abortion gone wrong

It is Saturday evening. Tonight my husband grilled all sorts of meat. There was bread, salad, and vegetables. We sat outside. The evening is beautiful. My kids eat enough to be 100% satisfied. The dog gets what is left over. And I battle with the contrast between my world and the world Sylvia lives in in Kampala Uganda. Yesterday a desperate grandmother arrived at the church where the MOPS group meets. Her granddaughter had a local midwife perform an abortion on her on Monday. It went very badly. It was Friday and the teenager was bleeding to death. The poor grandmother had no idea what she could do. In desperation, she came to the church. And Sylvia contacted me. So I told her to take the girl to the hospital. I was sure she would die without help. And they had to remove the fetus, do a blood transfusion and give her strong antibiotics. But she will be ok. I sent money. And this girl is not in MOPS. I realize I cannot help every poor person in Kampala. At some point, we will need to draw a line. But I could not let her die. I hate abortion. But I will not judge her. She was given money for sex. She is very poor. And she felt she had no other way out. MOPS had a woman (Olive, the one who had burns) stay all night with the girl and her grandmother. They paid the hospital bill. They even gave the grandmother food money. And the grandmother was so overwhelmed by grace she has asked Jesus to be her savior. I pray she continues to walk with him.
Today they had a feast at MOPS. A young women named Ruth showed up. She has had her 2nd child. She had met a man who promised to care for her. And she got pregnant. And he has abandoned her. So she lost her job and lives with a  not so nice step mother. She has a hard time to carry both children to MOPS. But she did not want to miss the feast. At home, there is only porridge to eat. When we find the money we will help put Ruth through vocational school. She wants to be a hairdresser. I’m grateful she didn’t abort her kids. I’m grieved by the poverty that has lead these two girls to the point of selling themselves in hopes of a better life. And as I sat with my own family eating an abundance of food I just wonder how Sylvia can cope with the waterfall of need. I remembered a story from a book I once read. I wish I could recall the name of the book. It was very good. But I can only remember this story. A woman in Ethiopia had lost her husband and daughter to AIDS. She was so overcome with grief she went to live among the tombs. She wanted to die. A priest came to her one day and asked her if she would consider caring for an AIDS orphan. What did she have to lose? So she did. And eventually, she filled her home with AIDS orphans. Over 300 kids. She would go out to the streets and collect them. When asked how she could do this, she answered, how could I not do this. There is a tidal wave of need. You do not ask why ...you just do what you can. Uganda is a tidal wave of need. Sometimes the reality of it overwhelms me. I feel so sad for the desperate state of these girls. Poverty drives them. But MOPS is feeding the poor. Today they had a feast, and everyone eats as much as they could.   And they helped save a girl’s life. An old woman has come to faith in Christ.  And eventually, a young women like Ruth will learn to be a hairdresser. Her kids will go to school. It is not easy, and it does not change all of Uganda. But for these women there is hope. And I’m grateful to play a part.

More photo's from the feast.



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