As I wrote in the last blog, Sarah was our first child in Amecet, like I had promised her when I had been visiting her in the village and we were still building Amecet Two days after Sarah, Grace was brought to Amecet. A small severely malnourished baby. We have been struggling with Grace a lot, she just didn't want to drink or eat.
When we began Amecet, I knew that we would be a " Doorway to Heaven" for some children. I had no idea how that would feel or if I could handle that, but I knew that there would be pain and tears, but also that God would be in those times, next to me..
The third child came to Amecet 3 weeks after Sarah, John, a new born baby. He was born at home and his mother had passed on after the delivery. We picked him from his home, just outside Soroti. He was not doing well, he had difficulties in breathing. While driving home, I called the doctor who helped us and he came to Amecet to check the baby. Together we rushed the baby to the hospital. We did not have an Amecet car yet, we used the pickup from the YWAM base, which was used for the building.. In the hospital, the doctors worked more than 2 hours on the baby, they sucked the fluid out of the lungs, they gave him oxygen and they tried to resuscitate him, but all in vain. John was gone. I remember how I felt, so shaken, so defeated. Helen and I both cried. Someone from the base drove us to the home where the baby came from. A couple of hours before, we had picked a living baby from the home and now we brought back a little body.. The family just finished the burial of the mother, I even was a bit scared, would they be angry?? But the family was not angry at all, they were grateful that we had tried, they were not even very surprised, I think. That evening, we were very sad, we realised that this was reality in the Amecet Ministry we just started. And that this is also a way of ministry, be there with the family when there is death and hardship. And this was only our third week in Amecet!!!
It was a time of learning, trying things out, asking advice and just step out in faith... I was very thankful that Helen was there next to me, for both of us there were new things every day.. In 2002 we only got 25 children in Amecet and in that first year 7 children died in Amecet. The children were so sick when they came, most of them had AIDS. We really learned a lot and we cried a lot too. It was so painful to see those little ones suffer so much. They were often a burden to the family, most of the time their parents had died of AIDS too. Sometimes it was a relief to see them slip into the arms of Jesus.
That first year was also a year of joy, seeing the children pick up and some went back to their relatives. We celebrated Sarah's 5th birthday, which was really a reason for a party and to celebrate life! The children started to play and became bit naughty, like children should be..
And we started our "wall of Fame" which has been growing all those 22 years, up till today with more that 1200 pictures...
TO BE CONTINUED.....
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Wat een herinneringen schrijf je hier Els. Wat ver terug in de tijd. Zoveel kleintjes geholpen. Ook hun ouders en familie. Werk gegeven aan de verzorgsters , was dames en zoveel meer. Wens je telkens opnieuw gezondheid en kracht toe om door te kunnen gaan.
Lieve Els, wat ben jij veel kinderen en families tot steun en hoop geweest. Ik heb enorme bewondering voor je.