Just a few days ago, 15 3 year olds, faces shining with great joy came onto my office me. There was great excitement in the air, and they all at once wanted to tell me what they had been doing for their school trip that day.
They went to the fire station, and the fire engines were as big as the whole world. After that they went to the bus station and went into the buses, and the buses were very big too. My goodness when one is 3 years old and you look at such big things, it is something to talk about.
AND after that chicken and chips at Mega Bite with a cool drink. Little tummies were very full.
I just enjoyed seeing them so very happy.
We had an other very amusing thing happened. Every six month the dentist comes to Kondanani to check the children's teeth, if anything has to be done we take them to the surgery for treatment.
Last week, 6 of the small ones had to be taken to the surgery. After the treatment there is always something special, after all the dentist is not the nicest place to go, so we have to make it a bit of an outing. That means going out for lunch. Once again to Mega Bite, there are not to many choices in Malawi.
After eating and drinking they had to go to the toilet. These are little once who have never in their lives been to a public toilet or see a grown up man wee.
So, little Tom 4 years old and very inquisitive, stood there next to a man who was doing the same as he. He was fascinated, stopped, stood next to the man bent over and watch the man in action. The man never blinked an eye lid and Tom is still talking about the man and whatever goes with it, not suitable for this newsletter.!!!!
All this was watched by the father of one of our missionaries who are visiting and helping us. We had such a laugh about it.
Our Obert who is 11, decided that eating was not quite the thing to get involved in. It became quite obvious that there was something wrong and we decided to investigate. Well, we soon found out that he was the slowest of the slowest eaters and was being teased by the other children because of it, this was so stressful to him that he decided that, rather than be nagged by the house mother and be teased by his brothers in the house, he would give his food away.
For the last couple of weeks he has been having his meals in my house and of course I can't resist the temptation to spoil him with all sorts of extra goodies.
Obert goes back home bragging about all the nice things mummy gives him and he gets teased again because the others are jealous.
He went back to his own house this morning, I hope he eats, the others have been warned not to tease him, but Obert may just want to go back to me for his meals, and start a little game. Just imagine having 150 children to take care off.
We really need God's Wisdom every day.
Our Isaac, who he is 7, began to have real problems with his eyes. We visited the specialist on several occasions hoping that something could be done for him.
When a mucus was forming on the eye ball the specialist did a biopsy. He was found to have a tumor behind his eye and it could not be saved. We were really sad about that, I cried but he himself never shed a tear.
The eye has been removed and he will get a glass eye very soon believe he needs a new one every year.
It amazed me how quickly he got over the operation. He is a brilliant student at school at it has not in the least affected his school work. Of course the other children try to tease him being a one eyed man, but he laughs it off. Great to see so much self confidence.
Do you remember my last newsletter, I mentioned little Hannah and her split lip. Well she is a beautiful girl now after the operation. She will have to have an other one when she is about 5, but she looks so much better and is a very pretty girl with a very beautiful smile.
The twins are also doing very well and have put on kilos. Both of them are walking now, their muscles will develop properly and there will be no more signs of the severe malnutrition they had suffered before they came.
It is so special to be able to be a blessing to these children, we did not have to leave them in the condition they were in.
Madalitso is 7, he was left abandoned at the Trade Fair grounds in Blantyre just after birth. A child like that will never be able to go and trace his family.
He was the only abandoned child we had, the others have all been adopted.
A great family from the USA are now adopting him, this is so special and I am so grateful. They have 5 of their own and the last born is a boy of the same age as Madalitso. He will now have a real family and a daddy and mummy.
We have already been to court and are awaiting for the final adoption order. Things are a bit slow, but we are expecting it any day and he will fly off to America.
The other children think it is amazing that he is going to America, and fly in a jet as they call it.
We had the official opening of our new baby home "Caring Hands" last Wednesday. Our little once spend the first 3 years of their lives there and than move onto a home were they live as a family with their house mother, nanny and cleaning lady.
I was amazed as to how many people were in attendance as it was a real last minute effort.
Press Trust ( a Malawian organization) sponsored 50% and God TV the other 50% of the building, representatives of Press Trust were present.
TV Malawi, 2 radio stations and various news paper journalists were present and did interviews and filming.
I had to make a speech and all I wanted to do is cry, but I managed to compose myself.
It is a great building, beautiful for our children, and we give God all the Glory for enabling us to bring up our children ion such good facilities
The Rory Alec Clinic is now empty and is waiting for the next project.
A few month ago I invited the Heads of the Community Based Organizations (CBO's) for lunch, there are nine in our area. I really wanted to hear from them what was happening at grass root level. We live in a paradise in the middle of poverty, it is important not to forget what is happening around us.
After lunch I asked them if we could go with them into the villages and see their work.
What we noticed while going into the villages was that, many of the men and women on Anti Retroviral drugs, these are the HIV positive people, were, although still alive, not healthy at all, in fact there was a lot of suffering in spite of the medication.
The reasons being that they are so poor and can't afford food that will help them to get on top of their condition and get them strong enough to go and get a job and earn a living.
This situation would not leave my mind and I really believe that there was a reason for that, my Heavenly Father had a plan and He uses people to fulfil His Plan.
The Rory Alec clinic will become a malnutrition clinic for adults who are on ARV's and still malnourished. It will be the first in the country, there always has to be a first.
It won't be an easy task, we are talking about village people who don't even know how to use a toilet, but it will be such a blessing to see them walk out after about 8 weeks well and healthy, able to find a job.
It is going to be an expensive exercise to begin with, and on going, but then we know Who our Source is.
We work for the big company called "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" ( Unlimited).
We are looking forward to the challenge ahead.
Thank you for being part of this work, thank you for blessing our children and helping us to take care of them.
The newspaper called Kondanani an "Exceptional Children's Village", you my friends are part of that.
Yours in His Service,
Annie Chikhwaza.
