Shelly

The last two weeks our clinic in Canaan has been packed with people. Many of them have the nasty cold that seems to be going around. But We are also seeing many cases of Typhoid fever.
Typhoid fever can be life threatening if left untreated. It affects approximately 21.5 million persons in the developing world each year. Typhoid is spread through contaminated water or food sources. It is also easily treatable with Antibiotics. Thank God for all of our donated antibiotics!

Now that I've done a little education session ;) I will get to the real nitty-gritty:

Last week, among all of the cases of Typhoid, Malaria and the common cold, this woman (we will call her Shelly) brought her baby in to us:


He had a small cold. But mama was very worried about him. As you can see from the picture he was quite a happy little guy. I examined him, and then reassured her that he just had a cold and counseled her on what to do for a baby with a cold.

As we continued to speak I asked her if she had any other children. She looked lovingly at her son and said "No, he is my only child". Sometimes as a health-care provider, it is best to stay silent at these moments... so that is what I did.

She paused for a moment, and I saw a flickering of sadness cross her face. She opened up to me and told me that since she had gotten married she had 14 miscarriages. FOURTEEN! Now I understood why she was so anxious about a little cold.
She continued to tell me that she never stopped praying to God and asking Him for the child she so desired.

Then, with a huge smile on her face, she said, "I did not give up! I continued to pray, and one day, God gave me my son!" I have never seen a mother look at her child with as much love and pride as she did at that moment. There was no bitterness in her story, she simply gave all her thanks to God.

As she left the clinic later that day, I remember thinking to myself. This woman has more faith than I do! I can't even begin to imagine experiencing 14 miscarriages. But I think I would have given up long before #14.

This woman lifted my spirits and encouraged me to trust my Father, to have faith in Him.

Psalms 37:4 says to "delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Sometimes I just need a reminder to sit back in the arms of my Papa and delight in Him. And that is just what Shelly gave me.
I hope that her story will encourage you too.
Thank you Shelly!