A smile that did not fade.

A while back I posted a blog about a young woman called Mary Chris.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3693430664629924875#editor/target=post;postID=4672577958483815256

When we met her she was dying before our eyes. Through the help partners giving we were able to cover her medical costs and weekly needs. We watched as she battled through stages of weakness and gained strength. She was recovering well from Tuberculosis and malnutrition. She gained weight and energy. She went from having no force to utter a word to holding conversations and laughing. We knew God was answering prayer and we were believing for a total healing.

No matter what condition she was in when we went to visit- she always smiled. Sometimes her body was so skeletal and her tiny hands felt like they would crumble in mine, but her smile was alive and full of beauty. She was beautiful.

This week we learned from our team  that Mary Chris died. I was shocked. I thought she was getting better? She was much stronger than before and the doctors were happy with her progress. We learned she was having flu symptoms and then for 3 days did not want to eat or drink anything. On the afternoon of the 4th day she died,leaving behind a young husband and 2 year old daughter. It just didn't make sense.

It turns out the Doctor at the public hospital had advised her that she no longer needed to continue her TB treatment. I am no expert, but I know with TB for recovery to be successful patients have to complete the 6 month treatment. The final diagnosis of her death was dehydration with the root cause of TB and meningitis.The doctors did not diagnose the meningitis until after her death. So very sad.

I felt so heavy hearted and disappointed. What else could we have done to prevent this?" What "if's" start whirling through the mind as you examine every "could we have?". We have seen many deaths on the dump site.Some are sudden, like a child being mangled by a dump truck.This is so unjust and it should never happen.Perhaps such deaths can be stopped in the long term by getting the children physically off the site.But at that moment when these tragedies happen we physically can't do anything about it. With a long term illness I always feel there must be something else we could have done. I know ultimately our times are in Gods hands, but in all honesty I still can't help feeling so sad and frustrated when young lives are so cruelly snuffed out. I don't believe suffering is from God.I believe when he sees the cries of the poor,the screams of the sick or the final breaths of the dying his heart is sore too. Jesus wept for his friend Lazurus when he died.He is a feeling Jesus.

The only comfort I have in the death of Mary Chris is that she asked Jesus into her heart during her illness. There wasn't much in her tiny house,but there was a bible that she read. When she was too weak to only lie all day and night on her matress on the floor she played worship songs on the small radio we got her. She was an example of how to smile- even through agon she made an effort to smile.

The other day one of our team told us that as they sat with her before she died she still smiled. I know most of you did not Mary Chris,but I would like you to know she existed-she was loved and she had a smile that did not fade.

taken 2 month ago.

I will miss her smile.