...and giraffes. Hlane game reserve is where we spent out last night, full moon, native dancing and the sounds of roaring lions close by as we slept. The game drive brought us close to big game, and showed us sites we may never see again. Africa. Beauty, wild, and yet full of saddness. We saw it all. We have memories forever.
Another 300 patients today. We've seen 1300 patients in 4 days, many of which were truly Forgotten children. Today was probably the most difficult for us. We saw 3 children, 5, 6, and 8 years old who had been raped. We saw a man whose leg was so infected you could see his bone. A woman with breast cancer, a 9 year old with end stage AIDS. A very difficult day. A lot of praying and a lot of tears. A lot of love and a lot of hugs. Forgotten or not, all were seen and 
given the best we had. And for that, it makes it all worthwhile.In all things give thanks,
David
We started out in the rain. A small Carepoint in KaKhonsa, Gigi's Place, 300 patients, one tent and dirt. A lot of dirt. The rain stopped and the wind began. The tent broke apart, the dust covered us, and they still came. Children with AIDS, one 6 year old with lesions from being sexually abused, Pepe our patient from a year ago who has AIDS and TB, adults with chronic illnesses....people looking for a chance to live. We helped some...we hope...we pray. Or at least we showed them we cared. We could do no less...
In all things give thanks,
David
Three hundred. That's how many patients we examined, prescribed medications for, and got to know. Many were prayed with, many got tested for HIV, and many more were given another chance to live a healthier life. We saw some interesting patholgy today: cutaneous larva migrans (crawling worm under the skin), weird rashes, heart diseases, and varying degrees of malnutrition. The wind was picking up in the afternoon and we were seeing patients in a lot od dust. Children were coughing and wheezing and the nebulizer got a 
work out. A leg abscess was drained and a house visit was made. Just another clinic day in Africa. Just another day of love.In all things give thanks,
David
and the abondoned children.
All the abondoned children were physically disabled or mentally handicapped and lived in the laundry room at the hospital. We saw a number of children who were really sick and being cared for by their mothers. We never did see a nurse or doctor. Then back to the hotel and early bed.
A few cases of HIV, TB, and a lot of malnutrition and one Kwashiokor. We were tired and off to dinner and bed we went. Tomorrow we do it again.
We are somewhere over Africa headed to Johannesburg and we are late. We have an hour to catch our plane for Swaziland. We'll probably just make it but not sure about the luggage. We've been flying for 21 hours and had a 6 hour lay over in London. It's a long way to where we're going.....Everybody is holding up well. The team is coming together, cohesive, and directed. We are ready. We are so ready that when we arrive in Swaziland in a few 
hours this morning, we are checking into the hotel, taking a quick shower, off to a quick lunch, then on to the local general hospital to visit the pediatric ward: babies lying all in a row on wooden tables, most with AIDS, children lying on beds with no sheets being cared for by their mothers, and a special area for abandoned children - those who were brought to the hospital by mother' or family and left. The Forgotten children. And so it begins.....
In all things give thanks,
David
On Friday, 9 of us leave for Swaziland to run 4 days of clinics at 4 different Carepoints. What's unique about this, is that there will be 5 pediatric residents from Phoenix Children's Hospital going. They are using their 1 week vacation to experience caring for the Forgotten Children. As one of their faculty physicians, I will be giving lectures, we'll be having discussions, seeing patients in a semi-academic setting, examining patients, discussing cases, and learning. A pediatrician will be joining us who was one of my residents several years ago. My son who is in pharmacy school will be with us as well, and will run the pharmacy. And we will have a support lay person to help with all the stuff that needs to be done. We will be working with the wonderful Children's Cup missionaries once again. Here are descriptions of 2 of the CarePoints that we will be having clinics at:
Ka Khosa CarePoint: The Ka Khosa community is “the place where prostitutes and thieves are made” according to many locals. It is probably the roughest location of any of the CarePoints, but it also shines as a very bright light. In a community where alcoholism, drug abuse, and child abuse are rampant, there is a place of refuge for the children.
