I will be stationed at the baby house which has 12 kids ages birth to 3 years. The original plan was for me to float between the baby house and the preschool house (kids ages 3 to 6) for the month of October. That seems impossible. I have only spent 5 days at the baby house and I am fully aware of the various needs of several of the children.
My unspoken mission at the house is to help a 14 month old. She was severely malnourished when she arrived at the orphanage but I don't know any other information about her life. I am not sure how long she has been here but I think it has been about 6 months. The physical signs of her malnourishment are interesting to ponder. The tips of some of her hair is a light brown color, she only has 2 teeth, and she is tiny.
Everyday and typically all day I help her do exercises to gain the strength to hold up her head. She only wants to lay on her back but she is now beginning to grab for objects near her, roll over, and kick her feet. I have really enjoyed helping during "tummy time" and she is enjoying it more and more each day. It is really exciting to hear her make noises now when she is happy and to see her spend more time holding up the weight of her upper body on her arms during "tummy time."
It is really amazing how fast kids can learn when they are given the opportunity. The mom at the baby house has been doing physical therapy with this little girl each day. When she first arrived, supposedly the little one slept all the time and was unresponsive to objects being placed in front of her. She didn't have the reflexive response to blink when something was going to hit her in the face. The house mom worked with her enough so that now I am able to help her sit-up.
I am really excited this girl now has a chance. Who would think moving to an orphanage would be a good thing? It seems to be the story of most of these kids. The more I learn the more I wonder why God would allow such terrible things to happen to children. Then I am reminded that he took these children out of their bad situation by them moving to a God centered orphanage.
Wow. This is very real to me right now as my THREE month old hold her head up remarkably well and is learning to grasp objects and sit up. We don't realize the dire situation these kids are in until we hear stories like this. Thank you for sharing it. And thank you for showing a love to this girl that motivates her to do things others may have never thought possible!!
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