October 18, 2013

Sitting here staring at an empty page and wondering what to write. I have so much on my mind, and so much has happened since I last wrote a blog. I have no idea which part of life to write about, so maybe I will just write about them all.

It feels like it has been a hundred years since I last blogged, and life has been FULL of changes, ups and downs. I feel like I have aged immensely through it all, but I guess if I'm looking at the bright side, that could also be used to say I have matured in many ways.

With the winter coming up, I am trying to be positive about life. I HATE the cold hahaha. When I say cold, I am very blessed, because in my city it doesn't really get below freezing very often. I am just a baby when it comes to the cold. However, to make my point, it is VERY cold inside the houses here in Elbasan. They are build from cement, which when it gets cold STAYS cold for a very long time. Above and beyond that, the houses here are rarely built with insulation, so trying to keep a house warm is impossible. In winter, the way the Albanian people (and the missionaries among them) live is that they will heat one room and if you are in your house, you will stay only in that room. Its a good thing there are only two people in my house, because often times whole Albanian families will be found sleeping/living together in one tiny warm(ish) room.

With that complaint out of the way, let me get on to more important things...

There is a little girl that I have met this year that has touched the heart of both my roommate and myself. She is a two year old who was taken into the Catholic orphanage this spring. Her name is Dafina and she has a myriad of problems. First of all, she was born nearly deaf. I say nearly because very loud noises surprise her and make her jump, so our theory is she can hear very loud things. Above and beyond that, her mother died in child birth and her father decided he did not want her. Therefore, our precious Dafina got stuck with some distant relatives who used her to help them beg for money in the streets. She was swaddled and kept (probably drugged) in a stroller for hours upon hours each day, probably in the median of a busy intersection while her caretakers begged for money to care for "their" poor baby. Because of this, my precious little Dafina was forced to face the sun all day, and as a result of it has become blind.

In the spring, for whatever reason, her caretakers brought her to stay in the orphanage here in Elbasan. Upon medical evaluation, the nuns of the orphanage were informed that Dafina also has inoperable brain tumors and only has a matter of time to live because of them.

Today, Dafina in is one of the best orphanages that Albania has, however, that does not mean her situation is the best. Even in this amazing orphanage filled with wonderful staff, there just is not enough time for the workers or the sisters to have one on one time with all the children. So, Dafina ends up on the floor in a play room most of the day. She is with other children, but the biggest problem is that from being swaddled most of her life, from developmental delays because of her life, and possibly because of her medical condition, she cannot move around very well at all. So she lays on the floor of this room most of the day, except for when it is time to eat or sleep.

My heart cries out for this little one. My prayers for her are numerous, but here are a few:

- I pray that the God who I know is bigger than any sickness brings a miracle of healing into this baby's life.

- I pray that we can get a second opinion from more experienced neurologists about the real life expectation/operation expectations of these brain tumors. Please pray that God opens doors as both my roommate and I continue to stir the waters in this area, looking for someone who could help. Albanian doctors opinions are not highly valued for many reasons. I would like to have her medical records reviewed by the best of the best so that the best decisions can be made on behalf of this precious little girl.

- I pray that God will bring people into Dafina's life that can show her true love and value, as she has never been shown before. Her family never valued her and now the people who care for her have all but give up on her because of her prognosis, but I believe she is worth fighting for.


For another good read about Dafina, check out and follow my roommate, Kerri Nixon's blog: Click Here

Thank you for reading.

Julie