Madalitso!

This is Madalitso (it means blessings). She is not quite two, although I'm not sure about her exact age. She is an AIDS orphan and has lived at the Ministry of Hope Crisis Nursery since we moved to Malawi (maybe even before). She is such a joyful girl and I love spending time with her. She loves music and will quickly clap to any song, drum beat or really anything that is somewhat musical or noisy.

When I first met Madalitso, she wasn't crawling. In fact, she would pull herself with her arms while her legs kind of dangled behind her at her side. Someone at the nursery got her these leg bands that would keep her legs together to encourage movement and muscle growth. She has gotten better at crawling since then, actually using her legs! Then, when I went to visit the nursery today, I noticed that she wanted to walk all the time and stand....I decided to push it a little bit. I had her stand a few feet in front of me and then encouraged her to take some steps by herself and SHE DID!!!!!

I really thought it would have taken her much longer to get walking, just because her legs were so weak, but I was really encouraged to see her walking today. She is becoming such a big girl and I am so proud of her. I just had to share that with y'all.

Keep praying for the babies at the nursery. There are a lot of new little ones (infants/newborns) and I would like for you to pray for their health and their futures. As well, pray for the older ones, that they would be adopted by loving people. These children are truly alone and need our prayers!