the day our house doubled, part 2

continuing from here.

Milla and Tabi enter our home, shaking from malnutrition and dehydration, coughing horribly, and wondering where they are.  We sit them down at our dining room table and they drink some water and look at us, seeing that we were familiar but unsure of what is next.

Weighing them showed they were each at 22 pounds.  Skin and bones and distended bellies, Milla was by far in worse condition.  At ages 6 and almost 4, they were so small for their ages, I wondered how on earth they had survived this long.  The stench from them could be smelled from across our home.  They could barely walk and easily fell down if they became unbalanced. 

Priscilla bathed the girls and started treating their jiggers.  Jiggers are so painful to remove, leaving gaping holes in their feet, but we found that soaking their feet in hydrogen peroxide and water twice a day painlessly killed them.  Praise God.

We took them to the hospital and we were thankful to see clear chest x-rays and confirm that they did not have TB or pneumonia.  The coughing that kept them up at night was a result of exposure to toxins given off by the indoor charcoal stove their mom would cook with when she had food. 

It’s been almost 2 weeks now, and what a noticeable difference it has been. Both have gained well over 1 kg and seem to be thriving.  We have watched them transform into to happy, giddy, twirling, energetic, little girls.  We keep their routine simple at home and the same every day. They eat very traditionally because the plan is for them to return to their mom, in about a month.  They play with babydolls, and help wash their little clothes and color inside coloring books filled with Bible stories that open conversations about Jesus and how BIG He really is.  We spend time holding them, whispering how much they are loved in their little ears and have them visit their mom twice a week to ensure they are staying connected.

I have prayed my heart out for these two little lives.  I sing “This Little Light of Mine” to them daily and they are starting to catch the tune.  I see them as being little lights in their home.  A story of redemption and healing.  Their mother loves them, but struggles in caring for them and providing food for them because she has nothing.  Nothing.  I do not know the feeling of not having the ability to feed my children.

Today, I have the pitter patter of 12 feet come running down the hall in the morning.  6 cups to fill with chai or uji for breakfast.  God truly has given us the strength to meet all the needs of our children and the ones we are fostering, for now.  Our children have been amazing in welcoming them into our home, sharing their toys and eating more African food than they probably care to.  They have never complained and we are praising God for this provision.

Milla and Tabi are very opposite in personalities and it has been fun seeing that develop the past couple of weeks.  Both need a lot of supervision and it has been a process of teaching them skills they have not learned, or practiced, due to lack of supervision and the conditions of Kipsongo.  I’m thankful they are potty trained and I’ve only had to tell them 1 million times to only flush the toilet once.  It’s almost guaranteed that if we cannot find Tabi, she is standing over the toilet, watching it flush or climbing trees in the backyard with the boys.  Milla is usually found grooming baby dolls and trying on all of my daughter’s clothing, shoes and accessories.  Yes, divas know no culture.

This experience has grown us in ways we never knew we could.  God is doing something in Kipsongo and we are very excited in the days ahead to share with you what God has laid on our hearts.