Gifts

Picture taken on Angelina's return home after Kumasi 
L:R Angelina's Uncle, Angelina with her Mother's Sister Wife,  Angelina's Mother 

This past week we received a visit from Angelina's father. He had been tending the fields on the day we brought Angelina home from the hospital and wanted to come to personally thank us for all we had done to arrange Angelina's medical care. Through a translator he spoke to us of the impact we had made on his family, and about how grateful he was that we cared for his child. 

"I didn't even know this was something that doctors could treat," he said "but now we will think of you and what you have done for Angelina everyday for the rest of our lives." 

He spoke about how there was nothing he could do to thank us appropriately, because what we had done was so very big. Wanting to offer us something he brought each of us a guineafowl. Guineafowl is a very traditional gift here in West Africa and it's quite special for me to be a recipient of such a gift; it was surely a sacrifice for Angelina's family.

I hope that even oceans away you will consider yourself a recipient of these two birds too. Through monetary gifts and/or prayers you have played an integral role in Angelina's medical care. Though Angelina's family will never know your names or faces, your impact is very real. And I can now say, this impact directly extends beyond just Angelina (see here!).

[If you're wondering what became of this gift, we weren't able to integrate these guineafowl into the flock on our farm. So this weekend with the assistance of our host sisters we cooked our birds, learned to prepare a traditional recipe (rice balls & peanut soup), and invited friends for a lovely evening.]