Living together case 1

It is a joy to see the mentally sick people getting better and recover.
When I first met Pei in Johore she was squatting down miserably in a corner.  She did not talk to anybody at all even though there were many people staying together with her at that place.
Then she came up to KL to stay with us as her parents could not cope up with her.  In the beginning she could not sleep.  When we were sleeping she would be awake.  Most of the time she would be standing at the staircase like a guard throughout the night.  In the middle of night we got a shock when we went to toilet because she stood like a ghost near the toilet door.  Sometimes she put her shit in a plastic bag and play with it.
She always forgot about eating and skipped meals most of the time.  We had to call her and persuade her to eat together with us.  She got irritated easily and would scold everybody near her.
I was delegated the responsibility to be her spiritual father.  I was having a hard time trying to help her in her everyday living.  As she did not want to bathe we had to force her and help her to bathe.  It was hard to get her follow our instruction.
Then I took her to hospital to seek help.  She was given some medicine to calm her down.  She was not warded so we had to take care of her back home.  The next problem was how to make her take the medicine because she was very stubborn and refused to cooperate.  I knew she needed the medicine to help her to return to normal self.  I would try all means to make sure she followed the medication everyday.
As we lived together as a community, we gathered to eat together for every meal.  We would pray before eating.  Before the food was served I would crush her pill and dissolve into her cup of tea.  I would give the right amount of tea that she could finish as I did not want any medicine to be wasted.  Sometimes I had to make a special icy cold drink just to attract her to drink while everyone else was having a cup of plain water.
Sometimes I dissolved the pill into her bowl of soup.  So she was taking the medicine unknowingly.
Besides the medicine we also pray for her.  She had to join the prayer meeting and worship session.  She had to read one chapter of Psalms each day.
After about two weeks I could see the difference in her.  I found that she could think more clearly and logically.  The first sign of recovery was that she began to talk to people and give riddles for people to guess.
It showed that there was order in her thoughts.
She slowly recovered and was able to take care of her personal hygiene.  She began to talk to people and became friendly.  She began to have a smiling face.  That was the joy of taking care of her.
To maintain her mental health she needs to have the company of people living together so that she can mix and open up herself.  She needs her daily prayer and Bible reading.  Whenever she has unforgiveness in her or full of murmuring and complaint she will tend to fall sick again.  So I always remind her to be positive, forgiving and generous.  Till this day she is still doing fine.