Bwana Asifiwe is Swahili for Praise the Lord. And this is just what we ought to do for Benjamin and Yohana. Little Benja has been putting on weight. Both of them now weigh about 33% more than when they came to the Lloyd-Jones’ family. Jette mentioned that she was glad she doesn’t put on 33% extra weight in 4 weeks! I would have to agree with her…
Ben is still the smaller of the two but is really beginning to look like a baby now. You can no longer see his bones underneath his skin, his hair is shiny and his skin is a soft dark brown colour. He can even cry without too much effort now, whereas previously he was nearly unable to cry due to the lack of strength.
Yohana is now just over 2 kilos and Ben is just under 2 kilos. Both of them have settled into a relaxed routine which is good for them and for the Lloyd-Jones family. For three days now Ben has not gone into shock, where his eyes roll back and he stops breathing; and this alone has brought the stress level down immensely.
Photo: Yohana with Lyle, Benjamin with Jette
The doctor came by and said they are no longer in critical condition although they are still not strong enough to fight off infections or diseases that might come, so there could still be problems if this were to happen. Let us continue to pray.
The mother of the twins came some days ago to see her sons at the Lloyd-Jones home. She herself is not well and unable to care for the boys at this time, but she showed obvious emotions of gratitude that they are still alive, even though she wasn’t able to say much.
But is the story now over for these two boys? A good question. Now that they have been rescued from the hands of death, there are still hard questions to ask. Where do they go after they are fit and healthy in the months to come? Back to an unstable mom with a broken health and house, to an orphanage (many of which are in desperate conditions), should they be adopted out, if so to whom? These are life questions that need to be answered on their behalf. Who makes these decisions? Is it the white man, the unstable mom, the “corrupt” government? We have kept these two boys from the angel of death, but who is now going to be their angel of life? We have taken care of the need but now reality comes ever so quickly. Who is willing to sponsor these boys for the next eighteen years? Is it me, is it you? But for the moment there is no immediate need for them to move from the Lloyd-Jones family, where they are happy, content and under medical care. A big thanks again to the Lloyd-Jones family.
The more I ponder these questions the more I begin to understand the African view of life and death. Death may not be understood here but it is accepted. We westerners somehow understand it but don’t accept it. We do everything to prevent it, at all costs and measures. Here it happens to all and there is not much that can be done about it even if though the desire is there, so it is allowed to happen and with a few days of sorrow and grief they let it go and move on, few questions asked if any. If they don’t move on they themselves will be become a victim.
Photo: Yohana on the left, Benjamin on the right
Something that burdens my heart is that we have saved two boys this month but we have lost a thousand. Just last week another desperate baby, an orphaned girl in the same conditions of Yohana and Benjamin, died in the house next door to our friend’s home. Where were we for her? Where were we for the other thousand that died this month? Aren’t they just as important and don’t they have the right to live just like Ben and Yohana? My hearts-cry question is “Why can’t we save them all or at least most of them, where are we going wrong?”
Yes, we will save the few we can, but my heart continues to go out to the others. What can we do to save them all? Is it just too big, too many, not enough people and resources? What about the 274 billion dollars in aid that has come in over the past 40 years? “The Economist” magazine.
How does one change a world-view? The West has tried with billions of dollars but it all seems to no avail. We try to solve a spiritual issue with a physical one. We continue to do so and in the long run this will fail, as we have seen for generations not only in
Who carries an apostolic vision that can “save” them all, or have we become too institutionalized in our Christianity? We say that God can change nations but who is willing to take that risk? Even for those who do take the risk, everything has become so full of bureaucracy that we can’t really do it anyway.
A huge thanks from all of us here for all of your prayers. We are all convinced that it has truly been the prayers of all you saints who have prayed for these twins that has made a difference. Together we have defeated the spirit of death. Prayer does work as we have all witnessed. If there are those that you have been praying for and there seems to be no breakthrough, persevere, don’t fall in the gap and stay strong. In faith get on your knees one more time and then again one more time, followed by another. It is he that perseveres till the end that shall be saved.
In closing I am supposed to tell this to someone: If you are in a desert, walk through your desert with your head high, let God make the way out. Don’t try to run from it, there are some deserts you must cross alone in trust. Make the desert your sacred place.
We will send another report in the weeks to come. Your comments are welcome.
God bless you all.
