Little Ones to Him Belong.

The past three days have been a blur.. I have gotten approximately 6 and 1/2 hours of sleep since Tuesday at 7:30 am. So much has happened between then and now. Just to warn you, this will probably be a long blog and scattered due to lack of sleep...

Tuesday started out wonderfully. First thing I did was drive as quickly (and safely) as possible to the post office to pick up a package from my mom. The package was perfect, everything I hoping for! Thanks again, Mom! As soon as we got back to the house we got a call from Kate, the director of DOH, asking if we would be willing to work night shifts this week at the hospital with our sick preemies instead of the day shifts we were scheduled for at the baby house. We said yes..it was a bit overwhelming and a quick decision, but we decided that is where they needed us and there was a reason she asked us instead of the other volunteers or aunties. So we have stayed at the hospital the past two nights.

Let's start out with something fun! Tuesday afternoon we went with Lindsey and Ferdi and one of Ferdi's friends to an Irish Pub to watch the Bafana soccer game. It was packed! We had to sit outside and there was a guy at the table in front of us wearing a ridiculous hat, so I had to stretch to see the TV...but it was so much fun. Every time something good would happen in the game, everyone would started screaming and clapping and blowing Vuvuzelas. When something bad would happen, they would all groan and yell at the television. It was great.

Tuesday morning Stephanie drove us to the hospital and told us what to expect while we were there. We also talked about how a lot of our smaller babies were attempted abortions. One of our three month old girls in the baby house, who happens to be one of my favorites, is one of them. Lindsey had told us about that a little bit. She said that a lot women will go to witch doctors or really sketch places trying to get an abortion and a lot of times it doesn't work. The witch doctors usually just give them something to drink or put something on their skin. Then, the mothers won't take care of themselves because they think they had an abortion and the babies end up being born early. It is so sad. We just watched three Louie Giglio sermons using Psalm 139, which I mentioned something about in one of my other blogs. He didn't say anything about abortions, but that is what I think of every time. EVERYONE was fearfully and wonderfully made. His works are good. God doesn't make mistakes; He knows what He is doing each and every time He knits a baby together in a mother's womb. He has a plan for them, their days are numbered. I am so thankful for DOH and places like it that are willing to take care of these babies. These babies just need someone to fight for them. Like Stephanie said, "I just have to be faithful and leave the rest to God. I'm not the one fixing them. I just love them and fight for them the way God calls me to." I am also thankful for mothers who bring their babies to the orphanage or put them up for adoption when they know they cannot care for them. They know at Door of Hope their babies will be taken care of. The ones that put babies up for adoption have faith that they will go to a Godly home.

So, Tuesday night was kind of crazy, we have never stayed alone at a hospital with a sick child. Much less with sick preemies. We had no idea what to do. We talked to Beth and she told us more of what to do. We figured it out pretty quickly. The one I am staying with is a 2 and 1/2 month old boy who weighs about 3 pounds. He is adorable and officially has my heart! The hospital is huge and is not easy to get around. We were parked in the parking garage at 5:57 and didn't get into our rooms until 6:15ish. It doesn't take that long for us to get there now that we know where we are going. The public hospitals here are not well-kept or well-staffed. The private hospitals have more similarities to the hospitals in the U.S. We are at a public hospital. The nurses can be very rude (and if you think you've met a rude nurse before, you would be surprised). They only check on the babies twice in a 13 hour period, when they start their shift and when they end it. They make the bottles for the babies, but they just leave it in the kitchen for the mothers to get. You have to ask for clean linens (we bring our own from the orphanage) and they don't sweep or mop the floors. The bathrooms are disgusting and smell strongly of cigarette smoke. I want to take these babies and bring them to America so that they can be looked after properly. Most of the nurses or doctors couldn't care less about the babies. One of them asked Lindsey last week why she cared and took care of the babies. Lindsey said that they needed love and some one to fight for them. She said the nurse just gave her the oddest look and said, "I don't care. I'm just in it for the money." Isn't that crazy? I mean I'm sure that there are plenty in America that are the same way, but here they don't even pretend to care. So far, I have only seen 2 of the 5 night nurses do anything productive without being asked. The first night there was just the one that seemed to care. It drives me wild, I don't understand it.

Wednesday morning, that was yesterday, right? Sorry, this staying up all night business is making me all confused. Anyway, Wednesday morning Susan and I were both exhausted and not happy. So, I napped and she rested as soon as we got back. Then, we got ready and got in the car to head to Sandton to meet Reggie Bush (running back for the New Orleans Saints) with Stephanie and some others. Our car wouldn't start. We were about to go meet one of the most famous American football players while we were in South Africa and our car wouldn't start. We girls, not happy. More importantly, we were stressing about how we would get back to the hospital that night. We called the car rental place and a couple of hours later they showed up with a Hyundai and took our Toyota away. It's the same color and similar style, but the Hyundai is a bit more compact and cuter. We named it Ariel Boo Belle. (Ariel from the Little Mermaid, Boo from Monster's Inc, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast.) Oh, did you know that our GPS is named Mufasa Rafiki Zazu? We like Disney...sorry, I'm getting distracted. Must be the lack of sleep...We were very disappointed that we didn't get to meet Reggie Bush. Really though, it was nice to be broken down. We walked down the block to the mall and bought a couple of books and some socks and drinks. Then we had more time to sleep before the USA game/getting ready for the hospital. Plus, it's a good thing that we broke down at the house rather than in the middle of Joburg or Sandton or the hospital. God works everything out. Even when we don't get to meet famous people, it ends up being a good thing...hahaha!

My baby is sharing a room with two other babies and their mothers. They are very nice, but sometimes the communication is off. It's hard to understand them sometimes and then they just look at me..then I eventually get it and we all three just laugh. They are very kind people and they love their babies so much, which is great to see! Everyone keeps asking where I am from and why I am here. It surprises a lot of people that I am here just to work with babies for 10 weeks and that I would volunteer to stay in the hospital with them. I have been asked at least

six times in the past two nights if I have kids of my own. To which I reply, "No, I don't" and smile..There is one girl here who is 21, married, and just had twins. She is really strong Christian and it was refreshing to talk to her tonight, I mean last night. She said that it is a miracle that she and her babies are alive right now. Her story is amazing. She was sick during her pregnancy and didn't find out until later that she had meningitis. She also had a brain mass, so she was in a coma while in labor. The doctor said that she would probably never walk or see again, but she is now perfectly healthy. Her babies were born prematurely and caught a virus at the hospital when they came in for surgery. But, the babies are starting to do better and she kept talking about how great God was and how He was in control.

Tonight, well last night, while I was feeding the baby I randomly started singing "Jesus Loves Me." I have sang that song over a million times in my life, I'm sure. It's probably one of the first songs I learned all of the words to. For some reason tonight, though, it just hit me how true those lyrics are.

"Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me...."

I guess it was just the fact that I was holding this "weak little one" in my arms and knowing that He belongs to Jesus and is loved. No, he doesn't have a mother or father like the other babies in the ward. He does have a heavenly Father, however, that created him and put His signature on him. God is strong and the little ones belong to Him. He lead this baby to Door of Hope. He lead me here to take care of him, to fight for him. God has this baby's days numbered. Whether he gets better and lives to be 80, or if God takes him next week, it is part of God's plan for him. I want this baby to get better so badly. He has such a big part of my heart now, even though I've only known him for less than 48 hours. I know God has big things for him, no matter what happens.

"Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdoms cause"

~Hosanna by Hillsong United

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

~Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

"But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall nor enter it.'"

~Luke 18:16-17 (ESV)