We left at 7:00 this morning to drive to a VERY remote village to check children that have received meals in the past for their health and well-being and to deliver more meals for malnourished children.  These meals for starving children were packaged by a church in South Dakota and the shipping was paid for by our church, Edinbook Church, as part of our Service Sunday project last year.  We drove up, up, up, saw hills, lots of eucalyptus trees, cows, sheep, goats.  We finally arrived at the village and met with village leaders as to why we were there.  Of course we attracted quite a crowd as we were the only white people there and most of the children hadn’t seen many white people in the past.  I sat next to the guy that was checking the children that had received food last time and then some additional children.  About half way through, the tears started coming.  I very casually dabbed with the bottom of my skirt.  I tried to be inconspicuous.

These parents were pushing their crying children forward, eagerly wanting the best for their child.  There were some kids playing with sticks, some had made toys with pieces of trash they had found.  It seems that smiles and a little wave with an open hand are universal signs of love.  I just wish I was a Dr. or with some medical knowledge.  People asked me to check their children to see if they were sick, there was a very elderly gentleman who can not hear well and his stomach hurts all the time.  I was sad to try to tell them that I didn’t know and couldn’t help them with that.  One of the very little girls had pnuemonia and her mother was told she needed to go to the doctor, because we didn’t have medicine.  Another girl had a scaliness all over her body, and a little boy had polio with crippled legs.

My mother’s heart was crushed and I wanted to gather them all and tell them it would be ok.  I know that with God they have a better shot at being ok, but it is not going to be an easy life.  No education, no resources, and corruption abounding because of the poverty.  I looked at these little girls and wondered what their lives were going to be like.