We received a call from Angoram, the biggest town along the Sepik River. A mom was having birthing complications with a hand presentation. Luke drove to the Wewak Hospital to pick up a nurse and they made the flight to pick up Rosita. They started the flight to the hospital in Wewak, and toward the end of the 20-minute flight Luke heard the nurse say “here comes the baby!” The nurse got ready to catch the baby and about a minute later he was born. It looked like the very small infant was a stillborn, but after landing Luke realized that the baby was alive, so they got them to the hospital quickly to receive medical attention.
Luke and I, as well as Betty and Catherine from our hospital ministry team, visited Rosita and the baby every day to make sure they had what they needed and to show her she was loved by us and God. We rejoiced in God allowing us to be a part of her story.
Though only 800 grams (1.7lbs), Rosita’s baby fought for days; he didn’t have the strength to nurse and was being fed with a feeding tube. Unfortunately, he got an infection and kept dropping weight. One day when Catherine returned from the hospital, she said he had passed overnight and Rosita had gone back to her village that morning. We never saw her again. It was hard for our team not to have closure with this family. Our hearts were broken for Rosita and her baby boy. We continue to pray that Rosita’s heart was stirred during her time in the hospital. In our broken world, we don’t always get the ending we desire, but God’s grace points us towards Christ’s return when all things become new.