Heart Wrenchers

I encountered two things today that made my heart sick.

1. A "Non-Accidental Trauma" (NAT) case I was assigned to today.
2. A girl named Raisa in a ministry I support and love called Stella's House in Moldova, was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Ugh.

First of all, NAT makes me sick to my stomach. If you are not catching on to what this means, let me paint it out for you. A child who has an injury or trauma that was NOT an accident. In other words, a child who was purposefully hurt by someone else, who probably knew better. (scream!!) How anyone can do this to anyone else is beyond my comprehension and it makes me sick inside.

My case today was, at the end of the day, ruled an actual accident, but I'm still not convinced because of the odd nature of this child's injuries. I guess we'll just see if the kid ends up back in our ER with another mysterious illness. I hope not.

Secondly, this girl is part of an orphanage for those girls who are "too old" for the state-run orphanages. These girls would be turned out into the street with a bus ticket to their hometown and $30 on their 18th birthday, if they did not have Stella's House #1 and #2 to go to. For some reason, this ministry of girls has taken hold of my heart. If the Lord would let me move there, I'd already have gone. I weep for these girls and I'm not even sure why, as I've never met them, but the Lord has placed them strongly on my heart.

To hear that one of them is very ill with a disease that we treat commonly in the US, again, makes me sick to my stomach. Especially as she is sick in a fairly 3rd world country, healthcare wise. She is in a sanitarium for TB cases. You know, the isolation houses we used to send people to in the 1800's here in the US. Yeah, they still use those houses there. She is basically getting no appropriate medical support as they are now considering removing one of her lungs in an effort to help her past her illness. This operation will cripple an 18 year old girl for the rest of her life. And it's not necessary. It's just not necessary.

I wish I could pick up all the sick people in the world and bring them to good health care where our biggest worry is nurses and doctors not washing their hands. I never have to worry whether a medication I need, or clean needles, or safe filtering equipment for a TB patient is available. It's here. And it makes me want to cry that a girl I love is suffering needlessly.

So, tonight dear friends, are you not glad we serve a God who is our Healer? I am glad tonight that my God is ready, willing and more than able to heal both of these children that have touched my heart tonight.

Won't you pray with me tonight? Pray for my NAT child and Raisa. Both need Father God to step into their lives in protection and healing. Pray for whatever and whomever else the Lord has chosen to burden your heart with, just pray.

There is power in our prayers.

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20