...a time to weep

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a).

I love the first part of the second verse, "a time to be born." That is what our work at the birthing home is all about. We help during that time to be born. But we really dislike the second part of the verse, "a time to die." There aren't supposed to be deaths at a place where life is introduced to the world. And yet it is inevitable.

The maternal mortality rate for the Philippines according to the World Health Organization is 1 for every 500 deliveries. And Antipolo, the city where we serve, has an even higher rate than that. If Shalom were in keeping with this statistic, we would have a death every 2-3 months. Last week, we had our 3rd maternal death in over 19 years. The fact that we have such an incredible track record doesn't make the few deaths we do have any easier. It is still unspeakably difficult to have a mom die.

And yet, we cling to promises that God is in control of life, He is sovereign, and He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, even when the process of that "good" hurts terribly. Please pray for all of us at the birthing home as we grapple with that hurt. Please pray Isaiah 26:3 for us, "You keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You." Pray that when the doubts come raging in, we would cling to the promises we know in our heads, but sometimes forget in our hearts. Please pray that we would grow stronger and closer as a team who are seeking to show the love of Christ to a hurting and oh-so-vulnerable group of people. And please pray for the family of the mother who died, that they would come to know Jesus as their Savior, Provider, and Sustainer during this time of intense loss.

Thank you for your prayers. I cannot emphasize this enough. When the tears were pouring last week, I took great comfort knowing that I have a powerful group of people praying for me and the work at Shalom. I fully believe I am sustained by God through the power of your prayers. They work. They matter. They help. Please keep them coming!