Have you ever wished you could be in two places at the same time? Or had the desire for two different parts of "your world" to collide?

Today, these thoughts have constantly been flowing through my head. The day after we returned from Ethiopia, one of my children got sick. He had a high fever that persisted even with medicine. It was a no brainer to take him to the doctor and it was easy for the doctor to order various tests to come up with the cause for his fever and other ailments. While it took a few days to find the answers, I never worried too much, as I knew whatever we needed to do, we could make happen. Tonight, before bed I hugged my sick kiddo, told him I loved him and that he would feel better tomorrow. And now I feel guilty. Just as I have the past few days because there is a very special boy in another part of "my world" that has some very significant health issues going on and I've seen how painful it is for his mother because she does not have the ability to tell him he will be better tomorrow. She does not have the ability to go to any doctor she needs to in order to find answers or medicine or surgery. I know our son's issues are not even close in comparison, but I do know that at the end of the day, all any mother wants is for her child to be safe, happy and healthy.

Leaving Ethiopia last Friday was very difficult, but I'm so thankful to be home with my family and friends. I'm especially grateful to be here loving on my sick kiddo and taking care of him. And this is when I wish my two worlds would collide...because I would love to be able to help my friend Debebe and my son at the same time. Let me explain...

Debebe is one of our students at Love for the Children Academy. The first day we arrived at the school, he greeted us with a big smile as did his mother. It didn't take long for us to see that Debebe has some medical issues and his mother quickly shared with us some of the details. She also explained that his sister, Fasika, had some similar issues. It wasn't until after our long conversation that we realized she had their 4 month old brother, Haylemichael, attached to her back! Debebe's mother has taken him and Fasika to the clinic where she has been told they have vitamin deficiencies. I'm not a doctor, but I could tell that it was going to take more than vitamins to heal this little boy and his sister. During our time in Ethiopia, we were able to get Debebe and his two siblings appointments at a hospital in Addis for this Friday morning at 7:45am. There is a chance that their issue is genetic, so the doctor suggested he examine their baby brother as well. In order to make it to the appointment on Friday, Debebe, his siblings and mother are traveling from Chacha to Addis on Thursday and staying overnight. My guess is they have never left Chacha and now they will be traveling approximately 2 hours by car to stay in Addis - a place foreign to them. Addis is very different than Chacha. VERY different. Alemnesh, one of Love for the Children Academy's teachers will be traveling with them and they will meet Dereje once they arrive in Addis. The travel will be taking place as we are all waking up tomorrow morning and I'm hopeful you will join me in praying for Debebe and his family. I pray for a safe and easy journey into Addis. I pray for them to be comfortable in their new surroundings and mostly that the children are not scared. I pray for the doctors who are working with Debebe, Fasika, and Haylemichael, that they may come up with a plan to heal these children. I pray for Dereje and Alemnesh, as they have a big job in translating during the appointment. There is so much more to this story, and I plan to share it at a later time, but for now, please join me in praying. I wish I could be there with Debebe and his family. I would hold their hands, hug them, and tell them not to worry. I would tell them that we would do whatever it takes to find answers and to heal them. That's what I would do if my worlds collided overnight. But for now, I'll have to do it from afar.

Colliding Worlds