Priviledged Pain...

Mr. Dino! What a boy!? I don't have pictures of when he entered the center but he was extremely malnourished and as you can see God performed a miracle in him over the last 2 years while he lived with us. I met him just like this...happy, healthy, joyful, playful, sweet as can be, jolly, and adorable. I have written about the vision I had at a youth conference before I came here (you can read about it here: http://nurseinmozambique.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-gauntlet-story-for-tonightand.html). Dino is one of the boys who has made that vision come true almost daily. He never failed to see me across the playground or Baby House and come running (in only the way a very chubby 3 year old can) toward me. It didn't matter if I was busy and just passing through or coming to play for awhile...he came running yelling...Mana Meghann...got his huge hug, gave me a big smile, and headed off to share his love and joy with another. What an amazing boy!? Truly a blessing from the Lord.





Tonight all the missionaries gathered for home group, our weekly time to worship, learn, and pray together. We worshiped for a bit and then all headed to the Baby House to pray with the tias who work there. Our tias are the Mozambican women who give their lives daily to spend every other 4 days living on our center with our kids. They are saints. They do the job of a mother, foster parent, cleaner, day care worker, and father all rolled into one. They do a job I could never hope to have the strength, patience, love, or care to do. They literally amaze me daily. We got to pray over them and watch the Lord begin to heal their hearts tonight. They all cried right along side me who balled my way through the entire night. We then headed back to view pictures of our dear friend (much like the ones I've uploaded here) and just share about his life and what he's meant to most of us. I've already told you a lot about him but one conclusion we all came to is that it has been a privilege for all to have him in our lives. We have each received countless e-mails from others who have been impacted by this little guy through pictures and stories over updates (me included). He was just a light to all those who knew or saw him. He truly was full of God's love and joy.





My other realization is that I am not just grieving over my first lost patient. Dino was not just a patient to any of us (as all the kids here on the center are not just patients). They are our kids. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have children at 22 needless to say have to bury one. Instead I have been blessed with about 40 under the age of 6 and about 250 others who roam the center I live on. In the last few months I had become Dino's family. He was abandoned at 17 months old and from that point on all he knew was our Baby House. The only people he knew who loved him were tias, missionaries, nurses, and our Lord. He was our child here on earth and now he's with his heavenly father.

Please continue praying for our staff, missionaries, tias, and children as well. We did share with the Baby House kids yesterday that Dino was sick and went to the hospital. He will not be coming back to live with us but instead is in heaven with Jesus. There will be countless times we each answer their questions as they process the fact that Dino really is not coming back. Just keep praying for strength, peace, comfort, and healing for us all.

And to keep you posted the funeral has been moved to Friday at 10:00 because Thursday is the Presidential Inauguration here in Moz.