Just a touch...

This is a story that needs to be told...but it is one that is very difficult to tell. Being in this country is such a blessing, I LOVE Ukraine. But it breaks my heart over and over again, each and every day. Sometimes I have to stop and LOOK for the blessings that God has thrown out there for me to find in times of grief and sorrow. This is one of those days... As I have said before, we often visit Hospital #5 on the Left Bank of the Dneper river in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. I have seen SO many changes and improvements over the years. They have come about with much love and support of believers in the States hand in hand with Ukrainians who want better for the smallest, and most helpless, of their nation. This is one small part of our mission, but one that keeps me coming back year after year. I KNOW how much our presence is encouraging and helping the Tamara's in hospital's and orphanages's all over Ukraine. I weep because there is not more being done. Today, I must first admit how exhausted I am, I had a moment of deep sorrow. We were allowed in to the baby room with the orphan babies. There are only four orphans currently staying there. I know this is a HUGE blessing from God. I know...in my head...but please...someone...tell my heart! I want to take you into this room. It is not a small room, there is plenty of room for the give cribs they have in there. (one child went home to his parents earlier so that crib is empty) To the right of the door as you enter the room, is a "high-chair-table" feeding station. It is designed to sit two children in so that they can both be fed at the same time. To the left of the door is an ingenius device thought up by Tamara and the staff there. It is actually the floor to a corner shower enclosure that has been mounted on the wall and attached to a sink. It is being used to bath the babies and give the staff a large sink to wash their hands and empty the bottles, etc. I believe the shower floor was paid for by Bentonville church of Christ, I'm not positive. The crib immediately to the right is one of the older, much smaller cribs in the room. Elena is in that one. She just turned one years old. Across from her is a little boy, a twin, whose brother was taken home with his parents. He will not be going home. Next to him is a little gypsy boy who came from the Baby House and will probably never go home with his parents either. Next to Elena is another little boy who came from the Baby House, and it is unlikely that he will ever go home. The two little boys from the Baby House are precious. The HUGE brown eyes of one would make any girl jealous of their lashes! Revlon cannot compete with his lashes I don't care what they try to sell you! He is almost skeletal looking, and has to have an NG tube to be fed because he cannot swallow. His counterpart on the other side of the room is in even worse shape than he is. He reminds me of pictures I've seen in books and on television of little children starving in far away nations. They are neither one very responsive to things going on around them. The very young baby twin, less than two months old I believe, is wrapped up so tightly in his blanket he looks like a cocooned caterpiller trying to break free. His breathing is rapid and shallow...they say his diagnosis is pneumonia and respiratory distress. That baby is HOT! Did I mention that the windows are not open and their is no air conditioning. It has been raining today and they don't want the babies to get chilled...like THAT is going to happen! We cannot be left in the room without Tamara so she asks us to go out with her because the room is very warm. Too warm for us...but let's leave the babies in there?? (in Tamara's defense, it is a very cultural thing) Sharon wanted to unwrap him so bad she could taste it! She did manage to get his feet unwrapped a little more and start to touch them and talk to him. He immediately responded to his feet being free...and being touched! It is difficult to walk away from that! Sharon's "other" baby really touched her heart as well. He has huge expressive brown eyes with the longest lashes I've seen in awhile...a lot like my grandson Juan. But...he is not very responsive to people. That is until Sharon came along. [You have to know that the staff is not uncaring...they are just used to the "old" way of doing things. Handicapped children are not very useful to society, so why waste a lot of time or effort or money on them? I know that sound harsh...it is what it is...but they don't have the resources or the skill set (yet) to deal with this massive disability. As far as I can tell, evidenced by the years of coming to this hospital, the staff sits in the hall ways until it is necessary for them to perform a function. I rarely see interaction with the children (until they observe us interacting with them) and by the response of the children it is obvious that they don't get much attention.] I had talked to her baby, and even touched his arms and legs and his eyes did not move. He only moved his little foot just a bit... Sharon was at his bedside crooning to him and touching him and getting very close to him. He actually moved his eyes to follow her...when she rubbed his arms he even smiled at her. And he even moved his head to the side to see her before we had to go. Isn't it amazing what simple touch will do... I'm not sure what his brain function is...it doesn't matter...he was touched, and he responded to it. Just like me...just like you...thank you for touching our babies with your help in sending this team to Ukraine. I hope that in some small way, these touches will make a difference to him...I know they have to Sharon, Bennett, and to me! till the next adventure...