We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, here in Swaziland. Our thoughts wandered to the States throughout the day; missing family and friends and long-held traditions. The day looked a bit different than Thanksgiving Days we have had in the past. Not so different in ways we were expecting. A care package from home brought Stove Top stuffing and special decorations for the table. A trip to a large grocery story in South Africa last week provided the rest of the traditional goodies we were hoping for. Our turkey was imported from Brazil, of all places! There was even cranberry sauce in the import section of the store...you know, the good stuff that comes out of the can in a wiggly, crimson "plop"!

 

The differences in our day looked more like visiting a couple care points in the morning rather than going to church. We played with the kids and taught them Bible stories and songs rather than watching the Macy's parade on TV. We were able to hand out some new clothes to some of the orphans whose only clothing was tattered and torn and literally falling off of their tiny bodies. It was different...but it was good. We were able to practice being the Church.

Another difference was who we called "family" around the table later in the day. Of course there were the four of us. Dan and Leah Luyk were part of our family table this Thanksgiving, too. Brandon Jones, a young man from California, is here in Nsoko for six months giving his life away to this ministry. He also joined us around our table. Perhaps, the most precious visitor at our table this year was little Thembelihle. (we call her "Eme" for short; a nickname that the Real Life team that was here last month gave to her which has stuck!)

Eme is a little baby girl who is around 18 months old. Her father is dead and her mother is caught in the web of addiction so she is absent much of the time. Eme lives on a homestead adjacent to our Center (main care point) so she is around all the time. Claire picked her up the first day and has hardly put her down since! Basically, Eme has stolen all of our hearts...

On Thursday, Claire walked over to the homestead to check on Eme because she hadn't come over to the Center. She found her inside her gogo's hut, lying on a mat on the dirt floor,  burning up with fever. Eme's gogo Lily is the primary caregiver when her mother is nowhere to be found (like this day). However, Lily is quite old and weak. Really not able to keep up with a little one so young! Claire knew that Eme needed help. She scooped her up and brought her over to the clinic that is on the property at the Center. The nurse confirmed that Eme had a very high fever and, in fact, had mild pneumonia! This was one sick baby girl. She was given antibiotics and the nurse told Claire if she wasn't better in three days that she must be seen and re-evaluated. Claire found me and told me the situation. Eme, usually full of energy and joy, lay limp in Claire's lap. I knew that the situation could worsen quickly if Eme wasn't cared for properly and given the medication as directed. I walked over to the homestead with one of our ministry partners to translate, and spoke to gogo Lily. I explained how ill Eme was and that I would be willing to take her home with us for the night to care for her. Lily agreed to this. She seemed relieved.

So, Eme came to the guest house and our whole 'extended' family loved on her as we celebrated Thanksgiving! Claire and I gave her a much needed bath and put her in one of Jacob's t-shirts. He wanted her to have some "comfy pjs", he said:

 

Then we put her down for a nap. I covered her with a prayer quilt that my dear friend Sue made for me before leaving for Africa. She told me that anytime I felt in need of extra prayer covering, I should wrap up in this quilt and know that I was being prayed for! Well, this baby needed the prayers and a blankie today! Thanks, Sue!

 

After a nice long nap and some fresh clean clothes, Eme seemed to perk-up a little bit. She still was not herself, though. I wonder what was going through her sweet little head as she sat with us around the table...she did taste a few things. Favorites? Mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce!! A girl after my own heart...

 

 

After a good night's rest sleeping next to her "big sisi" Claire, Eme woke up seeming to have more energy. Her fever had gone down a bit and her cough seemed to have lessened. After talking to one of her relatives on the homestead, and her gogo, we decided to keep her with us for the weekend. We wanted to be sure she was through the worst of it and well on her way to full health and strength! And, let's be honest...we LOVE having her around!  By Friday afternoon, she sure seemed to be feeling more like herself! Of course, a new outfit always makes a gal feel good:

 

 

She even has decided that having a bubble bath in our tub is NOT a form of baby torture which she seemed to have believed the night before! Now, she loves a bath:

 

 

Eme will spend one more night with us here at the guest house. We will return her to her gogo Lily after church tomorrow. We will miss her. It is hard to let a child into your heart so far only to have to let her go...Although, I suppose that is what we do with all our children, isn't it?

But, that is a lesson God continues to teach us here in Nsoko. "IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU!"