Frankie

Some of the stories that mean the most are the hardest to tell, for one reason or another.

This is Frankie, from the village of Mahove.

We met Frankie the day that the second group of travelers did the Mahove water project walk.  We started the day at the Makifu main station, where the parish gifted us each with a Makifu Parish t-shirt.  Then we traveled as far as the bus would go on the road to Kisilwa.  We walked the rest of the way to the chapel site, and then beyond to the site of the water tank, the beginning of the existing water system.

Then we continued back down the village road, passing Kitalongolo where our Mahove pipes branch off from the existing water system.  Our bus continued through Mahuninga and turned onto  the road leading toward Ikwavila and Mahove.  At the bridge, we left the bus and walked on to Mahove, inspecting the water line as we walked, and in some small way, experiencing the walk for water that the women and girls of Mahove used to have as their daily task.  Pita hapa, pita hapa.  Pass this way.

After a visit with the congregation and a sumptuous meal, we were asked to visit a nearby family who wanted our prayers for their ailing son.

Pastor Randy and I walked with Evangelists Yohanna Tunyoon and Petro Shangalima to a nearby boma.  A family -- mama, baba, aunties and extended family -- carried a boy out of the hut and laid him on the ground.

We were asked to pray for Frankie.  We asked for his story.  It turned out he was about eight years old, standard two in primary school.  At the end of February, he had fallen from a tree.  He spent three months in the hospital.  He was paralyzed from the waist down.  

Once home, he had developed severe bed sores.  He had wounds on his hips, knees, ankles and backside.  We could see his bones exposed.  He had a fever from infection.  

We prayed.

We asked questions.  Where had he been hospitalized?  What treatment options were suggested? Had he seen Daktari Barnabas at the Tungamalenga Dispensary?

Finally, we invited the family to let us take Frankie in our bus to the clinic, so that Barnabas could advise us all as to the next steps in treatment.  At first, the parents were reluctant.  The father said that he had already sold everything they owned to pay for the first three months of treatment.  We said that we would pay for treatment at the clinic.  Frankie, his mama and an auntie found places on our bus for the ride back to Tungamalenga.

It took some time to figure out the next steps.  We delivered Frankie to Barnabas's care in the dispensary.  The group left the next day for two days on safari at the national park.  I stayed in the village, and dropped in on Frankie a couple times each day.  His mamas and aunties and I had interesting experiences communicating without benefit of a translator.  We did amazingly well.

Frankie's fever dropped as antibiotics began to work.  His smile came more readily.  We brought him books, paper and pens, a cap, juice boxes.  We talked to Barnabas about his long term care options.

Frankie will be cared for in the dispensary for at least a month while his sores heal.  His Mama and caregivers will learn how to make sure he rests on a cushioned mattress, on a clean kitanga, and will turn him frequently so that the bed sores do not come back.  

Back in Iringa, we purchased a wheel chair for Frankie, using money that was given by friends of travelers who told us to use it for a special need.

Barnabas told us that the parents were feeling despair about Frankie's long term prospects.  They can't imagine his life without the use of his legs.  

Before we left Tungamalenga on Sunday afternoon, we had a message from Frankie's relatives, asking us to stop by the clinic one more time before we departed.  There, Frankie gave us a Maasai necklace, his gift of thanks.

Frankie is yet another unforgettable Tanzanian friend whom we hold in our hearts.

Mungu akuponye, Frankie.  May the Lord heal you.

March 2015 Update:  Dr. Barnabas tells us that Frankie's wounds have healed and that he was discharged from the dispensary.  They are looking for a hand operated bike, to provide both exercise and transportation.  Barnabas says they are not readily available in the shops but need to be special ordered from the manufacturer.

Bwana Yesu Asifiwe!  Praise God for the hands that heal.