Goodbye Ruth

Yesterday was a memorial service for Ruth. We wrote about her in our last newsletter. (We called her Naomi because we can't legally give the real names of children here.) Here is what we wrote:


This is Naomi (not her real name for legal reasons.) We picked her up from the government hospital when she was 2 months old. Her mother had given birth to her at the hospital and left her there. She was 2 months premature at birth. Naomi weighs just over 3 pounds. She is so tiny, that the baby growing in Jenny’s womb (at 31 weeks) currently weighs more than this little 2 month old baby. She is so small and fragile, you can’t help but be moved when you hold her. Please pray for her health and that she will be adopted into a loving family.


Last week Ruth passed on. It's always hard when we lose a child, but this was especially hard because it was unexpected. She had grown quite a bit while in our care and seemed to be doing quite well. The doctor told us that it is not unusual for a premature baby to die unexpectedly like this. Their tiny bodies are so fragile. What also makes this hard is that Ruth was HIV negative, and had been released by her mother, meaning that she could have been adopted.
Even though it is difficult to face emotional situations like this, we wouldn't trade the experience for anything. So much of life is mundane, structured, and seemingly meaningless. These kind of experiences remind us of the value and significance of the life that we have. I pray that when we leave the shelter that we don't become numb with the day to day life. I don't ever want to forget how precious life is and how it is so much more meaningful when you are helping others.

"I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good that I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." William Penn