today (thursday) work was absolutely beautiful!

First off, I have a change of schedule to announce. On Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings I will prepare medicine for the kids. 200 of the 450 kids are on ARV and other HIV medication, and in the mornings you prep for that night and the next morning's dosages. The system is very fascinating...

The children are separated by gender, and then put in order and assigned a number. Each child has 2 pill containers, 1 for morning and 1 for night (they look kinda like the pee containers you use at the doctors, but not quite that big). Depending on the child¹s cd4 count and blood work results, the kid takes a specific and unique quantity of medicine. So, to prepare the meds, you numerically line the containers up and use a ruler to keep track of where on the spreadsheet you are. Then you set out all the pills (there are 6 different types) to the side of the containers, collect the correct pills and dosages and then put them into the corresponding containers. Also, each morning the kids get an iron pill and each night they get a vitamin. Then, after the containers are filled, you go back through the list and containers to double check the work and then repeat the process for the next morning's medicines. Even though there is little people interaction during the 3-4 hours it takes to complete the meds, it¹s a nice break from the Montessori and it¹s a necessary task that must be done daily. I am excited for the small and important alteration in the weekly schedule...

But back to Thursday...So, Semira, this sweet girl in the KG class, had a life changing morning. Fortunately for me, I was preparing the medicine and was able to vicariously experience some of her joy. Here is the story, or as much as I knowŠSemira has a brother, and when their mother found out she was positive and he was negative, they were separated at a very young age. I do
not know how or why or when, but an Italian couple adopted the brother. Somehow this Italian family found out about Semira, and she got a hold of a picture of her brother, who is living in Italy.  According to some of the nurses, she held on to that picture as a price possession­ kissing and adoring the image of her only family. Anywhoo, so Thursday the Italian mom and dad and Ethiopian son came to Asco (the name of neighborhood where the orphanage is located). The best part is that this Italian family came to Ethiopia to adopt Semira (Some countries allow citizens to adopt kids who are living with the virus). It was so beautiful to see her and her brother reunited. They were holding hands, smiling and he gave her a piggyback ride around the compound. Since he was adopted and moved to Italy at such an early age, he does not speak Amaric, so I do not know how they verbally communicated, but their sweet affection towards each other was brilliant. I got to be in the room counting pills as the doctor explained the procedures of how to give Semira her medicine. It was rather surreal to be in the background of such a special day. Praise the Lord! One of his orphans now has a family!! Brother and Sister reunited in Italy! Beautiful.

Ohh! And a less exciting but still answer-to-prayer note ­ today Sister Maria asked me to take photos of EVERY child at the orphanage for their records.