We
have had the opportunity to spend most of our time at the home of hope;
an orphanage for children with disabilities. Working as a Special Needs
teacher and an Occupational Therapist in Aus, it is a blessing to be able to use our experiences and gifts in the time that we are here.
Because
of the donations of second hand equipment over 18 months leading up to
our time here (from special schools, hospitals and op shops), the home
of hope was immensely blessed with 2 trailer loads of equipment, which
included walkers, standing frames, toilet and shower chairs and
positioning cushions. They were so in need and so grateful for what God
was able to provide for them, as they sang 'This is the day that the
Lord has made' as we brought it all in.
As
we slowly went through what was there and how it could be used, it was
evident that God had a specific purpose for some of what we umm'd and
ahhh'd about bringing in the first place!
One
example of this is that there was a box of arm and leg wraps
(stretching equipment) and within the box randomly, was a moon boot (the
ones that people used for an injured leg/ankle). We don't know how it
got in there, nor did we see a purpose for it, but decided to bring it
anyway. Upon getting there we discovered that one of the staff members
had injured her leg the day before caring for one of the children and it
was exactly what she needed! The next day we did the same thing with a
walking stick but it turned out she could use that too!
Another
special moment was looking out the window to see that Maureen, one of
the older girls (~14 years) who does not walk, but would sometimes pull
herself to stand, took off down the driveway on one of the walkers! Upon
further investigation, we found out that she used to use a walker
approx 5-6 years ago, but as they only have 1 (for the whole home) she
grew out of it and there was no other option. It was a joy to see the
immense pride on her face as she was able to walk again. After that, we
were able to find a more suitable walker and are slowly teaching her to
be responsible for it (I.e. cleaning it, taking herself for a walk
without prompts.
The home of hope has 34 children, with one OT, one nurse and a social worker; as well as 6 rotating staff members. Please
continue to pray for the work of Edith, who is doing an amazing job
with the kids and has a huge heart for them, with some great staff
members who are with the children day in and day out. The home of hope
heavily relies on the monthly support from Hopebuilders, and for the
rest on the faith of donations alone!
One
more! We won't attach a photo of this one, but through the donation of a
'Rifton toilet chair' (for you therapists out there), one boy, Abraham
was ecstatic to use it! Such an improvement to the comfort and
accessibility he previously had, he said 'to the person who brought this
for me, thank you!'. What a clever boy, as he waved to his friends on
the original toilet chairs like a king on his throne.
We
also had the privilege to be involved in a community visit and some
individual home visits. At the community visit we were able to assist
with dispensing epilepsy medication to over 60 clients and we were both
invited to speak through an interpreter and specifically encourage and
inform the parents of children with disabilities. Nicole was involved
in a small therapy clinic for babies and toddlers and it was such an
honour to meet these mothers, some who had walked for many kilometres to
receive therapy for their children.
The
home visits were another example of Gods provision of equipment when at
one of the four homes we visited required a toilet seat for their
daughter. Thankfully there was a suitable one from the container that
was installed in the families outdoor toilet which immediately restored
dignity to this young girl!
On
Monday we say goodbye to Jess, who has been an amazing addition to the
work of home of hope. Nicole will be staying a further 4 weeks to carry
out the programs that have been started.
