Playing House-House

I saw a two year old boy today, who has the same symptoms as the one from Tuesday, painful urination and white discharge. I also found out something that I never realized before. One of our teachers asked me if a child can get HIV or STD’s (sexually transmitted diseases) from another child by playing "House-House". I asked her what they did when they played this, and she said that they actually, as young as 3 years old, play having sex, and literally do it. I asked why, and she said that they see their mom and dad doing it and imitate them. I had to sit down at this point. Abraham explained that it is very common for adults to have sex in front of their children, especially since many of them live in a one room house. I asked, why they don’t wait until they are asleep, they said they wake up. This sheds some light on why there is so much promiscuity so early in this culture. I guess I need to brush up on STD's, which I didn't think I would need for a pediatric population.

I was reading about Solomon and how he asked God for wisdom and discernment. I am asking the Lord for supernatural wisdom that only comes from Him to help me with these situations. Their mindset is so different. How do you teach that this is not appropriate behavior to a culture who knows nothing else? Maybe we need someone to do some teaching on sexual abuse, and sexuality in children. Jesus is the only answer!

I saw Pepe, the little girl who was hospitalized for TB at the end of last year, today, and she looks pretty good. She is completely finished with TB treatment, but she is still coughing. Her lungs sound clear. No fever, eating good, still taking ARV's. She also has a double ear infection, one of her ears looks like the eardrum is busted, and one of them is draining and looks like it has pus in it. I started her on an antibiotic. I was so excited to see her looking so well, even with an ear infection. She definitely has a special place in my heart!

One of our teachers and her little girl went for HIV testing today, and came back with good news! She was beaming when she told me, we are negative! Praise the Lord! We paid the school fees and bought the uniform for a young girl at Madonsa this week. She is fifteen and has been out of school since Grade 2. She has been too sick for years to attend classes. Since she was tested and started on ARV’s she has been doing much better. She has never seen her father and her mother is sick; she tries to make a living at the market when she is able. Through Mission of Mercy we have been able to pay the school fees for a number of double orphans at the Makholweni CarePoint. But it only scratches the surface. We hear of newly orphaned children and child-headed-households daily. And that is only at one CarePoint. There are many, many children who are categorized as single orphans or destitute that are in just as dire need.

In our women’s Bible study, we are doing the series by Beth Moore, “Believing God.” I really desire to see the miracle working power of God in Swaziland. If you ask Swazi’s if they have ever seen the power of witch doctors, they will say yes. If you ask them if they have ever seen the miracle working power of God, they say no. Why is that, in a third world country? Is it because we just don’t believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He said He would do? I want to believe God and the rest is up to Him!