Monday Milestones

A few milestones of the day, which is only half over . . . .

• Jack and Julia headed to school in their spiff new CSB uniforms this morning. This year the white shirts, for the first time, have a colored logo on the pockets, with the school motto: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Julia had been on a special overnight camping trip with Acacia and Michael, so Jack was very glad to have her back for school today. Karen commented that the two of them are functional twins, which has become even more true this year at CSB . . . . Seeing them in their secondary school uniforms, it is quite clear that they are growing up.
• Luke is growing up even higher. I noticed yesterday that he could reach a really high shelf . . So this morning I had him stand back to back with Scott, and yes, it is official, Luke is now the tallest by a half inch. That means he must be a solid 6-1 since Scott is slightly over 6 feet. His life-long goal to be taller than his father has been accomplished. A real family milestone.
• Birungi Suizen is also growing. He will never be 6 feet tall, maybe not even ever 3 feet tall . . . But he’s alive. Today he was standing with support, holding onto the side of his bed, and broke out into a huge smile when we saw each other. He’s up to 7.5 kg (from 5 kg). The nurses all are so attached to him, in the way that only happens when you’ve poured your life into someone you thought would die, they carry him around the ward and tease him. Annelise came to visit and brought him two match-box cars, which later the delighted mothers of all the nutrition patients were racing across the white tile floor! This child was a skeleton loosely covered by sores and scabs, listless and nearly dead. Now he is laughing, scooting, and today standing. A great Monday milestone.
• The CSB football (soccer) team will be practicing today, and practicing hard, because they are headed to Arua for nationals in two weeks, having won the district finals 1-0. After the semi-final match result was reversed, CSB faced Good Hope in the finals on Saturday. It was a close game, with lots of angst and energy translating into the ball popping wildly down the field. Usually CSB starts out with a disciplined passing game and kind of unravels as the time goes on, but this time they started out scattered and become progressively more organized throughout the match. The only goal was scored as a penalty kick: a Good Hope player had a hand ball in the box around the goal, which meant that CSB could take a direct penalty shot. They called their own goal keeper, Suula, forward, so it was a keeper-to-keeper showdown, and Suula scored. He also had many, many great saves, so he was a star that day. The only trouble came when the Good Hope choir streamed across the field mid-second-half to rumble with the CSB choir, but the forceful ref calmed them all down. So another milestone, district champions, without Kevin for the first time, a great boost to the confidence of Alex, Kasereka and Ejeku who coach the boys.
• My last milestone is not at all triumphant, but I want to hold out hope. Maate, the 15 year old 20-kg boy (pictured above), has been in the hospital for over a month now. We thought he had TB, but he is not improving on treatment. Today’s milestone: I got through to the Hope Ward doctor at International Hospital. This is the best hospital in the country, and thanks to the missionary founder and his visionary Ugandan daughter and generous corporate sponsorship, there is one ward dedicated to patients like Maate, who can not possibly afford the care. Maate’s father has not been seen in weeks, his mother is terrified of the trip, and he’s so weak I don’t know what he understands. But I’m praying that they will organize themselves today and find a courageous relative to accompany them, that the referral letter and transport money will be enough to connect him back with life. It would be wonderful to celebrate the milestone of Maate being cured!