Please do not cease praying for us

Dear friends and family,
We knew before returning to Mozambique that this year was going to be a tougher one than last year - knowing this we even asked some of you to intercede more on our behalf during this coming year. We, however, hoped that the "toughness" of this year would not actually have anything to do with the children that we look after. This is not the case. This week has been more trying than the previous ones and ended very sadly for everyone here at the centre.
Helena was an 11 year old going on 20, full of life & drama who loved everyone around her. She loved to dance and sing, she loved attention. She liked to pout and be loved on, she was a normal 11 year old girl who I've known and cared for since 2004. She came to our centre as a baby, so she was family to everyone. On the 7th of June she started with a headache and fever. It took the 5th and 6th doctor and 9 days later to actually do the proper exams and admit her to hospital. The following morning (day 10) she was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and by that evening, passed away in hospital, the most painful death I have ever witnessed. This has brought great sadness to everyone involved. We sit here trying to figure out how such injustice and lack of proper judgement could exist at such an extent. We sit and grieve for a country that experiences such injustice as normal as day to day living. And we grieve for such a full life that feels so unnecessarily lost. We fought for her, worried for her and cared for her in those last days and still it was not enough. We prayed and asked God to touch and heal and take away her pain and yet, she was still taken from us in such a forceful way! And yet I am relieved her suffering (which was great) is over - and that 2 days before her untimely death she spoke out loud that Jesus was her salvation - how amazingly grateful I am to have that memory knowing for sure that she sits with Jesus in Heaven now. How grateful I am for God's amazing mercy over her. But we grieve her absence and as we watch her "sisters" - all the girls she lived with and grew up with and the "mommas" - tias who cared for her through the years - we hurt for them who have lost a sister, a friend, a daughter.
Friday, June 17th was a day like no other, started out rather innocently, moved into crisis and ended with death in our hands. How much can a person be stretched?! I am learning this. Friday we received Helena's diagnosis  as a punch in the stomach - one of our Mozambican nurses kindly reminded me that bacterial meningitis can be contagious. I immediately moved into crisis mode thinking of the 260ish children who live on our base and all of the tias and nurses who had been caring for Helena hands on. I quickly did research and found out a simple one-off treatment with Ciprofloxacin was all that was required for post-exposure prophylaxis. Now I needed to compose a list of those who had "close" contact with Helena in the last 9 days. Oh, Lord, help! And he did - Helena had slept in 3 different bedrooms in the last 9 days, shared with many different little girls, was cared for hands-on by many different tias and nurses...and within 3 hours of the news everyone required had been treated - I don't know how, but Hallelujah! Through the afternoon I was attending to frantic calls about Helena quickly going downhill in hospital and as evening approached we arrived at hospital a few minutes too late. She was finally at peace after such a fight. I knelt over her, placed a hand on her head and her chest, still warm. I watched, nothing, I prayed, almost scared to breathe, willing Helena to breathe, she couldn't be gone. And then the tears came heavy as I saw the injustice of it all - 6 doctors - such terrible pain - how could they miss this?! And then they asked me to leave the room because you do not cry.
We believe Helena's funeral will be either Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning and would appreciate your prayers for all of her "family" here at Iris and out in the community.

Clinic Update

We've been back in Mozambique 3 weeks now and quite a few of you have asked what is going on with the clinic closure and what movement there has been. I am sorry to say there is not much more to report other than we are still trying to get more answers from the Ministry of Health, but there are other dilemmas as well. Here are some of the dilemmas and prayer points:

• Ministry of Health - that we would be able to find favor in getting answers/understanding on HOW to do what they've asked us to do in order to reopen - that they would be able to provide guidance  - specific answers about the size of our health post and the existence of a pharmacy within our walls and which medicines we can legally carry & dispense
• Protocols - there are no written protocols (at least up till now no one has been able to provide us with any) - specifically on wound care, proper equipment to be using, etc.
• Personnel - our foreign medical personnel are diminishing rapidly. That the Lord would send medical staff with more of a heart to encourage, empower and train up the Mozambican staff.
• Western nurses cannot participate in reopening of the clinic - we are only here as visitors and cannot participate in any official way -we need to take more of a backseat & support & hold up the Mozambican medical staff’s arms - wisdom to know how to do this
• Mozambican staff capacity and competence - they will be required to take more of a front seat - the success of this clinic reopening sits on the Mozambicans - we need Mozambican personnel with the capacity, vision and heart to reopen & then run the clinic.
• Trust and confidence in those we work with and them in us
• Transparency

These dilemmas run much deeper than the words themselves. They makes us question whether reopening is wise...daily I feel like a Pendulum swinging to and fro from that which I know in my heart to that which I can see with my eyes - wanting wise answers and solutions as we consider ALL the facts & as we consider that which we KNOW of our Father. As I think on these things, I have heard the following scripture: .
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. 1 Cor 10:23 (ANIV)
And although this scripture may not fit in context, I continue to hear it. Feel free to set me straight.
So, as we seek wise council through some Mozambican doctors, medical administrators, lawyers and so on we seek our Wisest Counselor's face and ask Him to direct our path and help us think outside the box and to walk by faith and not by sight. All things are possible through Him.
I tell you all of the above so you can see the dilemmas that we are facing and so you can pray specifically for us as we work through these concerns.

Gloria - sitting on her own!

Clearly we desire to reopen the clinic - as it is a benefit to so many and most of all an asset to the community and our children - but in all that has happened over the last months it is clear that we cannot carry on in the same fashion. Much will have to change and we may need to minimize the amount of outside care we provide so we make sure our first priority is covered (that is the children entrusted into our care).

Sheila - growing so well!

Even in the midst of all this, it has been wonderful to be back. It is so good to be with the children again and they are gorgeous!! God has been very good to us and we do feel privileged to be serving Him here!

Thank you for walking this journey with us, which in the end will be a testimony of His faithfulness.

Please write us at sheristeer@gmail.com. (Best not to try to comment directly to the blog because for many this doesn't work properly).
Love and Blessings from us!
Sheri & Matthew Steer