You may recall the story (recounted here and here) of Baby Moses. It was so heart-rending. When my son and his team visited her home in Swaziland, they were shocked by what they saw – a woman who seemed barely alive and her five children who blinked at them from the darkness.
She was laying on the ground with a baby that was pitifully small and fragile.
Her name, they learned, was Philile. They called her baby, “Baby Moses.”
My son’s team began to care for Philile and her family, including Baby Moses. He began gaining weight, and things were looking up. But one day, he got an infection and died shortly thereafter.
On our trip to Swaziland this past month, Jumbo introduced me to a lady with a bright infectious smile, “Seth, this is Philile, baby Moses’ mom.”
I couldn’t believe it! She looked so healthy, so normal. Jumbo continued, “She’s been taking her ARV’s [anti-retroviral medication that slows the impact of the HIV virus]. And your son’s team and a donor have helped ensure she gets proper nutrition.”
I talked to Philile, and she described her baby’s funeral, how she’d been so weak that Seth and Aaron had to carry her to the grave site.
“My life hasn’t been easy,” she said, “but now my children and I are eating regularly.” She has even been helping us feed the many orphans in the area through our care points.
Our team looked at her ramshackle mud and sticks home and decided that something had to be done. We believe in a God of redemption, a God who takes unbearable tragedies like Baby Moses’ death and turns them for good. In the weeks to come, we plan to build Philile and her family a new home. And then we intend to see Baby Moses’ memory produce a legacy of goodness that amazes the world. Please pray with us to that end.
