January has seemed like a blur of sickness in our household...started out with the Chickenpox, ended up with all of us getting some sort of nasty sinus infection/head cold. Derek is the last in the family to get over it, and as his head was hitting the pillow tonight his parting words were, "What did they do before antibiotics?" My response:
"They died."
I think living in an affluent society, we take for granted some of the simplest things we have at our fingertips, such as antibiotics. Our new home, Bundibugyo, knows no such luxury. If you read THIS post about life from the perspective of our water engineer, Josh Dickenson, you heard testimony of the family friend who passed away during childbirth on Christmas Day. Her legacy was left in the precious child who survived the birth,
Baby Hope. While it was challenging at first to find a volunteer willing to nurse the child, my understanding was that she had been making slow but steady progresss during this first month of her life. She certainly had some tenuous moments, fighting illness, but like her namesake, there was HOPE. Then today, out of the blue, we received word that Baby Hope has passed away. We're not sure why (as in so many cases in Bundi), but we grieve the additional loss that her light provided for this grieving family.
I wish that the tragedy of Baby Hope and her Mama was something rare and uncommon. It certainly is not something we hear about everyday around here. Unfortunately, in Bundibugyo, this type of suffering is a reality of daily living.
(from starvation)
Mamas are dying.
(from preventable causes)
Children are suffering.
(needlessly)
The cycle of despair seems never-ending, unbreakable.
Day in & Day out.
Thank goodness we have a Savior who provides unquenchable HOPE and beckons us to
Do Something About the Suffering.
PRAY for the families who have lost a mother in childbirth...
SEEK out a marginalized people group, and ask God to show you how He can use YOU to make a difference in one family's life there
SEND our family to feet on the ground in Bundibugyo, walking alongside those who are suffering...
GO find out how your life should intersect with the needy...
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “... go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Derek and Lauren - praying for you as you grieve Hope's death (and her mother's) in your own way, so far from the family who misses them but longing with all your hearts to be there. Learning of the deaths of children and caregivers through emails and other long-distance communication has always been the hardest part of my job, compounded by the stark contrast to my life in an affluent society. Praying for your feet to soon be on the ground where you've been called. Ellen (from ECHO)
ReplyDelete