Little Ray of Sunshine: Allison's African Adventure- Day Nne

17 May

Clinic Day 2- Kyitiri

I went with registration team early this morning and there were SO many people waiting for us. #175 wasnt even through half of the people. We did see around 250 people today which is a great number. Its a hard battle between good care and seeing as many people as we can. It is so hard to turn people away- especially when they are practically begging to be seen. If ever there was a way to see all of them we would. I got to be with kids ministry today which was wonderful! The kids were shy at first but warmed up and were all about playing with us and getting toys. We did try story and singing time but sometimes the language barrier is just too much. We actually got them all sitting down and coloring in a room quietly which was a pretty amazing feat. The cameras are popular every village we go to so they all wanted a photo with their coloring. I even got to lead a hilarious rendition of the Hokey Pokey which is way better with African kids who don't speak any English. How to entertain 40 kids who don't speak English? Red light/green light my friends. I was exhausted and with a sweet band-aid tan by the end of the day but it was so much fun. I met siblings Daisy, Vicky, and Moses who were all so sweet. Daisy and her friend Sharifa were by my side the whole day and a big help for translating for me. I got to spend time with Sharika and her precious boy Jordan and was sad to leave them at the end of the day. There were just so many sweet little ones I wish I could describe them all! They followed us into therapy when we went inside- our little shadows. To have them look for me and say my name was just so precious and sweet to me. There were so many interesting cases today- little 18 month old Davis who was so tiny and adorable and in need of lots of care. We made him a bolster and was able to stand which was a huge accomplishment for him! There was also Joseph who the team first saw 2 years ago. Then he left with a walker because of his Spina Bifida but today he walked in by himself- such a wonderful thing to see! There are miracles like the man crawling to clinic today and leaving walking but it is still so hard to see the incredible need that is still there. To see the kids begging for a piece of paper or an empty water bottle. It is absolutely heartbreaking to look at their little faces knowing how you could never give them absolutely all that they need. There is such a tremendous amount of need here and feel like these moments are what need to be shared. The US has no real idea how dire the situation really is. Even the smallest impact we make here can change lives and I think that is what is so powerful.

I got to talk to Christopher on the ride home about life here- these are the moments I just want to soak in and savor. Life here is so different but really we are all the same. We are just so blessed in America but the important question is what are we doing with those blessings?