Michaelangelo

Magda,RN in government service, with baby Miguel Angel

13 day old Miguel Angel is fighting for his life.  His mom and dad carried him 6 hours down the mountain the end of last week with a bad pneumonia- imagine being a newly delivered mom, hiking that distance! Little Miguel went bad Friday night before we got back from the city with our 3 guests, Amber and Richard Shields, and Lori. Its not been a restful visit for any of them, beginning with all day Saturday doing wound care in the hospital, helping John deliver a baby Saturday midnight, then working all day sunday in the hospital helping John stitch up ER patients.  I went with Richard to church, and returned to help in the hospital til supper time. By then, it was obvious Miguel was not doing well, so Amber and Lori stayed the night to special-duty him. By sunday night, Sandy Hurst, a nurse anesthetist friend, had arrived, so because surgeries were cancelled on Monday, she was free to special-duty Miguel Monday. By afternoon, she had decided to intubate him as he was just wearing out. Since that time, someone has been breathing for him by ambu, as there is no ventilator here nor anywhere close!  "For such a time as this"- we surely see God's hand in the timing.  Never do we have 2 extra RN's and an anesthetist!  So baby Miguel Angel has received the best Honduras can offer.  I just dropped Amber and Lori off at the hospital for the 3rd straight night....Please pray for this little fellow to turn the corner and begin to recover.  Pray for mom and dad, a young, VERY poor couple with 3 other children back up in the mountains. When I began speaking with them yesterday about the possibility of transferring the baby, their main concern was how to pay for all this. I told them that they could pay us in bananas, chickens, mangoes....he said , "You don't understand. We are being given housing where we are. We have none of what you are describing. We have nothing".  I asked him if he was a Believer, and he visible lit up, saying yes, he'd been walking with the Lord for 4 years. I pointed to his wife, a very sweet young lady, and commented that she was quite a treasure too. Then I asked him if he was healthy, and he assured me he was capable of hard work.  I summed up out brief conversation with, "Hm, you said you are SO poor, you have nothing.  I think you are a very rich man!  You have Jesus, your wife, 3 children that are being cared for by your pastor, and say you are strong and healthy. Yes, you are a very rich, blessed man. Lets just deal with today, with Miguel Jesus. We'll find a way for you to be able to pay your bills."
Yes, there are many kinds of poverty. This man is poor in $ only.  I'd rather be that kind of poor.