Amecet n'ainapakin (Shelter of Peace) is a ministry of Youth With A Mission (YWAM)in Soroti, Uganda. We are reaching out to HIV infected and affected children. We also are caring for new born babies, who lost their mother after the delivery. The third group of children we help, are children who need a safe place, they mostly come via the police. In this blog we want to share with you our stories, our pictures, our needs and blessings!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

An eventful night.

The last couple of days were not my best ones, I was also down with malaria. I have had many times malaria, but I was never as sick as this time. I had to lay down for 2 days. But it is hard to lay down when you have three children and every time some one needs to ask you something and the most difficult thing: when there is a child fighting for her life and losing the battle. It was hard for us when little Martha slipped away in the arms of  Jesus, but what is a safer place?? I was too sick to go with them to the village the next day, to bring the body back to the relatives. I heard that the family was sad, but thankful for all we had done. But we had another worry, the twin sister of Martha, Esther, had developed also a bronchi pneumonia and was on oxygen and IV medication. We have been going every day to the doctor for review. yesterday the lungs were still not good at all, another IV anti biotic was added. Esther is stronger than Martha had been, she still cries when you give her an injection, while Martha hardly moved. That are all positive things to have. Last night two people would be in the room with the little baby´s, Dominique and Willemijn. I went to bed early, because I had worked again that day and I was tired. But I couldn´t sleep, many thoughts went through my head, maybe still an effect from the anti malaria drugs that I had taken the last three days? Around 2.30 am my mobile phone went, it was Dominique, please come and help us, there is no power and the oxygen machine is not working. So I went outside, fought my way to Amecet trough 5 enthusiast greeting dogs.  And started the generator. That worked, but there was no light in the house. I went back in the hose, checked the plugs, all was okay, again outside, checked everything at the generator, it all seemed to be good, There were some more buttons on the generator, so in desperation, I tried them all, not too long, but one by one, nothing worked. I went back home, in the dark, through the still very enthusiastic 5 dogs, for my phone and I called Simon, this was emergency!! He understood that and told me to switch on a certain button on the generator, (one I had already tried), but I was obedient and.......it worked!!!!! I saw the lights go on in the house and I screamed (I think the patients in the clinic next door all woke up)! I went inside, but now the oxygen machine didn´t work.. We tried everything we could, but it just didn´t work. We could not do anything, we prayed together and we hoped that Esther would make it.. Willemijn has been siting with her in her arms, to keep her up and the last hours of the night, Dominique took over. It was not easy to leave them behind like this, I could not do anything. I didn´t sleep much!! In the morning I went, after my girls went to school, to check and found out that she had done fairly. When Simon came we discussed the situation and we decided to take the machine to the hospital, because they use similar machine there, someone should be knowing more about them... And yes, the electrician of the hospital, with whom Simon works together about the electricity in the new HIV clinic that we are building for the hospital, was very willing to help us and he was able to fix the problem and we drove back home with the machine. Volunteer Esther had taken baby Esther again to the doctor and came back with good news, the medicines were working, the lungs were improved! So we put her back on the machine and she is quite stable.
This was a long story....... Why, to let you feel a bit of the desperation we sometimes feel, the chaotic ways we have to work sometimes, the frustration that you can't do more and you have to hope and pray that it will work out well. I have learned to pray while you go, to pray while you work and to pray while you try... And I am so thankful that our Father is still in control. (thanks for reading this long blog).
Willemijn with baby Esther

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