Ordinary days in Haiti rarely remain ordinary. On a recent trip, I started the day as usual, rising early to read, pray, and get my first cup of Lolo’s coffee from the kitchen. After I started small groups of short-termers on projects around camp, I made my way to the hospital. As I stopped to practice my broken Creole with our nurses, I found myself being called into Dr. Jacky’s exam room where a young mother and small baby were being examined.
I held the child for a few minutes as Dr. Jacky started to tell me her story. Her name is Litho, and she is 18 months old. Litho’s symptoms are no muscle tone, stiffness, crying, and malnourishment. She weighs about 18 pounds, but can’t sit up or hold up her head. I cuddled her body into mine, trying to give her comfort to no avail.
I stepped outside the room and asked two of our short-term team members, Dave and Beau, to come into the room. We stood in that small room and placed our hands on the child and her mother. We prayed for healing and for the hope that only Jesus can provide.
Litho was her mother’s fifth child. Upon discovering she was pregnant, Litho’s mom tried to self-abort, first with oral medications and then with other methods. After the baby was born, her mother knew she needed help. She came to Peredo Community Hospital.
While PCH doctors couldn’t give Litho’s mother the hope she was looking for through medicine that will heal her child, they did introduce her to the hope she needs. They shared the hope of Jesus Christ for her life, the life of her four older children, and for Litho’s life. Pray for Litho, her mother, and siblings. And please pray for our healthcare staff as they continue to reach out and provide the Living Hope to a hurting world.
