A Miracle for Mother's Day in Haiti
Mother's Day in Haiti is this Sunday, May 31st.
God calls each of us to help others and love our neighbors. For this reason, the ESPWA team is always ready to respond to a family in crisis. This time it was an expecting mother in critical condition.
Martha's neighbor came to the gates of ESPWA for help as Martha was in severe pain with the impending birth of her third child. Given that she had a previous cesarean, the local birthing center would not accept her.
ESPWA's team went into action to help Martha get the medical care she needed. They first drove her to the general hospital. Unfortunately, there were no doctors so they went to another hospital...the maternity wards were closed due to the virus. The doors were closed at the next stop as well, so the team set out to a clinic, almost an hour away traveling up difficult mountain roads. For Martha, this was a long and painful journey but finally, she was received at the clinic and delivered a healthy baby boy!
One of the challenges for impoverished families on a normal day is accessing medical care. With the pandemic, what little services families may be able to access are now limited if not completely closed. Families living in extreme conditions of poverty depend on the support from organizations like ESPWA.
Last week as the ESPWA team distributed food, face masks, and other hygiene supplies, the nurses visited with families to educate them on the Coronavirus and how to protect themselves and children. The team took this opportunity to visit and listen to the families share their personal and community challenges.
First and foremost was the lack of food. FAMILIES ARE IN CRISIS. We are receiving calls and requests every day from community leaders seeking help for the families in their communities. As the confirmed cases of the virus continue to escalate in Haiti, so do the hunger pains of children and families.
Martha, like so many other families trying to survive day to day, lives in a one-room home. The roof leaks and the flooring is the bare earth. The walls are rusted pieces of tin and there is no door for security.
Martha's two other children are able to attend the ESPWA school and ESPWA was able to respond in a time of crisis because of donors like YOU!
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:1-4 NIV)
Martha's neighbor was the first to welcome them home.