Do you believe in miracles?

I will never forget July 14, 2017 when a tiny boy was put into my arms. He was a few days shy of his second birthday and weighed only 14 pounds. He couldn’t hold his own head up, he couldn’t crawl nor stand. He hardly had the energy to lift a hand to take some food. His body was skin and bones and he was very very sick with tuberculosis and extreme malnutrition.  His mother was 14-years old when she gave birth and she dumped the him with her Grandmother, just as her mother dumped her when she was born.  The newborn lived with his Great Grandmother for many months, being locked outside her stick and mud hut during the day then locked inside the hut when the Great Grandmother would go away, being completely neglected and starved.

 

We named the boy Jonathan and prayed over him daily, but Jonathan quickly ended up in the hospital for emergency care. Weeks later he came back to the El Roi baby home where we started the long journey to health, and one that none of us were sure would be successful.

 

This past Wednesday Jonathan finished pre-kindergarten and is moving on to Kindergarten in January. As we sat at the awards ceremony Jonathan was called up to the front and given the “Star Athlete” award.  Star athlete???  I believe in miracles because I have experienced them.

Then there is our Grace. A child who was left on the side of the road by her mother, and when found was taken immediately to the hospital where she was in a coma for many days. She was treated for meningitis, but was left blind. We did not know that when she was placed with us, and it was only during development assessments that we realized the depth and breadth of her disabilities. Eventually our medical team broke the news to us that Grace would never be able to sit on her own, or crawl or walk. We already knew from U.S. Ophthalmologist that she was blind and would never see.  

 

 

Well, Grace can see, she can sit and crawl and walk and dance and talk and sing. She is one of our extra special children who has extra special needs, and we are thankful to have her in our family. I believe in miracles because I have seen them. Enjoy Grace singing and dancing in the video below.

Then there are two other extra special girls who I want to update you on today. Both were burned as newborn children, both are strong and vibrant members of our family and both are testaments to the power of prayer, love, financial support and medical care from our friends in the U.S. and Canada.

 

Shirley has been to the U.S. twice for reconstructive surgery and we don’t anticipate her needing any more. She graduated from Kindergarten this week and was so proud to receive her certificate.  

 

Phiwa has also been to the U.S. twice for reconstructive surgery, and still has a long way to go in her healing process.  She came to us as a “boarding school” student two years ago and couldn’t speak any English and she couldn’t read or write as she was not able to attend school because of her facial burns (the other children were abusive to her). This week she not only passed 1^st grade, but she got STRAIGHT A’s and is on tot 2^nd grade in January. This is a testament to her hard work, great tutors, an educational psychologist and special education techniques from private school teachers in the U.S. who helped her catch up and WANT to learn. Phiwa is part of a very large global village of people who love and care for her and she in return is a blessing to all of us.

 

I believe in miracles because I have witnessed them.

 

 

None of these children would have been able to receive the care that they desperately needed if it weren’t for the generosity of people who have given sacrificially to help save the life or change the life of a Swazi child.

 

Would you join us in providing the ongoing care for the 275 children who currently call Project Canaan “home” and help us be able to continue to say “yes” to other children in need? We have a matching gift of up to $175,000 for our year end giving campaign so for every dollar you donate before December 31^st, it will be doubled! This might be the best Christmas gift you ever gift – the gift of life and love.

 

To make a year-end gift in the U.S. please click here.

 

To make a year-end gift in Canada please click here.

 

I hope that you experience miracles in your own life and find inexplicable joy during this sacred season of hope.

 

Live from Eswatini  … enjoying having Spencer home.

 

Janine

 

A baby with a HIV viral load of 10 million?

I have to be VERY careful about sharing confidential health and history information about our children so that their privacy and dignity is maintained.  There are so many things that I want to share in my blogs about individual children’s stories, but I can’t. I am including several super cute photos of super cute children so as to not identify this child in this blog.

Today I have such a HUGE good news report that I will share it subversively, without putting a name or face to the story.  For those of you who know our children well, you may be able to put two and two together.

We received a little boy nine months ago who was severely malnourished, had tuberculosis and full-blown AIDS.  He was just 2-years-old and couldn’t crawl or stand and only made grunting animal noises.

A short HIV/AIDS lesson:  there are two important measures to watch carefully when someone is HIV positive - the CD4 count and the viral load count.  The HIGHER the CD4 count is, the better.  The LOWER the viral load count is, the better.  (A viral load is the term used to describe the amount of HIV in your blood. The more HIV there is in your blood (and therefore the higher your viral load), then the faster your CD4 cell count will fall, and the greater your risk of becoming ill because of HIV. – Source http://www.aidsmap.com/Viral-load/page/1327496/)

I remember when this little guy was finally discharged from the hospital to come home to us.  I was so happy with his progress (always the optimist) and just knew that he had turned a corner, and would surely live.  Our wonderful Pediatrician (always the realist) quickly reminded me that he was FAR from being out of the woods, and also reminded me that his CD4 count was so low that it hardly registered, and his viral load count was at TEN MILLION.

In eight short months he has been given love, nutritious food, anti-retro-virals, TB medication (which he is now finished!), more love, more medical care, physical/physio therapy, lots of antibiotics for never-ending ear infections and skin conditions and never-ending prayer with the expectation of total healing.

He now walks, plays, sings in the choir, dances to music, prays at meal time with the other children, and even says “mama” :). 

On Thursday I was told that this little guy was at the Baylor Pediatric AIDS clinic for a check up and while we didn’t get a CD4 count, his viral load was 179.   Not 179,000. Not 179 million.  Simply 179 … down from 10 MILLION!!

I love the scripture that says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”  John 21:25

We are living and seeing those miracles every day at Project Canaan. We have seen the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and the very nearly dead rise up and jump for joy. 

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog, shares it, prays for us and supports us financially.  HE is our provider and I am thankful to everyone who hears His voice and is called to be a part of His story.

Live from Swaziland … I just can’t contain my excitement today.

Janine