At first I was going to apologize for the number of photos I’ll be posting here but then realized this story needs to be told and it must be covered completely. But first I’ll start on our journey to Luanda.
It seems satan tries his best to defeat God’s purpose, but you and I both know NO ONE can thwart the purpose and will of God….can I get an AMEN!?
Joseck (some of you may remember he is C4KK’s Benevolence Outreach main guy in Luanda) came to C4KK on Thursday in order to sit in on our skype board meeting (we had to get up at 5 am for this) for Saved By God’s Grace and then also be voted on to the C4KK board that afternoon. Then we were going to leave at 4 am Friday morning. During the night Chuck got a pinched nerve or something and basically couldn’t turn his head. I gave him some meds, heat and a massage in hopes of getting some relief so he could drive but 4 am came and he was still in quite some pain. He ended up resting most of the day and was ready (for the most part) to drive early Saturday morning.
The drive was pretty uneventful (other than Chuck having a few pre-seizure issues but no seizure, thank God) and I tried to relieve some of his neck issues while he was driving 🙂
We stopped for breakfast then stopped for supplies and upon arrival at Joseck’s home we were greeted warmly (it was very hot here!) by the family. Our thanks to Catherine (Joseck’s wife) who had our bedroom, hot water for a shower and dinner all ready for us after our quick tour of the compound. When I went to take a shower Pinky the cat was there to greet me.
And satan tried to sabotage the opportunity of God being given glory the next day and Chuck had a seizure that evening. He went to bed and slept until morning. He was still tired but ready to move on with the day of jigger removal.
I’ve had some people ask “what is a jigger?” Here’s a link which explains what it is. Yes we contacted this organization but they would not come out to help since we didn’t have a list of more than 50 people who would be treated, buy them lunch, buy tents for shade and buy all the supplies for them to do the removal. Instead, we researched the removal procedure and got supplies from our friend, Dr. Max Okoth.
Ok, so we got up Sunday morning, had a lovely breakfast and then packed the truck with our medical supplies. We drove to a small village called Ipali within Luanda and unpacked (we were able to drive part way but had to carry everything the last 120 meters or so).
We began to set up and kids and adults alike were already flocking to the area to find out what was happening. In order to get in good with the kids Chuck began handing out sweets.
The removal is not a quick fix, you must wash the feet with soap and water, then the person has to soak the affected area(s), which are typically the hands and feet, some sort of antibiotic must then be applied since the jiggers are literally popping out of the skin and leaving an open wound and finally a coating of petroleum jelly to smother what jiggers are left and help keep the skin supple. This process is to be repeated twice a day for 2-3 weeks.
Catherine was so gentle with the kids and they all loved her!
Patrick, another team member, helped out all morning…yeah Patrick!
We had kids everywhere…washing, soaking and waiting for the antibiotic cream to be applied.
This baby’s feet and hands were one of the worse cases we saw today.
This little guy took his soaking time in stride, just hanging out waiting for his time to be complete in the medicine.
Chuck adds the medicine to water (you can see the change in color) for someone to soak their hands and feet in.
This little girl waits after a soak for her turn to get antibiotic cream and petroleum jelly rubbed on her feet and hands.
Emma, another team member, was also very gentle with the kids and she did a fantastic job of keeping things moving along….big thanks to Emma!
We had kids sharing stools so they could soak, many of the adults carrying kids to the shade after their soak and basically a jovial mood around the compound.
Chuck and Allen, another team member, had the job of preparing washing basins and mixing the medicine for soaking….a big thanks to Allen (and Chuck) for his help today.
Patrick spent a lot of his time cutting toenails and fingernails today too….a big help!
No this little guy wasn’t afraid of the white guy, he had jiggers so bad and much of the bottom of his foot was “eaten away” he was crying from the pain. The living conditions of many of these families are horrendous. I peeked inside one home and found the 15 x 8 space completely empty except for corn stalks which were piled up for sleeping and this was typical of the homes in this area. They have no electricity, no running water, no indoor toilets and many of the children do not attend school. So to help combat the jigger infestation in their homes we handed out insecticide so these families could get rid of the jiggers in their homes and around their compounds. 
It was so sweet to see the kids comforting each other throughout the process.
This procedure wasn’t just for the young, many of the adults were also affected by jiggers and they too received treatment.
The older girls were fetching water at first, then the mama’s began fetching water for washing and soaking. It was good to see many of them getting involved.
Notice how the toes are puffy? That’s an effect of the jiggers.
The antibiotic cream is rubbed on to help stave off infection.
Ok, so not everyone was happy….he just wasn’t thrilled with what was happening and was probably hot and tired too…I feel ya little one.
Mwaitu helped by washing out the basins, however 4 of them suddenly grew legs and we left with only 2.
All the homes in this area are constructed from the same material, mud and dung with dirt floors and tin roofs.
Joseck gave instructions to everyone on how to continue the procedure throughout the week and every person affected was given the supplies for a week’s worth of treatments. After the week is over Joseck will deliver another week’s work of supplies to them.
All the children either received or will receive a pair of shoes (we didn’t have enough so names were taken and shoes will be delivered later this week). They were strongly encouraged to wear them whenever outside because this is a main preventative measure for not getting jiggers.
We were told by a couple of the women they have had several organizations promise to help them with the jigger problem but none had ever shown up.
They were praising God C4KK Benevolence came to actually live out the gospel message. They have also taken on the responsibility of overseeing three other families where the parent is unable to do so…for example a young woman who is mentally handicapped and married to a man who is also mentally handicapped have 4 young children (from 8 years-9 months old) and she is pregnant with their 5th child.
One woman, who had been helped with jiggers last week (it’s not a one time treatment as I mentioned), came to tell Joseck she was so happy because now she can jump…to which she began jumping up and down!
Then it was time for us to leave with the helpful hands of many to carry our few supplies we had left over.
All said and done we treated over 70 people today…Praise God!!! We had the supplies and the people to help with this mighty task and people were thanking God for His provision in their lives!
I’ve had a very difficult time trying to comprehend the poverty even though I’ve seen it up close. What upsets me is the lack of concern from this government….no free education, no health care, no social services to help folks like these who need assistance. It upsets me that at the entrance to this village is a huge church, which does nothing for their neighbor here at their front door. Lord this was such a small drop in the bucket of poverty, yet it’s a refreshing drop for these people who had no hope of anyone caring or attempting to help. I pray they will see the hope of Jesus Christ and learn His purpose for their life.
Please, if you’d join us by becoming a monthly contributor to C4KK Benevolence more of these types of projects can be done, not only here but in other areas of the country as well. Visit our website for instructions on how to start your partnership today.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27