India Take 2

With family in February 2010

“Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O Lord, have done it.”  Psalm 109:27

Since last December, after returning from India discouraged, Gabriel has been faithfully taking his TB medicine with the help of doctors at Heal Africa.  His family did not give up hope, and in July he traveled to Kigali, Rwanda to see if the TB had cleared.  It had, and a friend working in Congo reports that she “had never seen such big smiles” as she saw on Gabriel and his father’s faces when they walked out of the hospital.  Now, once again, they are ready to make the journey to Chennai, India to obtain surgery at the Frontier Lifeline hospital.  And this time, since I am located in Addis Ababa, I have the chance to join them on this trip as they fly through Addis from Kigali.  I am busy arranging for the flights to have extra oxygen for Gabriel and to get us on a plane as soon as possible as time is critical in Gabriel’s case.  He is already 13 years old.

Awhile back I wrote about Gabriel’s father and another Congolese father, whose daughter had been captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army on Christmas Day of 2008.  Recently I heard the remarkable news that this daughter has returned, escaping from the LRA in the Central African Republic and finding her way back home to her family.  I am delighted to rejoice with this family as they celebrate and continue to hope for her full healing from all the trauma that she has endured.  As I am encouraged by this story, I am encouraged that Gabriel will have the chance this month to be brought back to life as well.

While I still have the surgery money from last year, the seriousness of Gabriel’s situation means that he could face a maximum of $2,000 more in medical costs + $2,600 for roundtrip plane tickets to India + $200 in visa costs +$20 a day for accommodations in Chennai.  This means I am anticipating a need of $5,000 more to pay for this trip and Gabriel’s medical costs.  We are planning to leave on August 16th pending the provision of this money, so please e-mail me if you have the ability to contribute by sending a check to my parents while I am away in Ethiopia.  Thank you for your time and concern, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you soon!

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