The Baby in the Village

I posted about API here and said that the things we experienced in the village deserved a separate post.


After tonight...a separate post is more than needed. Here we go.

Once we arrived in the field where the boys were playing soccer we were bombarded by children, some adults, and so many from the village who were dying to see what us Muzungu's were up to!
In Uganda you truly feel like celebrities. Everywhere we went a crowd of little brown feet followed. 

Many of the team members like myself sat down and got all settled in the grass to enjoy the show. Little did we know that a God moment was about to happen. I was talking to Emma as she was about to go play with the boys.


All of a sudden this Mama with a bundle in her arms and a little girl appeared out of no where. Emma went over to her and saw that it was a baby and I soon followed. We discovered after one glance that this precious little baby also had down syndrome. She was very, very tiny. Her foot was no bigger than our thumb. She was desperate for help!

We prayed over this baby and gave the mama snack bags and other things and then literally in the blink of an eye she had disappeared. At that point we were frantic. 
Where could this Mama have gone? What about this baby? What are we going to do?!

The sweet, very beautiful and full of joy sister. 

All of the ladies quickly huddled, held hands, and began to pray for the Lord to give us a sign. For Him to give us one more chance with this precious baby.

We stood around for probably 15 or so more minutes while the boys played and then we went to leave. Emma and I leading the group began to pray aloud that God would reveal this baby to us.


and He did.


We passed the first hut and I saw the Mama's very memorable smile through the thin curtain. I tapped Emma and said "Hey Emma..that's her! that's the Mama and the baby!"
The rest of the group continued to pass through and some team members plus George stayed back to translate and to help find a way to save this baby.

Finally the discussion was over and a solution had been reached. The next morning, Uncle Peter would go pick the Mama and baby up and Emma and George would take them to the clinic to help get the medical care this baby was so desperate for.

Our next prayer was that this baby would make it through the night.


******


The next morning Mama and Baby arrived in their very best clothes, ready for the clinic. Thank you Jesus! What a miracle this was! Not only was this precious baby still alive, but the Mama actually showed up so this sweet girl could receive treatment!


Emma, George, Mama, and Baby then headed to the clinic. Emma was the only American there so she was able to get care very quickly. God had favor on this situation. Hallelujah.

We soon found out that this baby was a girl. She did indeed have Down Syndrome. She was very, very malnourished. She also had holes in her heart. With this news, all of our hearts broke.


Yes, it is very normal for children with DS to have this, but in Africa the chances of survival with a heart condition are slim to none. We all began to pray without ceasing that God would intercede on this precious little ones life.


******


The rest of our time in Africa we kept close watch on how this baby was doing. How she was progressing and if she showed any improvement.


This Mama was so faithful to stay and care for her baby. She had four other children at home. Can you imagine? She was so far away from everything she knew, but she continued to care in every way she could for her tiniest little blessing.

The last thing we heard before leaving Uganda was that the baby had been put on oxygen. This crushed us. Her condition had gotten worse. Our prayers for this baby and her Mama continued.


Today, we received notice that this baby passed away at 2am {Uganda time} and is now safe in the arms of Jesus.

My heart is broken as I think back to just 10 days ago I was holding this beautiful bundle in my arms. She is safe. She is whole. She is perfect and healthy and dancing at the feet of Jesus. I am praising Him because she is finally okay. She was broken and sick on this earth, but she is perfect in heaven. 
I will rejoice in that.

Please pray for this grieving Mama as she goes back to her home without a baby in her arms. Please pray that she will find this man named Jesus who we prayed in the name of over her and her baby. Please lift them up. God is not finished with this story. He is still writing the beautiful story of baby Musenei. He lead our team to this baby for a very big, very real reason and it isn't over yet. We will mourn in the loss, but rejoice in His word and His plan. He will be glorified.

"For I know the plans I have for you," Declares the Lord "Plans to prosper you, Not to harm you, to give you HOPE and a Future"
-Jeremiah 29:11