84 + 2 = You don't want to miss this one!

The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find him wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  Luke 2:10-14

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

John

Rachel and Leah

Levi

Phoebe

Naomi

Ethan

Portia

Roy

Jacob

Gabby

Jerry

Seth

Lenah

Zachariah

Glory

Mary

Isaiah

Abraham

Timothy

Lori

Abigail

Beth

Christian

Deborah

Isaac

Moses

Titus

Elisha

Rahab

Matthew and Michael

Malachi

Daniel

Lucy

Asher

Nathan

Eunice

Eve

Sarah

Hannah

Samuel

Hope

Peter

Joseph

Andrew

Jared

Joy

Ishmael and Paul

Ruth

Jerimiah

Esther

Joshua

Anna

David

Ben

Miriam

Emmanuel

Enoch

Simon

Hadassah

Souza

Adam

Faith

Robert and Bernice

Thuli

Quinton

Megan

Eliza

Caleb

Bella

Lenah

Aaron

Grace

Joel - arrived December 17th

Junior - arrived December 17th

Baby Shirley - celebrating Christmas 2014 in the US.

Yep, they are my favorites ... Spencer and Chloe Circa 1996.

Our family has grown a lot since March 1, 2012.  Spencer and Chloe now have 84 little brothers and sisters.  My heart is full and I have no words to express my thankfulness to all who have supported the Maxwell family and our extended family.  None of this is easy, but we give thanks to the Lord for giving us this opportunity to serve Him.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Live from Swaziland ... Spencer and Chloe land in Johannesburg today, and my heart is full.

Janine

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Healthcare in America

This week I had a call from one of our Project Canaan team members who is focusing on ministry on the farm.  She leads bible studies, teaches, prays and loves on people who are hurting and in need.

She called to see if we could have a quick meeting and I said yes.  Minutes later she was on my patio and, without hardly taking a breath, she quickly explained to me a situation.  The sister of one of our workers was dying.  She had been diagnosed with Cervical cancer many months ago, and was told that she needed a hysterectomy.  An older woman counseled her against that because she was only 26-years old and still had a responsibility to bear more children. So in order to keep her womb the “friend” took her to MANY Witch Doctors (Traditional healers) to seek treatment. This would include consuming all types of potions made of live and dead things and dirty river water.  She just got more and more sick. (No kidding).

Finally she ended up in a hospital and was given blood transfusions as treatment.  She was not treated with chemo or radiation and was failing quickly.   Early in November she was sent to hospice, but after three weeks the hospice people sent her to the hospital because they didn’t want her to die at hospice and she was becoming hard to manage.  Three weeks after that the sister (who lives on Project Canaan) was called to say that the hospital had discharged her because she was bleeding heavily, only had a few more days to live, and the nurses didn't want her to die in the hospital ward. (I will say that this is all second-hand information, but it is the information that I have been given).

This particular family has no parents or Grandparents and no homestead to return to.  There was nowhere for her to go for her final days, and worse (to the family) nowhere for her to be buried when she died.  In this culture, you must be buried at your family homestead in order to meet up with your ancestors after death.

After a short conversation we agreed to let her come to live, and die with dignity at Project Canaan in Nomsa’s House.  The team quickly rallied to buy a mattress, borrow an open back truck to transport her, gather adult diapers etc and headed to town.  When they arrived they were told that she needed four more blood transfusions before she could leave and each one took four hours.   She could not leave without the blood because she was bleeding so heavily, so they were to go back the next day. Well, that was Saturday, and confusion ensued and she was not able to be picked up until Wednesday AND after the bill for her 3-week stay in hospital was covered.  I sent R115 ($11.50 US) with the team to get the WHOLE bill paid and they carried her to the back of the truck..  She arrived at Project Canaan and six of us helped carrying her on a blanket in to her small room where she is staying for the days ahead.  When she passes, we have agreed that she can be buried on Project Canaan.

Meanwhile, in the same hospital there was a baby who had been badly beaten by both his/her mother and father. Subsequently both were arrested and Social Welfare was looking to us for assistance after the police reported that there was no one to care for the child.  I was contacted last week about the baby and I asked the age of the child (we only accept under 12-months). I was told that no one knew, but that they would go to the homestead to get the health card.  Yesterday (10 days from the first call) I asked for an update on the child and was told that they still don’t know the age because no one has been able to visit the homestead. 

This baby (of unknown age) has been in a hospital for more than two weeks with no one there caring for him/her.  There is no update on the child’s condition or how long he/she will be in the hospital.  There are no parents or relatives there asking those questions, just a “white lady” living on a farm down the road. Having stayed at that hospital before I know that the nurses will do their best to help care for this little one (but that’s not their job) and the other mothers who are there caring for their own child might take pity and pat the child on the head from time to time or even maybe help feed him/her.  Maybe not.

Just down the hall from this baby is a woman who was hacked by machete (or bush knife) by her husband. He accused her of not caring for their one-year old baby well because she would go to work and he thought that she should have stayed home.  He does not work and provides no income for the family.  The investigation continues, but it seems that public opinion is going against her.  She is a police officer and is lying in bed while the family fights over who is forced to care for the baby now?

Oh, sorry, I mis-titled this blog. I meant “Healthcare in Swaziland”.   We “westerners” have so much to be thankful for.

Come Lord Jesus, come.

Live from Swaziland … giving thanks for the reason for this season.

Janine

PS - I did not have any photos that were appropriate for this blog so I am adding a couple from our staff Christmas party on the farm today for your enjoyment. It was a great day.

Look who crashed the staff party.

I love these women and their traditional dance - written about Project Canaan!

Two VIP workers on the farm - yes they were THRILLED to get a goat as their prize.

Please take my baby … I am dying.

It was Wednesday and she reminded me of Nomsa (wednesdayswithnomsa.blogspot.com). She was young, very thin, very sick, but still I could tell she was bright, smart and once had hope for her future.  Then a Mozambican man came along and swept her off her feet, on to her back, and then he was gone. 

She was left with a 6-year old son from another man and a newborn baby, born on September 15, 2014, who is HIV positive.  This young mother passed on her positive HIV/AIDS status to her baby and then discovered that she also had the dreaded Tuberculosis …often referred to as the “best friend” of HIV/AIDS.  Maybe that explained why she was so sick, and why she couldn’t make milk to feed her baby, and why her baby ended up at the hospital in the malnutrition ward for FIVE weeks, without her (she had TB so couldn’t go in the pediatric ward). 

This young woman was hopeless and helpless.  When the baby was discharged from the hospital last Tuesday, she was sent home with 5 days worth of Formula, and on Sunday the Formula ran out.  On Monday and Tuesday the little baby only got water (not clean filtered water) with a bit of sugar and salt added to it.  By Wednesday the baby was failing and the young mother didn’t know what to do.

She reached out to her mother through her own shame and guilt and begged for help. The Grandmother to the baby had nothing to help her with, so she went to the Social Welfare Office and begged for help. Couldn’t someone please take this 10-week old baby, who then weighed 5.7 pounds and was losing weight. 

After phone calls were made and reports written I was called and asked if the El Roi Baby home could help.  I said yes, got in the car with PJ Bach and Kristi Crockett and headed to town. 

Our day ended visiting the home of the young mother, where she had the baby wrapped up and ready to give away. My heart was so heavy.  Wouldn’t it be better if the baby could stay with the mother or Grandmother?  Couldn’t we help this young woman and keep the family together? There had to be another solution other than the baby being placed at the El Roi Baby Home. 

I have airbrushed their eyes for privacy purposes.

And then she said it.  She looked at me in the eyes and said, “Please take my baby”.  

Why?  Because she was dying, and hopeless.  She couldn't make enough milk to feed her baby. She only received $50 US/month in income to support herself and $25 US of that went to pay the rent.  She couldn’t care for the baby in her small room because the baby would likely contract her Tuberculosis and the Grandmother couldn’t take the child. To make things even worse, this young woman had no way to get to and from the Pediatric AIDS clinic, and was too weak to travel anyway, so the baby had not yet started her life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment. 

Tears started to flow down her face and I asked her if she was sad.  She looked straight at me, wiped the tears and said, “No, I am SO HAPPY.  Now my baby will live.” 

Another bittersweet day in Swaziland.  Baby Megan is now with us and after several days of throwing up she is now taking high-calorie formula and sleeping soundly. She will start on her Anit-retrovirals on Tuesday and we will continue to pray for her health and the health of her mother, older brother and a country filled with hopelessness.  May they see The Light during this season as we celebrate the birth our the only real HOPE that any of us have. 

Live from Swaziland … sometimes life here is just too real.

Janine

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Giving thanks for 3 things today.

Thursday was the celebration of American Thanksgiving and while we Canadiana celebrate Thanksgiving in October, it is a good reminder for us a “non-Americans” to stop and give thankful for all the blessings that we have been given.

In this weeks blog I would like to give thanks for three things:

#1.  This week Baby Rahab and Baby Titus moved up to the Toddler home, making them resident #39 and #40.  We built the toddler home 40 children so theoretically we are “full” in that home. Thankfully, we have managed to figure out a way to put two more bunk beds in each of the four rooms so we can “squeeze in” 64 children if we have to. I am THANKFUL for everyone who gave so generously to the building Emseni Campus building campaign – that is where the big kids will  move in March to make room for the other 41 who are quickly growing their way to the toddler home.

#2.  As the costs of running the children’s home continue to increase I am thankful for the hundreds of people who have supported our babies by simply buying Christmas gifts, ornaments and jewelry.  100% of the profit from Khutsala Jewelry goes back to supporting the children who live on Project Canaan. If you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping, please consider shopping at the Heart for Africa site today: https://squareup.com/market/heart-for-africa/angel-ornament. 

#3.  Today a team of volunteers from the US took our eleven eldest children swimming at a pool that is a 20-minute drive from Project Canaan.  As most of them are under the age of 3 it requires a lot of bodies in the water to assist a lot of little ones get in the pool.  Today was a great day and we give thanks for Raelenna and Jeremy Ferguson, their family, and their team for spending their Thanksgiving holiday here with us in Swaziland. 

Live from Swaziland … I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.

Janine

Burned baby to receive life-saving surgery - for free!

Baby Shirley - photo taken November 21, 2014.

In 2011 we attended the Healthcare Business Summit in Las Vegas as guests of MedAssets.  That year the Dr. Norman Borlaug Humanitarian of the Year Award was given to Elissa Montanti, Founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF).  GMRF aids children who are missing or have lost the use of limbs or eyes, or have been severely burned, or have been injured due to war, natural disaster or illness. I sat in awe of Elissa’s courage, her tenacity and her commitment to helping the desperate and suffering children of the world.  Elissa says, “What higher mission is there than aiding innocent, victimized children?”  Preach it sister!  I never imagined at that moment that I would ever be calling Elissa to help with a child who I knew personally (we had no babies at Project Canaan at that time).

Two weeks ago I was on a plane from China to Taiwan and was praying about how we were to help Baby Shirley.  Baby Shirley's mother dumped her in a pit latrine at birth and then dumped fire in on top of her to make sure she died.  She has burns so severe to her face that she can’t breathe well and gets infections easily, putting her very life at risk (see blog http://janinemaxwell.blogspot.com/2014/11/short-and-sweet-baby-shirley-needs.html).  I asked the Lord what we were to do?  The private (and expensive) hospital didn’t want to discharge Baby Shirley until we had a surgical hospital lined up to do life saving surgery.  Nothing could be done in Swaziland and she would need to go to abroad for even more expensive help. 

Just then, Elissa’s sweet face appeared in my mind and I KNEW that we had a solution.

During airport layovers I crafted an email to Elissa and John Bardis (CEO of MedAssets) to tell them the story of Baby Shirley.  When I landed in Taiwan I hit “send” and within an hour of me sending that email I received the most beautiful email from Elissa telling me that she had all the doctors to help!  Once I had a passport for the baby, she would send me a letter that would enable us to get a Medical Visa for her to enter the US.  GMRF would cover all costs AND they will provide any follow up surgery needed until Baby Shirley is 21-years old!!  She would, of course, live in Swaziland, but travel to the US for follow up surgery as needed. 

WOW!  Can you imagine!?

Simple.  Easy. Done.  Ha!

The big money, top Surgeons, excellent hospitals, “US side”, part was “done”, but not the Swazi side.  Swaziland has recently been labeled a “human trafficking hub” and there is a lot of suspicion around why people what to take Swazi children out of the country, especially to America.  I fully understand the concerns and support the initiative to eliminate any trafficking of any kind.

The battle was intense (and for many reasons I cannot share those details), but Jesus always wins.  On my 51^st birthday, after three weeks of team effort while I was in China followed by 20 solid hours of Ian and I in government offices on my first week back, we were able to get a Swazi passport for our beautiful 8-week old baby girl. 

I want to give a huge shout out to the senior staff at the Ministry of Home Affairs, who moved mountains to help us help this little child.  Also the Consular at the US Embassy was not only sympathetic, but also pushed the Visa application to the top and personally completed it and had Baby Shirley cleared for travel.

Photo taken November 21st at El Roi Baby Home after returning from hospital for pneumonia.

Photo taken October 24th, when she first came to us.

I have witnessed a lot of miracles in my life, especially living here in Swaziland, but this experience is right up near the top of the impossible, becoming possible, through the ultimate authority – the Creator of the Universe.

Baby Shirley is back home with us now and is being kept in isolation to keep her healthy until she leaves for the US.  She struggles for every breath and has great difficulty swallowing and keeping formula down.  Baby Shirley will be there for approximately four months as they do reconstructive maxio-facial surgery first and then deal with digit amputations and other burn issues. And then she will come home to us to be loved and cared for by her new family.

Thank you Jesus for providing hope for this child through Elissa and her team at GMRF.  Thank you Jesus for John Bardis and our MedAssets family for their support of GMRF and Heart for Africa.  Lord, as always, I stand in awe of YOUR ways.

Live from Swaziland … I am praying for healing for our little one.

Janine