Thank you, everyone, who has contributed, prayed, or cared about little Moises.  God continues to amaze me with the way he cares for this broken little child, through HIS people.  There are no words for how encouraging that is.

There is no doubt that our God cares about the “least of these”

Matthew 25:40  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

November 14, 2014

Arrival and waiting, waiting waiting:

We left home at 5:30am, arrived down the mountain at 6:00 and waited about 40 mins.  for the family to show up.  Grandmother Elida is taking care of her mother, and ALL of the family are together.  She has many responsibilities as the caretaker of the large family.  It is a real sacrifice for her to take a whole day, just to take care of her grandson.  After verifying that, “no, he had not eaten since last night,” per the blood test, we were off.  Moises not sleeping at all, but taking in the rare treat of being in a car, off the reservation.  There was much construction on the highway, so it took longer while we waited for trucks and heavy equipment, which Moises loved.   We  arrived (late) to the hospital at 8:00 and the line was very long, just to pay prior to the test. It was a long day of waiting and riding. Waiting in line, waiting for appointments. Such is life in most of Latin America. Everyone is used to waiting, and is generally patient and good natured.  (I struggle with BOTH of these attributes). Moises was pleasant and cooperative, even though he was not permitted to eat prior to the blood test. He was well behaved, shyly smiling and waving at people.  He would obey his grandmother when she would give the slightest signal (a frown and shake of the head). We used some of the waiting and riding time to practice some vocabulary and math. He was rather attentive, even with so many people around. (“How many babies? What color are the blankets?What do you see?”) I am signing as much as I can around him. Deaf kids absorb language like hearing kids, however, they must use their eyes. Even if they don’t understand, (like hearing babies listening to conversations) they still will pay attention to the signs and can learn just by exposure. At first he wouldn’t respond or initiate later in the day, he changed. It was exciting to see. We went to the cafeteria to get them some good food after the blood test. Moises ate a lot!! Being malnourished, it was a rare treat to have meat.  He proudly and bravely displayed his battle wound, a white bandage around his arm from the blood test.

We had several hours before the Audiology appointment, so we went in search of a deaf church/school that we heard about. Not knowing where to start, we went to Danny’s Aunt’s house, where Danny lived and went to school for awhile when he was young. A godly woman, Tia Nieca, took in Danny at age 8, and his 4 siblings when his mom and dad couldn’t take care of them for a short time. She was a great help to us, got on the phone, and her daughter started texting to find the deaf school.  We will stay in touch with her more, she really is a neat lady.
(Turns out, there is only an interpreter for the church service, and no deaf school that we could find.)

Moises and his Grandmother enjoying the Cafeteria

Danny’s Aunt’s House in Bugaba, Panama, where he was partially raised.

The Doctor’s visit:

We arrived one hour before the appointment, and there were already 2 people ahead of us, so we settled down to wait. At 3:00 on the dot, they called us back. For some reason, we jumped to the head of the line.  This was a blessing. The doctor was very knowledgeable and kind. A different experience from the free doctor at the hospital. After a year of attempting to get his ears cleaned, Dr. Milanes had some fancy high tech equipment (for Panama, at least) and we all were able to see inside Moises’s little ears on a big screen!!! What an experience for Elida, Moses’s grandmother!! The Doctor was so impressed with his little patient. Moises would turn his head when asked, with no fussing or fear. He seemed to know that this would help him, and he wanted to cooperate. After viewing his “before” pictures, Dr. Milanes brought him back to clean his ears. No need for restraints, Moises laid perfectly still, while the Doctor worked meticulously to clean both ears. Dr. Milanes said that Moises gave him confidence to continue, being so patient and still.   Afterwards, the doctor was surprised to see blood on the cot by his little elbow. Turns out, the sore on his arm (he ALWAYS has wounds from his skin disease) was bleeding,  just from the pressure of laying there for so long.  He never moved or complained, even though it MUST have hurt.    His skin is so thin, that cuts and abrasions are frequent.  They also get so badly infected, because of his living conditions.

Moises patiently getting his ears scoped before the procedure.  Afterward, we all saw an intact, healthy and clean tympanic membrane, (ear drum) in his left ear.  The right ear was still solidly obstructed.

Grandmother Elida.  There is HOPE!!

The Doctor’s Diploma.
Results:

Moises has one ear that is completely blocked. The secretions are “hard as a rock” and cannot be removed, unless he is anesthetized. The other ear had a pretty bad ear infection. The doctor removed ALL of the secretions and infection. Afterwards, we were able to see to the normal healthy tympanic membrane, meaning there is no obstruction. Having an ear infection for so long (perhaps years) with no treatment may have damaged his hearing, which is common for poor children. There is still no clear indication if Moises’s hearing has improved or not. To me, he seemed to hear a bit better, but certainly not normal hearing. We will call on Monday to get the details of the next procedure. They will arrange the room, the anesthetist etc.
The doctor seemed extremely optimistic that “anything can be fixed”.  So there is much hope for little Moises. We will not know, until the hearing test, the extent of his hearing loss. Perhaps his other ear is completely normal, and after the procedure next time, he will be able to hear. (There is a small chance, but that would be the best outcome.)
More good news: The doctor also recognized the skin disease that Moises has. He has a friend, a dermatologist, who is involved in the research of the genetic skin disease that Moises has. He will try to get him in the study, and perhaps get him some relief and treatment for the chronic wounds that he suffers from.

The Ride Home:

Moises was very playful and happy on the way home. We stopped for more food at a restaurant, and Danny and Moises were playing and interacting. So sweet to see how much he loves Danny. Danny knows sign language a bit, and they would practice signing to each other. In the truck, Moises was pointing out things for us to look at (it is a rare thing for him to get away from his home on the reservation) He would sign, “dog”, “car”, “lets go!!” and lots more gestures and pointing. He would also play with Danny, poking him and then hiding. Of course, he asked for my IPad, and is a champ at finding the learning games and videos. I have zillions of photos and videos of his Sign language class and family.  He would watch them over and over.  We stopped and bought them a big (25 lbs) bag of rice, and some coloring materials for Moises. We arrived back on the mountain after dark, but were able to drive them down, given that the roads were dry. A hike down the mountain with a 25lb bag of rice and a 5 year old, in the dark would have been daunting for Grandmother Elida.

Future Appointments:

Monday we will know about the big procedure to get the remaining obstruction from his ears.  He has a nutrition appointment next Friday, and we will have the results of the blood test then.  His health seems better, but he is still tiny and under nourished.  We are working toward getting a hearing test, so that, if he is indeed deaf, he can get an insurance card that will give his family money each month to care for him, and free health insurance.  Anna, the deaf 30 year old whom we work with, may also benefit from this program.

Please keep us in your prayers.  We are very grateful for all that God has done for us and this little boy, and for people who have been kind enough to care and pray and give.

God certainly has His hand on this little boy, I see it again and again, God providing for this child.  We are NOT aggressively striving and working to get all of this done for this boy.  God is leading and we are merely following HIS lead.   I can’t help but think that  perhaps Moses, just like his namesake, will help his people, the Ngobe Tribe, somehow. What ever happens, God is in control!!

Exodus 3:9-12  – I have heard the cries of the people of Israel, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them.  So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!”

But Moses said to God, “I am not a great man! How can I go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”

God said, “I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me on this mountain.”

Blessings!

In Christ,

Heather