Our children are the future!

Every week we hear these words from women and men here in South Sudan! We can certainly identify with this sentiment - so often we look to the next generation to find ways and inspiration to help make this world a better place in which to live - whether we live in the USA or in Africa, or any place we are planted! Since our last post, we have shared the joy of doing health screenings on nearly 130 children in a local children's home! I realize what joy I feel when I see a healthy child's face, and what a privilege it has been to work in healthcare with children around the world over these past 30 years! An 18 month old boy was taken to this same home just 6 weeks ago - very malnourished and sick, since his mother had died when he was only 2 months old. He was unable to sit on his own. But, with the love and care of many adults and other children in the children's home, he is now a smiling child with the strength to sit and will soon walk! James 1:27 says: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." We are seeing the fruits of pure hearts who care for others in this way - but what a challenge to us all! A few weeks ago I wrote about "Trainings" and their importance in this country. We have just completed 5 trainings with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) where we taught them a new skill - to use simple bulb syringes to suction the mouths and nostrils of newborns with problems breathing after delivery. This week we heard the testimony of one of these TBAs - she helped a mother on Tuesday, where the baby came out very flat and not breathing. After suctioning and stimulating the baby, the infant started breathing and crying! Praise God for opportunities to empower these very special TBAs who assist women in their communities to bring each

precious child into this world in a safe way. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE!