Team Missions spent $450 on
new undergarments for the girls and staff members at Nehemiah House.
A View From Me to You:
Conclusion
By Monique Judkins
This article is the conclusion of
Monique’s four-part personal account of a missions trip to Nehemiah House in the
Last night we did another of
our puppet shows, this time we used a small window in the wall between the
kitchen and the entry way to do the show; it provided the perfect space. The
“puppeteers” sat on one side while the audience sat on the other. The kids all
loved it. After we were done we let the kids come up in groups of five to six to
do a puppet show for us. Some of them were very creative. All of us had a great
couple of hours.
Not all of the girls are able
to come and join us in the fun. One of the girls, Christine, was abused to the
point that she needed extensive surgery to remove abscesses in her liver and
part of her colon had to be removed. She also has been suffering from severe
urinary tract infections that have started shutting down her kidneys. When all
the antibiotics they tried failed, she had to start going to the hospital two
times a day for IV antibiotics to the tune of $100 day (which included cab rides
there and back).
One night, the girls were all
downstairs dancing and having fun when I noticed Christine dancing with the
other girls! I was very happy and prayed she would be able to come downstairs
more often instead of having to stay in bed recovering. Nehemiah House is
currently taking donations to help defray the cost of Christine’s medical bills.
Having Luke on the team
turned out to be a godsend. Many of the girls relayed to us that through his
kind, gentle nature they have learned to trust boys again. Because he was there,
they began to see that not all men are bad and will abuse them. Despite this,
some of the girls have confessed to me that they didn’t think that they would
ever have a husband and a family; they were tarnished.
Of coursed I told them that
God will find the perfect man for them when the time was right and he would love
them and understand their situation. It was good to see a smile in return.
Over the course of the next
few days I was able to do more dental work and guess what? Genevieve came up to
me on Sunday all sad because she had lost her tooth out of her tooth necklace. I
replied, “Oh well, I guess we will have to get you another one.” She thought
about this for a minute then said, “I have three more bad ones.” Inwardly I
smiled—she was ready to trust me again.
That afternoon we were able
to get two more teeth out, she took two prizes that day and quickly set out
showing the others her treasures including the new teeth in her tooth necklace.
So far I have pulled 27 teeth
and have about eight more to go that I can assess. Some of the teeth I pulled
were done at the church we went to on Sunday. I told a few of them I would
return and do extractions free of charge. I had about five people take me up on
that. Because they lack sufficient funds to go to the dentist; they usually just
bear out the pain in their teeth for years while it rots in their mouth. I was
more than happy to be able to help, if only I cold have done more.
The evenings were spent
catching up on my dental work and doing crafts. Kathy and Gwen helped the girls
do their sock puppets. Because I knew the kids would enjoy the puppets so much I
brought all the material they would need to make their own. I took three nights
but eventually they all had them done.
Some had ponytails, others
had straight red hair (we used yarn), black or blonde hair. We brought buttons
for eyes and red felt for the mouth. They sewed all this in place little by
little. The finished results were darling and all the girls were proud of their
creations.
One afternoon, Kathy, Gwen, I
and two of the staff went to market to buy all the girls their own underclothes.
We had $450 to spend total. The money was raised back in the states by another
friend, Shirley, who had wanted to join our team but couldn’t for health
reasons. We were able to get each of them new panties, socks, and for the older
girls, new bras. That night we presented the new gifts to them.
Michael said even though they
might’ve been a bit embarrassed, they all needed the new clothing and were very
grateful. They money was sufficient to even buy a set for the three staff girls
living there. Since they had to raise all their own funds, it was rare to get
new things. I was amazed to see a bra/panty set sell for just $3.
Saturday, May 1 – It is hard
to believe that tomorrow we depart. Everyone has a sense of sadness as we spend
our last full day together. We found out that they are planning a surprise
going-away party for us. All afternoon we see them working in the kitchen making
food, decorating and trying not to let us see what they are up to.
Finally it is dinner time and
they have laid out before us a feast. We have fresh fruit set in a hollowed out
watermelon, salads, beef and vegetables and rice. For dessert they have prepared
a special treat; mango float. It is comprised of graham cracker crumbs layered
between mangos with sweetened condensed milk. It is a national favorite. For
drinks they have purchased soda pop in bottles which is very rare for them. It
is the first time I have seen pop while there.
We are feeling so honored and
it is hard to hold back the tears but we do our best since we are all trying to
engage with a spirit of fun. Then at the conclusion our meal they ask us to line
up and Michael presents us each with a souvenir T-shire especially made for us
with “YWAM Nehemiah House 2010” on the front.
Each is made to fit our specific sizes. They also gift us each with a
framed 8 x 10 picture of all the girls; inside they have each written us a
personal note of thanks.
Without notice all the girls,
staff and missionaries slowly start encircling us, laying their hands on us.
They want to send us off with a blessing. They each in turn say a prayer of
thanks to God and ask him to take care of us as we travel back home. Now the
tears were flowing freely despite our best efforts. I have a hard time sleeping
knowing that we leave at
Sunday, May 2 – I had only a
few more sealants to do before I can pack up all my dental supplies. I had never
been able to do dental sealants before; I didn’t have the funds to purchase the
$1,000 dental light necessary to cure the sealant material. This year though the
dental office I worked at had a light they were not able to use so they donated
it to me. I had it repaired for under $200 and was able to bring it.
I figured I had sealed over
400 teeth over the last 111 days. It was such a blessing to be able to do
something preventive on their teeth. A dental sealant covers the surface of the
molars and premolars where anatomical seep crevices are present. These crevices
are deeper that even one toothbrush bristle can reach so are very susceptible to
decay. Being able to seal the surface prevents the inevitable cavity that would
occur. I felt very good about being able to provide this service to them.
Even the missionary’s
children were able to benefit from this. I only had two more extractions to do
on Mama Tating (Michael’s wife). They both came out very easily which was a
relief to not only me but Tating also; she is very fearful of the dentist.
Once we were all packed up we
tried to spend our time playing with the kids. Throughout the morning they would
come up to us and give us pictures of themselves with notes attached. It was a
very emotional morning.
After church services we had
a short time to get cleaned up and ready for our flight. I took only my second
cold shower since arriving. Every other time I did a sponge bath and washed my
hair in the sink. I am allergic to cold showers. I cannot do it so I surprised
even myself when I actually stood in the cold shower. Maybe if I lived here I
could get used to it but in reality I loved a hot shower. I couldn’t wait to get
home and enjoy this luxury.
At
Once at the airport we again
had to deal with Cebu Pacific Airlines. We had intentionally left many of our
clothes, craft supplies and lots of dental supplies in order to reduce our take
home baggage and thus not have to pay for baggage on the return trip home. In
spite of all this we still had to pay $200 to get our luggage checked in.
Somehow the last 11 days flew
by and now we are off to our homes. I will never forget the girls at Nehemiah
house. I pray you never will either; that you will remember to pray for the
ministry there and all the girls presently living there in the lives of these
precious people. Perhaps He will allow me to return and have the honor of
serving him there again. It will be my pleasure.
Don Judkins enjoys the going
away meal prepared for Team Missions by the Nehemiah House staff and residents.
The Nehemiah House girls and
staff form a prayer circle with Team Missions before they leave for the airport.