Back in April of this year, a neighbor of ours named Faith suffered a severe burn when she spilled a vat of hot frying oil down her entire leg. You can imagine: the pain of the injury was horrific and her initial treatment in a local facility was nothing short of traumatic.
When her injury was brought to my attention, I felt so humbled to be able to help care for Faith. My friend, Dorcas (her neighbor) and I cleaned her wounds and changed her bandages regularly - a process that took hours each time. (I was struck by a memory of standing in the pharmacy section of Meijer two years before and feeling prompted to purchase a small burn-wound kit. That at least got us started with some basic meds!) We sang together and prayed together as we delicately removed bandaging. I was constantly moved by Faith's trust in me to care for her in ways that I know caused further pain, and I saw what a natural nurse Dorcas is (she works as a housekeeper, but goodness... she is SO naturally skilled in medical caring!) I was truly among saints.
Thankfully, we were able to arrange for Faith to have skin-grafting surgery at Kijabe Mission Hospital, an hour from our home. The surgery saved Faith months, even years, of pain and incomplete healing. Several trips to the hospital and back for pre-surgery, surgery, post-surgical check-ups, etc. gave me lots of time to get to know Faith and her sister better. They are a delight, and I still feel so humbled that I was invited into their need - what a privilege. When her healing was complete, Dorcas and I made a cake and hosted a party for Faith, gifting her with a new apron so that she could return to work as a cook.
The other day, Faith invited me to her house. I was expecting to just have tea together and catch up after not seeing each other for some time. Little did I know that she had prepared a small party for me, complete with a thank-you gift: a set of glass baking pans and an oven mitt! What a generous and unexpected display of gratitude!
I still tear up thinking about how sweet a gift that was - and is - to me. The generosity of the poor is truly astounding. Who am I to receive it?
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