A Happy Story

In a world of accidents, typhoons, sickness, wars, cancer, and unimaginable suffering, sometimes I need to stop and be reminded of the beauty of love.  So today, I will share a happy story—Marijane’s (however you just pronounced his name was probably wrong) story.

Marijane is from Pemba Mozambique, and I met him at Maputo’s public hospital.  For all of my American friends, that is about the distance from New York to Florida.  However, due to poor roads or lack of roads entirely, you and I can only imagine what ends Marijane and his father went to in order to finally arrive in Maputo.

When I arrived in Mozambique in September, Marijane had already been at the hospital for most of the summer waiting.  What was he waiting for?  Heart surgery.  Unfortunately, however, the public hospital does not have professionals who are able to perform such a surgery.  Yet, a group of surgeons from Europe were scheduled to arrive in Maputo and perform heart surgeries at one of the private hospitals free of charge for those in need.  Now, I don’t know about you, but this really warms my heart to hear of people using their talents to bless others! 

While Marijane waited at the public hospital for the surgeons to arrive and his surgery to be performed, he rapidly fell in love with me.  Naturally, I fell in love with him too.  This little seven-year-old is so full of life, and he has a smile that will absolutely melt your heart!  At first, I think Marijane and I bonded over our lack of ability to speak Portuguese.  We have both come a long way since day one, and now both of us can be heard conversing in our broken Portuguese.  It is funny to think that I probably taught him some of the words that he now knows.  What an accent he will have…

 

Finally, after months of waiting and one false alarm, Marijane finally had his surgery.  I had the privilege of visiting him at ICORP (the private hospital) and watching him recover.  Remarkably, he was recovering during the same week that I was also frequenting the same hospital for my stitches.  This provided me with many opportunities to stop by and see him after my foot checkups.

Now, Marijane is back at the public hospital once again waiting.  This time, however, he is waiting for the public hospital to provide him with tickets to fly home to Pemba.  His eight-year-old little friend Roquia is also in the same situation after having a heart surgery as well. 

Sometimes, these two little ones make me and everyone else at the hospital want to pull out our hair as their energy and antics are endless.  They are stir-crazy and making us all a little crazy whether they are flooding the hospital bathroom as they did yesterday or stalking me, clinging to me, and begging me for candy as they do every day.   Yet, even when these two have hit my last nerve, I can’t be upset with them.  Instead, I am filled with overwhelming joy that these two children have been touched with love and as a result have been healed.  To see them so full of life is a cause for infinite joy. 

What a beautiful, happy world it would be if we all used our God-given gifts to reach out to someone else in need.  We have all been given something that provides us with the opportunity to give to others.   I am feeling inspired to discover my gifts and allow God to multiply them so that there may be many more happy stories as God provides. 

Room # 4 / There's Always One More: A Poem

Room number four at the end of the hall

Three little children lie and with cancer they do brawl

While three stoic mamas sit to answer each call

Of these children whose cancers are the worst of them all

Drawn by compassion and curiosity

Into room number four enters Tia Abi

The suffering she can easily see

And she knows that this is where she is meant to be

The pain and the sorrow she cannot end

Nor the broken hearts and deformed bodies can she mend

All she can offer is to be a friend

Where there is devastation, she prays to be a Godsend

 

Hugs and kisses everyday she will bring

While she holds these children, sometimes you can hear her sing

Other days, she causes the moms’ laughter to ring

Her hand is offered for the moms and children to cling

Some days the agony is very bad

Blood, vomit, rotting flesh--enough to make you go mad

Tears fall because this all makes us very sad

Sometimes we wonder if there’s any hope to be had

Yes, of the misery I do tire

Yet finding and bringing hope is my heart’s sole desire

This passion burns inside me like a fire

To faith, hope, and love I will forever aspire

Now, three empty beds in room number four

Because three little children suffer no more

As wide open for them has been thrown Heaven’s door

And I can see them dancing on Jesus’s dance floor

Rosalia, Luciano, and Ana

I love you so much!

In your memory, I’ll never give up.

Again and again, I will give all my love.

I will laugh and I will cry…

And I will hold the one who suffers close until the day that I die.

Because even through tears, to love and be loved is bliss,

And there’s always one more. 

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"  --Matthew 19:14