National Geographic in Real Life

Hi everyone! This is Elise and Amanda R. Thank you again for following our blog! We are so thankful for all of you and feel so blessed to have you praying for us as well as the people here in Badplaas.
 

Today started bright and early for our team as we left Prayer Mountain at 4:00 AM for our safari at Kruger National Park. All in all, it was a beautiful day of rest and an opportunity to bask in God's creation as we ventured around the park to see impala, giraffes, lions, kudu, hippos, elephants, leopards, and many other amazing animals. We rode in open vehicles around the reserve and were within feet of some of the animals, even lions who had just finished a hunt hours before. I know there are some great pictures that we can't wait to share when we get home!

We wanted to share with everyone a patient that we saw together yesterday. More importantly, we would like all of you to lift her up in your prayers. She was a young woman in her 20s, 5 months pregnant, and verified to us that she is HIV positive. She had been experiencing abdominal pain and bleeding for the past month. Very concerned, we consulted with Jamie, who works in OB at home. Everything looked OK on physical exam as far as we could see, but we were very limited without more advanced equipment. Using the doppler, we were able to find the baby's heartbeat and were relieved to find that it was strong. It was so exciting to hear, but the woman didn't seem phased even after we told her that the baby was OK. Her overall demeanor was completely flat. We had been warned that we may encounter women like this, but it still hit us hard. Worried that maybe she didn't want the baby, we asked if she had tried to get rid of it. At first, she said yes. Our hearts sunk. After some digging, she changed her story. With the language barrier, it's difficult to tell if things were translated properly. Regardless, we tried to explain to her that her situation was very concerning but unfortunately we did not have the proper equipment to examine her. We encouraged her to get to a hospital as soon as possible because her baby's life as well as her own life might be in danger. Quickly, she became very angry with us, telling us we were selfish with our medication. She wanted nothing more to do with us, refused to allow us to pray with her, and tried to leave the clinic. We were each praying for guidance at this point even as we spoke with her. We tried redirecting the situation by providing her with some vitamins from the pharmacy. We again stressed the importance of getting to a hospital, gave her the vitamins, and she agreed to let us pray with her. The Lord worked so powerfully in this situation, and He was able soften her heart enough to let us pray with her. We lifted her up in prayer, knowing this situation was completely out of our hands, and trusting that God was in control.

This young lady's name is Thandi. We spoke with Beth, our local Emoyeni contact, about the situation. She explained that while it might be difficult, it was far from impossible for Thandi to access the hospital. If she can get to the hospital, care is free.

Please lift Thandi and her baby up to the Lord in prayer. Pray that God continues to soften her heart and that she is able to feel His awesome presence. Pray that she is able to make it to the hospital and that her medical condition is not life threatening to either her or her baby. Please also remember that she is HIV positive, that she still has 4 months left in her pregnancy, and that HIV patients require special care throughout the delivery process. Our God's power is greater than any power that man contains. Through Him, we know that all things are possible.

We love you all and miss you very much!

Here's Dumbo's Dad :)