I wrote this blog several weeks ago. I couldn't quite post it at the time...I'm not sure why but I feel like over the past few weeks of "de-briefing" (if you will) and examining my first 4 months in Benin with Arbre de Vie that this seemed appropriate to let those who follow along on this journey be able to read some of what the day-to-day life can look like in Benin, West Africa. It's not an easy life, that's for sure. And looking into today, saying goodbye to those I love dearly and anticipating being reunited with those I also love dearly, it's not an easy thing literally having your heart in two places but just yesterday sitting at Blackie and Nancy's kitchen table I thought, "Man, how blessed am I?" How could I be so lucky to have TWO places to call home? And they both genuinely do feel like home. I may wish that my home in Benin had central air conditioning and hot water, but hey, I guess we won't get into the knitty gritty details, huh?
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Friday, May 2nd
2014
It’s funny how a
week can fly by. Honestly. It’s Friday already and I’m sitting here wondering
where this week has gone. On the phone with my mom late last night I had to ask
her what day it was. Everything got all mixed up after Tuesday and it’s been a whirlwind
since then. As I’m finding most weeks are. Each night I think, “I’ve never been
this tired.” And then I catch some much-needed sleep and the next morning feel
great and that night I think again…”I’ve never been this tired.” I guess maybe
that means we’re doing something right, huh?
“When you feel
tired, you remember that I am your Strength; you take pleasure in leaning on
Me.” This was today’s devotional…very
timely. God is always right on time, isn’t He?
I try not to speak
for Jon and Ashley but I think it’s safe to say that looking into this Friday
and the upcoming weekend and reflecting on the past week “tired” may be a good
adjective to describe how this group of volunteer missionaries is feeling…
Noel, one of our
cook’s sons who calls Arbre de Vie home, has been intensely ill with malaria. I
have been battling with such a feeling of guilt for it going undiagnosed due to
the fact that I simply thought he had the same viral illness me and 15 of his
other brothers and sisters had last week. And we were all seemingly on the mend but Noel
was having a little harder time kicking the bug. On Monday night he was up
running around, playing and ate some rice for dinner. He was crying Monday
afternoon because he wanted to go to school with everyone else. To make a
really long story short, he was taken to the local hospital on Tuesday morning
and Tuesday night his malaria test came back positive. His labs were incredibly bad and he needed an
immediate blood transfusion for which Jon had to drive 1+ hour away to search
for the blood to bring back to the hospital in Sakete for his transfusion. By
Wednesday morning he was significantly deteriorated and within a matter of 30
minutes Ashley had him out of the hospital in our small village and in
her car to take him to a private hospital that we use in Porto Novo, Benin’s capital city that is
about a 45 minute – 1 hour drive from Sakete. And by “significantly deteriorated” I mean to
say he was near death…
We had another one
of our girls with us who was sick with what was presumed to be malaria as well.
The treatment had been started but we wanted some bloodwork and she had been at
our local hospital waiting to be seen as well but since we were leaving the
hospital with Noel for Porto Novo she came with us to be seen and treated at
this private clinic. We loaded up into Ashley’s car after meeting at the
orphanage after the hospital. Ashley driving. Elisabeth, one of our cooks in
the passenger seat next to her. Maman Ruth, Noel’s mom, holding Noel’s feet and
his body was draped across Mathilde and his head rested on my lap. It’s been a
long time since I’ve seen someone this sick…and my heart was wrecked.
The air at the
orphanage was tense and worry filled all the children’s and staff’s eyes as
everyone gathered necessary items for the departure to Porto Novo. I was
sitting with Mathilde in her room before we loaded up and could hear everyone
praying out on the terrace over Noel’s tiny body... “Jesus, I know You are
here.” Is all I could keep saying.
The car ride to
Porto Novo was silent for the most part. Ashley had on a worship CD and as
Mathilde slept on my right arm and Noel lay motionless on my lap Ashley’s words
cut the silence, “Is he still breathing?”
My gut twisted…panic
filled as I watched him take his next breath. “Yes.” I placed my hand on his
head and stroked his cheek, “Jesus, please heal His body. Please allow him to
respond to treatment. Please give the doctors and nurses a sense of urgency.
Please help him to not suffer. We will give you all the glory Lord. All the
glory is yours.”
We got to the
clinic and Ashley is well known there…the lady at the front desk greeted her
and saw Noel in Elisabeth’s arms. Without even getting his name she ran with
Ashley and Elisabeth following her to their intensive care room and they
immediately began working on him. I breathed a small sigh of relief, “Thank you
Jesus for answering this prayer for urgency on the medical staff’s part.” It is
honestly the quickest I have ever seen a medical professional act in Benin.
This was Wednesday
and as we all sat in their waiting area, Ashley taking Mathilde to be seen and
treated (sidenote: she DOES have malaria…), Maman Ruth, Noel’s sweet mom,
finally eating for the first time in days, Ashley searching for blood again in
Porto Novo for Noel’s second blood transfusion, sitting next to the bed in the
ICU stroking Noel’s hand as he lie motionless in the hospital bed praying for
his sick body to respond to the malaria treatment…it all seems like weeks ago
at this point today, Friday morning.
I am very pleased
to say that he seems to be responding well to treatment and is doing better.
Still has a long way to go but he has come a long way since Wednesday. I only
write this all out to give glory and praise where glory and praise is due…Thank
you Jesus for your healing in this sweet boy’s life. We love you and will
continue to fight here for these kids and their wellbeing just as we know you
would have us. All the glory is yours for sparing his sweet life and we will
praise you always!
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If you're the praying kind, please be in prayer that the Lord will continue to provide strength and courage for our staff in Benin to keep pressing forward and battling through circumstances just like this one. The Lord's grace is ALWAYS sufficient but I feel like in times like this He provides ABUNDANTLY for our needs: physically, spiritually, emotionally. Please pray that He continues to provide, as He always has and as we are all confident He always will. Please pray that we will continue to seek Him above all other things.
Pray for Jon and Ashley. They are the dad and mom to these children but beyond parenting this group of kids they also carry COUNTLESS other responsibilities and tasks. They need our prayers and I am committed to praying for them always and I am also committed to encouraging others I know to do the same. Will you continue to be in prayer for my friends?
It's been a great few weeks America. Thanks for the luxuries you provide, your wonderful roads, your air conditioning, QuikTrip, Target, and being one of the places on this big earth I call home.
I'll be back soon but until then, I'll find my home on the red dirt of Africa,
-jillian
