Before we visited the hospital, Ivan & Collin told us that we could not cry or get sad when we see the kids because of course it would discourage them. I was so afraid that I would burst into tears when I saw them (or throw up) because of their situations. I prayed that I wouldn’t cry and thankfully I didn’t. It was incredible to see these children- only pictures will do it justice but they have strange contraptions on their legs which are growing the bones or they can’t walk… etc.
It was a MIRACLE to see the way the children lit up when we danced and sang for them and made them laugh. They couldn’t get up or dance, but they clapped and sang and had HUGE smiles the entire time. How inspiring to see the faith and joy that they have despite their situations.
Katie & I led games and since they cannot easily move, we played ‘Categories’ where they each had to name a different animal, but that lasted only so long and then we started acting out the animals for the kids to guess. They couldn’t stop laughing!
Then we brought hats, scarves, belts, jewelry, and sunglasses and put them all on and pranced around. The kids had to remember each accessory that we were wearing so that when we left and took them off, they could try to name them. We did a craft and Geoff, a Ugandan volunteer, shared a message on faith.
Children come to the hospital from all over Eastern Africa, usually with their moms (many of the fathers abandon them when they find out about their disfiguration/diseases). The hospital also creates its own prosthetics, wheelchairs, crutches, shoes, and casts for the children so we visited the factory and the workers.
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