My Hero

Meet Burt. He is my adopted grandpa. My Muzee. Burt is an amazing man. He is wild at heart. He and his lovely wife Edna support all our efforts here in Africa. One of my dreams was to have him come to Africa with me, and meet some of the people who's lives he has touched.
One of the things I like most about my relationship with Burt is we do stuff. We hang out! The top photo is my favorite one of Grandpa Burt. It is taken at Morton's Arboretum. Burt is a Purple Heart Vet. He is one of the reasons we live free in the USA.
In the next photos, you see the actual gun that was used to shoot and injure this amazing Medic on the beach 63 years ago, in June of 1944. So now, today, he is in his 80's married to his sweetheart for like 57 years, father to 5 adult kids, and many grandchildren. The photos below are described like this...Burt with my two sons Nate and Mike, standing next to the gun that almost took Burt's life. The next one is one of Burt sitting on a bench that says it all...this was taken on one of our "excursions" on the Naperville riverwalk. Would you believe that Burt just had DOUBLE KNEE SURGERY about 2 weeks ago? I guess bravery doen't stop when you turn 83. This is one of the hard things for me being here in Africa, not being able to help him in the rehab stuff. Following his rehab photos are photos of a stopsign photo in Naperville, then a road in Morton's Arboretum during the fall (one of our favorite spots to go) then Burt in the Rocky mountains at a Wild at Heart retreat, and lastly us at baseball game...Then me dunking him as he decided to get baptized last Easter!! He is so much FUN! It was becoming harder and harder to go places with him because of massive knee pain, but now he has gotten his knees replaced, I can't wait to go all over the place with him, and maybe AFRICA! I love you Burt! I miss you.

Kids all around me

Blurry

Today was blury for me emotionally. This photo shows Grace, a 17 year old mother who we met earlier this week. I am presenting her with bed sheets and a blanket for her hospital matress...I had ment it for her home, where we had just put up a new bed. You see her and her mother were laying on the ground, in red muddy claylike paste. I thought on Wednesday that they were both going to die soon, you could smell it when you entered their house. We had really wanted to get Grace and Nakalula some medical help, but it just did not seem possible. So today, Saturday, we went to bring them both beds to lift them out of the miry clay, so they could at least die comfortably. We also brought Dr. John from a local clinic. He was able to come to their home, old fashioned style. The girl Grace was the first to be treated. She was quite afraid at first, and Dr. John had to convince her he was there to help her, not hurt her. How crazy was it for me to think they would be so happy to see a doctor? I tried to put myself in her shoes. Ok, track with me...You are Grace, you had a baby at 15, and now you are 17 and you find yourself laying in a mire, have not eaten for 4 days, you are so weak you can not lift your head, let alone walk outside to wash clothes for neighbors to get money for some scrap of food. Your mother is dying, and your father and twin brothers have already died. You watch your 11, 9, 7, 5 year old siblings stare at your mother as she lies in the muddy filthy "bed" on the ground. Your 21 year old sister and 16 year old brother has abandoned the family, and you can not even take care of your baby. Now this white man walks in with a strange man you have never seen with a white jacket, and starts probing you and asking you 20 questions...would you be happy to see him? The doctor pulls me outside and says to me "I have not seen anything this bad ever, you need to get this girl to the hospital immediately. So we convinced her to come with us in the GFR truck and we took her to Dr. John's clinic. She could hardly sit up straight. They ran the Lab tests. The worst I have had a doctor say about my children was that Nathan had a broken toe and a bruised elbow...I sat there stunned as the Doc told me what was going on with Grace. She is HIV positive, has TB, Malaria, Malnutrition, extreme Dehydration, Diarrhea, Anorexia, and Anemia. I asked him if he was going to tell her, he said not until she heals from the other immediate pressing things...so my heart broke, knowing she was in the hospital room, probably very worried about the tests, and she was not even going to find out the horrifying results yet. What if this was me, or my child, or my wife? She is lying there in the hospital, on new sheets and a pillow, but she is sending the pain below, pushing the fears down, and maybe pretending for a night she will make it out of this sickness, while at home, her mother sleeps for the first time in a real bed...also not knowing her blood test results...advanced uncurable cyphallis. Will you pray with me for God's mercy on this family? I feel so overwhelmed, so confused inside. God help her little children's hearts.

Some Pahlow Family Action Photos

Pahlow Family stunned by this Child Headed home...

















Nate was a huge hit with his illusions, everywhere we went


















James, Melody, and Amber inspect a widows painful back.
















Me hugging a widow.

















Amber showing kindness to a child.





















This JaJa was homeless, we just paid for her to have a home built! She was absolutely alone, no family, no friends, chased away by everyone because she was homeless...but as I type this, her home is being built!

Mikey with a boy under his wing...

"You have what it takes..."

This is Broad, an orphan we met in Kamwenge, I hope to build him a home on the small piece of land he inherited. Right now he has nothing. Nothing in this whole world.

"Hold on" I am going to try to find people to help you!

"SPEECHLESS"

Ophan Boys

Seeing little orphans running around with tummies like this one is really difficult for me. Many times I can't help but think what if this was my children roaming the street...alone.

Basket Girl

This little orphan girl helped me carry the basket I bought back to the car...

Photos In Africa

This little boy's parents have both died from HIV. He is pretending to cook dirt. He stole my heart and some of my tears.