In the Arms of Jesus

Licia from the Rescue Center in Haiti wrote tonight about Andremene, a 3-year old little girl who arrived last week needing urgent care. These are the realities I just cannot fathom, no matter how many times I have heard of them since our Haitian adoption journey began:

She came in when I was in the states. She was a little over 3 years old and weighted 14 pounds on arrival. She could talk and walk. She was so tiny to be able to do this that it did not look normal for a tiny little 14 pound child to be walking and talking. She had been to the clinic 3 times before this visit. Her first visit was when she was 7 months old and at that time she weighed 13 pounds 12 ounces. What happened from the time she was 7 month to 3 years old that she would only gain a few ounces?

When I arrived last week she was not in good shape. She had a feeding tube in a was lifeless and seemed to have no will to live. She was beginning to lose some of her "water weight" or edema and was down to 12 pounds 12 ounces.

She pulled the tube out a few time and I put it back in. About two days ago she began to drink milk and serum (pedilyte) on her own. I thought she was on the road to recovery. Last night about 3 am the ladies came upstairs and got me. She had just been sitting up and drank a half of glass of milk and some water. She layed back down and they cover her up. She was dead within the next few minutes. Usually I have a little idea that they are going to die, they get worse, they are not breathing well, or something like that.

I had a panic attack on the way down the stairs. Really I did. My sister-in-law, Briana, had just wrote a paper last month on Kwashiorkor and the treatments for it. I was just able two night ago to finally read it. It was very well written, and although I already knew a lot of the information, it was packed full of new ideas for me and I enjoyed reading it. My panic attack was me thinking what had I done wrong, I should have done this, I should have done that, I should have checked on her one more time last night, I should have tried something more, I should have prayed more, I should have hoped for her survial more.

Oh......but my thoughts changed when I got downstairs..... what did I find when I got to her bed...... the little 12 pound 3 year old with a huge smile on her face. No she was not alive she was dead but surely she was in the arms of Jesus...I have no doubt of that, she saw Him face to face, He said daughter its time for you to come, no more suffering, no more hunger, no more starving, no more pain, no more tubes. Just come into my rest.

God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
nor crying, nether shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. -Revelation 21:4