Unforgettable moments

Some details in this post have been left out for privacy purposes.  The names used have also been changed.

You never quite know what a day will bring.  Last Friday John who does some work for us and another MAF family came to me to tell me that his wife Sarah wasn't doing well healthwise.  She was pregnant and had been having trouble with high blood pressure.  I sent him home so he could take his wife to the hospital.  Later that afternoon he called me to tell me that the doctors had confirmed that their baby had died.  This was going to be their first child.  Anyone who has lost a child will be able to identify with this family in their grief and sorrow.  A friend and I went into the hospital on Saturday to be with John and Sarah during this difficult time.  Due to them not being from Uganda they didn't have many family members around them for support.  We arrived to find his wife Sarah in a room with 3 other ladies and coming to terms with her loss.  We managed to find a doctor to speak to who explained what had happened and what the procedure would be from now.  The high blood pressure was still an issue but they were treating it.  In the afternoon they gave her inducing medication.  However, the baby wasn't born until Sunday afternoon so it was a worrying time for them. 

One thing that really struck me as we prayed and talked with them was the fact that they would never hear their baby laugh or cry or be able to hold him and enjoy those special first moments. Due to being in the maternity section of the hospital these were sounds that we could hear. During a time of prayer a lady in the next bed was soon in the midst of giving birth and then was whisked away to the labour room. As I write it is difficult to convey the sights, smells and sounds that we saw but is one I won't forget.

Another issue that they faced was where the baby should be buried.  Because they are not from Uganda they didn't own land for this purpose.  Thankfully someone we knew came to the rescue and organised something for them.  John asked that we would come to the burial so my friend and I went to the hospital on Sunday night for the burial only to find that the place that they had chosen wasn't suitable.  Now what do we do?  Thankfully other arrangments were hastily made which meant our car needed to be used as a taxi and a hearse.  The little card board box, which acted as a coffin for their son, sat protectedly on John's knee as we bumped along to the burial sight.  When we got to the place where their baby boy was to be buried it was pitch black as the power was out and it was already late.  The price had to be negotiated with the owner of the land so us "mzungus" (white foreigners) couldn't be present.  We walked up a narrow, very dark lane and using our mobile phones as flash lights found the house we would wait in.  As we entered this one room house there was a little light that was bright enough to disturb the darkness. This enabled us to see each other and find where we would sit.  We chatted with the lady and her two children while we waited.  Other wee faces appeared in the doorway through the course of the time we spent there and so we shook quite a few little hands that evening.  The time came for us to leave as the baby had been buried and John said he would go back the next day in the daylight to attend to the grave.  Everyone went their separate ways and were left with their thoughts of the day.


Please pray for this family when you think of them as they deal with the loss of their son whom they never got to spend time with on this earth.  Pray that they might know God's love and comfort during this time and that we would be sensitive to their needs during the days ahead.