimo. 

Sweet Collins carried my bag the entire time
and refused to let me take it.

Little Mary passing out candy along the way.

Patrick with his brother and sister.

Lucy!

Jennifer and Baby Jay Jay

Our new friend Kevin.

John walking across the bridge all by himself.