Sam & Zuena

So I mentioned in an earlier post that Sam came home on Saturday, but it has been such a joy having him back in the house. I now completely understand how empty the house felt without him here for the week and a half that he was in the hospital. He still cannot walk or put weight on his foot, so he pretty much lays on the couch and pleads to be entertained by anyone who walks through:) He has one of the brightest smiles and his giggle is absolutely contagious. The other day a couple of the girls went into and the kids were napping, so I just went and cuddled with his on the couch; we read books, played with play dough, and started watching a movie. He is so loving and one of those kids you can’t help but cuddle and completely fall in love with!

For his foot, we have to do dressing changes twice a day and it is not an understatement to say that this is the least favorite part of everyone’s day. It doesn’t matter where you are in the house, you will hear his piercing screams - which I am realizing are all the more hard to hear after you have heard him laugh. It is seriously heart-breaking, and though I don’t have kids, I feel like it would hurt this bad to see your kids hurting this bad (sorry Mom and Daddy, from Stephan, Anna, and me). His foot has two crater-like holes in it, on the outside of his foot. One is more towards his heel and literally looks like you could take a golf ball and place it comfortably resting in it. Then the other one is more in the middle of his foot and is about the size of a quarter but not quite as deep. We are still fighting infection but but he went back to the hospital in Kampala on Thursday and we were told that we were doing a good job with it - which was very reassuring to hear! (I have a picture of us that I will try to get up soon)

Despite the wonderful joy of having Sam home, we have been faced with yet another difficulty this past week. A little girl Zuena, who is about 5 or 6, was admitted to the hospital Wednesday, and then the ICU shortly after. She hadn’t been feeling well the few days before and Wednesday morning was almost unresponsive. She has A-Fib (which I have had some exposure to), as well as some other heart and health conditions, which are typically found in the sub-Sahara African region. Thursday evening we heard back from the doctors that her kidneys are not functioning properly, she is in heart failure, and her blood pressure is really low - so lots of areas for prayer.. It is a bit scary, not just for her life, but also with the timing of everything that has been happening here, it’s just hard to be going through yet something else. Thursday night, we sat around and prayed that the Lord would heal Zuena and that He would grant peace to all the lives that she has touched, but ultimately that His will be done, as hard as that may be. For He has definitely ised her in many ways in only the short number of years she’s been alive, and the past year she has been at Ekisa.

In the two weeks that I have been here, here are some things I have learned and observed about Zuena. She is really small built with big tummy and chest (as ironic as it is to say, her heart is literally too big for her body), a huge smile, and a lot of sass:) She will often laugh at you, and not always with you, especially if you are laughing at her haha. She has this look where you know she is either not happy at something, or wants you to do something to fix something immediately; she looks up at you with her big eyes, narrowed eyebrows and her mouth in quite a sassy way - all together you can’t help but laugh, but she usually always gets what she wants. Actually she is the kid I was primarily thinking about when I said in an earlier post that “these kids can be quite sassy and know how to work it to get what they want.” Yep, Zuena has mastered this! She is also so funny and will be buddy-buddy to anyone who she thinks can be of benefit to her. She loves sitting on the kitchen table while we are cooking because she knows that her aunties will always let her taste something, or maybe even share half of their meal with her. She is also one of the biggest flirts here! Emily did her hair earlier this week in these little puff-balls and the first thing she said when Emily was finished was “Auntie, Walter” while gesturing to her hair. She then proceeded to make Emily carry her outside to show her hair to Walter and the other boys - so funny! And then, she likes to cuddle, and I have tucked her into bed a number of times where I will end up laying in bed with her for awhile in her small bed; she’s also so funny when I’ve done this because I’ll close my eyes and act like I’m sleeping, and she’l touch my face and whisper “auntie.” When I open my eyes she’ll whisper “shhh” and tell me “close your eyes.” 

I don’t think that any of these tidbits about Zuena really justify the beauty and joy that is embodied in this little girl. I have only been here two weeks but I feel blessed to have gotten to know her already and continue to pray that the Lord heal her and bring her home, and I ask for your prayers as well for all us here at Ekisa. 

But Lord, I pray above all things that we continue to trust in You - Your will, Your desires, and Your plan - for you are faithful and above all else deserve to be praised, even in the midst of trials and hardships. Amen.