When we drove up to the site, they had just finished digging the grave. A massive pile of red East African dirt stood nearby as a silent monument to the solemnness of the occasion. Under the heat of the mid-day sun, the Maasai tribesmen began gathering rocks which would be used as part of the final task of covering the grave when the burial was complete.
A few moments later, we saw a woman walking slowly from the nearby huts toward the grave carrying a bundle wrapped in black cloth. Everyone stood silently as she drew near. It became apparent as she came closer, that the bundle she so tenderly carried, was the lifeless body of her four year old daughter.
The child's father, Karaine, motioned to me. "Aren't you going to take photos?" he asked in Swahili. I was appalled at the thought of snapping pictures of the burial of a child. I tried to explain my reluctance and my desire to be respectful. "Please..." he pleaded with sorrow in his eyes, "Take the photos... and show them to people in America and tell them how desperately we need a medical clinic here."
The mother climbed down into the grave and gently placed the black shrouded body on the dirt floor. She straightened out a white ribbon that was tied around the cloth covered corpse. She had no tears, only a heavy veil of sorrow as she ministered for the last time to her youngest child.
She climbed out of the grave with the help of some of the men, and one by one, people came forward to toss a branch of green leaves into the open sepulcher. When that tradition was completed, two men began to fill in the grave with shovels of red dirt. When they finished, the others picked up the stones they had collected and piled them atop the grave. Other than the mother of the dead child, I was the only woman to witness the burial. In Maasai culture, only the men attend funerals. Silently, everyone walked back to the circle of huts.
I found out later, that the child had become ill a few days before and was taken to a "clinic" in the nearest town of Mto Wa Mbu (Mosquito River). The clinic personnel had diagnosed the child with chicken pox and malaria. They informed the father that injections would be necessary but he had to pay for them up front. The father went immediately and sold his family's last cow to get money to pay for the child to have the "treatment". Over a 24 hour period, the clinic administered 21 injections. Then the child died.
Unfortunately, in Tanzania there are many unlicensed "clinics" that prey upon people's desperation and their ignorance. There are no injections given for chicken pox or malaria. The child died needlessly.
I share this story with you for one simple reason. It has been my desire to open a clinic in that place for some time. When I would visit the village, I could see that the people were suffering from conditions that simple antibiotics would cure. But without access to legitimate medical care, many died prematurely. After this incident with the death of that 4 year old, (which occurred almost a year ago) I began to pray seriously about this matter. I was waiting for the Lord's timing and His direction because I knew it would be a major faith project. But I know and believe that "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27)
Then in March I received an email from a friend asking if Hidden With Christ Ministries could use $100,000 worth of medicines specifically designed for common medical ailments in East Africa. It included anti-malarial medication and anti-biotics. My heart leaped for joy at the idea of receiving such an amazing provision of life saving medicines. But after further investigation of just how much medicine that actually was, (over 26,000 doses) I realized we are not in a position to receive and dispense those medicines at this time.
Without a functioning clinic and the necessary personnel, the medication would expire before we could distribute all of it. It was hard to pass up that free gift but it spurred me on to begin to plan for our Maasai Land free clinic. The first step (after securing the land) is to build a simple building that could house the clinic. With electricity hooked up, this will cost approximately $35,000. Then we will apply for a grant with the organization that offered the medicines, to help us equip the clinic.
Please pray with us for the following specific needs so that this Maasai father's plea will not go unheeded:
- Finances for construction of the clinic building ($35,000)
- Grant to furnish and equip the clinic
- The skilled and anointed medical personnel to oversee this clinic project
... 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
Matthew 25:44-45 |
