(Yes, this is long but I am confident it will stir you in such a way that it will be worth it.)

Today I opted to stay back from the weekly shopping trip to Beira. I felt as if my day would be better spent continuing to work on the designs for the large mural we are going to do. I did not need much and figured I could walk to the local market for those things. It takes about a half an hour each way to and from Beira but the shopping expedition can turn into almost a whole day affair. It is much more laborious than in the US with the “Super-Centers” that carry everything you need in one clean, well-lit and streamlined location, but before you get the idea that I am complaining, let me tell you, I am not. I observe with continual amazement, even on this my 7^th trip here, the perseverance and hard work on display all around me just to provide and survive. The dusty roads are lined with people walking to get where they need to be, in intense sunshine and heat. There are many men on bikes loaded with their wares. Often it is the large sacks of charcoal that are about 5’ long and the width of an average person. Sometimes it is 3 and 4 crates of soda or beer in bottles they are delivering. It is totally common to see ladies with large bundles which they are carrying on their heads. It is often wood for cooking. If you stood the bundles up next to them they would probably come close to equaling their heights and can be much broader. They often have additional things in their arms and a baby strapped to them … sometimes two. The road our center is located off of is a main route between the coastal city of Beira, Mozambique and the country of Zimbabwe. Men on bicycles with wide loads and women with large bundles and babies are sharing the road with the 18 wheeler “big rig” trucks. It continually evokes prayer from me on their behalf.

Just before the others left I was told about a daughter of one of our Iris Pastors from a town/village 4 hours away who was in the hospital in Beira due to a tumor on her neck. They said that they were going back in to pray during visiting hours later this afternoon. I was eager to go and pray. When we did go I was not prepared for what I saw. This young girl named Filamina who is 9 years old had a tumor that had grown to about the size of a lemon. Its placement is right at or below her jawbone on the left side of her face. Apparently they brought her to the hospital in early November just after the initial discovery of the growth. She has been there ever since and it has continued to grow at a rapid pace. They have no answers for her father and no treatment for her. Her father is not even sure if it is cancerous or not. The tumor has shifted all of her lower teeth and essentially the bone to the middle of her mouth. This horribly disfigured little girl with just a little bit of coaxing still has a twinkle in her eyes and attempts a smile as best as she can make her mouth move, this in spite of what must be unimaginable pain. Hospital “care” is very minimal here but I really don’t feel I should take the time to elaborate on that now. Her father’s name is Pastor Psalm (great name!) and he has 5 other children and a wife who he is away from while he is staying with his daughter. We are praying for a miracle.

Can you read more?

In a bed two over from Filamina’s is a little boy who has the same condition only his is much worse. He is 6 years old and his name is Issac. I do not know if you can even imagine. Not only does he have the tumor on the lower side of his face at least twice the size of hers but he also has a tumor developing on the opposite side of his face above his eye. His face is so contorted. It brings such grief to my heart but my face has to display eyes of love and hope yet I am sure some heartbreak peeks through. We prayed for him also but while we were my heart was drawn also to his mother. Her name is Manzinha. Please try and imagine what it must be like for her to sit there day in and out and look upon her son in such a horrific condition and able to do nothing. As you imagine this – please pray out of that compassion.

When other families there with their sick children observed us praying they also wanted us to pray. Our next stop was for a little girl named Dorca who is 7 and is having stomach problems. As I laid hands on her extended belly it was “hard as a rock” from side to side and top to bottom. They did not know what it was yet.

While we prayed for Dorca a young girl who is also a patient saw us praying and went back to her room and told her mother she wanted us to pray for her also. Her mother came and asked us if we could pray for her daughter. She was 13 and has Diabetes.

In the same room with the 13 yr old (I did not get her name) were 7 other beds whose patients were all babies to young toddlers. Their parents too wanted us to pray and so we all split up. I went to a bed where a tiny … maybe 8lb. baby lay lifeless (on a full size bed). His mother and father were both there and the dad spoke English. The baby’s name Luis and he was 8 months old. He has no strength and can not nurse from his mama. In America he would be in intensive care hooked up to IV’s and all sorts of monitors. Here he was just lying there with only the piece (please forgive my drawing a blank on the proper name) where blood can be drawn from sticking out from his wrist. It is up to the parents to try and feed him formula. As I prayed I stuck my finger in his hand so he could wrap his fingers around it and occasionally he would tighten his grasp, which I cheered.

It is 1:30 am here but I had to write this. My heart just can not let go of the faces of Filishmina, Issac and little Luis. My mind cannot stop thinking about all of the children and their parents who are in that place where medical services have no more to offer and they are at the place where they must have hope beyond hope. (Romans 4:18) Although we did not see any spontaneous healings while we were there I know that my God says that His Word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11) I also have joy in knowing that we were able to introduce some people to the hope that is the anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19) and for others were able to offer a refreshing reminder of that hope.

Our trip to the hospital for one father and daughter became a trip for many.

I will continue to believe for miracles. (Matthew 9:28-29)

In Your name and for your honor Lord,

Laura

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 1:48 am and is filed under Thoughts & Communications . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.