At around 8 am a man and a young girl, carrying a baby, came to our veranda. They asked for help for the baby. I looked into the cloth that she was carrying and I was shocked. This little baby is born 1 month ago, weighing only 1.8 kg. Dehydrated and malnourished and very miserable. Miranda took the baby inside, weighing, bathing and someone else had already made a bottle ready. The baby was dressed and fed and he fell asleep. Meanwhile I was getting the story about the baby. The young girl was the mother of the baby and the man the grandfather. The girl was only 16 years old! The boy, who is the father of the baby, took off and is not seen since. The grandfather looked supportive towards his daughter, so that is a good thing. The girl is also in her exam year, so when we take in the baby, at least she can do her exams. The baby is really in need. He got his name on our veranda, they decided to name him Patrick. The girl cried when they left. I told her to come and visit and that in a couple of months she will get him back. We took him to the doctor and he has malaria and anemia. We started treatment for that, the rest is care and feeding!!!
Today it is Helen's birthday. She was so excited, even yesterday she was telling me that I would have a daughter tomorrow who is 6 years old and not 5!And this morning it started with a breakfast in a decorated house! (you won't believe it, but I was decorating at 1 am!) She was very happy, after breakfast she went outside and told everybody who she met, that is was her birthday today!
The man who is working in our compound, Calvin, decorated her bicycle for her birthday, so she was riding around very proudly, she became 6 today!Of course it made me think about her, coming in Amecet as a little, skinny, very sick baby of 12 days old, already having TB and being HIV+. And now she is a beautiful girl, she is funny, caring and loving. There is so much hope for baby's like Patrick! We have the proof riding around Amecet, on her decorated bicycle!
And then there is her birthday cake with the 6 candles! We sang for her and prayed together, thanking God for the life of Helen and asking His blessing over this new year!
Tonight we will pray for Patrick together with the staff. Asking God to have mercy in him and to heal him and make him stronger. We have seen His hand working in our Home, and we believe that He will do it again, and again, and again!!
Happy birthday Helen, we hope that we met each other in january 2012. God bless you and everybody around you.
ReplyDeleteJaap and Martell