Prayers and Praises

Romina is a little girl about nine months old who has been blind since birth. We have all been working with her a little each day to help her learn to sit up, move her arms and legs, and babble and laugh. A couple of days ago I had the great joy of seeing her sit up by herself for a few seconds. It was such a happy moment when she balanced herself for even those few seconds.

Yesterday Natalie and I went with Veronica to the hospital with Leo and Maria who were both feverish. After going to a couple of different emergency rooms we found that we were to go to a tent in the parking lot where they babies stats were taken and it was determined that they were indeed sick. There were probably ten or more people waiting in and around the tent while the babies where looked at. After completing their initial stats we took them to a doctors office where they were further examined and prescriptions written. It was determined that Maria was not very sick and I waited with her in the hall/waiting room while Natalie and Veronica took Leo to get a chest X-ray. After the X-ray Natalie returned to wait with Maria and I while Veronica took Leo to another part of the hospital to get a breathing treatment of some kind. At about 12:40pm Maria started projectile vomiting tinted with blood. Natalie and I did our best to contain it and clean it up...we had almost complete success...the gentleman next to me did have a bit land on his poncho...at 12:55pm Veronica came rushing back to us and hurriedly explained that I was to come with her because I could understand some Spanish and Natalie was to keep Maria. We rushed to another part of the hospital and entered a room where four people where lying on beds receiving care. Poor Leo was surrounded by five nurses, doctors, and interns receiving oxygen, attached to an IV, and was having blood drawn. I updated Veronica on Maria's condition and she told me to stay with Leo while she went to call Mrs. Allan. After a few moments one nurse picked up Leo, another took his IV, and I was handed his clothes and we hurried out of the room through a labyrinth of halls, passages, elevators and stairs to the third floor where the pediatrics ward was. As we walked and walked I wondered if I would be able to get back if I needed to and if Veronica would ever be able to find us. We got Leo settled into a room where three other children where being cared for, gave him a bath to help break the fever, and then I stayed with him for about an hour and a half.

During that time the hospital staff brought me a delicious lunch of potato soup, chicken, rice, and lettuce. It seems that most people bring their own spoons to eat with...but of course I didn't have one so one of the gentlemen attending the boy in the next bed went to find one. While he was away the staff who brought the lunch returned and gave me a spoon...so when the gentleman returned with a spoon...I had two! The families of the other children mixed together and talked sharing about what was ailing their children.

It turned out that while I was with Leo Veronica was running from office to office and place to place getting medicines and making preparations for Leo to stay. Natalie returned with Maria to the Ark.

It turned out that later than night Maria was taken back to the hospital where she and Leo are both staying for four or five days with what seems to be pneumonia. They are on oxygen and are not doing well. Please pray for their speedy recovery.