The past few weeks we have had the World Race team staying at our house as they prepare for their next adventures. This team is a group that travels around the world for a year, ministering for weeks in all different countries. They arrived in Swaziland just a few weeks ago, and stayed in Nsoko for 3 weeks. During the team's stay in Nsoko, they met a mother who is severley sick with AIDS and tuberculosis that had a little baby boy (who they named Moses), that weighed only four pounds at six weeks old. 'The Racers' brought Moses back to our house upon their return from Nsoko so they would nurse him back to health. Come Monday morning, they decided to admit Moses into RFM hospital (my ministry site) so he could get better care and the medication he needed.

After my day off on Monday, I decided I still wanted to go to the hospital for ministry and was surprised when I saw Moses there. I was told how he was admitted and the details of his stay were still yet to be determined. After my ministry, I went back home and the moment I walked in the door, I was asked if I would mind staying at the hospital over night with Moses. I said I would not mind, grabbed my stuff, and was on my way to the hospital within the hour with one other teammate.

As I walked into RFM, I was greeted with all kinds of bizarre looks, as the women and children I normally do my ministry to, watched me come in to stay for the night. Starting at eight o'clock that night, I began feeding and holding baby Moses. All the moms in the hospital came around me, teaching me the best ways to hold him as he sleeps and eats, grabbing the nurse for whatever was needed, and doing whatever they could to help me. By midnight, I was just sitting on the hard bench next to Moses, exhausted, and realizing what these mothers do every night for their children in the hospital. I continued feeding and holding Moses as he slept through most the night. At about 4:55 am, it was noticed that Moses' breathing had lost a pattern and I was confused by what was happening. The moms that were next to me had me go get the nurse and, upon my return, I watched Moses take his last breath. 

After Moses passed away, I was left stunned as the nurse kept asking me legistical questions I didn't know the response to. This was the first time I cared for a baby and learned to love it, and then watched it pass away in front of me. This experience has made the experience the mothers in the hospital go through every day, so much more real to me. As I sat there all night with Moses, never sleeping but feeling like I was going to fall over at the same time, I could not figure out how these mothers do it every single day for months at a time.

I am still processing and grieving all that has happened, but giving praise to the Lord in everything that has happened. I am so grateful that my ministry with these women and children involves such a deeper relationship now, and thankful that I was blessed to spend those last hours with little baby Moses.