Fistula... Never heard of it

There is a song that Amber is playing on the guitar. It is a new one she learned here. I can hear her singing the song in my mind even though it is 2:00 in the morning. “Teach me how to love… teach me how to love like you love me.” Is it possible to sing along in your head because I definitely am!

I can hear Ben snoring as I look out the barred window of my bedroom. I feel a cool breeze coming through the screen and luckily there doesn’t seem to be more than one mosquito floating near me. I am pondering over the last few weeks and asking God to give me more… more of everything. I need more patience, guidance, wisdom and discernment. But I think the reason that I am singing that song tonight is that I want him to teach me to love more.

I am considering Jesus’ 3 years of ministry. He literally held life and death in his hands. He performed so many miracles that throngs of people surrounded him hoping for just one touch. He could change the course of anyone’s life with his fingertip. Even in the beginning of his ministry, he was starting to gather crowds. Word traveled fast that he could do miracles. I wonder if he ever felt tempted to “numb out”. I am in awe of the fact that he never lost compassion. He refueled through alone times and prayer but even with that, it is really amazing that he still felt so deeply for each individual need.

I guess that is what I am praying for tonight. I want him to teach me how to love like that… without any end. It is so easy to start seeing seas of faces and not individual hearts. Usually my goal when I get to a village is to touch each person and look them in the eyes. I try to smile at each one because every one of them is precious. The ones that look down in shame are the ones I spend the most time with. They need touch the most.

Actually, that reminds me of something that happened on this trip. When we were in West Uganda, we had to split into two teams to reach more families. Both of us had money in case of emergency situations. Jaime was on another team from me and she was introduced to a family that came out to greet her but interestingly, there was another person in the mud hut that was completely abandoned by everyone and wouldn't come out without major coaxing. Thankfully she did.

Adrine is 25 years old and suffers from “Fistula”. She has been completely ostracized by her community and her husband left her as well. But the thing that killed me was hearing that her baby died as well. Since then I found out that fistula is basically a hole between the rectum and vaginal canal which causes constant bleeding, urine and feces leakage. It is brought on by poor obstetric care. So basically, Adrine got married, got pregnant, nearly died in childbirth, her baby ripped a hole in her that can’t be fixed without surgery, lost the child and in turn her husband left her, her community abandoned her and so she lays on a mat inside a home all day long bleeding until she dies. That is, until Jaime met her.

Jaime hugged her and immediately provided money so she could see a doctor. This young woman hasn’t been seen by anyone in so long that later on I was told by the Field Officer that she cried tears saying, “This person wants to see me? This woman wants to help me.. even me?” She couldn’t believe it.

And Jesus didn’t forget about that woman who touched him in the crowd and was healed from her constant bleeding. Maybe she had fistula… I never considered that before. I am amazed that she even came out of her house to try to touch him even though he was sandwiched between all those community people that had ignored her for so long. Even while she was so afraid, she reached out for healing. And now, we are reaching out to Adrine who feels just like this woman did both in sickness and in healing. It is a miracle that someone found her… even her.

In the end our dear Adrine will definitely be sponsored, but in the meanwhile, she was also able to be taken to the clinic for treatment. Unfortunately, she will not be able to have surgery until a “specialist” arrives in that area in September. Until then she is able to have necessary medications and help from us. She is not alone, she was not forgotten…