This is the reality in Liberia. This was sent by a friend who had been in Liberia a year ago to bring her daughter home when the baby died in her arms. In this email she relives that experience, only that the baby she is holding now is our friend's the K's baby Hope, they were waiting to bring home. We are striken with grief.
Hello my friends! It is quite difficult to access internet right now.
I took a walk over the trash piles and behind little shanty houses to
find this little haven of generator power with a computer.
A few days ago (they are all blurring into one long day actually) I
had a complete flashback day. A baby was sick at the orphanage, and
we drove her in the middle of the night to the same hospital Brad and
I had brought Ariana 8 months ago. The same incompetenet staff, you
walk into an emergency room and everyone stays sitting, then finally
shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, sigh, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, very
slowly reaching for the faceut to give a sponge bath to this poor
baby with a 106 degree fever and respiratory distress. No oxygen,
several failed IV attempts, and I held this baby's hand as she
looked at me with her large, beautiful black eyes pleading for us to
help her. I stroked her little head as she took her last breath
on this earth and forever went to be with Jesus. The next morning
I wept as we buried her in a dirt hole in the ground, another
precious life lost here in Liberia. One of the grave diggers told
us to drop some money over the grave, as this is tradition for the
grave digger to be able to buy a drink and wash his hands.
We went to a hospital to visit a child who had been tortured by his
father, and saw many more sick children and babies, lying in row after
row with no one to help them. We spent time with a family whose baby
had cerebral malaria and was having seizures and febrile and there
was no doctor, no nursing care, hospitals here seem to be just
places to bring your children before they die.
Today a desperate mother came to relinquish her child to the
orphanage. The grandmother was there also, and she told me she
wishes she could be adopted too, but no one wants to adopt old people.
On the sides of roads I've seen many people and children with limbs
gone, large portion of faces burned off, crippled children limping
along, and the many, many malnourished and lost-looking children.
Last night as we lay saturated in our own sweat in bed (which I
love by the way,the hotter the better as far as I'm concerned) we
heard a gun shot go off. This would be very concerning in the
US, not so unusual here.
I met with some missionaries here and asked, "How do you live here
long term, and continue to love the people without getting disgusted
by some aspects of their culture?" Going on the street in some
areas, you are immediately surrounded by a flock of people with their
hands out, asking for money, water,food, etc. and it is beyond
overwhelming. You want to help them all of course, but handing out
anything in that setting would be a no-win situation, as you would
immediately be surrounded by more people. Then more people. Then
more people.
Today is Good Friday, but here it is "Beat the Judas" day. There are
stuffed people laying all over the sides of roads or up on poles,
and people beat and beat and beat them with sticks in "celebration"
of Judas betraying Jesus. It's a very unusual focus of the Easter
season, but considering what Liberians have been through it is not
surprising.
God bless you all, Jenny
