‘Pushen moon’  I said in creole, ‘Next one’.  The young mother rose from the bench which was situated under the tree in the yard, sheltered from the hot sun.  She rose holding her baby girl. She had been waiting about an hour there.  As she passed by I could tell she was tired.  Her face glistened in the noonday light reflecting the bright sun, and her daughter was still.  I wondered as I saw her there if her baby was ok.  She sat down and we found her paper.   Looking over the notes written there we found the baby’s weight from several months ago and a description of the condition at the time.  ‘Ok, lets see, 6 months old, orange-ish hair, oh, and here is her weight.’ To myself I thought, ‘this little girl needs to gain some weight, so tiny for her age.’ I smiled at the mom and held her daughter as she stood on the old scale.  The mom slowly turned to me taking her while we got the weight of the mom and child.  The mom then gently lowered herself to the caned bottom chair and told some of her story.  We learned that she had another daughter in elementary school, she went on to say ‘my older daughter died suddenly in the night several months ago and I don’t have enough milk for my baby’.  The stress of the sudden loss was taking its toll on her.  The baby was not gaining weight.  We gave her baby formula and vitamins to take home with her and prayed with her.  We prayed in the heat of the day for the Lord to protect this little one, asking that she begin to gain weight and strength and to help the mom gain strength and hope. 

‘Pushen moon’ I said again, and another young mom came over to be weighed.  This time the young daughter was about 4 years old, sweet young girl she was with such a pleasant smile.  We asked her name and she whispered softly ‘Dieuvline’.   My heart went out to this young girl, you see, her limbs were twisted, arched from her wrists to the elbows, and arched from her ankles to her knees which prevented her from walking.  Without a wheelchair her mom being of small frame carries her young daughter wherever they go.  There is a sister to this young girl that had the same problem with her limbs, but somehow, by some miracle, her limbs straightened out.  We gave them some baby formula and vitamins and prayed.  We were bold in our prayers asking for the Lord to heal her young twisted body and to watch over and protect her life.  We also prayed for strength for her mom. 

‘Pushen moon’ we said again.  This time we saw a young girl about four years old.  Her mom had caringly dressed her in a light cotton dress with pink and blue flowers.  Her mom walked around the edge of the table taking her place ready to be weighed.  Something wasn’t right, she was unusually still and quiet for her age, a bit lifeless.  Feeling her forehead revealed the reason, she was burning up.  We told her to take her daughter to the clinic immediately.  Looking fearful for her child, the young mom scooped up her daughter.  She was given some money, which she didn’t have, to cover the expense of visiting the clinic and for medications, about $1.25 in US dollars.  This morning I found out that this young girl was diagnosed with malaria and typhoid; she spent the night in the clinic. 

As I write this I am reminded of this verse James 2:15-17, ‘¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you say unto them, “Depart in peace; be ye warmed and filled,” without giving them those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?  ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.   Praying for the children of Haiti…..

Lacrecia

PS: I want to give a shout out to my sister….Happy Birthday!