Only G0d knows why…

When I came to Afric* to serve G0d through healthcare ministry, I knew in my head that it would be hard, but my heart was not prepared.  Life and death are so real here.  There are not medical trials and new treatments being discovered everyday, even basic necessities for providing care are simply not available!

Gabrieli was a 5 year old boy that was born with a congenit*l VSD (aka “Hole in the heart).  His father was very involved in his he*lthcare regime and would bring him to the clinic for regular check-ups and medication adjustments.  When Gabrieli would come in he usually was in heart failure, very swollen, having a hard time breathing and looked sad…not a state anyone wants to see a child in.   Gabrieli’s father was his only source of human help.  Late last year Dr Jon told the father that if he would raise some of the funds needed to get Gabrieli’s surgery completed he would help him make arrangements to go to D*r es Salaam.

His father went directly home and started the process of fund raising, even sold some of his cattle.  In Afric*n culture this is not done very often.  First off having a father involved with the children…that is the women’s responsibility.  Secondly that he was willing to sell his cattle, which are a prize possession and his status marker in the community.  However to Baba Gabrieli none of this mattered, all he wanted to do was get the help that was needed for his son. 

Once the funds were all together it was off to D*r es Salaam, however the outcome was not what was expected.  The money that was given for the surgery was stolen by the hospital!  They kept saying the surgeon was very busy and could not come evaluate Gabrieli and finally it was time to come home, back to the farm and wait.

Last week Gabrieli came in the clinic in complete heart failure and within a few hours he died.  All we were able to do for him in M*gambua was give oxygen and Lasix by mouth.  He was not stable enough for road transfer and air transport takes time to arrange.  This was really hard for me to watch knowing all that could and would have been done for this little boy in the States and seeing the pain in his father’s eye…he was doing all he could for his son.

Since all of this happened I have really been struggling with why…why was he born with this condition?  Wasn’t being born in the bush of Afric* hard enough to deal with?  Why did he not get the surgery in D*r es Salaam?  Why did he die here at the clinic?  Why could he have not lived one more month?  (In July we had arranged to have him evaluated by a cardiac surgeon in N*irobi).  Why can we not get proper medications here in Tanzania?…the list could go on and on, however it all leads back to what I have been saying over and over to myself…G0d knows! 

Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of G0d.

How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!

R0mans 11:33

I will never fully understand why this all had to happen while I am still here on earth!  However right now I am standing firm on the promises found in G0d’s Word.  He knows why, His plan is perfect and there is a reason!

PRAYER:

1.  That G0d will comfort Gabrieli’s family and that through the love shown to them here in M*gambua they will accept Je$us Chri$t as their S*vior.

2.  For the administration at the hospital in D*r es Salaam.  That they would give back the money they stole from Baba Gabriel and ask G0d for forgiveness before it is too late.

3.  For G0d to provide the means to bring medical advancements to Africa.