Sisters of charity

I went again to my regular Mercy Ministry this week - a home for adults and children affected by HIV, malnourishment and TB run by Sisters. The week before I came home from the kids section absolutely exhausted and feeling pretty like I had done very little to help. The kids were WILD! It had been raining intensely the whole time we were there which probably didn't help, but I felt I just spent the whole time there just policing the box of activities we took with us.
This week, we were able to use a slightly larger covered area, but chose to spend the first 15 minutes with the activities out of sight and just play with the children, giving them plenty of hugs and tickles. It worked brilliantly! They responded so well. There are some triplets there at the moment who are a real handful, but we managed to get them occupied by a heads, shoulders, knees and toes rendition!
I still just love this place, despite th ebad days, it is a place where they are so well and humbly looked after. The children are visibly chubbier, better behaved adn healthier the longer they are there. Last week there was a small boy, maybe 8 or so, looking extrememly ill. He is HIV positive, His bones poked out, his eyes were filled with pain, and he was lying on a bench with a blanket under him, scrunched in the foetal position. My heart physically pained to see the agony it was for him to lift his head. This week, the boy was so different. He was sitting up, shy but interacting, there was a little glint in his eye, and occasionally a little smile crept across his face. The sisters are vigilant in administering medication, vitamins, and in feeding regularly through the day. His progress is testimant to that. Obviously, this child will never be 'cured', and I don't know his home circumstances. His family may not have been able to care for him properly. What I know now for sure is that he is in excellant hands.
I decided that rather than trying to interact with all the children I would focus on a few littlle girls. They were squabbling for my attention between eachother but then we began to play games all together They loved 'round and round the garden' and I managed to read a story book to them too. a little later, 2 of the boys about 4 years old had started to draw pictures. They were so proud of their scribbles and kept coming to me for encouragement, big smiles all around when I told them how good they were! It is so humbling to see how little these children want in some senses. A hug, a smile, a happy encouragement. This I can do in abundance!
A while before we left, I went to see the tiniest babies. Currently there are 3 babies under 5 months who's mothers are in the other area of the home and unwell. I had a cuddle with one of them, showing the older chidlren how to be jus a bit gentle as we started playing with the play dough and bubbles.
Leaving is always the hard part, but a day at work was to follow that I will never forget...