Aliou

 

One chilly morning 3-year-old Aliou wrapped himself in a blanket and wandered outside to sit by the fire. No one seemed to notice him sitting alone or that the tip of his blanket was dangling in the flames. Suddenly the blanket ignited around him.

This horrible accident caused terrible third-degree burns to cover Aliou’s right arm and chest, and with limited access to proper medical care, his arm contracted, eventually becoming stuck at a 90-degree angle. His family knew that without access to surgery their little boy would continue to live in pain, and for the next two years, they prayed for a solution.  “I would not stop,” his grandmother Bintou said “I continued to live with the hope that he would be healed.”

After years of watching the small boy struggle with his limited mobility, Aliou’s family was thrilled to hear the news that he might be able to finally find healing.  Thanks to the generosity of people like you, Aliou was able to receive free, life-changing surgery onboard the Africa Mercy and is now able to move freely for the first time in years!

Since his discharge, both Bintou and Aliou have returned home to their small village in Senegal, and Bintou has noticed a significant change in her grandson’s abilities.  “Mercy Ships opened the big door to Aliou’s future… Everything he could not do before, he can do now,” Bintou said. “He is living like a normal boy… and soon he will begin school!”  ​​​​​

Together we are turning lives of pain into futures full of potential — and we simply couldn’t do it without you!

First Grade Recess Today!

 

Thankful Thursday!

When I left for work this morning, I told my unemployed college senior (she finished finals yesterday!) that there were all sorts of things she could do at home today, besides looking for a full-time job.  There was laundry to wash and fold, two bathrooms to clean, rooms to vacuum, soup to be made and a kitchen to be cleaned.  Friends, I can not tell you, after spending my day with BOOMER, how thankful I was that Micah did laundry, cleaned bathrooms and vacuumed!  Definitely made my day!  

BOOMER.

Suzie Wilson, our fifth grade Ignite teacher was absent today.  In her place was BOOMER, a big guy with an even bigger voice.  Ten minutes into the morning, I walked into Suzie's classroom.  I said, "You've got a booming voice."  He proudly and LOUDLY said, "YOU'RE RIGHT.  I DO."  I said, "I'm on the other side of your windows, working with students.  I need you to be quieter."   "OKAY," he boomed.  

I left this afternoon with a splitting headache. 

Number Nine.

 I walked in to the pool yesterday morning and the staff at the front desk said, "Margo, I was going to call you.  There are nine people registered to swim this morning and only eight spots.  I was going to tell you not to come."

I let that person know two things:

One.  I registered for my spot Sunday morning and I wasn't about to give it up.  I don't care that I am a Y employee.

Two.  There was no way nine people were going to show up.  We never even get eight people at 6 a.m.

Sure enough.  Six people showed up.  No problem.  I swam.

FINALLY. Fun with the F.O.O.'s.

It has been fifteen long months since we've been able to see the F.O.O.'s live and in person,  Matt and Micah's family of origin.  That changed today when we drove up for pizza, cookie baking and a wonderful time full of love and laughter.  Check it out:

On the new screened in porch . . .

Sorry, Al, these were the better cookie!

 

Lincoln (5), Matt, Kennedy (12), Kingsley (9), Micah

Transracial Panel

This afternoon, Micah and I had the privilege of being on a New Life Family Services panel of families who had adopted transracially.  We got to share our stories, our challenges, and a few laughs.  It was good.  Very good.  

Precious and Few . . .

Maybe you've heard that Andy Williams song, "Precious and few are the moments we too can share . . ."  That's how I'm feeling about my neighbor Tron.  She's moving tomorrow, albeit literally less than two miles away.  Precious and few are the last few moments we've shared . . .

I was weeding the rock bed last Saturday and she came over to say "goodbye", but not really because she is moving less than two miles away.  She sat down with me and we pulled weeds together.  That time was precious because Tron rarely comes over.  Usually I go see her, even though we love to chat.  Precious . . . 

Today, I stopped by with a plate of chocolate chip cookies from "Uniquely Me Bakery" for those who were helping with the move.  Yup, I forced Micah into some baking last night.  It was another precious time of chatting.  

So even though she'll be less than two miles away, it won't be the same.  The times will remain precious, but they will also be few . . .   

From the Minds of First Graders

Today at lunch, a couple of the first graders told me Dr. LaBatte, our principal, was gone today.  "And so we don't have to behave!"

"Where did Dr. LaBatte go?"

"Walmart."  (When I stopped laughing . . . )

"You know, when Dr. LaBatte is gone, he leaves someone else in charge.  We still have to behave."

The great look of disappointment was priceless! 

A Doctor Named Luke

When I scheduled today's rheumatologist appointment a little over two months ago, I had a good feeling about it.  Who wouldn't think that meeting with Dr. Luke, who shares a name with the author of the Bible books "Luke" and "Acts", was a good thing?

Dr. Luke Monteagudo asked me a ton of questions regarding my polymyalgia rhuematica, spent a lot of time explaining things to me, heard my concerns and answered my questions.  Then he explained to me how we were going to get me, first of all, off of prednisone, and then totally off of any medication.  I'm ready.

Towards the end of our conversation, I asked if he had family because if he did, he should certainly take them out to Sand Creek zip lining this summer.  He responded  that his family lived in South Africa.  Now, I'm dying folks.  We were in South Africa with Mercy Ships in 2005.  He said he had family in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and East London.  I am like, "No way!  We lived in East London with the ship."  And so began a wonderful walk down memory lane.  His grandparents lived just south of East London and would travel up to East London to do all of their shopping.  We knew the same places, the same beaches and had even both been on a safari at Inkwenkewzi.  Talk about an amazing conversation!  I loved it!  Who knows?  Dr. Luke may have just become my favorite doctor . . . 

Food For Life

 

For many of our patients, access to good nutrition can be the difference between a life of health or one of struggle. For 9-year-old Sema, a lack of nutritional food contributed to the curving of his legs as he grew, leaving the young boy struggling to run and walk.

This orthopedic condition, commonly called "bowed legs," often begins at a young age due to malnutrition. In Sema's case, it started when he was just a toddler. Sema was raised by his grandmother, Aminata, who had difficulty providing for the 10 people living in her home, so even the thought of paying for medical care for Sema was out of the question.   "I didn't even want to take him to the doctor to get looked at — I knew they would only tell me a price that was too big," she said. "There was no way we could pay anything. It made me so sad. When you have children and grandchildren, you would do anything for them… but I couldn't do a thing for him; I had to put my heart to God."

God answered Aminata's patient prayers in the form of a hospital ship visiting with volunteer crew from around the world. Sema came onboard the Africa Mercy for surgery, which straightened his legs and helped them heal through regular post-op care and physical therapy sessions. While Sema was able to find healing through surgery, many other children his age struggle with conditions caused by malnutrition. As a result, our mission of bringing hope and healing reaches far outside the operating room.   The foundation of good health is good nutrition, so we provide a training course entirely focused on this premise. Our Food for Life course participants discover which crops to plant and best tending practices. They also learn how to produce, process, market, and sell their crops. The result? A sustainable approach to agriculture that has the potential to transform the health of individuals as well as communities.

But the impact of the course doesn't end when class lets out. By the end of the program, participants have also learned how to train others with their skills. Food for Life graduates are given the resources and tools to go back into their communities and create a ripple effect of transformation as they share their knowledge with other aspiring farmers. This train-the-trainer approach is key to strengthening our sustainable health systems model.​

Those Second Grade Girls . . .

Sad to say, only ten minutes of my work day is spent in second grade lunch, and some days, I don't even get the full ten minutes.  What I love, though, are the three girls who decided I needed to learn their names.  Our acronym is B.E.A. and I finally got the "A" name down thanks to a lot of cheerful coaching.  Yesterday, they decided I needed to learn the names of the three girls at the table next to them - F.A.S.  I got "F" and "S" right today, but I had no idea what that "A" stood for!  Some quick, quiet whispers in my ear, led me to say "A's" name correctly, which brought a smile to her face.  I love these girls and only wish I had more than ten minutes with them . . .    

Thankful Thursday!

It's just a tiny twenty minutes out of my work day - kinder recess, but it can really make or break the entire day.  I have to say that I am very thankful for two different things this week:

One would be that two of the most challenging children have been gone the past two days which has made kinder recess so much more enjoyable for me!  Inevitably, these two would be the last ones out for recess, the last ones in from recess and cause the most problems during recess!

The other would be the two sweet girls who have taken it upon themselves to make sure I learn the names of every student in their class.  They quiz me during recess, giving me points for each child's name I get right.  I'm proud to say, today I got every name right!  What they don't know, though, is I've memorized names by hats.  I'm not sure what will happen when the weather finally gets warm!  

It's That Time of the Year . . .

It's MCA Testing time!  More commonly known as the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, our students took their reading tests yesterday and today.  At 9:00 a.m. this morning, I had two fifth grade boys in my space, one had finished testing yesterday and the other had two questions left.  Anyone who finished early got to read.  By 9:05 a.m., we were all reading and we got to read until 10:30 a.m.  

By 10:00 a.m., one of my guys was just DONE.  He was reading a dictionary.  Then he asked me if I'd read the dictionary, too.  He said he'd time me to see how fast I could read one page.  He picked out a "random" page for me and I began to read.

How random do you think it really was when my page had the word "sex" on it?

    

Run for the Unreached

Micah and I joined other students from around the world this morning doing a virtual "Run for the Unreached" which we, of course, chose to walk with our neighbor's dog, Dakota. It was only a 5K and we'd love to show you pictures, but our t-shirts haven't arrived yet.  Oh, well . . .  

Candy Shop

 I was teaching my group of kinders how to play "Candy Shop" at recess on Friday. One student was "it".  The rest of the students would choose to be a type of candy and when their candy name was called they would run across the playing field.  If they got caught, they would help "it" catch the rest of the class.

They chose two types of candy - m&m's and Kit Kat bars.  I asked "it" to call out a type of candy so the rest of the students could run and he yelled, "Skittles!".  They all ran anyway.

Thankful Thursday!

 Yesterday was a two-fer in large thankfulness.

First of all, I am thankful that my husband cares for his students.  They are so fortunate to have him.  Last night, he had to call a parent because of massive misbehavior in the classroom by said student.  He got off the phone with tears in his eyes.  The life this child, this parent, is living, is something no one should have to go through.  Sam's mission today is to find help for that child and parent, to make a difference.  I am so thankful for Sam's heart.

Secondly, the husband of an MWS co-worker had surgery at Mayo on Tuesday.  Surgery began around 10 a.m. on Tuesday and then finished after 4 a.m. on Wednesday!  You read that right.  I am thankful for the privilege of praying for them.  I am thankful that Alan made it through safely and it looks like the cancer markers are clear.  If you have any spare prayers for Alan, check out his Caring Bridge site under "alanstrahota". 

Toffa

For 80-year-old Toffa, losing her sight meant losing her independence. “When I could see, I could plant peanuts and corn. I could plant peppers,” Toffa said “These are things I used to do.”

Toffa was always very independent, but because cataracts were now blocking her vision, her life was dramatically changed. Not only was she not able to plant any more, she was no longer able to do anything by herself. Toffa had become totally dependent on her grandson, Jean, making her feel like a burden. “It hurts me a lot that she can’t see,”Jean said about the woman who raised him. “She’s all my life.”  ​​​Toffa’s family was searching for a way to heal her eyes when they heard about Mercy Ships. Jean brought his grandmother to the Africa Mercy to be examined by the volunteer doctors. Soon, Toffa was scheduled for surgery to remove the cataract from her eye.

Before her surgery, Toffa and the other patients waiting for their operations were entertained with songs and dancing, but she refused to join in — insisting on waiting until she could see again. After a half-hour procedure and a day of rest, the big moment finally arrived.  Slowly Toffa’s bandages were removed, and as she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her grandson, smiling at her. Realizing she was seeing Jean once again after years of darkness, she began to dance in celebration!  “I can see everyone, I can see everything,” she said. “If you opened my heart and went inside, you’d see it’s full of joy! Now I can say, ‘Come with me, come with me, let’s go to the field!’”

 

You Won't Believe . . .

. . . What transpired today in public education!

My fellow tutor who shall remain nameless has shared with me that she feels great anxiety with all that is going on in the world - covid, George Floyd, the new shooting in Brooklyn Center - and she just didn't know what to do with it.

The only answer I have, of course, is to give it to Jesus.  Now I don't know where she stands with Jesus, but that's not my problem.  Jesus laid it on my heart to give her my life verse, Isaiah 41:10.  I put it on a magnet, wrapped it up, wrote up a card saying when anxiety begins to get a grip on me, I turn to Isaiah 41:10.  I left it on her desk this morning.

Ten minutes into class this morning, my fellow tutor's out in the hallway gesturing me to come, tears running down her face, so I left.  My teacher saw the urgency in my face and asked me if it was good or bad.  I responded that I'd let her know in a bit.

Oh, my friends, it was good.  Said tutor, with tears of joy running down her face, said that was just what she needed.  She hugged me and thanked me, then hung that goofy magnet up in her space where anyone walking by could see Isaiah 41:10.

Later, back in the classroom, I told my teacher about the anxiety and how I had given her my life verse on a magnet.  My teacher, while standing in front of the class who was supposed to be working, shared her life verse with me and I shared mine with her.  We're talking quoting the Word of God word by word in the classroom!  In the desk closest to us sat a Buddhist student.  May God move in the lives of those we live with!  

"fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1

Swimming in the Hot Tub!

A fun fact that I'll bet you never ever considered or even thought about is that the average temperature of a lap pool ranges between 78-82ºF.    

We were a bunch of whiners at 6 a.m. this morning when we hopped into the lap pool only to discover it was a hot, hot, hot 90º!  It certainly made for a miserable swim!  Fortunately, about 15 minutes in to our swims, they started to pump in cold water.  Fortunately, I was swimming next to the wall.  I got to enjoy it!  

Unfortunately, my face remained a lovely shade of red until about lunch time today!

Aminata

 

In a remote African farming village, young Aminata was born with a cleft lip. As she grew older, others teased her for how she looked and ate, causing her to become withdrawn and ashamed.

Embarrassed, 8-year-old Aminata would only nibble at food when she was alone and eventually became malnourished. Her family was distraught about Aminata's worsening condition, but with limited access to medical care where they lived, they had no way of finding the help she needed.  Then one day, Ousman, Aminata’s uncle, heard that Mercy Ships was coming to provide free surgeries. He drove her directly to the Africa Mercy and asked us to help.  “The ship was our only hope,” Ousman told us. ​​​​​

Once onboard the ship, Aminata received surgery to correct her cleft lip, healing her smile and removing the burden of worry from her family.   “We held on to the hope we had,” her uncle told us after Aminata’s surgery. “Now, she has so many more opportunities, and we are so blessed.” Aminata’s condition caused her to hide her light for eight long years, but now she shines bright with a smile that expresses the joy she feels inside.

New Life Family Services Instagram . . .

 

Thankful Thursday!

 

I can only say yesterday how thankful I was for the rain!  Because rain meant indoor recess.  And indoor recess meant that the fifth grade classrooms would be confined, not only to their rooms, but to their desks during their recess time.  Which meant the students in one particular class would literally be locked up!  And yes, the principal still spent fifth grade recess in the team area . . . just in case.

It also meant that the kinders were confined to their rooms.  Our kinders are (read between the lines!) so full of energy and excitement that they don't stay in one place, specifically in their designated recess zone.  They are, yes, worse than herding cats!  

A Little Three Dog Night!

Remember their old song, One is the Loneliest Number?

"One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

Two can be as bad as one

It's the loneliest number since the number one

No is the saddest experience you'll ever know

Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know

'Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do" 

Let me tell you, that is ABSOLUTELY.NOT.TRUE when you're swimming in the lap lane at the Y!  I was THE.ONLY.SWIMMER this morning at 6 a.m. and I felt nothing but JOY and HAPPINESS and ELATION!  What a way to swim!   

Easter Desert!

 

Thank you, Micah!

Happy Easter!

 

The latest from Uniquely Me Bakery . . .

Matt's Birthday Cake

Our Anniversary Cake - 32 years!

North Central University's COBAT Cookies
AKA Micah's Greatest Learning Experience!

 

In the Church Parking Lot . . .

We were running a bit behind after dropping food off at David and Jeanette's tonight.  We pulled in to the church parking lot at 4:59.59 p.m. for the 5:00 p.m. service.  The person directing traffic directed Micah right into an open "first time visitor" spot.  She's like, "Mom, what do I do?"  I'm saying, "Park the car! We're late!"

As we hopped out of the car, I asked the traffic director with a big smile, "Will we lose our membership if we park here?"  He responded with, "You looked like you needed a good parking spot.  Happy Easter!"  I said, "This is better than chocolate!"  to which he laughed.

The story, as you know, could only get better.  Our hospitality director was outside following the service, handing out booklets to all of those who had parked in "visitor parking".  

Know that we have known Christa since we went to Ukraine with her husband Terry in 2017.  And we got to explain to Christa tonight why we were in the "first time visitor" spot.  Fortunately, she knows us well enough to know that we wouldn't normally park there and laughed with us at our good fortune! 

With much sadness . . .

The text came at 9 a.m. this morning.  David tested positive for Covid-19.  Jeanette was getting tested later today.  And there went our Easter dinner plans right out the door!  We had not seen this part of our family since December 24, 2019 and we were all so excited about getting together tomorrow.  But not now . . . so we did the next right thing.  We rejoiced with them that Covid hit our Easter celebration and NOT their daughter Bree's wedding next month.  And we brought them "our" portion of the meal - twice baked potatoes and a chunk of flourless chocolate cake - just before church.  A little "ding, dong, ditch" action . . .   

Ten-Mile Friday!

They (whoever "they" are!) say that swimming two miles is just like running six miles.  Since I can no longer run, but I can swim, I got to the pool early today and  got right in.  No one came to "push" me out when my scheduled time was up, so I managed to swim two miles this morning in a little over an hour!  Just like running six miles - without the sweat!

I went home.  Grabbed some breakfast.  Met my friend Laura for a walk.  A 4.1 mile walk.  Not a meander.  Not a stroll.  A sweat inducing walk - at 40° F!

6 + 4 = 10😄  

Then I did exactly what you shouldn't do after a good, hard work out.  I met Jana for lunch and drank all the Coke Green Mill Offered.  

A fantastic ten-mile Friday!  After I fold the next load of laundry, I'll be in the back yard helping Sam cut trees . . . 

Thankful Thursday!

I had lunch with a friend today who reminded me - we have so much to be thankful for.  I mean, yesterday was a pretty nondescript day, with no glaring bouts of thankfulness, until I talked to Jana:

• I am thankful I could sleep in.  Work resumes on Tuesday and there will be no sleeping in then.
• The house was cleaned - and remained clean, at least for a few hours!
• Sam and I got our taxes done!  Always something to be thankful about . . .
• We were able to work outside together cleaning up the trees that were cut down a few weeks ago - without coats and mittens!
• I found the best/easiest recipe in the world for hamburgers.  Ranch dressing mix, cheddar cheese, beef.  Mix.  Grill.  Enjoy!
• It was April Fool's Day and no one got me!  
• My good friend Tim from Sand Creek invited me to his wedding.  That thought alone brings a big smile to my face!  Friends with a major age difference that neither one of us cares about . . . 

It reminds me of a song we used to sing at Open Door, "Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because He's given us His Son . . ."

HAPPY EASTER!