Baby S

We are so thankful for our supporters! God has provided us with an amazing support team. I have to say that I heard stories in the past about missionaries scraping by wondering how they would feed their family. While that was a sacrifice we were willing to make for the sake of the Gospel, as for now, we have yet to know any lack! If fact, we have been able to bless others from your generous hands!
Recently Mama S. came home from Tandala (a few villages away). She told us Baby S. had gotten sick and they had to take her to Kondoa. We were sorry to hear it and could see that she definitely was not her happy smiling self.
Well, this continued on for about another week and everytime we saw her she was looking worse and clearly losing weight. Mama S stopped over in the morning and told me she and Baba S were heading out to take Baby S to a doctor. Curious where else they could take her, I asked if they were going to a hospital. She said no. With the language barrier that was all I understood. (If you can think of nothing else today, remember to be thankful you and your neighbors speak the same language!)

Her ear began to swell and deform while she developed some sort of skin condition in addition to declining health.

Later that evening Mama S brought Baby S in and showed me two short scrape marks on Baby's chest. All I caught was something about a doctor and a mango tree. Then it clicked! She took her to see a witch doctor! Reality check! This is not some crazy African story about ignorant national people in headdresses and loin cloths, this is my neighbor who loved her baby so much she was willing to do whatever it took to find the cause of her sickness.
Exhausted, they had done all they could do. We were growing concerned also. Ok, let's be real, we live in Africa— kids die here when they shouldn't. Seeing their situation I wondered what I would do, how I would feel; parents standing by helpless. They had done all they could and still were at a loss of how to help their fading baby girl. Just think, if it were you.
We talked to Peter to see if there is anything we could do. We were getting ready to take a week break in Arusha and were concerned with how fast she could decline in that time. With Peter's help, we came up with a plan to get them to a reputable hospital that Peter was pretty confident would be able to help —which just so happened to be a Christian Hospital.
So, the day we left for vacation, we gave money to Gideon, one of our teammates, to take them on the bus to Pahi. There they were able to be seen and treated. Baby S had some sort of bacterial infection causing skin problems as well as declining health. This required special medication that the other hospitals had overlooked.
On the right medication, Baby S recovered quickly and was almost completely back to her normal self by the time we returned. We were so thankful to have not just the opportunity, but the means also to help out our friends, showing them tangibly how much we care for them.
When we saw them upon our return, they expressed their thankfulness. We could see it in their eyes that they were starting to see the love we have for not just Baby S, but them also.

Baby S on the road to recovery!

I praise God for all that I have and all that I am able to give. I thank God for you all, for being an extension of Christ working through us, softening the hearts of His enemies.