Thursday morning we got up early to take Kelly to the Dr. You aren't able to make an appointment so we had to get there and get a number. We arrived and sat in a big waiting room that already had a lot of kids waiting. it didn't take as long as i had expected and they called Kelly back. I went back with her, her Mom, her Dad and our translator Eduardo. the Dr asked them to take her clothes off her and set her on the table. My heart sunk as I looked at this beautiful little 5 year old girl that appeared to be the size of maybe a two year old. You didn't have to be a Dr to know something wasn't right. I had noticed she was tiny but her baggy clothes hid how fragile she really was. I turned to look away as I felt tears swell up in my eyes. She was already upset about having to take her clothes off, there was no way I could let her see my tears.
The Dr began too look her over and started to speak to the parents......... Eduardo (my translator) didn't say a word but I knew why. I was able to pick up enough Spanish to hear the Dr say that Kelly was severely malnourished. the Dr then asked the parents how many other children they had and they told her 10 more. The Dr firmly but nicely told them that was a problem. She said it is very expensive to care for one kid well, let alone 11 kids total. She told them to tell all their friends and family the same. The room was silent.
The Dr said that her scabies were gone, she saw the scars from them. What is left on her and still causing her discomfort is mainly due to malnutrition and too much sun. Se asked the family to bring Kelly back next Friday to meet with a nutritionist. she also told them it is necessary for them to put sun block on her 3 times a day.
This is hard thing and you see it here a lot, families with a lot of children. Life is hard and it is hard to properly care for all your kids when you have so many. I think some of it is due to a lack of education. Please hear my heart on this, they are very good people, they work very hard for their family. The dad works all the time and the Mom gets up at 3:30am every day to make tortillas to sell. All this to make ends meet and provide as much as they can for their family. I can tell they love their children very much.
Please continue to pray for this family. Pray that they will bring her back next Friday to see the nutritionist.
4 comments:
We are praying for you guys
You were such a blessing and encouragement for our team
Love you guys keep up the great work
This is such a hard and common reality in third world countries. You are loving on them in a practical way. Being supportive and caring for what is going on in their lives shows God's love in action. Don't lose hope. You are impacting their lives forever. Jesus is victorious!
Wow, thank you for sharing this tough experience. I find myself struggling over adoption paperwork but your words give me perspective on the needs beyond our U.S. boundaries. We will continue to pray for your family and Kelly's family. May God allow us all to grow from your words! Keep strong brother!
My heart breaks for Kelly and her family. So thankful you guys are there to help. Praying for Kelly and her family...
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