He literally almost died of hunger

19-month-old comfort after his first bath and meal

Last week I shared with you that we received 7 babies in 7 days.  I have written 335 blogs since we moved to Africa in 2012, one every single Saturday morning, without fail, but last Saturday’s seems to have struck a chord with many of you because it became my 2nd most read blog of ALL time in just 7 days. I have wondered all week what it was that made you share it more?

“7 babies in 7 days” (read at:  https://janinemaxwell.blogspot.com/2018/10/7-babies-in-7-days.html) had 9,300 reads in 7 days.  Coincidence?  Or just lucky #7?

Last week I also shared with you about us picking up little baby whom we have named “Comfort”.  He is 19-months-old and is the size of a 5-month-old.  He was found living with his 90-year-old Great Grandmother and was literally starving to death.  Yesterday our Social worker, Margie, sent me a photo of Comfort, only 10 days after arriving at Project Canaan, with the caption, “Baby Comfort after 10 days of good food and lots of love.  He’s crawling and smiling often!”

Happiness bringing toys for Comfort

I was at the airport in Chicago when I read that and saw his photo and almost burst in to tears. 

And do you know what made it even better??  I was working on child sponsorship updates to send to every person who sponsors one of our children and Margie also told me that our baby girl named “Happiness”, who is ONLY 13-month-old, was very quick to welcome the “new guy” and has deliberately spent her time moving over to sit beside Comfort, bringing him special toys and making sure that he feels welcome.  He is being COMFORTED by the Comforter, through another baby who was loved back to life this past year. Unbeknownst to me, that is common behavior for Happiness when a new baby arrives at the El Roi Baby Home. That to me is the hand of God working right in front of our eyes, daily.

Child sponsorship donor update

From last week’s 9,300 blog reads and shares approximately 15 of our our children have been newly sponsored!   THANK YOU to those of you who said “YES” and took action and joined us.  We are still very much behind on funding for the 29 children who have arrived this year, so I am asking again (still) for your help.

If you read this blog regularly, or if it’s your first time, please consider sponsoring one of our children today.  You can make a one time gift or sign up to give monthly.

In the US: bit.ly/ProjectCanaanChildrenAngel

In Canada:  bit.ly/ProjectCanaanChildrenAngelCA

We can’t save all the children in eSwatini who are in desperate need of help, but we do our very best to help those who are brought to us through Social Welfare with the police and hospitals who see the desperate need every single day.

Peace and Comfort share the exact same birth date.

Live from Vancouver, Canada … I am thankful for the support of our friends.

Janine

The only thing you can spend money on that will make you richer.

When I was a child I had the privilege of traveling with my parents.  I’ll never forget our first big trip to Asia when I was in 7^th Grade. My mom’s sister was a missionary teacher in Japan in the late 1950’s after the war, and died unexpectantly from a malignant mole the same year I was born.  My mom wanted to go and see where her sister has served, plus my cousin Dawn was living/serving  in Japan at the time, so off we went. This blue-eyed, blond-haired, 12-year-old was quite a novel sight in 1976 traveling from Asian country to Asian country.

It was on that trip that I caught a bug.  The travel bug.

My parents had no idea the size of the gift they gave me on that trip – it was the gift of seeing the world, learning about new religions, new cultures, new sights, new sounds and they introduced me to the flavors of the world. 

On the wall of the Project Canaan Academy preschool there is a Dr. Seuss quote that says, “OH the places you will go”.  I can’t even begin to imagine the places that our 167 children will go as they learn and see new things, hear new sounds, taste new flavors through their home, education and life on Project Canaan.

Ian and I are on a whirlwind trip that had us land in the US on our 26^th wedding anniversary (October 5^th).  Just after we landed I received a message that a beautiful 5-week-old baby girl had safely arrived home to Project Canaan. Her mother is 20-years-old, already has two children and one was born paralyzed.  She had no money for food, medical care or clothing and begged Social Welfare for help.   The baby, whom we call “Happiness” is home.  Oh the places she will go.

The hotel room that we slept in last night had an interesting pillow on a chair in the room. It read, “Travel is the only thing you can spend money on that will make you richer.”  I completely agree.

As I sit on an airplane flying to Toronto and on to Ottawa to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with Spencer, Chloe and Ian’s family, my mind wanders back to the day that my Aunt Margie heard the call to move to Japan.  It was her obedience (and death) that prompted my mom to want to go to Japan.  That introduced me to a world I would never have otherwise known about and a love for people, diversity and desire for understanding.

If you have been hearing a still small voice telling you to “go”, just do it.  Your life will change and you just might change generations to come.

Live from Atlanta … enjoying happiness from travel and celebrating baby Happiness.

Janine

PS - Travel does not come without many frustrations. This morning we stood for 30 minutes while a TSA agent very slowly and methodically pulled out each and everyone one of 50+ rolls of camera film from a travelers zip lock bags and SLOWLY wiped each one completely and then checked the swab for residue.  The line backed up, people were baffled, but there he was just "doin' his job". With the last one he took off his gloves and walked out of the security area and went on his break (I guess). Another agent resumed with the next traveler.