Never Enough

From the left: Sule, me, and Virginia.
I stayed with Virginia during my community stay and Sule is her aunt

Home Base Care is the main form of aid that Hands at Work implements into the communities they work in, and it’s where people visit the sick and dying who are too weak to leave their homes. There are 3 different kinds of home base care workers: nurse, childcare worker, and relationship builder.

My first day I went with a nurse and other volunteers but it was raining which unfortunately made many of the patients un-accessible. In the morning we were able to visit a 21 year old girl named Gertrude. It was heartbreaking when we got to where she lives with her 14 and 16 year old brothers. It was a little broken down shack with no windows, and when we went in there were basins covering the floor to catch the many leaks in the tin roof. Her brothers were at school, leaving this frail, sick girl by herself. She was HIV+ and was sick with TB. As we talked with her we asked if she was on TB medication, and she told us that she had been but that because they had no food she was unable to take her medication this past month. We prayed for her and held her as she cried, and bought her a few groceries. It wasn’t nearly enough. After we left her, the nurse said that because Gertrude has stopped taking her TB medication she will now be immune and unresponsive to the treatment.

We were only able to reach one other patient’s home that day whose name was Roselyn, but when we got there her little room was empty. The neighbor told us she passed away on Friday. I just kept thinking how we were too late. For both of them. I knew when I came here that there would be times like these but I still prayed for God to help me understand. I got 2 verses in answer: Job 2 when his wife tells him to curse God and die and he answers her saying ‘Do we only accept what is good from God, and not trouble?’ (more or less). The other was Galatians 6:9 saying to not grow weary in doing good but that we will reap a harvest if we persevere and do not give up.

The next day I visited 3 patients with the relationship builder, which was a much more uplifting time just because the relationship builder, Sandy, was so amazing. As we visited the patients we would read scripture to them, lay hands and pray over them, sing to them, and sometimes anoint them with oil. It was good to encourage them even though it was hard seeing their pain, especially the last one, an old rail thin man clearing dying from TB, he couldn't speak because he was so weak and coughing. A couple of them had relatives who were caring for them who asked for us to pray for them as well. The sick, especially those that are HIV+, are often stigmatized here and so are very much alone. I may not be able to heal them, but I can love them.


and i think i'm in trouble... I fell in love with a little girl named Magnolia at one of the orphan creches. She was the sweetest little girl and it's already killing me that in a few weeks i'm going to leave her behind. i almost cried when i was sitting with her, her little body nestled against me and her head resting in my lap... ugh. how do i find the balance between being too detached and having my heart stolen? i have been praying for God to teach me how to love how he loves, maybe this is it. and i guess it's a lead in to the other prayer i've been praying - to break my heart for what breaks his. God help me.


Today I have been fasting along with many other Hands and Work and partners all over the world as we pray for meetings that are going on during the next few days concerning donors and sponsorship. One of H@W's biggest donors is finishing out their commitment after 3 years, which means many children who have been receiving care such as food and health will now be bumped onto a waiting list unless new sponsors step in to support them. Please be praying for donors to see the great need here and respond to it.
God bless.