tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140252262024-03-23T13:02:55.514-05:00OvercomeI am a dedicated wife, mother and Co Founder of Africa Family Rescue. I am a blend of justice, empathy and spit fire, and not necessarily in that order. I love telling stories. As a mother, I am deeply committed to all of my children but especially my 18-year-old daughter Hope who suffered brain damage in a car accident 2 years ago.
Overcome your fear of what has or will happen and live well in the present.
Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.comBlogger548125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-70051918829037966442017-03-17T11:12:00.003-05:002017-03-17T11:12:50.628-05:00Follow your heart<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I take my life seriously. I dedicate myself to being the best me physically, emotionally, mentally. But I also want to do my best as a wife, mother, care-giver and employee. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, I felt very sure that God was calling me home. Home? What do you mean God? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have spent years fussing over the financial and medical needs of our daughter. I have been in a near constant state of panic trying to find the very best rehabs, doctors and care-givers. I have bent over backwards trying to provide all the possible financial benefits for her sake. I kept telling myself that what was needed was more provision but in the end...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">what she really needed was me.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here I am with open hands asking the Father to provide what we need while I do what He is asking: </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be Present.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am going to spend time talking to Hope, guiding her as she needs, helping her cope with the increasing endurance she needs for life experiences. Brain injury requires </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PATIENCE.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a big calling. I am not sure I am capable. I am not experienced. Or am I?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As God has continued to grow our ministry in Uganda, I will be serving as an admin part time for Africa Family Rescue. We will need to raise funds for this as well, thus the need for more faith. So I let go, I breathe, I cherish each moment and I ask God to help me as I do battle against the fears of wanting more than just being here with her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>One of my favorite verses: 1 John 4:4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the World."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Powerlessness does not equal failure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Youth does not equal failure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inexperience does not equal failure</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a willing child of God = success</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to learn more about Africa Family Rescue, please go to <a href="http://www.africafamilyrescue.org/" target="_blank">www.africafamilyrescue.org/</a>. If you are interested in hearing more about supporting a widow or orphan led family, please contact me at <a href="mailto:melody@africafamilyrescue.org" target="_blank">melody@africafamilyrescue.org</a></span></div>
Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-75990674898562329762015-06-03T18:10:00.002-05:002015-06-03T18:11:02.894-05:00Hope is going home!Only 5 days from now we will be on a flight to London and then onto Uganda. Hope, who in every sense of the word, is a new creature today will be travelling with us. It is hard to believe that only 8 months ago she was laying in a coma and we didn't know if we would ever hear her silly laugh or see her infectious smile again. We are more than grateful that our family is still whole.<br />
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While she is still recovering, and will be for several years, we are approaching this trip differently than we have in the past. We used to be completely focused on who we were going to see, what we would be doing, etc. Now our main focus is to see that she is exposed carefully to her home and the experiences that she is so familiar with. Our focus is in going where God calls us while we are on mission with our family. It is an interesting twist!</div>
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She is excited for the visit and wants to see the kids and families. She is nervous about the travel and the extra stimuli that can tire her brain and make life exhausting. The doctor felt strongly that she needed the exposure and wants us to focus on learning coping skills with "new" information even if it is old and familiar. We will be carefully navigating through the trip taking in account her healing brain. </div>
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Please continue to pray for our mission in a mission as we travel to Uganda. Hope is alive and on her way home!<br />
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Hope playing volleyball after 6 months of recovery</div>
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-91245555362906009662014-02-19T22:39:00.000-06:002014-02-20T16:16:09.880-06:00Grieving gave me clarity<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I have had
an encyclopedia of words running through my mind today: Random thoughts about
death, finality, injustice, temporal living, heaven and hell. Before you think I am depressed, let me
clarify: I am grieving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Our souls
are often crushed by the imperfect world we live, love and travel through. I have spent many moments this week reviewing
the conversations I have had with others (good and bad). I have thought about the opportunities I have
missed and the poor choices I have made.
Finally I asked God, “What do you think about my existence? What is the truth about life after death?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I have lived
a wonderful life full of beautiful experiences and treasured memories. I have trekked miles through coffee covered mountains
to seek out a broken woman, found countless diseased and feverish people in
tiny villages and seen them healed, lived in a custom made home and also broken
down buildings, survived without hot water or safe food to eat, watched
exhausted children struggle to breathe in a hospital filled with desperate
mothers and cried over the beauty of my own children and a husband who loves me
dearly with countless friends who seem to find me much more interesting than I
think I am! In my introspection, God
seemed to whisper to me; “Melody, you have lived 10 lives or more”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But nothing
has hurt me more than watching my family deteriorate. Nothing, I considered, is worse than
death. I have experienced so much pain
this week knowing that my little sister in law is gone. It seemed in my past that I have faced many
deaths and personally, I reasoned, maybe it should get easier? I struggled with why it seemed much harder
this time and here is what I found out:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1. </span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">When I have interpreted someone’s life as
difficult and broken, I immediately assumed that there was no joy.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. </span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">When I looked at death as final, I became
lost in sorrow.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">When I took God out of the picture, I felt there
was no justice for my lost loved one that I speculated was trapped in a life completely
joyless.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">When I took mercy out of the equation, there
was no God to save the broken.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Life is
NEVER always difficult. That is a
lie. To assume there is no joy ever,
anywhere in my life or someone else’s is, well, overly dramatic. Every time I thought things were not going to be resolved,
God miraculously saved the day. I have
seen it time and time again in beautiful ways; provision, laughter, a friend
showing up in the nick of time, a hug and a child smiling at me in the grocery
store. Joy is in many things. <i> James
1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from our Father.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Death is not
final, especially for those who live difficult lives on earth. <i>Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">More
importantly, God is in control and he sees the down-cast and handles business. <i>Psalms
50:6 “And the heavens proclaim his righteousness for he is a God of justice.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If mercy is
out of the equation, then I would have to argue there is no God. In this world there is no place where we don’t
“earn” our living, our status as citizens, or our reputation. That is the world we TRAVEL THROUGH. However, we have an opportunity to TRAVEL TO a
world where it is God’s economy and nothing can be earned. It is a place of perfection and holiness. If you want to know what God’s idea of mathematical
perfection is – you need to look at Jesus.
Jesus was about mercy and he was especially generous to those who didn’t
deserve it. The only time he was really
angry was when supposedly religious people were judgmental and wanted others to
“earn” their spot in God’s kingdom. But
the truth is found in <i>Psalm 86:5</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive;
and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you.” </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tonight I
have chosen to come into agreement with these truths several times. If my thoughts strayed from these facts, I
would spiral downward into deeper grief.
If you have lost a loved one, please know you are not alone. May God richly bless you and keep you until
you meet him and find mercy at the feet of Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri Light, sans-serif;">Dedicated to Crystal - Died on February 13, 2014</span></div>
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-68897227149798121892013-11-24T22:11:00.002-06:002013-11-24T22:11:16.647-06:00The Essence of Being a WomanI feel motivated by successful women. I am constantly amazed by the power of women and their ability to harness powerful thoughts and propel others into action. I love learning about women who overcome great struggles and thrive. I have always admired women who have been able to maintain a tenderness despite the need to be tough in business decisions. It is hard to balance commitment and effort with a gentle heart; Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Corrie ten Boom, Joni Eareckson Tada, Oprah Winfrey and most recently Jen Hatmaker. I especially love Eleanor Roosevelt's powerful words, "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she's in hot water". True words. <br />
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New York Times Author, Nicholas Kristof says that women are the most trustworthy with generosity; they work hard and want to be successful. Honestly, I see that so often in our ministry. The women I work with are hard working, dedicated to their children and forward minded. They see business opportunities even in hardship. They see needs and how to meet it for a benefit. </div>
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I trust women to make things happen. Injustice doesn't have a chance around a woman who cares about the world. No mountain is too high to help others. We often look overlook our own needs to serve those we love and even those we don't know. </div>
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I will never forget the story of one woman that changed the direction of a dear friends life. He was escaping the Rwandan genocide and was stuck in the Congo in the middle of a refugee camp. He had not eaten in days. He was starving and delirious with fever. A widowed woman saw him on the side of the road while she was feeding only a half cup of rice to her 5 orphaned children. She was alone and scared. She didn't know how she was going to feed her children the next day. But when she saw my friend, her heart broke. She asked him to sit down and fed him something from each of the spoonfuls of rice in her children's hands. He hungrily ate and the shame of his starvation caused him to run from those little hands. He told me that woman, whom he never saw again, was the one thing that kept him serving the poor. She gave it all, even at the risk of her own family, to a stranger in need. He still serves the poor today.<br />
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Josephine is a woman in our village who I deeply admire. She has come from such poverty and watched one of her own children pass away. She gives to the needs of others and even with the little she has, she shares with her church made of sticks in the village. I remember her with nothing and now she is a successful woman in her village serving others food as they need it.<br />
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The generosity of women is powerful and tender. Don't give up being a generous woman. Look out for those in need. This is the essence of who we were meant to be.</div>
Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-71641893060355226372013-11-03T21:42:00.001-06:002013-11-03T21:47:11.514-06:00Letters from home<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify;">
Well, it is that time of the year again when I have the wonderful opportunity of hearing from individual families. The letters that are reaching us are full of hope and dignity that is being restored. I also received a letter from Nalumme that spoke of the unique way that Africa Family Rescue works inside of a village:</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><i>"All the years I have been in this community, I
have never heard or seen any organization helping people, through opening for
them a personal bank account and sending the money directly on the account!!! I
have never never seen it before in Kiwugo my village, or even in Mukono our
District. It is unbelievable to us as a family that we have got a bank account
in Stanbic Bank Mukono. And receiving monthly help from you! This is a unique
project and you are a special person. You made me go to the Bank for the first
time in my life... I cannot thank you
enough. I can only pray for you for a longer and better life. I wish you were
near us we would have also given you to share some of the food stuff we have in
our gardens."</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><i>Nalumme's children receive shirts from their donor!</i></span></div>
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In order to ensure our donors gifts go direct to their sponsored families, the money is distributed directly into each family account. The family is helped in the process of budgeting for education, food, health, tithe and gifts to church or those less fortunate and business start up. We couldn't do this work without our wonderful caseworkers! Each family is assigned a caseworker that monitors the progress and ultimately, self-sustaining livelihood is the goal by three years. Nalumme has purchased passion fruit seeds and started building a hanging garden so that she can sell the fruits! A big investment that will definitely pay off!</div>
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The project was developed by Africans for Africans and we are excited to see the great changes that are taking place day to day. To sponsor a family today, contact us at <a href="mailto:melody@africafamilyrescue.org">melody@africafamilyrescue.org</a></div>
Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-72321439759043878852013-06-18T14:05:00.001-05:002013-06-18T14:05:38.526-05:00How much are 3 lives worth?There is no way I could leave Africa without sharing one more time the devastating affects of poverty. It is easy for us to look away and not imagination what is really going on in the rest of the world. After all, we have our own problems and many of us are struggling with a tough economy. Without wanting to be redundant, American poverty and world poverty are vastly different. <br />
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Kasifa Nakatude is a woman that is waiting for sponsorship with our organization. Her situation could not be more urgent. Her children Joseph (3) and Sanyu (8 months) are starving. Her life has been unbearable as she struggles to feed her children and keep them warm. Each day she digs for someone and gives a small portion of cassava to her babies. They have never known comfort or fullness. <br />
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Her husband has left her because he can not take care of them. She is being threatened and chased from the mud home that is sheltering her because she is a squatter. Without sponsorship, she will be homeless and alone without any way to care for Joseph and Sanyu. <br />
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Please take a minute and consider if $70 a month is too much to save 3 lives. Africa Family Rescue can teach Kasifa how to survive and build a future for herself and her children. Micro business and education can change the trajectory of this family. Write me today at melody@africafamilyrescue.org and I will get you started on a tax deductible gift.<br />
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<br />Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-20719467635387297212013-06-16T16:51:00.001-05:002013-06-16T16:51:31.305-05:00Life saving sponsorshipI have been asking God what could possibly be the purpose of this illness while I am in Africa. I definitely have a deeper understanding of the physical trials facing the poor. But last night I believe I had a break through that I wanted to share.<br />
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If you don't know about our program, let me briefly state an African's view of how to overcome poverty. Years ago an African friend of ours told us that he believed the best way to help people in Africa was as a family unit and through temporary sponsorship that led to a micro business and self reliance. We have widows and orphans who are currently on the road to self sufficiency in that same manner. </div>
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The thing that always struck me about our sponsored families was the wonder by which they received that sponsorship. So many African families have tried to express their gratitude to their donors through words, gifts and hugs. But last night, I was given a deeper understanding of that gratitude. My illness has taken me on a journey that honestly (without trying to be overly dramatic) has caused me to fear for my life. Only those closest to me know the severity of the illness and the toll is has taken on my body. I have been in the hospital 5 times in 6 days. Even today I slept 22 hours straight. The fever is still raging in my body as I sweat through layers of sheets. The amazing thing is that I have been miraculously cared for by several friends or donors in the states. I have had the care I needed, the medication and all of the necessities I needed for survival. In short, I have received my own sponsorship.</div>
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As a desperately ill woman in a third world country, I can tell you my need was acute. I would NOT have survived this illness without my donors. I can now only tell you that the joy of the people that receive sponsorship is more than happiness... it is life saving. I am a living breathing example of God's grace through sponsorship. </div>
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As you continue to pray for my healing, please also continue to pray for more donors to come forward and offer life to another human being. </div>
Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-44728924367894995142013-06-13T08:06:00.001-05:002013-06-13T08:06:26.430-05:00How do people survive like this?I have only had a taste of life in the village. Two days ago I stood feverish inside a grass thatched hut alone and the impact of darkness, loneliness and neglect covered me from head to toe. In that moment, I tried to imagine the thought of being ill here. The heat inside during the midday sun was stifling. My fever began to create a sickening sweat that covered my back and forehead. I struggled to get a full breath while coughing incessantly. All I wanted was water and even though the vehicle was only 20 feet away I didn't know if I could bring myself to go and retrieve it. Every smell was heightened. The man who lived in the hut is trapped inside for hours at a time because he is blind. It is so very dark and the inside diameter is only 6 feet wide. The mat that I stood on was bamboo and it made a crunching sound when I shifted from being dizzy. I could smell his body odor and the mattress is holding smells I didn't even want to recognize. I looked up and saw the grass moving; more wasps that are building nests everywhere are here working their hardest to create another home. It is beyond my ability to stay one more moment and I leave seeking refuge from my imaginations.<br />
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Returning home to the city ill I knew that I needed to see a doctor. I had no idea if malaria had begun its work in me or something else. I could barely walk into the clinic. I laid down on a gurney and heard voices speaking in hushed tones but I could not understand the language at all. I could hear a definite sense of concern. Someone was pulling my jacket off to take my temperature under my arm. Another person pulled down the skin beneath my eye. To have someone take your blood in a foreign country is very worrisome. I was wondering if the needles were clean. But I heard someone else opening a package for me alone. It put my heart at rest a little. The nurse left the needle in me for an I.V. It was not plastic like the ones in the states. I felt the metal moving around in my vein. <br />
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Apparently I had a raging bacterial infection in my lungs: something completely foreign to my body. Third generation and fourth generation antibiotics were injected intravenously twice in a 12 hour period; Steroids too. I was left to rest in a hostel alone while I insisted Ben continue the work. Our time here is so short I knew it was necessary. It was there that I began to worry if I could even survive the walk to the toilet. The fever was draining me and I could barely eat the bread I had. There was no electricity. No way for me to communicate to the people around me or to Ben who was in the village and unreachable. <br />
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You may be wondering why I am saying all these details so let me say this: I have never been so keenly aware of the unbearable struggle of normal African life. If water is a 5 hour walk away, if a doctor is out of the question due to finances, if medication is not available, if you are an orphan or a widow alone without support - how do people survive at all? I could barely get up to move to the toilet let alone to a water well! <br />
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Today I am a little stronger. I am still exhausted and of course I am expected to be worse off than Africans who are exposed to these germs daily - but I am completely overwhelmed by the difficult situations these people live with daily. I asked God today, "Lord, why am I all the way here to be this sick"? There was no audible response and honestly I have felt a little far away from God so I looked to His word to speak to me which said, "I am with you. I will never leave you." Today I am choosing to believe that even while I am alone - I am not alone. It is a fact. I am sure that many Africans have felt this way and have come up with the same conclusion. It is the little things God did yesterday that blessed me: I asked for water from someone outside and they brought it. I felt a breeze through the window and I was relieved. I had a mint to coat my throat. I had a book I could read to distract myself some. All of these small things blessed me. I was grateful even in pain. Maybe this is why Africans are so joyful. All the little things are blessings.Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-75526111892799175692013-06-09T15:57:00.001-05:002013-06-16T17:45:53.537-05:00I feel.... so small<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>It is customary to greet a church with "Hallelujah!"</i></div>
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So I pretty much feel heavy hearted right now. I am doing a lot of heavy sighing. I am trying to put into words something that
is somewhat complex because, well let’s face it: I am complex.</div>
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We spent all day doing what we do: speaking at church,
meeting with individual families, trying to avoid food poisoning because the
whole community cooked for us (the pumpkin was good though), fighting against
the worst roads, suffering extreme exhaustion and fear of cockroaches (of which
continue to plague me), crying over triumphs, laughing over getting lost in the
bush and using pit latrines and the last straw – getting bit by mosquitoes
without anti-malaria meds as well as no electricity for a hot shower. I have seen the poorest widows, the blind, lame
and countless orphans dance with joy over a meal filled with rice and beans
when I myself struggle with a fierce desire for meat… something our Ugandan
families never taste until they are over the age of 18 if they have survived
that long. Today I have battled my own
demons of having WANTS when those I see here work 12 hours a day for NEEDS:
Survival at the top of their list and comfort at the top of mine.</div>
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Even when I walked into a store later this evening I cried
at the options of 10 crackers when just outside those doors children were
starving. I have SO much to choose from
and they just want a chance to live. </div>
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Crying again. Can’t
help it. I am burdened and reminded that
the needs are many… so many. I need to
center myself in God’s sovereignty and remember He is over it all, and
trust. I often quote Mother Teresa when
I feel this way, “If you can’t help the world, just help one.”</div>
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Help one. Help
one. Help another one. Each one is precious in God’s sight. </div>
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<i> Dancing in church is expected!</i></div>
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<i>Ummm... ya - like I said, pretty much a problem in the intestinal area!</i></div>
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<i>One of our newer sponsored families! Thank you Hensons! </i></div>
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<i>This is just not as easy as it looks! </i></div>
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<i> Can't even see in the sunshine - Josephine is used to it!</i></div>
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<i>Whenever I speak in church I always tell stories and can't help but walk into the crowd. </i></div>
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<i>African's LOVE stories but who knows how annoyed they get when I am up close!</i></div>
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<i>Thanks to a wonderful American grandmother - we gave out HAND MADE quilts to Solange and her mother who had NO sheets or mattresses. They will be warm tonight for the first time in years :)</i></div>
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-40531211250124220262013-06-07T15:42:00.001-05:002013-06-16T17:48:17.110-05:00Hope bigger than fear<div class="MsoNormal">
We traveled a long way and slept only 4 broken hours during a
30 hour plane journey. We drove an
additional hour to a hostel to drop our luggage and then rested for 2 more. We then twisted and turned for 3 hours in a
car to get to <st1:place><st1:placename>Mukono</st1:placename> village</st1:place>. It was a wonderful day filled with being
reunited with widows, orphans and widowers that have been thriving through our
family sponsorship program.</div>
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Sometimes when faced with absolute destitution and poverty,
I think to myself, “What could I possibly do to make a difference here?” I sometimes struggle to look poverty in the
face. Maybe it is a knee jerk reaction
to pain that is visibly over someone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDWCRWd4wPw2HWhVV4wfwrIZ67DmnOzEfV2xTF8p9e98MhIN-inW72_TIw4PFwBnZWXdW9oEGayoA4X3l7w6TPty-dvy9T91Gmt92wX3H9vPnRsuTucdH9UL33jaV7CBMRLHc/s1600/Josephine+and+Mel+crying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDWCRWd4wPw2HWhVV4wfwrIZ67DmnOzEfV2xTF8p9e98MhIN-inW72_TIw4PFwBnZWXdW9oEGayoA4X3l7w6TPty-dvy9T91Gmt92wX3H9vPnRsuTucdH9UL33jaV7CBMRLHc/s640/Josephine+and+Mel+crying.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9VMzJU8l4LyPfzepGaErxUTUnA-1T6-5Bjy9sw1SxaWYks_emohkeo8V0zTFXDygVqINNB4vXAFT1HhL636AJwishbs7-otSlVj7fGsrN_reXazp_brncLPSYQFEjyx51Q4f/s1600/Josephine+and+Mel+wiping+eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9VMzJU8l4LyPfzepGaErxUTUnA-1T6-5Bjy9sw1SxaWYks_emohkeo8V0zTFXDygVqINNB4vXAFT1HhL636AJwishbs7-otSlVj7fGsrN_reXazp_brncLPSYQFEjyx51Q4f/s640/Josephine+and+Mel+wiping+eyes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I especially will not forget the day I met Josephine in 2011 and saw
how she struggled to survive in the bush with her children. Abandoned and neglected she was 8 months
pregnant when I last saw her. Even after
one of her precious little ones passed away earlier this year, she never has
given up. She now has a healthy young
baby girl named Robina and all of the children are thriving. I cried like a baby when I saw her (as you can tell)!</div>
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Today I remembered the courage of daring to believe that
God could use me and others to make a difference. I saw the fruits of courage and belief in
something bigger than myself. Today I
remembered hope.</div>
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Josephine gives me a generous gift! Eight beautiful eggs from her chickens!</div>
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Nora is a widow waiting for sponsorship for herself and 3 sons. Her family is still waiting for a chance at new life just like Josephine. Please consider our 3 year sponsorship program to create self sufficiency. Contact me at melody@pahlow.com for more details. Today our organization made sure she could remain in her broken down house for 2 months while we trust God for a donor. </div>
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Solange is taking care of her mother in a tiny rented shack. We provided them with much needed food.</div>
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Above is a picture of the home we are building for 4 orphans whose mother was killed by their father and left with a tiny bed and kitchen as you see below. Imagine a 9 year old child caring for 3 other babies in this grim situation! </div>
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-77199706763985834262013-05-30T10:10:00.003-05:002013-05-30T10:11:31.150-05:00Doubting my doubtsThere is no doubt I have doubts. I doubt frequently. I fear failure. I fear not being good enough. I especially get wrapped up in the little things that weigh me down like an albatross. <br />
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Yesterday I felt terrified that I wouldn't be able to physically make it home to Uganda because I have been having some hip trouble (threw it out running of course). I also felt afraid of what would happen once I arrived! I agonized over the potential of malaria and even the ever present threat of snakes. Today I worried that my suitcase wouldn't hold enough for the village... and then I realized perhaps I would have to leave my hair mousse behind! Oh no. That WOULD be a terrible thing, right?</div>
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Today a good friend sent me a scripture, but she gave me the wrong reference. It was a God thing. Today I read Exodus 33:11-14. Moses says to the Lord (and I am paraphrasing here): Hey, if you like me so much, can you tell me a little more here so I can trust you? God replies, "I will go with you and you will be fine". </div>
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Today that is my verse. I am clinging to that. God honors faith. He knows our hearts and the places of great doubt... so that makes me know that of all things, faith is very high on His list. Despite all my worries I will trust Him; whether I am here or in Uganda. God says I will be fine. :)</div>
Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-54718656905462698702012-12-24T11:07:00.000-06:002012-12-24T11:07:26.226-06:00Home for Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This December, Ruth and her entire family moved into her brand new home. Please take a few minutes to read her letter of gratitude to her donor Philip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Y6EjYwFZcUSHvTt0uovTxbqD0EeBz74IbHKVorx9pl-VtL92f0746EOfISrCR2ZK8wSJPT0NcvsttVEGApEK_7ph6ZvJGKpDlIXZPqEO1RPaZ5S-0mvk_6SFj8JseoMmH8Jd/s1600/DSCF0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Y6EjYwFZcUSHvTt0uovTxbqD0EeBz74IbHKVorx9pl-VtL92f0746EOfISrCR2ZK8wSJPT0NcvsttVEGApEK_7ph6ZvJGKpDlIXZPqEO1RPaZ5S-0mvk_6SFj8JseoMmH8Jd/s400/DSCF0008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at her new door and windows!!!<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dear Philip</div>
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RE: Sincere
Gratitude</div>
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Praise the
Lord so much. I wish to send you this
letter to express my most sincere
gratitude for all you have done for me and my family. I do not know how to tell
you about my past, since I have got the good things now, but in the past I had
a lot of challenges which you have washed away from me.</div>
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Since my
childhood I stayed with my mum, our father could not even take care of us which
caused our mum to quit her marriage because the father did not care at all.
Worse still he was very violent. She could not stand this. She moved to a very
small rented house. Her major aim was to make sure that she feeds us so that we
do not die. We did not eat to have enough but to survive. We got used to having
one simple meal in a day and just sleep on empty stomachs. All the same we
appreciated the old woman. Our mother
took care of us in the best way that she could despite the very poor
conditions. We did not even get the
chance to go to school.</div>
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All my life I
had a dream of having a good big house, where I could have a room of my own,
which I would make smart and clean. I was not thinking about a cement and glass
house. I would have been satisfied with a smaller and less permanent house.
Even that one I never got. I kept on dreaming for a house. But that did not
happen until now. I had very many years to wait. Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to realize my dream. I now have a three bed room house. I have a
spacious room of my own and the children have their rooms. I do not know
express my joy. When construction was going on I went to the house every day. I
moved in and out of every room and I could wonder whether I was dreaming or it
was real that this is my house!!!! I couldn’t wait to enter and live in it.
Thank you very much for giving me a great house!!!!!!</div>
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When I grew
up, I got married to a man whom I loved and we started staying together in a
rented house. I knew that since I have
got a companion, we shall be well off. My husband and I worked very hard and we
saved some money in the house, planning to look for a better place and build a
house of our own. I was happy and looked forward to a good life. After a few years I had 3 children and even I
was 7 months pregnant expecting another baby. I was expecting Peter. One day
when I came back from work, I found when my husband had taken all our
belongings in the house and also the money that we had worked for and saved for
a long time, he only left my clothes.
Since then I have never heard
from him or heard of him.</div>
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He left me
with the kids in the rent house and I suffered with the children. Feeding and
dressing the children was hard enough but paying the monthly house rent was the
most complicated. I was in arrears for
many months. When the situation became
worse, I went back to my mother’s house with the family after failing to pay a
few months rent. I promised the land
Lord to continue paying until when the debts would be paid up. It took me a
long time. I started digging in other people’s plantations with my mum in order
to get some food to feed the family. The
idea of putting the children in school was unthinkable. The dream of ever
having a house of my own was completely dropped.</div>
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During those
days I gave birth to a baby boy (Peter), by bad lack, the baby was attacked by
Tuberculosis ( T.B), because in my
mother’s small house we were staying with my brother who is a smoker. We
were congested in the small house and I had no help and no alternative. I took
Peter for treatment in the many places that I could afford. I tried some
hospitals but in those days I had no money. Peter was at the verge of dying.
Good luck came when Ben and Melody took my baby to an intensive care unit; this
was through the church of Christ in our area. The baby was cured and he gained
his life back. He is now healthy and bouncing.</div>
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Then miracles
came. The first miracle was that I was going to receive a monthly financial
support. I was not even sure about who was so generous to give me this income.
I knew this would be enough to give me and my children with my mother a descent
life with enough to eat. I was happy and
comfortable. I was not thinking about a house yet. But miracles continued
flowing. Latter on I was told that you
were going to build a house for me, haaa,
oh myyy, on that day I was the happiest lady of the day. I was like
crazy!!!! </div>
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The house has
been constructed and we have started staying in it. When I am in my room I hear
the boys happily chatting in their room. I smile to myself and just thank God.
Sometimes I do cry. For sure sometimes I cannot understand how and why you
selected me among all the people… It is amazing. So I have a beautiful spacious
house and even the toilet and bathroom were built. I thank you so much for that
kind of loving heart that you showered to me and my family. Thank you once
again for giving us a descent home to live in. It is a wonderful house. May the
Almighty God bless you so much. </div>
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I wish you a
merry Christmas and a Prosperous new year 2013. I wish you more and more
blessings to you and your family.</div>
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I remain your
friend,</div>
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Nakangu Ruth</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPZSPCBhIq3EBP8j9S_PB46vxa0L_cPUWRRbTZ_pDK3NKK5tupsaxFopPCJ9NF1eSjNeBLtlBlcf4B_1oBi0qnquqzoGgiLLbxh1O6ogMG8XVDYDJsO30yLbuvcGE3-bDwYAE/s1600/DSCF0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPZSPCBhIq3EBP8j9S_PB46vxa0L_cPUWRRbTZ_pDK3NKK5tupsaxFopPCJ9NF1eSjNeBLtlBlcf4B_1oBi0qnquqzoGgiLLbxh1O6ogMG8XVDYDJsO30yLbuvcGE3-bDwYAE/s400/DSCF0037.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her new luxury bathroom</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FaGLFmdz0gnrcJoBwS31PFxojA8svgRVyhEHlVzXvqAy1yGjz12ASHAKMF_JQlyak8gGvo8g_AsVnrfxS7hSskls_K4h_seAxamJk9aWe-Bq5nTc8Ohv2py_8fWFi5_yGtR9/s1600/DSCF0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FaGLFmdz0gnrcJoBwS31PFxojA8svgRVyhEHlVzXvqAy1yGjz12ASHAKMF_JQlyak8gGvo8g_AsVnrfxS7hSskls_K4h_seAxamJk9aWe-Bq5nTc8Ohv2py_8fWFi5_yGtR9/s320/DSCF0038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This latrine was dug down to 60 feet!</td></tr>
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<br />Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-79611881824263350132012-09-26T10:41:00.001-05:002012-09-26T10:41:22.346-05:00"I almost collapsed"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIpfoyJBozwUuOJV9aN3Pr_0eATrTCrn8DD6oC54Ma7PHiVektTBGGStiJBymcpJ65g32xY5l7uDR5XjLhp2rwm7WCk_7iU3icg1_cQlkyk6X5G12x_-UAHtQjPhb-MCSsvXA/s1600/josephine+and+melody+firewood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIpfoyJBozwUuOJV9aN3Pr_0eATrTCrn8DD6oC54Ma7PHiVektTBGGStiJBymcpJ65g32xY5l7uDR5XjLhp2rwm7WCk_7iU3icg1_cQlkyk6X5G12x_-UAHtQjPhb-MCSsvXA/s640/josephine+and+melody+firewood.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When Ben and I read this update letter from Josephine, we wept. I know it will grab your heart! Special thanks to the Stecker family who willing stepped up to sponsor this precious family.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">NAKAMANYA JOSEPHINE M044<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Dear
Kathy Stecker <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Praise
God. I would like to thank God who led me to meeting Ben and Melody. I would
like first of all to thank Ben and Melody for the great love they showed me
when they came to Uganda. You never left me even when you went back in </span><st1:place><st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">America</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">. You
tried all your best to connect my family to the wonderful Kathy Stecker who is
my friend and supporter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">It was
on the 5<sup>th</sup> July 2012, when our AFR case worker came looking for me in
the garden where I was working (making potato heaps). I started wondering why
she was looking for me but she told me I have good news for you; your family
has got a donor. I almost collapsed because of the great joy that I felt. I
shouted and laughed and cried at the same time. The next day the account was
open for me but unfortunately when we came back from Stanbic Bank, I found my
daughter very sick. I did not have any money to take her to the hospital. But I
had to get a debt of $4 (Uganda shillings 10,000/=) and take her to the nearest
Health Clinic where she was admitted but the sickness got worse. The next day
my daughter Nampewo died. When my child died her father was not at home. He
came for the burial but he left soon after leaving me alone and the children. I
cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliKc-H5FmMuQAk4u6KX0cLqgHaAGesIB7Km_4-kRLmwlsEExxju4q2lfCrTmOktJ67ewOjWoLVDI0-UsEczFPgrKcLI2k7Wicvk9wv8n9pCCAFRi_Y2UJXWXw4fosqiuOlMHx/s1600/josephine+family+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliKc-H5FmMuQAk4u6KX0cLqgHaAGesIB7Km_4-kRLmwlsEExxju4q2lfCrTmOktJ67ewOjWoLVDI0-UsEczFPgrKcLI2k7Wicvk9wv8n9pCCAFRi_Y2UJXWXw4fosqiuOlMHx/s400/josephine+family+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ben and I with Pastor Dan and Josephine's family</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">My
married life has been very stressful with my husband leaving home for many
months on end saying that he has gone to work for money. But he returns home
without any coin only to harass me and make me and the children very unhappy.
We do not have big land for me to cultivate enough food for the family. To earn
money I would go to the bush, collect some fire wood and sell it to some people at
the trading centre. I would then buy some food and other items like soap for
the family. It is usually very bad for us whenever I am pregnant. I would then
be too weak to carry the fire food. That means that there would be no food at
home. We would have just one meal a day at about 3.00pm in the afternoon. At
night the children would demand for food which I did not have and then they
would cry. I would also cry. Thank you very much Kathy for wiping away our
tears!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymS6NEMcesIswvbl4vX7Dwv7RlniW_AjQL-q2pUk3etyGfTmWfqSpaCmk2BujpmQy2ym8px0O9BM7MhpNdlRVTrdP8kxDfHLyNAp6dGgDKoeo-Kue-4IVMDO2V41eBtOkifqI/s1600/john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymS6NEMcesIswvbl4vX7Dwv7RlniW_AjQL-q2pUk3etyGfTmWfqSpaCmk2BujpmQy2ym8px0O9BM7MhpNdlRVTrdP8kxDfHLyNAp6dGgDKoeo-Kue-4IVMDO2V41eBtOkifqI/s320/john.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Josephine's oldest when we first met him</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Before
the regular support you are giving me I have never had regular income. I always
get very little money from manual work. I would spend it immediately on the
basic needs at home. It was from hand to mouth as they say. What is very
frustrating is that my husband never appreciates my hard work and my physical
weakness. He is not bothered. I suspect that he has another woman somewhere
whom he loves better and feeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">But I
thank God who has strengthened me from all that distress and with your help
Kathy you have been of great help. Because now I am debt free, we have food to
eat and the older children are now back in school. They had dropped out of
school because I had no school fees, no uniform and other scholastic materials.
I bought a piglet both to cheer me up and as a project for future income
generation. The greatest joy that you have brought to me is that my children
are at school and have enough food to eat. We have new Sunday clothes. The joy
that we have now is unbelievable. When we are around the fire cooking we talk
about you. We just wonder how you can love us this much. We pray that God may
bless you more and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I send
you love and greetings in the name of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Yours
who loves you very much<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">JOSEPHINE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>If you would like to sponsor a family, we are desperately looking for sponsors for 80 families like this on our waiting list. Contact <a href="mailto:melody@africafamilyrescue.org" target="_blank">melody@africafamilyrescue.org</a> and I can get you started immediately.</b></span></div>
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-35604916248578391542012-07-14T12:17:00.001-05:002012-07-14T12:23:37.582-05:00Baby Christine<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJu35mMohdvYMhg8sRn5CC5JO8lEqVLUPla64QjI8izBh2D2_HkwbDodQuHcIpzmyosPn1UNfZ-vwTkKeTaIgZCrT28U9GLEdwkBx6q-Wxoz5EOKMGTCVCRZXvp0OZRolXdUT/s1600/baby+christine+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJu35mMohdvYMhg8sRn5CC5JO8lEqVLUPla64QjI8izBh2D2_HkwbDodQuHcIpzmyosPn1UNfZ-vwTkKeTaIgZCrT28U9GLEdwkBx6q-Wxoz5EOKMGTCVCRZXvp0OZRolXdUT/s320/baby+christine+small.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">There is no way to write this. Josephine has suffered another loss. Last time I met her she was working for pennies, suffering with malaria, had a 104 degree fever and 9 months pregnant. Today her daughter passed away. She was only 1 year old. Baby Christine was tiny and fragile. She was here briefly and was the apple of her mother's eye. (See my earlier blog at: <a href="http://melodypahlow.blogspot.com/2011/07/had-day-filled-with-hope.html" target="_blank">http://melodypahlow.blogspot.com/2011/07/had-day-filled-with-hope.html</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2kEg6_9IpTd_6LiWdw1pSSZWHbmv7pam7deMBChKD9epLigNvVDd44XuB8nU-unF1oXKxpj5zhgJ0ScWOfAMz8JzvCWd7GLlJteuwf7zixSUU3kQBcA6eS5ciWYkY4IJYlK2/s1600/christine+on+floor+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2kEg6_9IpTd_6LiWdw1pSSZWHbmv7pam7deMBChKD9epLigNvVDd44XuB8nU-unF1oXKxpj5zhgJ0ScWOfAMz8JzvCWd7GLlJteuwf7zixSUU3kQBcA6eS5ciWYkY4IJYlK2/s320/christine+on+floor+small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">I don't have a way of expressing my sadness. I first saw Christine as she was sleeping on a potato sack. When she woke up I began feeding her crackers which was the first food she had eaten in 3 days. She was inquisitive and clinging to her mommy. She loved my shiny bracelets and I gave her one. I can't get the image of her peacefully resting on the ground out of my head. She is probably buried in that sack now beneath the very ground she played on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUTtVEw8W_v22U2eQGYF9pyZs5Rin3tn_YwipSuAdlEB1V6aOyEbB3bfG46qFngmflGhJ4z-gR5531tiPTvxb9RFHvJua25bfRbhsRKQASCTozzxdnWh8YhPVCpMNP82sxy6_/s1600/bracelet+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUTtVEw8W_v22U2eQGYF9pyZs5Rin3tn_YwipSuAdlEB1V6aOyEbB3bfG46qFngmflGhJ4z-gR5531tiPTvxb9RFHvJua25bfRbhsRKQASCTozzxdnWh8YhPVCpMNP82sxy6_/s320/bracelet+small.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Baby Christine's family was recently sponsored and maybe, just maybe if we had gotten there 1 month earlier her life could have been saved. I don't know the circumstances but now I only feel regret. Certainly God has a plan and Christine is in a better place. There is a feeling I have that I am up against a 30 foot crumbling wall of poverty and my hands are just too small to clog all the tiny holes. Little rocks are falling all around me and I am bracing for a crash. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">For now, another little pebble has fallen at my feet and I am so sad that I couldn't stop it. Dear God please bring more help quickly so that little girls like Christine have a chance to know you and live a full life. Amen.</span></div>Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-54685002592760815332012-06-18T21:24:00.002-05:002012-07-14T12:24:41.695-05:00In over my head<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">We have been at a place of calling out to God and asking him for clarity. Perhaps you can understand the feeling of waiting on God. His direction in our life is so necessary. There are many things we desire to grasp in this lifetime but mostly we walk on a day to day basis looking for purpose and to join God where He is working.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">My life has been spent caring for our children and being a housewife. Almost 21 years now I have given all I have for my biological children. As God drew our family towards Africa, I found myself adopting hundreds of orphaned children and widows. I told God many times that His calling on my life was too big; that I couldn’t possibly handle the burden. And I was right. When I see the faces of children so lost without parents, the women that are burdened with sexual abuse and the starving and ill people that we help I feel absolutely overwhelmed. So sometimes I wonder if the voice in my head is true… am I in over my head? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">This week we received a gift from some dear friends. When I heard about it, I stammered. I said, “That’s not possible”. I read and reread the email describing the gift. It wasn’t the amount given so much as it was the confirmation that God was telling me, “Melody, nothing is impossible with me.” I find myself learning that God is asking me to trust Him in such a huge way in our ministry. This week God used that gift to show me that He is trust-worthy. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">To that donor, I will thank you from the bottom of my heart for being God’s hands to us while we are the hands to the broken. Children will eat and smile, they will become hopeful but most of all they will know there is a God in heaven who hears their cries and THAT is priceless. This is God’s burden for His people that we would care for the widow and the orphan. I am often encouraged by Mother Theresa’s words of advice, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one”. So let us all be in over our heads!</span></div>Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-77311744283420000272012-04-08T19:19:00.000-05:002012-04-08T19:19:36.580-05:00Easter contrastsSome days are just meant to bring a smile to your face. Easter is one of them. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for the Easter Egg Hunts. There were many beautiful new babies at church today too. I love to focus on the girls. Those little hats and flowing dresses remind me of when my girls were small. I dressed them in the cutest bonnets! I even saved one of them that has ribbon weaved through it for a grand-baby someday.<br />
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This afternoon the clouds started rolling in and even now I can hear the wind howling outside my window. It reminds me of the stark contrast of Easter in a third world country. Of course Easter in Uganda is celebrated with great fervor but for the villages we work in, Easter is another day that is met with fear. Fear of starvation. Fear of rape. Fear of death. There are no ribbons and bows for the little girls in Mukono. In fact, girls as young as 3 collect fire wood for boiling dirty water that is for cleaning, drinking and cooking. These girls are naked from the waist down. They have no shoes. It is a picture that I can't shake. <br />
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Girls are so vulnerable; whether they are collecting water or farming or even walking to school if they have the opportunity these girls need protection. <br />
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Today you can bring hope to a little girl needing food, clean water and education. Please sponsor a family with our organization so that Easter can be a day of focus on celebration and not fear. You can contact me directly at melody@pahlow.com to find out how!Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-91140603320951953702012-01-13T18:21:00.000-06:002012-01-13T18:21:15.210-06:00Edward is on my mind...I have been pouring through the information and photos of 75 families in rural Uganda. I am rewriting the stories and putting them into a format we can utilize for marketing. <br />
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Today I have seen and read about women who are prostitutes, children who are orphans, men who are crippled and mentally ill children too. I have seen their downcast faces and empty bellies. I have walked on the dusty ground they walked and in the scarce fields they plow by hand. I have seen once again the hopelessness that has creeped into their very souls. <br />
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As I was typing these stories, I became hungry. I began to eat a bowl of soup and was struck by the fact that I had left one of the photos on my desktop open. It was then that I became supremely uncomfortable. Tears began to pour from my eyes as I ate sustenance while those less fortunate stared at me. Surely even now they haven't eaten in days. <br />
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Below is the picture I couldn't stop looking at. This is Edward. He hasn't stood or walked for 3 years. His wife left him with 3 children and he has no way to provide for them. His 16 year old son Godfrey standing next to him is trying to provide for the family through working in a neighbors field but it isn't enough for them. Godfrey has 2 younger sisters to protect.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbf2oa7KbDCD4VJJxq_Epm1YrdZ8jZeWdTtHqi0udfWGhcyraAvm-bW6h0LR65yYcRQ1slSuK3BsnCV6us1TdR8fRao3uAoitY6K9cLxU6pQBeJOSqRegAD3nfAX-nCE0lNL7/s1600/Mitaawana+M004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbf2oa7KbDCD4VJJxq_Epm1YrdZ8jZeWdTtHqi0udfWGhcyraAvm-bW6h0LR65yYcRQ1slSuK3BsnCV6us1TdR8fRao3uAoitY6K9cLxU6pQBeJOSqRegAD3nfAX-nCE0lNL7/s320/Mitaawana+M004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>M004 Mitaawana Edward </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>If you have eaten today, thank God for his provision. If you have extra, please consider giving to those who will surely die without something soon. Sponsorship of a widow or orphan family is available now! For $70 a month, a family can eat, go to school, purchase clothing and even start a business for sustainability. To give go to <a href="http://www.africafamilyrescue.org/">www.africafamilyrescue.org</a> OR contact me directly at <a href="mailto:melody.pahlow@gmail.com">melody.pahlow@gmail.com</a> and I can forward you a biography of a needy family that you can choose personally.Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-81689177362555085922011-10-12T21:50:00.001-05:002011-10-12T21:50:51.249-05:00Baby Peter is looking great!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Wow--Look-at-this-picture-.html?soid=1104275316890&aid=VRS9kr87pn4">http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Wow--Look-at-this-picture-.html?soid=1104275316890&aid=VRS9kr87pn4</a></span>Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-20951666144609851242011-09-02T12:34:00.001-05:002011-09-02T12:40:02.360-05:00Dignity NeededI have stopped and started this blog several times. I have been so stunned at what I have seen that I can barely look at the photos. I will be brief because the photos speak for themselves. A few days ago I went into the village with a team from the United Kingdom and met some of the families that were nominated for sponsorship. All of them are on the edge... a precipice. In two of these situations the people hid out of shame. They either ran away or literally hunkered down in their mud hut and hoped we would just ignore them even though we had life saving food. I can't imagine the shame of living in such poor conditions that you don't even want to be seen in society. It crushes me to know people hurt that way. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEKPG2MLCLmXFeQ1oQQO6qyFj312q20BcP2XMoYe_NZlIwEE3RjEqietLCpm0gar-h13B7qze9vmUelJ_DKPlXTph9sT5ZjAX4pK4xk_qHeJDcQUu9Qq4anQjW0sylml_NR6m/s1600/Gertrude+Melody+and+Kids+at+her+Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEKPG2MLCLmXFeQ1oQQO6qyFj312q20BcP2XMoYe_NZlIwEE3RjEqietLCpm0gar-h13B7qze9vmUelJ_DKPlXTph9sT5ZjAX4pK4xk_qHeJDcQUu9Qq4anQjW0sylml_NR6m/s320/Gertrude+Melody+and+Kids+at+her+Door.jpg" width="240" xaa="true" /></a></div>Gertrude and her husband live in a shell of a home. Most of it collapsed 2 days ago when the rainy season hit. Gertrude's husband ran from us and left her standing in a smoke filled collapsed room with the smallest malnourished children I have ever seen. They were filthy and their youngest is the size of a 3 month old but he is said to be 1 year and 3 months. Their oldest, Gloria is 9 and she is barely the size of a 5 year old. <br />
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At first Gertrude seemed very upset to have visitors. I asked her what she had for breakfast and she told me potatoes. I asked her what was for dinner and again she said shyly, "potatoes". I asked her the last time they had eaten anything other than potatoes and she wouldn't answer. <br />
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Gertrude is barely surviving in a smoke filled and collapsed house and her children sleep on soaking wet pieces of foam.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIve_1y4ST4Yo-QK3_R5Vado24lQhmwHVMZmtWHORz70zG8FZG-6Ybj294SHxNNIYySNUZlrhB6EE4TKsFAyQwVhHQHMUPyHPy1Tc3tgHQTyY7-lUlv3FYolGwTV6x2JuDWeLm/s1600/Gertrudes+baby+sleeping+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIve_1y4ST4Yo-QK3_R5Vado24lQhmwHVMZmtWHORz70zG8FZG-6Ybj294SHxNNIYySNUZlrhB6EE4TKsFAyQwVhHQHMUPyHPy1Tc3tgHQTyY7-lUlv3FYolGwTV6x2JuDWeLm/s320/Gertrudes+baby+sleeping+area.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
It is unimaginable how this family has survived. The house has absolutely nothing of substance and the walls are literally falling down around them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUV3ec_tRX_xg05VD3n2yznhQp8kwzFLmw-Lv7bj8433_RGS1j9NkBUq5OR8MKSGypiGCqMYS8Fb2RRGSG6bid8caU-k-NvZPHcQlMtZd6p5TR03q6pev9glHXg8jQ86Sfkq0/s1600/Gertrude+standing+in+doorway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUV3ec_tRX_xg05VD3n2yznhQp8kwzFLmw-Lv7bj8433_RGS1j9NkBUq5OR8MKSGypiGCqMYS8Fb2RRGSG6bid8caU-k-NvZPHcQlMtZd6p5TR03q6pev9glHXg8jQ86Sfkq0/s320/Gertrude+standing+in+doorway.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
When I started giving Gertrude food like beans, beef, rice and tea... she smiled and wouldn't stop. I know even now she is thinking that a miracle had happened. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgQJ1MbmomIrAPkknf0f17G7GnQkPWJNBZLG02SC7uredTPzQpQ2thy7Leni-27BGkrAtts4w9Cfu4lUJrol8WnWARBu4bQKE4jEZxDn861KOdZjM6HuHy-MsAeVew6QcUxUq/s1600/Gertrude+smiling+at+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgQJ1MbmomIrAPkknf0f17G7GnQkPWJNBZLG02SC7uredTPzQpQ2thy7Leni-27BGkrAtts4w9Cfu4lUJrol8WnWARBu4bQKE4jEZxDn861KOdZjM6HuHy-MsAeVew6QcUxUq/s320/Gertrude+smiling+at+food.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>But this food will only last 2 weeks at most. This family needs serious intervention. Please consider sponsoring Gertrude and her family or any family in our program. Uganda is facing a crisis of famine and anything you give will go directly to save lives, but most of all you can restore dignity to someone who doesn't even know what it is like to face society with confidence.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT3K_3NX9MroFo-g_IRAS2a9qsD4VGUiVU4QDsb-ZTan-MpUwv2HNSTptwy3Wx6eMqW76xSTuSUSB03teJCj9xxprV4OQ9slju8tFyvGV8x6PlDetjxAgAGkyOZ_YHZf4nTCv/s1600/Gertrude+smiling+with+Baby+Peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT3K_3NX9MroFo-g_IRAS2a9qsD4VGUiVU4QDsb-ZTan-MpUwv2HNSTptwy3Wx6eMqW76xSTuSUSB03teJCj9xxprV4OQ9slju8tFyvGV8x6PlDetjxAgAGkyOZ_YHZf4nTCv/s320/Gertrude+smiling+with+Baby+Peter.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqwYrSplejkKU24ACRruMYlvq_rm6wnZY1azLtlG_xSH_2x0j8NDXK_BweiblVtZUADQ8M9Jydr_z2tTACM_w7GAukN_5QgNDZBIdOCy9Wd5NHi66lKE587-0CjLgxXTXvN6i/s1600/Davids+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqwYrSplejkKU24ACRruMYlvq_rm6wnZY1azLtlG_xSH_2x0j8NDXK_BweiblVtZUADQ8M9Jydr_z2tTACM_w7GAukN_5QgNDZBIdOCy9Wd5NHi66lKE587-0CjLgxXTXvN6i/s320/Davids+house.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
Another home we came to was locked and we stood nearby and took the picture above. We couldn't believe how small the mud and stick house was. We saw the rain water leaking through the roof. All of us tried to imagine how terrible it must be to have 4 people living in a shelter that is about to collapse. Just then, a neighbor came over and insisted that the head of the family, David, was inside. We knocked again and again and begged him to open the door so that we could give him some food supplies. Slowly the door cracked open and David crouched down in the back corner afraid to be seen.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UxTe9Ab7BTFgYeHiUBiEyHxuksXIlR9z18QqHtuzpLCB1XlWKfr62yhrFXCFIb2erI20_I_ac1EfnIdP4AUtrRRuJxHUzS-pXWTdwOYGjvCZGoTYqXgrtjk-hAFZh0sTSzg7/s1600/Inside+Davids+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UxTe9Ab7BTFgYeHiUBiEyHxuksXIlR9z18QqHtuzpLCB1XlWKfr62yhrFXCFIb2erI20_I_ac1EfnIdP4AUtrRRuJxHUzS-pXWTdwOYGjvCZGoTYqXgrtjk-hAFZh0sTSzg7/s320/Inside+Davids+house.jpg" width="191" xaa="true" /></a></div>I kept thinking that this family lives like animals. They hide and try to just survive in the dark crevices of the earth because they have nothing else to do but to just LIVE. I barely heard David breath a word. He quietly accepted the food and I backed out of the house carefully. He was so ashamed it broke my heart.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qC0Wge3eJrLoXIxZCbuFGfANeZQjKhaUycwGb2MlbtXIK2punOsdb-pZJmGqRjvFwO6_aedABuzDQncD1cNelqf2kNrEqN-pUrOTZPSHUydPX6Y94TD1lDQU7Es6EJmkL7oF/s1600/orphans+receive+meat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qC0Wge3eJrLoXIxZCbuFGfANeZQjKhaUycwGb2MlbtXIK2punOsdb-pZJmGqRjvFwO6_aedABuzDQncD1cNelqf2kNrEqN-pUrOTZPSHUydPX6Y94TD1lDQU7Es6EJmkL7oF/s320/orphans+receive+meat.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>I also met a family of orphans that had their mother die 2 years ago, their father die 1 year ago and then the lovely grandmother caring for them died 3 months ago. I asked one of the boys what they were going to eat that night and he shut his eyes and looked away from me while whispering... "we have nothing to eat". I gave them all they needed for 2 weeks. These boys have been so desperate for food and school fees that they have learned how to make bricks. They are desperately trying to provide for all 7 of them. I admire their courage and strength in the face of so much loss.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6X9-xux4H6UMi7G5LEi6qz4VYXiyv1qOsdtuQ2qHcxDqoUDd5FqfppkfIDeXdpsazeStvXEY6Vcv6ZdkE-4ueRfMN5PBSPssFNEjANc3lePycvlwzJNQUbtxmO1jtU4AJ1Sc2/s1600/Praying+for+grandpa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6X9-xux4H6UMi7G5LEi6qz4VYXiyv1qOsdtuQ2qHcxDqoUDd5FqfppkfIDeXdpsazeStvXEY6Vcv6ZdkE-4ueRfMN5PBSPssFNEjANc3lePycvlwzJNQUbtxmO1jtU4AJ1Sc2/s320/Praying+for+grandpa.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>I even had a chance to pray for an 85 year old man. I asked him what he wanted and he said, "MORE LIFE". Isn't that what all of these families want and deserve? A full life: a life full of joy and full stomachs, an opportunity to work and provide for their family, a shelter from the rain and dignity.<br />
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If you want to sponsor a family with our organization, please don't hesitate. The cost per month is $70 and you can give online at <a href="http://www.africafamilyrescue.org/">http://www.africafamilyrescue.org/</a><br />
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-65873984775473659132011-08-23T06:45:00.001-05:002011-08-23T06:54:51.259-05:00Couldn't sleep thinking about these kids (Graphic Images Below)Yesterday we spent the day caring for some children at Mulago Hospital. We had gone to visit Baby Peter who is still in Pediatric Intensive Care. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLD2oUHYigU6hGJBPYE1evXMgakFCHGDPTpNrCcgKtuCMpQtpPd2sk-9i8ij4pOAldvtISrd1_XcJ33dEZqXAi7vTkInlBAnSYXTczIbg1Toq-AkLwgW9xzmxLfVaRX7-LPPFh/s1600/Wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLD2oUHYigU6hGJBPYE1evXMgakFCHGDPTpNrCcgKtuCMpQtpPd2sk-9i8ij4pOAldvtISrd1_XcJ33dEZqXAi7vTkInlBAnSYXTczIbg1Toq-AkLwgW9xzmxLfVaRX7-LPPFh/s400/Wilson.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">3 year old baby Wilson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I was assaulted by images of dozens of children dying of AIDS, Sickle Cell Anemia, Tuberculosis, Malaria and malnourishment. Everytime I go there I cry my heart out. So many of these babies are in severe pain. I don't understand it. I don't know how this world can be so cruel. I especially don't know how these mothers endure the pain of watching their children die.<br />
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Baby Wilson is 3 years old and has AIDS, Tuberculosis, Herpes (contracted at birth) as well as being malnourished. He is barely 12 pounds. The wounds on his mouth are so severe that he can't eat. They are feeding him through a tube hoping they can get the AIDS virus under control so that they can heal his other issues. So far he has been in the hospital a month and I have not seen any improvement in all the time I have been there. His mother is expected to care for him around the clock and sleeps on a cement slab beneath his crib. He doesn't cry. He doesn't open his eyes. I keep praying for him and giving his mother financial support so that she can eat and keep her strength up. Yesterday I saw his grandmother there as well. She was putting gel on his lips and she looked up at me with such deep sorrow I burst into tears. Why God? Why must this little boy suffer?<br />
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There was a little girl being held by a nurses attendant and he looked exhausted. He kept trying to stand her up but she kept collapsing because she was too weak. She cried and sobbed and my maternal instincts kicked in. I picked her up and she melted into me. I asked the man her name and he said, "Abadoned". That was her name! This approximately 4 year old girl had no name... none. Someone had dropped her skeletal frame off in front of the clinic with a scorching fever. She has no one in the world. She has healed burns on her hands and head as well. Only God knows what this girl has experienced in life. It is locked away in her brain and she can't communicate the truth to anyone because she has no voice. My heart is hurting just writing these words.<br />
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Nakalima, a mother who has been in the hospital 4 months with her daughter Iesha has taken to caring for this abandoned little girl. She started calling her Esther.<br />
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Esther won't look anyone in the eyes. She sees through people. The trauma of her life is so severe that she refuses to connect to you in that way. Her little body is refusing to be disappointed by watching someone else leave her. There is so much sadness in her that I cried putting her down. It is a tragedy and I was only able to leave her knowing that Nakalima is watching over her some.<br />
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But Nakalima has her own pain too. Her daughter Iesha is 10 years old and is barely breathing. She has Sickle Cell Anemia and AIDS. She pants like a dog. I am crying all over again thinking about her. Iesha is not able to speak or walk. She is only turned over 3 times a day and has bed sores all over her hips and back. It hurts her to be moved. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfoA9OWIEWUVzROJ73qz94kNy3CVZ0yl-ifWmHqEccu5wL0z0QNs46y5pNIUBQbSxLLmE37h-dG2ps9AnZJL94so5YXGiWSwJqOxLgOLP3t3jVKDiYanWu1bk4XMk4cr2TP08/s1600/Iesha+with+bed+sores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfoA9OWIEWUVzROJ73qz94kNy3CVZ0yl-ifWmHqEccu5wL0z0QNs46y5pNIUBQbSxLLmE37h-dG2ps9AnZJL94so5YXGiWSwJqOxLgOLP3t3jVKDiYanWu1bk4XMk4cr2TP08/s640/Iesha+with+bed+sores.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Iesha is on the small size of a 2 year old. Her forward is dotted in sweat because her body is fighting so hard to stay alive. I prayed for her and sang a little song. She looked in my eyes and I swear I could see an angel looking back at me. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG-U9cZudOJhsOJZaozxdPNr5w7z_GV47yogz9qz55tqasbxANn1bx_8u5_8J-zGt29C3kOj7lLCpM0RTJxW5Pp5aHsU1RuENzX8q0O8ZRiicqbgZSfmpyzlS5k9cfT-IWbl6/s1600/nakalima+with+esther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG-U9cZudOJhsOJZaozxdPNr5w7z_GV47yogz9qz55tqasbxANn1bx_8u5_8J-zGt29C3kOj7lLCpM0RTJxW5Pp5aHsU1RuENzX8q0O8ZRiicqbgZSfmpyzlS5k9cfT-IWbl6/s320/nakalima+with+esther.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I can see that Nakalima is sick too. AIDS is gripping her body while she cares for an orphan and her dying daughter. I don't know how she survives. We gave her some financial assistance as well. She was so grateful that she smiled... but somehow her face looked unnatural smiling. I think this woman has been through hell.<br />
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The highlight of my day was seeing Baby Peter. He has gained weight (almost 2 whole pounds) and has been off oxygen for a whole week. I cried tears of joy looking at his stomach. I could hardly see his ribs anymore! He has come a long way from the little sick baby we started treating.<br />
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Baby Peter smiles now. He is starting to gain a little strength. I was so relieved. But there was some bad news that came to us when the doctor visited. He said Peter's oxygen level had dropped significantly. It seems that Baby Peter's body has built up an immunity to the 4 antibiotics he has been on to kill the Tuberculosis. They put him back on oxygen and are switching up his meds to fight the disease harder. Please pray for his body to continue to fight. His mother Ruth is exhausted and we continue to support her as an organization. Thank you to the donor who stepped up to sponsor this family! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAPqkiinuAguQxU4d7-RRHJKT1Sdk0s8EJHZT9HblPtA8JOMfsi-MjkLe-7-pw9M8tCmtVilhedg1QBgZquAXNdiFSVgCdZbxbS0Y9UpS8w53yqV0hCtmx6dcaQHf62SpWpUL/s1600/erin+dancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAPqkiinuAguQxU4d7-RRHJKT1Sdk0s8EJHZT9HblPtA8JOMfsi-MjkLe-7-pw9M8tCmtVilhedg1QBgZquAXNdiFSVgCdZbxbS0Y9UpS8w53yqV0hCtmx6dcaQHf62SpWpUL/s320/erin+dancing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The other great news I had was seeing Erin. A few weeks ago I prayed over her. She was so ill and was being fed through a feeding tube for 3 months. I prayed for her and honestly I have been wondering if she leave the hospital alive. I saw her and her father and I am THRILLED to say God did heal her and she sang and danced for me. She was so happy and normal! I know she still needs to gain weight but what a blessing to see that she has survived. <br />
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I ask you to pray for the children and mothers in Mulago Hospital. I ask you to pray for the doctors and nurses who are often discouraged when they see these children pass away. I ask you to pray for our protection against these disease as we are God's hands on them. Above all, I ask for you to appreciate the health of your child and the opportunity to have medication to treat them. In the words of Betty the nurse I met yesterday, "We try to thank God even when he gives or takes away". I want to trust in a sovereign God who cares for these little ones. But I have to tell you... I still don't understanding why God allows the suffering of innocent children. But what I can say is that he sent me here, all the way from America to care for them. He must love them very much.Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-3273269265924809332011-08-18T04:10:00.001-05:002011-08-18T04:16:37.033-05:00I want to be more like themI have spent a lot of time with Pastor Dan and his wife Susan. I am beginning to understand the difficulties of living a life of ministry in a village affected by famine, starvation and slavery. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVWq8oYDn1exdXrqL74yHA4s8osHoPo244ijc-3KHFvdbA2UEzhOXt8GICqirihH_FqI0c9fGO99XaRLbrkgLWZfdxdDB_xF_BkLLXNYZO_VB-4jPl_clPJ6VBlbLID4nLIu2/s1600/Outside+Dans+house+by+the+store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVWq8oYDn1exdXrqL74yHA4s8osHoPo244ijc-3KHFvdbA2UEzhOXt8GICqirihH_FqI0c9fGO99XaRLbrkgLWZfdxdDB_xF_BkLLXNYZO_VB-4jPl_clPJ6VBlbLID4nLIu2/s320/Outside+Dans+house+by+the+store.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Susan and Pastor Dan at their house "store"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Pastor Dan is a man that loves the people of his village. They look to him to be a leader despite the fact that many of them are ill and dying. He has no church building; just sticks that are set up as a symbol of what could be some day. He prays over those who have AIDS, watches over their children as they die of malaria, sees them toiling in the soil for hours only to recieve a handful of yams to eat and yet he still smiles. He never gives up hope. He astounds me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1P_0q6eXLvei_mI_UkU0ORXSF20CiR6THFslMtpCq5wn6AlRZnvmRPlHQ9Ktij-gyzHvSYviGhW154qw7UYWytIPytOl9r4KXZ0eUMvTp8Tv7Qi09CtJAWCduALV0HHjLD2wp/s1600/Susan+showing+me+the+AFR+File.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1P_0q6eXLvei_mI_UkU0ORXSF20CiR6THFslMtpCq5wn6AlRZnvmRPlHQ9Ktij-gyzHvSYviGhW154qw7UYWytIPytOl9r4KXZ0eUMvTp8Tv7Qi09CtJAWCduALV0HHjLD2wp/s320/Susan+showing+me+the+AFR+File.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Susan showing me the AFR file she made and the families that are struggling in the village</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UPies6HfrTbgGr65uSsHLgwBCzeiEOeFpTWsDm5YQ5mOKrPJWGPLPXNspCrSD6u1b9TwlRCaahmEQ3_HIoxf5hD_aG-6mtC8tJY_Ppm0QFnOrmFo0S7cTNp_KmyWsyUPzRsW/s1600/Susan+and+Mel+with+the+AFR+file.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UPies6HfrTbgGr65uSsHLgwBCzeiEOeFpTWsDm5YQ5mOKrPJWGPLPXNspCrSD6u1b9TwlRCaahmEQ3_HIoxf5hD_aG-6mtC8tJY_Ppm0QFnOrmFo0S7cTNp_KmyWsyUPzRsW/s320/Susan+and+Mel+with+the+AFR+file.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She drew a picture on the file... so sweet and creative</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>His wife Susan is a primary teacher making less than $100 a month with half of that going to pay off her education and mortgage loan (for a house that is only 15 feet by 15 feet). Susan sells things outside her home to keep them from going under. The people in the village are so poor that they sometimes buy small packets of sugar that are $.03 to put 1 granule in their tea a day. There is no added sweetness but to say they have some sugar is better than to say that they have none. She has lost a son that was born too early, she faces poverty and illness just like everyone else, she sees children drop out of school because their parents can't afford a pencil, she watches the people in the church suffering endlessly and she works in her own small field to feed her 3 boys. This family is tireless in their dedication to loving the poor. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgH2upMqlmXyxUn3Y_x0nHJ_faeFPRSF9ryBoApHXtPV6FU0VmmXd9MtlRp8akT-1NsogEx9gT2Sd23Y5gUGuQ4enF5mshGbErrU2Ql-EvxDWY5IzQqIIe_XO6b-HlDkHTTK4/s1600/sugar+granules.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgH2upMqlmXyxUn3Y_x0nHJ_faeFPRSF9ryBoApHXtPV6FU0VmmXd9MtlRp8akT-1NsogEx9gT2Sd23Y5gUGuQ4enF5mshGbErrU2Ql-EvxDWY5IzQqIIe_XO6b-HlDkHTTK4/s320/sugar+granules.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Home made sugar packets </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTuMolp6bbWLQBGTGplPJHj77Td82bFA1NJlN8l_alrr9zQpSlD39iuw8lDi4ltgKB3a2AthOHf7Xa9Qw5L_MXH2D0Lu1a9Z2ukvx4RmNVuSsTv4rt0rvvdRuTDnPY0c6hcSU/s1600/Preaching+2+at+Nazareth+Christian+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTuMolp6bbWLQBGTGplPJHj77Td82bFA1NJlN8l_alrr9zQpSlD39iuw8lDi4ltgKB3a2AthOHf7Xa9Qw5L_MXH2D0Lu1a9Z2ukvx4RmNVuSsTv4rt0rvvdRuTDnPY0c6hcSU/s320/Preaching+2+at+Nazareth+Christian+Church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Susan translating a my message about being God's child (Romans 8)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I get great pleasure from saying they are my friends. I count myself blessed to know friends like these. It was so much fun to speak at their church on Sunday. Susan translated for me. We also were able to get Pastor Dan a bicycle so he can visit the church members more frequently. He has been walking over 10 miles a day going to see them. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-Ea9sliqdSkNpV6tpjaOZoT8_tFdAS_iwLKCfsjzIObcTdOgtgPdP7qgTHBtmIl_uAIglNWtS9dm8PaD94x4CPflcS20M9RTnnneQJ-J8jD0SAx79vqUrPtfnocA7Fe81PpZ/s1600/Preaching+at+Nazareth+Christian+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-Ea9sliqdSkNpV6tpjaOZoT8_tFdAS_iwLKCfsjzIObcTdOgtgPdP7qgTHBtmIl_uAIglNWtS9dm8PaD94x4CPflcS20M9RTnnneQJ-J8jD0SAx79vqUrPtfnocA7Fe81PpZ/s320/Preaching+at+Nazareth+Christian+Church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">I love these people so much</div><div align="center"></div>Pray for these new friends of ours. They are doing so much to see that our program is successful in their village. They are so excited about the help that is coming already and it is wonderful to see hope revived.Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-90891335891259952962011-08-14T13:32:00.002-05:002011-08-14T13:32:24.650-05:00Newsletter Update from the PahlowsFollow this link to see our recent newsletter:<br />
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<a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Please-do-not-ignore-this-email.html?soid=1104275316890&aid=wSRqkMb_wYI">http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Please-do-not-ignore-this-email.html?soid=1104275316890&aid=wSRqkMb_wYI</a><br />
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Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-74253134973866939852011-08-03T16:22:00.000-05:002011-08-03T16:22:27.932-05:00Visited Baby Peter in ICUToday I visited Peter and his mother Ruth in Mulago Hospital. Peter is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit that is specifically geared towards malnourished children. I can't even describe the babies I saw today. It is an insult to humanity that we have children dying in the world with no food. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirRhKx5FaCVPgoQv8PHmdorT4Kl52mZITXbMRlbGNE6E-JRBtWGZ_LG8IyZKKHphhee6OCZqpUVCp3JpTMtoAOlril5ABnwD0vF1bQpqedoM4U4olIZ-fMjQROArVYJIFoGAp/s1600/Baby+Peter+in+his+crib+looking+at+Melody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirRhKx5FaCVPgoQv8PHmdorT4Kl52mZITXbMRlbGNE6E-JRBtWGZ_LG8IyZKKHphhee6OCZqpUVCp3JpTMtoAOlril5ABnwD0vF1bQpqedoM4U4olIZ-fMjQROArVYJIFoGAp/s320/Baby+Peter+in+his+crib+looking+at+Melody.jpg" t$="true" width="191" /></a></div>Peter is in a 10 x 12 foot room with 4 cribs and 7 children crowded into them. Mothers are expected to give round the clock care for the children saw there are also 7 mothers in the room. The mothers sleep under the cribs or in a chair if they can find one. The room smells like rubbing alcohol which is better than I expected. This part of the hospital has been painted, not that any of these children would know that. They are too ill. I could hear children crying in the other parts of the hospital, but these children only cried if they had an injection. Otherwise they don't cry at all; a very bad sign. <br />
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Peter is given injections into his I.V. port 4 times a day. He is still on oxygen and having trouble breathing. But he seemed more alert today. We have been giving Ruth, Peters mother, a little money to eat so her milk can come in stronger. When Peter nurses now, he doesn't come away crying so it seems that he is eating more now that she is. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdGN_EXu3im4ZO-XEA0rkEoBoc4rKPb029XFv8Ew1rOY5i5Bdi1dqVQA1ZInZ5b0rHlNyGg0NlakMro8eXKREya-3LsIkp_24dpzJT0QIt04e5UzjQhAHnjZbmMMo-9RYHMDq/s1600/Baby+Peter+looking+at+the+camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdGN_EXu3im4ZO-XEA0rkEoBoc4rKPb029XFv8Ew1rOY5i5Bdi1dqVQA1ZInZ5b0rHlNyGg0NlakMro8eXKREya-3LsIkp_24dpzJT0QIt04e5UzjQhAHnjZbmMMo-9RYHMDq/s400/Baby+Peter+looking+at+the+camera.jpg" t$="true" width="238" /></a></div>Peter was very interested in the necklace I had on. He is not strong enough to reach for it, but he stared at it for a long time. I gave it to his mom so she would have something to do for him when he is crying. Who knows if it will help at all... but it made me feel better to give her something to remind her that he is getting stronger day by day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LSgzt5zjfrEp2PHna1LLIpvYeydbAMu8XsHoGeFr4UsAlt8NmZFoCWrJ0EwfFiWcOJEikS5j93yfp7IfCQ8vHkjDVms6ZklRo4UXDqiNynvhZ1fJ6wb6GYkzsUxRNW4k12QJ/s1600/Melody+playing+with+Baby+Peter+Necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LSgzt5zjfrEp2PHna1LLIpvYeydbAMu8XsHoGeFr4UsAlt8NmZFoCWrJ0EwfFiWcOJEikS5j93yfp7IfCQ8vHkjDVms6ZklRo4UXDqiNynvhZ1fJ6wb6GYkzsUxRNW4k12QJ/s320/Melody+playing+with+Baby+Peter+Necklace.jpg" t$="true" width="191" /></a></div>When I am about to break down and cry, I think of what these mothers go through. I think about the fact that they need me to pray for their babies and hold onto any hope that they will survive. I prayed for so many children today; Wilson, Kenneth, Erin. All of them had feeding tubes, severe fevers, undiagnosed diseases and were extremely malnourished. Every one of the parents pulled on my hand and asked me to pray for their baby. They didn't ask for money and they didn't ask for food, they asked for prayer. It seemed to them that their child was in God's hands now. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYFirD-ZhlNx3YrAP9s1rEB-avb1QwHV_g22C_NC-TGgQdQzDCDnZmMafglTAG-eTWBQnxx3FlxX1C_ckj6dPzX3vO-bP2ZcHVm5Vk1DqOs2FLQwP5qgabTdFj9z6KEKDsYGl/s1600/Kenneth+in+Critical+Peds+Unit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYFirD-ZhlNx3YrAP9s1rEB-avb1QwHV_g22C_NC-TGgQdQzDCDnZmMafglTAG-eTWBQnxx3FlxX1C_ckj6dPzX3vO-bP2ZcHVm5Vk1DqOs2FLQwP5qgabTdFj9z6KEKDsYGl/s320/Kenneth+in+Critical+Peds+Unit.jpg" t$="true" width="191" /></a></div><div align="center">Baby Kenneth coughs constantly and has a high fever</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRU_yBz1uuCfRdnzp9GSO1Shu10rMWyEOmMOQrxp_7_hcY51IZ_q2nFlfXHFst5er9XTOZ7mGyDuficxqu8ppPTjVAEBA1LLMVPOeVq9zaGbnl_UMv9qXL7rlw6HgbKKeQrGRm/s1600/Melody+praying+over+Wilson+with+Kenneth+in+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRU_yBz1uuCfRdnzp9GSO1Shu10rMWyEOmMOQrxp_7_hcY51IZ_q2nFlfXHFst5er9XTOZ7mGyDuficxqu8ppPTjVAEBA1LLMVPOeVq9zaGbnl_UMv9qXL7rlw6HgbKKeQrGRm/s320/Melody+praying+over+Wilson+with+Kenneth+in+pic.jpg" t$="true" width="191" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wilson is 3 years old and barely the size of a 6 month old baby. He has a disease they can't diagnose. His mouth is covered in scabs and sores. He doesn't open his eyes or cry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhgE8YxoN3nE77h2PPpF5fNJlqzbinab1fIurd8oEAd7nv1OF0jiAoePA8ZtA6oDYDBUse9cXR49S9easSnEFcK6djpBz2yt2SK_lPX0ljJwijeP_e4fmc5f3sgRaQzqiwBf1/s1600/Melody+praying+over+Erin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhgE8YxoN3nE77h2PPpF5fNJlqzbinab1fIurd8oEAd7nv1OF0jiAoePA8ZtA6oDYDBUse9cXR49S9easSnEFcK6djpBz2yt2SK_lPX0ljJwijeP_e4fmc5f3sgRaQzqiwBf1/s400/Melody+praying+over+Erin.jpg" t$="true" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Baby Erin was supported by her father Vincent. It is rare to see a father caring for a baby in the hospital. She is very sick. By touch, I can say her fever was approximatley 103 and had a feeding tube with her hands tied so she wouldn't keep removing it. I prayed for her as well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am so glad I went to see the children at Mulago. It makes me grateful to be an American where we can have wonderful healthcare, fabulous nurses, nutritional food and medicine that heals. But I am allowing myself to see pain and suffering that I haven't seen before because I just can't sit back and ignore life in other countries anymore. </div>Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-67795396241993721702011-08-02T15:40:00.000-05:002011-08-02T15:40:44.100-05:00Baby PeterPeter in the Bible was the "rock that the church was built upon" (Matthew 16:18). Whenever I hear that name I think of strength and I often identify with Peter's stubborness and passion. This Sunday in Gayaza Village, I met a young woman named Ruth. Her baby's name is Peter. He has tuberculosis.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz1cl9g079pUzjXRT-xHips_muspb7X_Mr1y3NVRDXh2bLoqfbH9atGzI9z2gDQQ7jRpwpFGUgo-bWqIN7N6vIS12Znf-oeMXV-JQMh1sIjOu-tRTzjLsbzhZsPEereOh0SJu/s1600/baby+peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz1cl9g079pUzjXRT-xHips_muspb7X_Mr1y3NVRDXh2bLoqfbH9atGzI9z2gDQQ7jRpwpFGUgo-bWqIN7N6vIS12Znf-oeMXV-JQMh1sIjOu-tRTzjLsbzhZsPEereOh0SJu/s320/baby+peter.jpg" t$="true" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Peter is 6 months old. He is less than 7 pounds. He is dying.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHErp7edsCqNbPmOvUA2dPNuMUolL9J2MEvKTWbFG3lMwgAi1RLAGWZhhFcHAbRRMOyVaHPqSezc9tIxSygLl1eaN5fs0goDC6Sc-OZY0_5KW8eDHgOBkPJPIPl0G8clH5PXy5/s1600/baby+peter+4+arm+as+big+as+bens+finger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHErp7edsCqNbPmOvUA2dPNuMUolL9J2MEvKTWbFG3lMwgAi1RLAGWZhhFcHAbRRMOyVaHPqSezc9tIxSygLl1eaN5fs0goDC6Sc-OZY0_5KW8eDHgOBkPJPIPl0G8clH5PXy5/s320/baby+peter+4+arm+as+big+as+bens+finger.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Peter was so thin that his arm was as big as Ben's finger.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I honestly can not imagine how this little boy has fought so hard to live for these 6 months. He can barely eat and his lungs are enlarged and filled with fluid. He is a fighter. His name suits him. I see such resilience in this little boy. These last two days I think of Peter constantly. If you saw his beautiful face, you would too.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEX-WDfPNoYg3H-8lVSlR75otxsaM7AsNgLv3KTb6Klk4IIChn7xoMM_oPmvb5LwkOcThBpf47SXqiTsrqoRTnnBldo2KtHN9DHVHUK2qqNZ9EryqcPYoEUu8q4XBIx2GrZJTx/s1600/baby+peter+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEX-WDfPNoYg3H-8lVSlR75otxsaM7AsNgLv3KTb6Klk4IIChn7xoMM_oPmvb5LwkOcThBpf47SXqiTsrqoRTnnBldo2KtHN9DHVHUK2qqNZ9EryqcPYoEUu8q4XBIx2GrZJTx/s320/baby+peter+3.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">With his life hanging in the balance, we admitted Peter into a hospital that specializes in tuberculosis. He is currently in Pediatric Intensive Care which in Africa means that have 1 nurse to every 50 people versus the normal 300. He is on I.V. and has started his 6 months regimine of antibiotics to cure his tuberculosis. He also had malaria and is being treated for that as well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFVO_t1gy6fAQrK7ndlWKYF2sxU5AHTBfGpFQmron00Yc5NNTsp5VmzPF8FdD9jS0V5MlrlExeg0TwYkGdfWMkPV4ewK6ETnKmUjzUkZe5uCWFnxbpO_z_c0fxbz-2taQrxMz/s1600/baby+peter+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFVO_t1gy6fAQrK7ndlWKYF2sxU5AHTBfGpFQmron00Yc5NNTsp5VmzPF8FdD9jS0V5MlrlExeg0TwYkGdfWMkPV4ewK6ETnKmUjzUkZe5uCWFnxbpO_z_c0fxbz-2taQrxMz/s320/baby+peter+2.jpg" t$="true" width="213" /></a></div>Every dose of his treatment is critical. I am praying that there are no shortages of the antibiotics as there were in 2009. If you have a heart to help this family and would like to donate to them specifically, please email me at <a href="mailto:melody@pahlow.com">melody@pahlow.com</a> and I will tell you how. God bless Peter... the rock.<br />
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</div>Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025226.post-7599496200587544582011-07-30T14:23:00.000-05:002011-07-30T14:23:40.178-05:00Had a day filled with HOPEI went back to the village today with some wonderful gifts! A donor sent a donation for food and some basic supplies. I got to meet with Josephine today and I was shocked once again by the level of her poverty. When we arrived she was sweating profusely and had her hoe. I thought she was just working hard. I was wrong. When I hugged her I knew immediately there was a problem. She was warm to the touch. She began to tell me that she had been at the hospital the day before and was diagnosed with malaria. She didn't have money to purchase the malaria medication so she was praying that God would heal her. I immediately arranged for someone to get the prescription filled. Because she is 9 months pregnant and has contracted malaria, the baby could be born any day. If you have malaria one may often go into labor while they are ill and not be able to deliver. In addition, the baby could also have malaria and be too weak to fight it even with proper medication. Here she was working in the pouring rain, her house flooded with water, with a fever, 9 months pregnant and praying for God to do a miracle. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9awAuR0nE2P_EjOpJKg64jUxXLAFjXdqJtm1yWKvwQRqu7vaxJGcHRZVcjN7TWZBbfSGQ5YOvTHyX998rsQqMiUMtfratF9yhhbGcayC2dwTGMIFTbStn9YfElneR28bSUN4a/s1600/Josephines+Children+Melody+Talking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9awAuR0nE2P_EjOpJKg64jUxXLAFjXdqJtm1yWKvwQRqu7vaxJGcHRZVcjN7TWZBbfSGQ5YOvTHyX998rsQqMiUMtfratF9yhhbGcayC2dwTGMIFTbStn9YfElneR28bSUN4a/s320/Josephines+Children+Melody+Talking.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">Talking to her oldest child John (10) who fetches water with his 7 year old brother Francis and 5 year old sister Cornelia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIi54_rbHpsyv82n6hg3S14jjlPWrKuEA_atwj_wGTmpL-VzkgDjEk6kMyb0jO6rj2kFGzixABg4234Wnr-P8wxXI6R-5kG5fWvTxvYC3kXYkDCOJFcj1pTmlqRmoaQFcmNm3/s1600/Josephine+putting+firewood+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIi54_rbHpsyv82n6hg3S14jjlPWrKuEA_atwj_wGTmpL-VzkgDjEk6kMyb0jO6rj2kFGzixABg4234Wnr-P8wxXI6R-5kG5fWvTxvYC3kXYkDCOJFcj1pTmlqRmoaQFcmNm3/s320/Josephine+putting+firewood+down.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I asked Josephine what she was doing to make money for food and she began piling thorn covered wood on a pile of banana leaves - the pile became so huge</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78jAILCAzwgKyjB3PnCwZhdMqtWBnL5SsG3PM0NWV0OkqQxkyjX_Fb1iOiT_b49IjsnBfbzYKf6hljUIH0HkFVbY97GND4MoNtUTMOE02ZsaSK_nzRhI_YdNs42DTMqSqRcxG/s1600/Josephine+STOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78jAILCAzwgKyjB3PnCwZhdMqtWBnL5SsG3PM0NWV0OkqQxkyjX_Fb1iOiT_b49IjsnBfbzYKf6hljUIH0HkFVbY97GND4MoNtUTMOE02ZsaSK_nzRhI_YdNs42DTMqSqRcxG/s320/Josephine+STOP.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Josephine put the huge pile of wood on our head and began to shake with effort... I begged her to put it down</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOfH5LijEUrxPS-yomyeVYO8W1VFXtw7QAHvFKoccHCCkfVDK7FUhS1P5hxcQKJZ0dUAEV98KnbMczocYtrz8Lz1aMmKlT0OrmJwvkwq31FWHn0AoSp02SzlJMgFHWkFt9NIL/s1600/Josephine+and+Melody+hugging+after+firewood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOfH5LijEUrxPS-yomyeVYO8W1VFXtw7QAHvFKoccHCCkfVDK7FUhS1P5hxcQKJZ0dUAEV98KnbMczocYtrz8Lz1aMmKlT0OrmJwvkwq31FWHn0AoSp02SzlJMgFHWkFt9NIL/s320/Josephine+and+Melody+hugging+after+firewood.jpg" t$="true" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I cried my eyes out when she told me she walks 6 kilometers to try and sell her firewood to anyone that needs it... if she sells it, she only makes $.30 barely enough to buy 3 potatoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51ELTOlS5UEjmqmbHQpKbD0ferkPGZnezAJAMMLZr5WHP1sQ-kVUK2KUXks2anQDloDEwsmHwcE7jmk5LVskqOnhfAVYSKKiWTfJ8g1DqL_5tAUpWGsljKrgRRepbUVYjDSBk/s1600/Josephines+daughter+Phina+with+a+new+bracelet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51ELTOlS5UEjmqmbHQpKbD0ferkPGZnezAJAMMLZr5WHP1sQ-kVUK2KUXks2anQDloDEwsmHwcE7jmk5LVskqOnhfAVYSKKiWTfJ8g1DqL_5tAUpWGsljKrgRRepbUVYjDSBk/s320/Josephines+daughter+Phina+with+a+new+bracelet.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Putting one of my bracelets on Josephine's little girls arm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On a high note, we purchased meat, sugar, salt, soap and tea leaves for her as well as giving her some baby clothes and blanket. We also have been able to purchase a large tarp to cover her home so that there won't be as much water pouring through the grass roof onto their family. Josephina was in shock when we also gave her some money to keep her well fed for the month. I am so happy that we were able to bless her in this way. Hopefully the medication will take care of her malaria and will not cause her to go into labor early.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were also able to meet with several other families and gave them gifts of meat and sugar. Daniel, the one man with HIV we met last week was so moved that he came out of his home! He had not walked outside in weeks. He felt so hopeful that he actually wanted to see the sun again. It was a powerful moment and we shared in the joy of knowing HOPE brings LIFE. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-7t3af4Wt77YSLwW1RlT2aBXgggWRVmsA905ZUTFSho5I3t7olErQkn0vswmRCyYZapJtV10y8ldHPM8ndYccMNdhyKm_7mICbi2k3zozGz62C19uC34PePTbYBQFilKLncK/s1600/Musa+crippled+on+the+floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-7t3af4Wt77YSLwW1RlT2aBXgggWRVmsA905ZUTFSho5I3t7olErQkn0vswmRCyYZapJtV10y8ldHPM8ndYccMNdhyKm_7mICbi2k3zozGz62C19uC34PePTbYBQFilKLncK/s320/Musa+crippled+on+the+floor.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is Musa, a crippled man after being hit by a car, being taken care of by his mother Zitune along with his mentally disabled and cripped sister - He is living in the dirt, in the dark and has felt so devastated</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqivSU_qG51IRAjdhzZAbz9QQG_YW7iPz3PAvz2TgJ7FjCHXs632yxJwq0RZszxxdcy2LI9UuwbLfH_5aIaNR1uTXPtSuQp7iLpwFeG1y9yb0Lj2RDHXE-Q-gxDhVtT1HzxiEW/s1600/Zitune+and+I+hugging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqivSU_qG51IRAjdhzZAbz9QQG_YW7iPz3PAvz2TgJ7FjCHXs632yxJwq0RZszxxdcy2LI9UuwbLfH_5aIaNR1uTXPtSuQp7iLpwFeG1y9yb0Lj2RDHXE-Q-gxDhVtT1HzxiEW/s320/Zitune+and+I+hugging.jpg" t$="true" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Zitune was so relieved when we brought her enough money to feed her family for a month - she is worried that when she dies no one will take care of her crippled children</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As Ben was doing some media work at the church we are working in, I wandered down the road (as I usually do in the village) to a little house nearby. There was a young woman just coming back from cultivating. She told me her story. Her husband recently died and she has 4 young children. She is living with her mother and she is doing her best to survive. She just opened a little "store" outside her house. I commended her on her business. I even bought a pumpkin (Ben's favorite)! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCXKUFoy2eGnFl51fBjvvXEmt-Zn-MvLPL3zdLyfFoYOjN_EhR7Lfmnj24HnLgYwOc6FKt8vGr-9XKhkoZjnVcKQoCJBZIgiNpX7IYZ3D0ukJtNiBZi857cFdl8te3-lC5PN9/s1600/Graces+business.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCXKUFoy2eGnFl51fBjvvXEmt-Zn-MvLPL3zdLyfFoYOjN_EhR7Lfmnj24HnLgYwOc6FKt8vGr-9XKhkoZjnVcKQoCJBZIgiNpX7IYZ3D0ukJtNiBZi857cFdl8te3-lC5PN9/s320/Graces+business.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The widow Grace at her "store"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpsHdAnuDNL1YLrl8FtAbVgJgppWTn7c8fakrQbukQQe6YSpsw3KNtzoZA-eN_Y4xNgY8Fcc6fYwS1WhzCupPa6OsfPg2fjtH-ZPdw-2N1MmHUqE3qKG3UQxpjRdLZ3OYLAYI/s1600/Grace+and+Melody+smiling+about+business.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpsHdAnuDNL1YLrl8FtAbVgJgppWTn7c8fakrQbukQQe6YSpsw3KNtzoZA-eN_Y4xNgY8Fcc6fYwS1WhzCupPa6OsfPg2fjtH-ZPdw-2N1MmHUqE3qKG3UQxpjRdLZ3OYLAYI/s320/Grace+and+Melody+smiling+about+business.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So proud of Grace!</div>Ben Pahlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841892802233039794noreply@blogger.com2