Above and beyond...

At one point during our November 2012 trip to Rwanda with Africa New Life, we were in and out of the ANL office at the Dream Center in Kigali, and I saw a young boy at an empty desk, just sitting there quietly.  He was so solemn.  Truthfully, he did not smell pleasant.  I learned pretty quickly that he was the one the staff had requested colostomy bags for, which our team had brought from the U.S.   I wrote this about him in my journal that week:  

One of the many things I appreciate about Africa New Life is that they will go above and beyond for special cases when the right resources are there and when it’s clear that they have the tools and the people to make it happen.  Some of the ANL staff took an interest in Jean Claude and started the process of getting help for his medical issues.  When I asked if he was up for sponsorship, they said at the time he wasn’t.  They needed to attend to his medical needs first and foremost.  A family in New Life Church decided to take him in to help address his needs.  Jean Claude had been abandoned by his parents, and his grandparents were no longer able to get him the medical help he needed.

 

My roommate Betty and I both had a place in our hearts for this boy and once we were back from our trip we continued to reach out to our new friends in Rwanda to see what could be done for Jean Claude.  ANL came up with a budget so that he could get the care he needed and we recruited others to commit monthly for Jean Claude’s needs, and as of February 2013 his extended family grew!...Betty, a friend of hers, my parents, both of my brothers and their wives, and my family all sponsor Jean Claude.  This sweet boy is loved by many!

Photo by Natalie Green, February 2014

Jean Claude’s medical records show is birth date to be April 3, 1999, which means he just turned 15.  He was born without an anus and has a surgically created stoma.  Until those colostomy bags arrived in November 2012 he had to just use a rag at the site of his stoma.  He was in extremely poor health, and from what our friend who just came back from Rwanda said, Jean Claude would likely not be alive today if it weren’t for the care that he has received this last year.  He has come such a long way and I can’t wait for our whole family to meet him!  Our kids pray for him and he is on my mind daily.  We are so blessed by the opportunity to get to be a part of his life.

Photo by Natalie Green, February 2014

Here are stories of a couple of other special kids that Africa New Life has helped with.  I had the pleasure of meeting Jovanus and visiting his home in Kageyo.  He had surgery on his legs in Uganda and then came to Austin for rehab.

Jovanus before his surgery

Check out this video of Jovanus walking after his surgery.

Natalie giving Jovanus gifts from the family that hosted him in Austin

Riding on the bus with us in Kageyo

  

And then there is sweet Rebekah who came to Austin summer of 2012 for surgery on her feet.  Lauren, Madeline and I got to meet Rebekah at her host family's home, and then on my trip in November I was able to visit with her family in Bugesera.

At Dell Children's, photo by Meredith Davis

Bringing news to her family Nov. 2012, while she was still in Austin

Rebekah headed home in June 2013, able to walk on the bottoms of her feet!  Photos by Simon Ross:

Africa New Life has stories of other special cases as well.  Sometimes staff on the ground in Rwanda advocate for these kiddos to begin with, other times people have gone on trips and come across a special case and then began working with ANL to get needs met.  I love seeing how the body of Christ works.  

“I don't want to live in the kind of world where we don't look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand. I cant change the way anybody else thinks, or what they choose to do, but I can do my bit." - Charles de Lint