Father to the Fatherless

Friday morning we spontaneously decided to visit Sonrise Baby Home and Sonrise Children’s Home, orphanages run by devoted Christ followers. We stopped first at the baby home, an orphanage for babies 2 and under. They were clean, well-fed, and obviously cared for. I expected it to break my heart. Instead I found myself praising God for this place of love and safety for these sweet babies to stay until someone takes them home to their forever family. 

Julie (my sweet friend who is in the process of adopting from Uganda)

Melanie (my dear friend and our team pharmacist)

me and Johnny

 

The children’s home (ages 3 and up) was equally impressive. The children were just getting home from school. They ran straight to their rooms, pulled out their little bins, took off their uniforms, and put on play clothes. They giggled and smiled. There was lots of excitement but remarkably little chaos. They were delightful.

The children’s home has a tiny, one-room medical clinic in the back. The nurse kept charts on each child and the little clinic was spotless. However, when she opened the medicine cabinet, it was nearly empty. She shared that she does all that she can to help the children but it’s obviously difficult without any antibiotics, pain relievers, or malaria medication. As we spoke, she held a little boy and told us in her African English, “he is having the malaria.” She noted that if she cannot help a sick child, the only other option is to take them into town to see a physician. Unfortunately this is not always possible because they cannot afford the gas to take them.

We left there knowing that we were supposed to help. As God would have it, one of our team members was a pharmacist (Melanie). We collected our money and the next day, Melanie led our team in purchasing antibiotics, basic pain relievers, and many other kinds of medications, including both oral and IV. Thankfully, in Uganda, you can purchase any medications without a prescription and because of God’s provision we had the expertise and resources to do just that. We estimated that we were able to provide the equivalent of $10,000 worth of medication! We asked Ivan, the orphanage director, to meet us in town and we surprised him with the medications plus the leftover funds. He was so grateful! He tearfully told us that he never asks anyone for money, he just prays to God, begging God to provide for the orphans. God used our down time and a spontaneous change in plans to provide for these children. He was orchestrating it all along! He put together the pharmacist, the visit, the funds, the timing, all for their good and His glory. What a privilege to witness the love of the Father toward the fatherless.

 Ivan and some of the children