Pray for Esther . . .

Santa Gema Hospital in Yurimaguas, Peru

 Josh said it was my turn to write a blog post and he thought I should share about the healthcare system here in Yurimaguas.  I said I'd have trouble writing that post through unbiased lenses.  We learned in training that most things are not right or wrong, just different.  I'm having a hard time with that when it comes to healthcare though.  It just feels wrong to me to see bugs crawling around in the newborns bassinet.  It seems wrong to see cockroaches on the hospital floor.  It seems wrong for personnel not to wash hands between patients - and they usually don't wear gloves or have hand soap at sink if they did wash their hands.  

There are other things I view as just different.  The suggested packing list for a mom in labor in the US is quite different than the required packing list here.  Here, the patient provides their own everything.   If you want even just one pillow (which is super helpful in positioning and nursing) you bring it.  You also provide your own toilet paper, pads, diapers, gowns, blankets - just about everything.  They only provide you with the bed.  The attention they give you once you're in that bed is minimal as well.  I recently spent the night at the hospital in a broken white plastic chair with a mom who had delivered and had no one to help her.  When she needed to use the bathroom, the staff gave me a bed pan and said I should help her.  The expectation is that your family cares for you while you're in the hospital. 

That is a brief summary of some of my observations at the hospital - some things are just different, and some things feel wrong to me which reflects a bit of the culture shock we experience daily.  
Those differences and stress however pale in comparison to the stories of the women we're working with here.

Esther came to us about a month ago.  She was brought by a woman from the street market close to the home.  The woman said that she was looking for work but brought her here as she was pregnant and thought we could help her.  Over time, we have learned more of her story and I'll share with you today what we understand to this point.  She is Shawi, from a distant village up river that is 30 minute walk from the river.  She has never attended school and speaks limited Spanish.  She is a brave woman.  She left her community and everything she's ever known to save her son's life.  He was born a week ago via c-section here in Yurimaguas.  

You see, he is not Esther's first son.  She gave birth to another son not long before he was conceived.  Sadly, her family did not want her to have the baby, so when she went into labor, she was taken up into the mountains by her grandmother.  She returned with no baby.  You see, here, in the Shawi community, if the child is not wanted, it is killed when it is born.  As we understand it, these babies are most often buried alive or tossed into the river.  

Esther had already suffered the loss of one child, and she did not want to suffer the loss of another.  She is brave indeed to run away from the family, community, and language she knows to an unknown future to save his life.

She also ran away from much pain.  You see, her own father died when she was young and her mother remarried and abandoned her.  She was left to be raised by her aunt and uncle.  At a certain age, that family returned her to the community where her mother was from so she could get to know the family there.  Her sons were then conceived from her uncle, thus leading to her grandmother's disapproval and the death of her son.

I am lost for words.  She is but a child and knows more pain than I will likely ever know.  Her father died, her mother abandoned her, her grandmother killed her son, and now she's here. 

She has found life on her own here in Yurimaguas a struggle as well.  About a week after arriving at the home here she left to find work.  We later learned she had found work at a bar.  Most of the work offered to young girls at a bar you can imagine is bad news.  The woman who employed her brought her to the hospital when she was in labor and the hospital contacted us.  

I went to see her the evening her son was born with the director of our home.  For the first time, she was vulnerable.  I asked her if she was scared and her eyes filled with tears as did mine as she said yes.  Through the help of an interpreter I learned she did not feel safe with her employer and did not want to return there.  I promised she was safe with us and we'd help her.  From that connection and my brief previous experience at the hospital, I knew I could not leave her alone there all night.  Imagine, 14, new mom, major surgery, and no one to help, alone, and scared.  So, Josh got a phone call - I couldn't leave her, I had to stay the night. 

When she first came she had indicated that she would give the baby up for adoption after he was born.   However, once she had delivered, she decided to keep him, and she loves him.  When I asked if she wanted to hold him, she said yes and she smiled at him and caressed him.  It was the first time I'd seen her smile since I met her.  She sacrificed everything (even if her life wasn't that great) for him and he's all she has.

As if her life weren't hard enough, she's now struggling to recover from the c-section (which was likely unnecessary but they tend to like to do them here).  The incision has become infected and she is now hospitalized again.  This is complicated by her lack of good nutrition as wounds don't heal and scar as well when one is malnourished.  I was with her this morning as they cleaned and packed the wound without any anesthetic.  She is a strong woman.

When she left the home the first time I felt convicted that I hadn't reached out to her as much as I had wanted to.  I wanted to tell her how brave I thought she was and encourage her - even if she didn't understand everything I said.  I thought I had more time with her.  When she left, I realized we often don't know how long we have with our guests here and here might be the only chance they have in their life to hear about Christ.  I'm thankful she is back.  I trust the Lord brought her here for a purpose.  I pray that we can reach her heart with the love of Jesus Christ and that He can restore her soul.  Please join us in praying for physical, spiritual, and emotional healing for Esther and for her son to grow and thrive.

Naturally, I want to bring this 14 year old and her baby home with me and love on them.  I said to Josh, surely they're not all like this, we can help her.  Today, I learned the story of a 16 year old mom we have staying with us because she's been severely abused by her husband and her mom has refused for her to return home knowing that if she returns to her husband she may be killed.  Of course, I want to take her in too!  We knew I'd want to bring home a lot of babies when we moved here, we didn't expect to want to bring home so many teenagers!  

I don't understand how families can do this to each other.  But I'm encouraged tonight by John 16:33 "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble!  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  Our desire is that these woman may know Him who overcame the world.

                                                                                                                            ~ Jennifer