This is a day and time that will be forever in my heart and a day that I will never forget.
Yesterday one of my coworkers, Daisy, came up to me and told me that Mercedita, one of the ladies in El Callejon, was pretty sick and we needed to go visit her. This is somebody that Daisy has worked pretty closely with but this was also one of my students Mom and someone that I have had the opportunity to get to know.
Earlier this summer Mercedita's sister and cousin came running to me asking for prayer for her health. We sat in our 4 year old classroom and we started praying. Later on that day I felt the need to go down the mountain and visit her in the hospital. We piled several people into a car and headed down to the hospital. From what the family had mentioned to me I thought I was going to see her on her death bed but to my surprise she received us with a big smile and I left the hospital feeling a peace about her health.
When Daisy came to me yesterday to give me similar news for some reason I expected to walk into the same situation. We headed to her house around 1:30pm and when we got there both Daisy and I knew she did not have much longer, maybe a couple of days. As soon as we walked in she recognized both of us and called us by name. As we sat on her bed we started praying for her and simply sat there with her. One of the things she said when we were there was "the Lord wants to take me" and here I sat on her bed speechless and not knowing how to respond to that instead we continued to pray. After about an hour she seemed to be getting worse. The only people in the room was me, Daisy, and her sister in-law. After finally moving her in her bed and finding a comfortable stop for her everyone left the room to give her some time to rest but for some reason I decided to stay there. I know that both Daisy and I had both prayed for either complete healing or for God to simply take her home. I kept begging God for a miracle for Mercedita and yesterday on August 29th at 3:20pm her miracle arrived. As I saw her take her last breath I knew that she was at peace with God and finally the pain was gone.
Even though I know that this was her miracle that I have been praying for this doesn't stop me from being angry with God. This doesn't stop my heart from wondering why I had to be the one to see her take her last breath. It didn't stop the fact that once we checked her pulse and knew that she was dead, all I did was curse God. It didn't stop my heart from aching. All I could see was the face of my sweet 4 year old student Daniel without his dear Mom. You see, I knew when Daniel's Mom was doing well or when she wasn't because Daniel would either come with a big smile on his face or he would run up to me to tell me that his Mom was in the hospital again. He would look at me with his dark brown eyes and would simple say "No worries Mom WILL get better."
I have never gone through the whole process of Dominican funerals but from yesterday at 6pm until 10am this morning we had a viewing, a funeral, and a burial all in less than 24 hours. This all happened so quickly I feel like yesterday was just a bad dream but it wasn't. This is the reality of the communities SI works in. We have no clue what Mercedita had and we will probably never know. To die at age 27 is not something unheard of in this community. One thing I know for sure is that Mercedita accepted Christ and now is walking hand and hand with Him as I write this blog. The reality is this is what SI is all about we want walk alongside these families and these people so that one day whenever it is that Jesus calls us home that their won't be any doubt in their minds of where they are going.
So today I just ask you to pray for this family. Mercedita not only left Daniel behind but she left behind a 12 and 11 year old and a husband who will now have to care for 3 boys. This husband is not Daniel's biological father but we are praying that he will be able to provide for him. Pray that God will continue to provide for this family and that He will continue to comfort this family.
Daniel hanging out at home.
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