Our New Friend Saina

When I (Kelly) was a kid, my mom used to pick up Midori, a mentally handicapped woman, regularly and take her out around town to keep her company.  We would run errands and go shopping.  The event always included a stop for ice cream at Dairy Queen.  I never truly grasped why my mom would do this every week, but over time I grew to look forward to it.  Now, in Africa, we have had a similar opportunity.  Every other Thursday, a group of doctors and I go out to Area 25 to the Children of Blessing's (COBT) Epilepsy Clinic. Around 300 patients diagnosed with epilepsy are enrolled in the program; we see approximately 40 each week. (To learn more about COBT, see the video and link below.)

During a few of my recent visits, I have gotten to know a young girl named Saina.  She is an orphan who has been afflicted with a mental disability and epilepsy her entire life, and who has been abused in the past.  Her body is marked with scars from a time when she fell into a cooking fire during one of her seizures.  She is a wonderful girl who finds joy in everything she is doing and is very affectionate.  Our family decided to invite Saina to our home on Fridays to get to know her better and pamper her a little bit.  Some of the things we take her out to do include: shopping for clothes and school supplies, reading books at the school library, going to get ice cream, and relaxing by the pool. We are so blessed to have house help that have a heart for the Lord and enjoy hanging out with Saina as well. They have been a tremendous help with translating for us since Saina only speaks Chichewa. We have had the pleasure of spending time with her for the past 2 months, and I am starting to understand my mom's heart in what she was doing when I was a kid.  Spending time with the less fortunate and who some deem an outcast due to things out of their control brings a joy of the Lord that is hard to describe. Our whole family is seeing how awesome God's love is and how it shows up so clearly when we are moving in His will outside of our comfort zone.  Comfort is something we as American's crave, and I feel it has caused us to shy away from loving on those who are less fortunate.  I am so thankful that my mom taught me at a young age that handicapped people are God's created children with a desire to be loved.  DR is starting to look forward to having Saina over and on Friday's will wake up saying "Saina?  Saina here?"  It is adorable, and brings Donald and I great joy in knowing that he is learning what my mom taught me.

Children of Blessing Trust Website:  http://www.thrivemalawi.ca/