The Healing The Children coordinator called me yesterday. She asked us to meet her at the hospital to visit with Manuel. We were going to go Sunday, but I was still having migraine issues. So we hadn't been since Friday.

Apparently Manuel was very, very sad. He had been crying for his daddy and in a lot of pain. They had removed his dressing from his burns.

So, we rushed dinner, left while the kids were still eating, the house was a mess, got home at 11:15 and went straight to bed.

Kathleen came to visit with Manuel, too. She is a wonderful Christian women with a heart for these children. She has been working with Healing the Children longer than Lisa. She lived in Bolivia for 10 yrs and some other Spanish Speaking Country for 3 yrs before that. She is very fluent in Spanish. (She taught a couple history classes that Ki just LOVED).

She spoke to Manuel and he perked up a bit. She said the only thing he wants in the whole world is his Poppi. And for food, he wants fillet mingon. some MEAT and POTATOES! and corn tortillas. He told her how his mom makes them on a stone and he puts his eggs on them for breakfast. He talked with her quite a bit.

Kathleen says he speaks a very uneducated Spanish with bad verb tenses and conjugation and has a very thick accent (which she says is just adorable- and Manuel does sound adorable when he talks).

They were able to call his sister's cell phone and Manuel talked to his dad. He was so happy. Then Kathleen asked his dad to encourage him to eat a little more. Well, his dad really ripped into him about it. Manuel was crying and kept saying things like "don't beat me. Will they beat me here?" So Kathleen reassured him over and over and no one would ever beat him here. I guess beatings are a daily way of life for many of these places. Kathleen says they really 'beat these kids to a crisp.'

Then he talked to his mom for awhile and that calmed him down. Then a brother got on to say Hi for a quick minute.

Brian brought some magnets and a sealed dish of iron filings for him. He loved them! I brought some window clings (the solar system) to decorate his window. It was planets or rainbow butterflies.

He had blood drawn and it took a while to get a vein. They 'wet' the burns every few hours. They put a solution of water and antiseptic into a red tube into his bandages. It burns a little. Then they had to move his leg to a different position. He just SCREAMED AND CRIED.  And I will have to clean his burn a couple times a day for awhile..... he's gonna HATE me!

Kathleen was able to ask him about the banana bread. He didn't eat the piece I left and never got the other pieces from the kitchen. But said he'd like it if I brought more. So I will make another loaf Friday. (He didn't realize I had made it and almost looked a little sad about not eating it, since I had made it for him).  Kathleen prayed in Spanish with him at the end. I almost cried.

He has his biggest, most painful surgery today. They will be harvesting skin from his back and stapling it to his leg. He will be in major pain on the back and on his legs. He will be very drugged up on morphine for a few days, so they said there is really no sense visiting until Friday. (maybe Thursday if he is doing very, very well)

Kathleen will try to go down with us on Friday.

Last night was supposed to be our In Home Interview, but that didn't work out...... So we'll do it later this week. I think it will be good when we can tell Manuel he will be staying with us while we help him get better so he can go home. It has to be better than that lonely, boring hospital room!