Wednesday 22 February 2017

Some good news!

So yesterday we got the results back from Grace's biopsy that he had done.

After Doctors strongly suspecting that grace had a malignant (cancerous) tumor in his leg bone we are very relieved to here that it is non malignant (no cancer)

Basically he has something called Exostosis, which is a bone growing on top of another bone. It can be quite painful and sometimes the pain can be chronic.
It will be something that can heal, but he will have to manage it for the rest of his life.

After reading up some more on Exostosis I have found that it is often mistaken for a malignant bone tumor when the person has an xray. This is exactly what happened with Grace.

So we are all greatly relieved because in Uganda, basically the only treatment for a cancerous bone tumor is amputation of the limb.

Grace has moved into our home since the biopsy, because he was living in a little shack by himself quite far away. He would often move long distances to friends houses to get food. Grace also suffers from anxiety and depression and can get quite down when he is alone.

Since he had a chunk of bone taken out for a biopsy he really needs to keep his leg clean, and rested. Something a young guy is not always the best at.

So having him live with us for this period of time and while he heals has been great for Grace. It has also been a good time for us, just to be able to serve someone in their sickness and take someone in who has no care himself. Focusing on serving another is always beneficial to ones own sanctification. Suddenly little things that irritate me and annoy me, do not seem to important, when considering the context of another's suffering.

Grace does have family, but the situation has left him having to fend for himself often. He has spent a number of years on the street before. We are in contact with the mother .. but the family home situation remains difficult.

It has also been a privilege to see all of the YSU boys and Grace's friends come alongside him and serve him. Whether that be praying for him, washing his clothes for him, sleeping in the hospital to keep him company for the 3 day hospital stay etc.

Many people and a few church communities were praying for Grace. Actually every morning and every night I had been pleading with God and asking for the end result not to be early death or amputation.
We understand that if someone does get such sicknesses (and Aggie and I know quite a few people in our community circle who have experienced death of a loved one or amputation of a limb) this does not mean that God has left them! We can never claim to fully understand God's purposes in every individuals life. Ultimately the blessing of the Gospel is reconciliation to God, forgiveness of sins, eternal security and the breaking in of the Kingdom of God. We may not all experience healing and health in this world .. but we are guaranteed that we will receive it fully in the next.
But we do know that in this case, we asked God for healing, and for health that would allow Grace to continue his life and his passion of dancing. And God has answered 'Yes'.
We thank you to all of you who prayed for Grace.

When pondering on life's different situations, on why some experience hardships and others prosperity, some sickness and some healing, I came across this short paragraph by J.R Miller that was insightful.

There is no haphazard in this world. God leads every one of his children by the right way. He knows where and under what influences each particular life will ripen best. One tree grows best in the sheltered valley, another by the water’s edge, another on the bleak mountain-top swept by storms. There is always adaptation in nature. Every tree or plant is found in the locality where the conditions of its growth exist, and does God give more thought to trees and plants than to his own children? He places us amid the circumstances and experiences in which our life will grow and ripen the best. The peculiar discipline to which we are each subjected is the discipline we each need to bring out in us the beauties and graces of true spiritual character.
The wise gardener knows best where to plant each flower, and so God, the divine Gardener, knows where His people will best grow into what he would have them to be. Some require the fierce storms, some will only thrive spiritually in the shadow of worldly adversity, and some come to ripeness more sweetly under the soft and gentle influences of prosperity, whose beauty rough experiences would mar. He knows what is best for each one.




I want to thank everyone who prayed for Grace. Please continue to do so as his leg still needs a few months to heal before he can really move around on it properly again!

God bless!!




Friday 10 February 2017

A few YSU clips and a boy who needs prayers.

Hey everyone.
Doing well here! Things have gotten a bit quiet since the school holidays have finished. So this has been a good time to relax a little bit.
We are looking forward to our tailoring girls finishing up their class next month as well.

It is still very very hot here, and although we got about 4 days worth of rain, it has become dry again over the last week.

I have also completed making two little video clips for YSU.

The first one is an overall look at what we do here at YSU and can be watched here:

https://vimeo.com/202352476

The second one focuses on the YSU dancing group and how these boys use dancing to change their lives and the lives of those around them.

https://vimeo.com/203337049

I also would like to request prayer for one of our boys here.
Grace is a young man who we have taken into our lives. He is one of the most regular young men here and he feels very much a part of our family. He is still young, only being 16.
He leads the dancing group and is very involved in our lives and also in YSU.

Without going into too much personal details, Grace has had a very hard life and has had to overcome many obstacles.
He was a street kid for a long time and he has suffered a lot of abandonment.
He has had some ups and downs over the last year, but we have seen him come a long way in his faith and maturity.
We also see so much potential in him, and he is a joy to be around.
We really do love this young man and want to see a bright future for him.

Grace has been complaining about a pain in his leg for a long time now, and since he loves dancing it has only increased with each performance and all the stress he puts on his leg.
We have gone to a number of hospitals, but due to it being a specialized issue that the doctors cannot work out, we keep getting referred.

We have now been to Nile International (the hospital that Agnes and myself go to) which are of a very high quality.
After some x rays it was told to us that Grace has a bone tumor in his leg. The doctors cannot be sure if the tumor is benign (non cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
This means Grace will need to go for a biopsy, which he is booked in for on Monday.

This means the doctors will have to put Grace into sugary and break some of his bone to get a sample that can be sent to Kampala for testing.
It will take 10 days to get the results back.

If the tumor is benign it can be treated here in Jinja, and although Grace will not be able to move his leg for quite some time, he will be able to heal and recover.

If the tumor is malignant, Uganda does not have many options in regards to treatment, and usually amputation would be the solution in this case.

Of course the thought of this is terrifying to Grace. Grace often struggles with anxiety, and he has found dancing as a way to cope with that. He also see's his gifting's and callings in dancing (as he is very young still, and cannot see much of a world outside of his passion of dancing)

So an amputation would be incredibly disheartening and traumatizing for him (and us).
Please pray for healing and for a positive test result.
Please pray for Grace, to be able to trust in God's will and hold on to God's promises no matter how dark life gets.
Please pray for financial provision, as this biopsy and treatment will not be cheap.
And please pray for Agnes and myself as we take care of this boy and try to serve him and encourage him. Also that we will have wisdom in knowing the right options (in regards to treatment and hospitals) to pursue.

Thank you for your prayers and God bless.