a ride in the lift

kids 003
Originally uploaded by megan_petock

I am in the middle of a rather long stretch of shifts. I worked tues, wed, thurs, sat, sun, and now start my first of four night shifts. Plenty plenty busy.

Today was fun. Faith and Hope ward feel a bit like a pediatric hospital. I am enjoying myself. The African children are so beautiful.

I love how universal the nature of children is. Today I took eight pediatric patients upstairs to deck seven for some fresh air. We spent almost an hour and a half outside, it was lovely.

This is a picture of the boys on the lift. As demonstrated by their poses and karate eyes, boys are just boys, whether they are Africa or American.

I set up an obstacle course for the boys and they were sliding down plastic little tyke slides and weaving through chairs quite carelessly. They then spent a great amount of time kicking a yellow grapefruit sized ball into two small nets.

Before going back downstairs my friend Becky grabbed her guitar and we sang a few songs with the kids. They really seemed to enjoy it. We need to obtain the chords to some more children's songs (seeing that both our mom's have taught preschool, this should not be too difficult).

Many of these patients have had serious facial deformities that made them both difficult to look at and outcasts in their society. They really eat up physical affection.

Two of these crazy boys spent the greater part of the afternoon perched on my lap. Both had serious facial deformities. Both were staying in the ward without their moms. It was such a privilege to hold their hands and rub their backs, to give them some motherly love. It always seems to shock them at first. Touch crosses the concrete barrier society has divided them with.

I think of Jesus touching the Leper and eating with prostitutes. I'm sure He would hold their hands and rub their backs if He were on our ward. How lucky am I to do it in His stead?