Larné is currently serving as a midwife in our medical clinical. She shares a couple of testimonies from her week in the clinic:
An older woman came in to be seen saying she had been pregnant for a year and still hadn’t had her baby yet. I soon found myself
explaining to her about menopause and she seemed to accept this. Upon asking her spiritual history, she told us that she used to attend a church in the village but ever since moving to Tonj, she hadn’t been
going to a church. In fact, she had become more involved with the
witch doctors. She agreed to see the pastors and when I followed up
with her, she had re-dedicated her life to Christ and removed her
witch craft necklace that she’d been wearing and smashed it on the
ground! Rejoice!
Last Friday was an incredibly busy and long day in the clinic. At
the end of the day a woman came in early labour and I knew she
would be here late into the night. I thought about broaching the
subject of Jesus, but then decided to finish my day and do this in the
morning, as she will hopefully have had her baby and will be in a good space to be able to hear and make a decision. Early hours of the next morning I was called in a hurry as the woman was feeling ready to push. I made it into the room only just in time as the CHW (Community Health Worker) caught the baby. It was immediately evident the baby needed resuscitation…but also that something wasn’t right about the baby. He had some severe malformations. Although I worked really hard to resuscitate him, I knew from the start that he was actually incompatible with life. He wouldn’t have survived in any high-tech western hospital. Unfortunately the baby passed away. Of course, first thing as dawn broke, the woman’s family arrived to take her and the baby away and I realised my big mistake as she declined to meet with the pastor in her rush to leave. Not only was this my first time a baby had died within my care, but I had put off talking to her about Jesus the previous day because I had been keen to finish my work day…and now I had completely missed the opportunity. I felt terrible all day long.
Later that night though, this same woman returned due to pain (which, after assessment was a very normal pain after having had 6 babies). I was overjoyed that I would have a second opportunity at sharing the Good News with her and this time I was not going to let it pass! I promptly got Sabet to come and talk to her and we had the privelage and joy of watching this woman who had lost her baby only that morning, accept Jesus into her life as her Lord and Saviour. What a great way to end an emotional day! I now know that she will be given peace and comfort in this time of pain. I’m also unlikely to let an opportunity pass me by to share Jesus with someone, as a situation can change in a heart beat and the moment can pass far too easily.
