Praying for the babies
No other word but heartbreaking. I have been following Lilly around this morning and taking it all in – trying to grasp in my shallow limitations just what a day entails at Harvesters. After returning from the school and checking on the students' lessons, we were walking towards the main gate and observed two women entering the compound with one of the women carrying a small bundle in her arms.
Upon approach, the blanket covering the small bundle revealed the frail and lethargic baby of 10 months – a tiny baby boy named Juba. Six days ago, his mother died of yellow fever and hadn't been able to breast feed this baby for months. His round belly was protruded from dehydration and he was struggling to just keep his eyes open, much less lift his head and take in the world around him. Absent from him was any sparkle in his eyes, but surrounding him was the threat of continued famine and possible upcoming death.
Following discussion with the women in Juba Arabic through an able translator, we walked the two women and Juba over to His Merciful Hand Clinic to visit our nurse, Auntie Kelly. One brief glance revealed to her that this was a very very sick baby, so she prepared a bottle with formula for the sister and grandmother and led them through steps to care for the baby, with the translator once again in order.
She picked him up and sighed as she muttered, "oh sweet one, you're just bones." She weighed him and handed him back to the sister, and reality began to set in for them all. Mama has no room for this baby.
She doesn't have enough help to care for the babies, because in this country, the housemothers aren't able to care for many babies due to lack of education, experience, and mere ignorance of the needs. Harvesters is the only orphanage that takes babies. When I asked where the nearest orphanage was that took babies, she said that there was none. The nearest orphanage only takes children four and over. Maybe there's something in the North, but Harvesters is the oasis of refuge for sick children throughout Southern Sudan…especially for sick babies. Some days, four housemothers will walk away leaving Lilly and Kelly to care for all the babies. But the grandmother and sister listened intently as to care for Juba as best they could. Mama whispered to me that sometimes they take care, other times nothing changes. Kelly offered for them to bring him back each week for more formula, but she weighed him first to make sure that they were feeding him formula and not selling it for cash in place of his life. As they walked away, Lilly looked at me and said "We have no choice, as there is no care, but what can we do but pray?" You see, there's no good help here because they are uneducated and sometimes selfish. So what can you do but pray? We could send thousands and thousands of dollars, but with no one worthy of the payment, who can care for the babies? So we must pray. Funds are important, but without prayer, what can we do? How good is a caring heart without a desire to submit to the throne the greatest requests of His most precious children?"
When Lilly asked me what I thought, there was nothing I could do but stand there in silence, and two tears rolled from the corner of my eye and if I said a word, I would have burst into sobs. But what choice is there? No room and no help, so pray. Pray for abundance and pray for miracles, because God promises that He will not forsake His children, for He said to "let the little children come unto me. Forbid them not, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 9:13-15
Juba was a little piece of heaven. Juba still is a little piece of heaven…if we pray.
And as we watched them walk away, two more men walked in looking for a place to send their nine-year-old nephew. And what can you say, but pray?
"…for inasmuch as you have done unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40
Upon approach, the blanket covering the small bundle revealed the frail and lethargic baby of 10 months – a tiny baby boy named Juba. Six days ago, his mother died of yellow fever and hadn't been able to breast feed this baby for months. His round belly was protruded from dehydration and he was struggling to just keep his eyes open, much less lift his head and take in the world around him. Absent from him was any sparkle in his eyes, but surrounding him was the threat of continued famine and possible upcoming death.
Following discussion with the women in Juba Arabic through an able translator, we walked the two women and Juba over to His Merciful Hand Clinic to visit our nurse, Auntie Kelly. One brief glance revealed to her that this was a very very sick baby, so she prepared a bottle with formula for the sister and grandmother and led them through steps to care for the baby, with the translator once again in order.
She picked him up and sighed as she muttered, "oh sweet one, you're just bones." She weighed him and handed him back to the sister, and reality began to set in for them all. Mama has no room for this baby.
She doesn't have enough help to care for the babies, because in this country, the housemothers aren't able to care for many babies due to lack of education, experience, and mere ignorance of the needs. Harvesters is the only orphanage that takes babies. When I asked where the nearest orphanage was that took babies, she said that there was none. The nearest orphanage only takes children four and over. Maybe there's something in the North, but Harvesters is the oasis of refuge for sick children throughout Southern Sudan…especially for sick babies. Some days, four housemothers will walk away leaving Lilly and Kelly to care for all the babies. But the grandmother and sister listened intently as to care for Juba as best they could. Mama whispered to me that sometimes they take care, other times nothing changes. Kelly offered for them to bring him back each week for more formula, but she weighed him first to make sure that they were feeding him formula and not selling it for cash in place of his life. As they walked away, Lilly looked at me and said "We have no choice, as there is no care, but what can we do but pray?" You see, there's no good help here because they are uneducated and sometimes selfish. So what can you do but pray? We could send thousands and thousands of dollars, but with no one worthy of the payment, who can care for the babies? So we must pray. Funds are important, but without prayer, what can we do? How good is a caring heart without a desire to submit to the throne the greatest requests of His most precious children?"
When Lilly asked me what I thought, there was nothing I could do but stand there in silence, and two tears rolled from the corner of my eye and if I said a word, I would have burst into sobs. But what choice is there? No room and no help, so pray. Pray for abundance and pray for miracles, because God promises that He will not forsake His children, for He said to "let the little children come unto me. Forbid them not, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 9:13-15
Juba was a little piece of heaven. Juba still is a little piece of heaven…if we pray.
And as we watched them walk away, two more men walked in looking for a place to send their nine-year-old nephew. And what can you say, but pray?
"…for inasmuch as you have done unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40
posted by amy at 6/20/2006 06:56:00 AM
1 Comments:
Sweet Amy!! I'll be praying for you and these children. Thanks for the updates!!
Luv ya!!!
Amanda (aham)
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