| Lorna receiving a warm fleece cardigan. Anjeline as she is able to see us for the first time. We said the next update would be on moving into the house on the farm, plus, the sacrificial chicken. But we wanted to update you on Lorna and Anjeline first. UPDATE ON LORNA and ANJELINE We received an e-mail from Violet saying that Lorna was very ill - in a lot of pain on the side where she had experienced a stroke earlier in the year, and having difficulty swallowing. Additionally, her eyes were swollen. You may recall that Lorna was our first cataract operation and regaining her sight transformed her life and affected many lives in the village. She is in her mid eighties (at least) and has become very frail. In the same e-mail we were told that Anjeline's eyes were giving her problem; she was the recipient of a miracle regarding those eyes (see our archived blogs for her story). Anjeline is 77 years old. She was seen and her eyesight is fine, but she is getting too much smoke in her eyes, which is causing irritation. This is a post operation hazard that we don't face in the West. Anjeline was instructed not to cook for at least a month. Why? Because all cooking is done on an open wood fire and the smoke causes irritation and sometimes foreign objects, such as soot or ash, to get into the eye. We were able to get medication for Lorna's her pain. She responded well and was improved enough in a few days to be able to go to the eye hospital, along with Anjeline, to asses the problems with their eyes. Lorna lenses are fine, but she had some problem with the nerves in her eyes and also they had to remove some dirt - so she was admitted to the hospital. Please see the note below that we jut received from Violet. "Lorna missed church last Sunday because she had just been discharged from the hospital but she is responding well. She had told me the previous Sunday that one thing she asks of the Lord is that before He decides to take her home, He should allow her strength to go to His temple ever Sunday just to kneel before Him. That was amazing! She is a generous woman who strives to give even when there seems to be nothing to be given. Last Sunday but one she brought me a kilogram of green grams and i was lost for words. Blessings to you and all those who pray for Lorna. Let them know that Lorna's lifestyle has changed many lives in terms of giving and the determination to serve both in strength and in weakness. I believe it is because some people are praying for her. She is a point of reference in our sermons and this has challenged many elderly women. " By way of explanation: "green grams" are a small, green dried vegetable about the size of a BB. They resemble lentils in flavour. The last time we were at Lorna's she also gave us some green grams and two eggs (removed from under the chicken that was brooding next to the cooking fire in Lorna's bedroom) and - wait for this - a live chicken! To refuse these items would have been an egregious social blunder! We certainly weren't going to eat the chicken (we received it the afternoon before we were to leave and she was much too young - not enough meat on her). We fondly named the chicken Lorna and Johnfred took her home to raise her with his other chickens. He assured us that by the time we come back she will have reproduced many times. He sent us a photo of Lorna (the chicken) chasing ants. Blessings & Much Love, John & Marty |
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