Makuni laughs!

Makuni has made noticeable improvements though he is still very malnourished and continues to need much prayer and love. Last Friday when I visited, the edema (swelling) in his eyelids had all but disappeared and his eyes were open and he was looking around, alert and interested in what was going on in the bed next to him. He was also holding a cup of milk and drinking it himself. This may sound minor for a 4 year old child, but the previous week, he'd been too weak to hold his own cup and we'd been feeding him milk spoon by spoon. Then on Tuesday, I found him sitting outside on the veranda with his father. Its been very hot here in the afternoons so I was glad he was getting some fresh air. He looked up at me with his large, sad eyes. I had brought a small green rubber ball for him, though I'd been reluctant to give it to him because he can't chase it. He is too weak to walk and spends most of his day sitting up in bed - with no back rest. Anyway, I gave the ball to his father, who gave it to him, and he looked at it and then smiled. No actually he laughed! It was the first time I've ever seen him laugh or smile. He continued to look at it and chuckle to himself with glee. Then he rolled it back and forth between his skinny outstretched legs and began playing happily with it.

I know that Makuni's improvements are evidence of God's love for him and a reflection of the many prayers that are being offered up on behalf of him and his family. THANK YOU. Please don't stop praying. Makuni has a long way to go before he becomes a healthy 4 year old. Continue to pray for his appetite to increase and for him to receive healthy, calorie-rich foods, and pray particularly for healing for a terrible wound he has on the top of his left foot where the skin has been eaten away - a symptom of extreme malnutrition - exposing red, raw flesh.