Starvation is Real

I got the chills just thinking about this post. Starvation is real my friends. A mix of emotions overwhelm me as I look at this face below:

This is one of the crops widows Joe and I were training for the week. Her name is Boltase. Upon meeting my crops widows, I greeted each of them with a hug. When I hugged Boltase, it was like hugging sticks. Literally. We use the term "skin and bones" with ease here. At least I do. But this woman, she was skin and bones with no body conditioning on her.

She looked rougher than the rest. As we interacted with each of the women, I kept an eye on this lady who just looked bad. When we talked of walking to a nearby widow's farm, Boltase informed me that she was too ill to walk with us. When we sat in the shade, she sought the sunshine. Something wasn't right.

Starvation is real. I knew there was a chance I'd see it up close and personal.

That night lots of things went through my mind. One was of Boltase. A woman I didn't really know. But a woman created in the likeness of God. A woman who walked a long ways to receive some training and hope. How could we let her down. I talked to Dr. Jo about her. First thing the next morning, I took Boltase to see the lovely Dr. Jo.



I stood there awestruck at what I saw. As I think through those minutes again, I feel a sickness in my stomach. Starvation is real. Even in Shanto, where FOVC exists to help many, they are unable to help everyone. Dr. Jo checked her out, asked her questions and treated her with medical care and love. In this picture below, Dr. Jo had to use a children's blood pressure cuff on Boltase because an adult one was too big. Her arm was literally the size of a two-year-old.

Starvation is real. I hate it.

In the words of my sweet friend, Dr. Jo, her patient was "so far beyond empty, I don't know how she's still standing". She was severely malnourished and severely dehydrated. Her kidneys had begun to shut down. She had no reserves left. Dr. Jo also shared at some point that in a matter of 2 to 3 days, we wouldn't have seen Boltase again. There was no way she would physically be able to move.

But there's good news. Boltase, by no strength of her own, made it to the FOVC campus. While there, she was seen by a medical doctor who.saved.her.life. Can you grasp the weight of that? Literally dying. I know, I know you might think twice about it. But when you see it face to face, it's heart wrenching.

Pedialyte multiple times a day along with some other medical intervention and within 3 days I watched this person, who didn't even have the strength to smile, be able to raise her hands, worship and give praise to God for what we were doing for her.

Friends, it's so much more than a crops project. It's so much more than providing food to those facing starvation. It's giving hope. To those who supported my trip to Ethiopia with encouragement, prayer, and finances, I just want to say thank you. This woman is alive and smiling because of it.

With the happy news, please don't be fooled. Boltase has a long road ahead of her. With the lack of rain in Ethiopia, I saw crops withering. Without rain, their crops won't grow and that will only further impact the health and eating habits of Boltase and others around her.

Dear God, I know that You know. Let it rain Father. Let it rain!