A story from Christy Oberst, an Anawim Home Team Member:
Since I have been back, I have tried to get back on a normal schedule, the jet lag was pretty bad. I have had more energy the past few days, but I think what’s getting me down is trying to figure out what to do with myself. In Nigeria, as soon as you wake up at 5am to whenever you are able to fall asleep at night, you are constantly moving and it got pretty exhausting. We would all push through the times we were exhausted, to be able to spend the little time left with everyone. As tired as I was in those moments, I am so glad I continued on my day. I now realize even more, how happy I was there. Yes, we were constantly busy with not much time to ourselves but we had a purpose that day and were with the best most loving people ever created. This brought me back to one morning…
I was sick when I woke up and not feeling school that day, mainly because I didn’t want to deal with the toilets there. Sister Oreosa told Lisa and me, we could stay back with the Mom’s that day instead of going off to school. My immediate thought was of relief and that I could go back to sleep for an hour before I started my day. Instead of going right back to bed, I went outside to see the kids off. All of a sudden the mother, Happiness, runs by upset and hops into the van with her 3 week old son Harry. Lisa and I run after her and hop into the van and go on our way to the hospital.
Harry’s shaking hand was stuck next to his face and had apparently not moved it since the night before. We reach the hospital (a tiny building, with 2 rooms and 2 beds in each, no real equipment..basically nothing). Becky had given birth to her son the night before (who did not breathe for the first 10 minutes of life) and was still in the room along with another mother, Blessing, and her son Joseph. The room was extremely cramped so I pick up Joseph, who is about 16 months old, because he was trying to walk around everywhere. He starts to choke on bread, and in Blessings and mine efforts to get the food out of his mouth, he throws up all over me about 4 times. I honestly have no idea how all of that came out of a little boy. I threw off my shirt and the doctor used it to clean up the room, but that was all he used to clean up the mess. As I am out back cleaning myself off , I start to laugh and I was not sure why but I couldn’t stop. I was thinking I couldn’t believe that had just happened, but why did the doctor still have a newborn baby who almost died the night before, a sick 3 week old baby with a high fever and an infection, with 5 other people all together in an un-disinfected room? We were confused as to why the doctor did not at least move the newborn and Becky into the next room so he did not catch anything.
Then Harry starts to have seizures and goes limp while Happiness is holding him crying. I held back my tears to try and stay strong for Happiness, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done. The nurse stands over the baby, says his infection has gone to the brain, and then walks away. Lisa and I try to give them more space and we sat in the waiting area with Joseph. As we are waiting, Harry starts to convulse again and someone runs after the nurse to tell her to come back and help, she refused and just kept walking down the street. I try to not judge others, but I was so confused as to why she would not come back and not able to comprehend it. So I was now livid in addition to being terrified and upset. Lisa had to act as the nurse, put on the gloves, and help the doctor give shots to Harry.
I am still trying to wrap my head around all those events and I may never understand but what’s important is after three days in the hospital, Harry came back to Anawim. His infection was now only on his arms instead of all over his body. It was in that moment that I saw God’s power and presence, because without it Harry and Becky’s newborn boy would not have been here.
I am so glad that I did not waste time sleeping that morning, and decided to go outside. Since I have been home, I realized that as scared, angry, and sad I was in those moments, I would have rather been there than anywhere else.
Since I have been back, I have tried to get back on a normal schedule, the jet lag was pretty bad. I have had more energy the past few days, but I think what’s getting me down is trying to figure out what to do with myself. In Nigeria, as soon as you wake up at 5am to whenever you are able to fall asleep at night, you are constantly moving and it got pretty exhausting. We would all push through the times we were exhausted, to be able to spend the little time left with everyone. As tired as I was in those moments, I am so glad I continued on my day. I now realize even more, how happy I was there. Yes, we were constantly busy with not much time to ourselves but we had a purpose that day and were with the best most loving people ever created. This brought me back to one morning…
I was sick when I woke up and not feeling school that day, mainly because I didn’t want to deal with the toilets there. Sister Oreosa told Lisa and me, we could stay back with the Mom’s that day instead of going off to school. My immediate thought was of relief and that I could go back to sleep for an hour before I started my day. Instead of going right back to bed, I went outside to see the kids off. All of a sudden the mother, Happiness, runs by upset and hops into the van with her 3 week old son Harry. Lisa and I run after her and hop into the van and go on our way to the hospital.
Harry’s shaking hand was stuck next to his face and had apparently not moved it since the night before. We reach the hospital (a tiny building, with 2 rooms and 2 beds in each, no real equipment..basically nothing). Becky had given birth to her son the night before (who did not breathe for the first 10 minutes of life) and was still in the room along with another mother, Blessing, and her son Joseph. The room was extremely cramped so I pick up Joseph, who is about 16 months old, because he was trying to walk around everywhere. He starts to choke on bread, and in Blessings and mine efforts to get the food out of his mouth, he throws up all over me about 4 times. I honestly have no idea how all of that came out of a little boy. I threw off my shirt and the doctor used it to clean up the room, but that was all he used to clean up the mess. As I am out back cleaning myself off , I start to laugh and I was not sure why but I couldn’t stop. I was thinking I couldn’t believe that had just happened, but why did the doctor still have a newborn baby who almost died the night before, a sick 3 week old baby with a high fever and an infection, with 5 other people all together in an un-disinfected room? We were confused as to why the doctor did not at least move the newborn and Becky into the next room so he did not catch anything.
Then Harry starts to have seizures and goes limp while Happiness is holding him crying. I held back my tears to try and stay strong for Happiness, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done. The nurse stands over the baby, says his infection has gone to the brain, and then walks away. Lisa and I try to give them more space and we sat in the waiting area with Joseph. As we are waiting, Harry starts to convulse again and someone runs after the nurse to tell her to come back and help, she refused and just kept walking down the street. I try to not judge others, but I was so confused as to why she would not come back and not able to comprehend it. So I was now livid in addition to being terrified and upset. Lisa had to act as the nurse, put on the gloves, and help the doctor give shots to Harry.
I am still trying to wrap my head around all those events and I may never understand but what’s important is after three days in the hospital, Harry came back to Anawim. His infection was now only on his arms instead of all over his body. It was in that moment that I saw God’s power and presence, because without it Harry and Becky’s newborn boy would not have been here.
I am so glad that I did not waste time sleeping that morning, and decided to go outside. Since I have been home, I realized that as scared, angry, and sad I was in those moments, I would have rather been there than anywhere else.
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