Tenache

Saying that Tenache is special little girl is an understatement in relation to the little part.  She is four years old now and is still tiny!  But as it seems to go, her personality is not to be missed.  She knows what she wants and how to get it.  It's usually by bruit force with a furrowed brow and a quick grab.  She also craves hugs and cuddle time.

When she first went home she lived with an auntie, sister of her father.  Her father was still alive at the time but very sick with AIDS.  After he died, the auntie took her to live with her sister because of cultural beliefs and fears.  The sister gladly took her in and she is doing great.  She is more at peace in herself.  The feistiness is still there but the furrowed brow doesn't bend quite as much as it used to. 

This is the family she lives with now.  Tenache is front row left and her sister is in the middle.  This is still a culture of polygamy, the women are all married to the same man.  But Tenache is well cared for, loved, and belongs.

A prayer request for Tenache is for her health.  She really is a little girl; small in stature, low weight.  Since I have known her she has been very prone to malaria.  The difference of her being at home is that her caregiver now is not a nurse with immediate access to medicine.  She gets very high fevers quickly and convulses at a lower temp than the average child.  It is scary for one thing and not safe for her.  The family does a good job getting her treatment when needed but this is Africa.  The nearest hospital is about 15 km away and the only transportation at night time is walking.  A night is a long time to wait when a child has high fevers.  Please pray first of all for complete healing and protection from malaria and also that with all illness the family would continue to seek medical help from the hospital and not from traditional medicine.  That also is a very real thing here.