Bananas or Medicine?

The women in Project Life are learning a trade.

The women learn to make baskets with capulanas.  There are
a thousand uses for capulanas, so why not make baskets too?

Palm leaves make great baskets.

The men make mats that Mozambicans use to sit or sleep on.

I have been pleased to see the quality of their work.

Every Monday is basket-weaving class.
We hope to sell in the market quite soon.

In his heart a man plans his course,

but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Monday...a typically busy day so my schedule was all planned out. We were bouncing along in the car headed to the Project Life basket weaving class when I saw Melita coming down the road with four small bananas. Wondering why she was headed away from the class I stopped and greeted her. Melita is dear to my heart. Her mother and sister are witchdoctors but she has been faithful to attend the Mafarinha Bible studies. Melita shyly explained that her 6-year-old daughter had been vomiting for five days. I asked if she had taken her to the hospital. She looked down and then admitted her dilemma. Because her daughter had not eaten in five days, she had to choose between buying bananas that cost 5 meticais (or 17 cents) or pay for the consult and medicine at the hospital which also cost 5 meticais. With only 5 meticais to spend, she had chosen the bananas. It was obvious God had brought me on this road at just the right moment. I took her daughter to the hospital where she was tested and found to have severe malaria. One more day without intervention and she might not have survived. I thanked God for the opportunity to help. But my day was hardly over.

Leaving the hospital I stopped by the market to grab some bouillon for the rice needed at the basket-weaving class. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the local beggar who barely walks making his way to my car for a handout. Although I had helped him often with bread or a few coins, today I backed away and ignored him because I was in a hurry. My schedule was already stretched from teaching the activistas to meeting with an official from social action on behalf of a blind woman who needed a Green Door house. As it played out, Simone and I missed the official at social action by 15 minutes. Driving away from the social action building we witnessed a terrible accident. The local beggar was sitting in front of the entryway to the open market when a truck inadvertently ran over him. It was so sad.* It left a deep pain in my heart that I had missed an opportunity to bless him that morning. 

But life in Dondo doesn't slow down for tragedies. We left that sad scene and in a few minutes were flagged down by one of our activistas. A lady from Project Life was laboriously making her way to the hospital hoping to get there before her baby arrived. I knew she was from Macharote and had already traveled many kilometers by foot. After arriving at the hospital and praying for a safe delivery, another woman came and asked for prayer for her daughter who was struggling to deliver. Even though they didn't know us, they welcomed us into her hospital room as she writhed in pain. In these situations I am so reminded of our helplessness and God's greatness. We prayed in Jesus' name and committed her delivery to His capable hands.

By that time it was dark and past the normal hospital hours. We discovered another woman from Project Life outside shivering and crying next to the hospital building. I could hardly believe my eyes. She had become quite ill while walking on the road and had no money to visit the emergency room – the only room open for consultation at that hour. Though it only cost 2 meticais (7 cents), she didn't have it. Once again, we marveled at God's timing for that moment. As we were leaving the hospital, we noticed a small girl hanging outside the fence by the hospital. At first we were going to ignore her assuming someone knew her whereabouts. But Simone wisely asked me to go back so he could ask what she was doing. She explained that she had been there all day wondering where her mother was in the hospital. She had been too young and shy to ask anyone. Much to our surprise, she was the daughter of another Project Life patient and in the same room with Melita's daughter. Simone was able to escort her directly to her mom.

I may plan my day in Dondo, but I am thankful that God directs my steps.

*We had first thought the beggar had died but we learned this morning that he is apparently doing better than we had originally thought.