from Linda McIntosh (Des Arc Arkansas)

What a blessing to be here! Lot's of hard work, but so rewarding. We have seen mostly children, but a lot of adults that look so much older than they really are. The children are malnourished, with parasites, stomachaches, headaches to the point of losing their hair. We have found a woman with a grapefruit sized tumor in her abdomen, a person with abdominal pain with melena that needs a colonoscopy, a child with a horrible heart murmur that cannot run and play with other children due to shortness of breath with clubbing fingers. I realize we are here putting bandaids on things that need surgery to repair, but I feel hopeful yet. I hope that we are bringing the hope of Christ to a suffering nation. I was praying for a mother and her older child with a 3 y/o in between; I was holding on to the mother's hand and the oldest daughter's when I felt the baby reach and grasp my hand to hold on too. It melted my heart. As the babies were crying today, I would begin to sing and they immediately calmed to the words of "Jesus Loves the Little Children." God has a language we all understand and it is LOVE. We share it with smiles, hugs, songs, and prayer. To God Be the Glory for all He is doing Here!