My day in Northeast India had been busy. Now at last my hostess Kim and I had an opportunity to sit quietly and visit over a cup of tea. Suddenly her husband, Pastor Paul came into the room followed by a couple with a small child in their arms. Paul apologized for the intrusion. “But this couple has come to see if there is any way we can help them.” He went on to explain that the two-year-old toddler had swallowed battery acid. The parents stepped into the room behind Paul. They held the toddler who was lethargic and could barely hold up his head. They had rushed the child to the nearest hospital, but the acid had already deeply scared the child’s esophagus and had closed off any way for the child to receive nourishment. He was in need of surgery.
When the parents could not produce the necessary 15,000 rupees or about $320 US for the child to undergo surgery, the hospital had released him and basically sent him home to die! The parents who were members of the local church had come to the pastor to seek help for their child.
My mind was flooded with questions. How could the hospital turn away this little one? Where is the value of life? How could such an accident happen in the first place? Were the parents negligent? Three hundred dollars might as well be three thousand dollars to this impoverished family. Who was I to judge their parenting skills? My own son was constantly getting into things he shouldn’t have as a toddler.
What would God have me do in this situation? I remembered the words of advice given to me years before when I first started visiting developing countries of the world. “The need doesn’t determine our response but waiting before the Father.” I turned to Pastor Paul and said I need a bit of time to pray about this. He nodded. Then turning to the parents, he sent them on their way.
I asked Kim to pray with me. As we prayed several thoughts raced through my mind. Did I have enough funds with me to cover the cost of the toddler’s surgery? I knew that if I only had a portion of what was needed, the child would still go untreated. I also knew there wasn’t time to go back home, raise the funds and send them. It would be too late. Checking the cash I had on hand, I realized I had what was needed. However, the parents needed to see the funds come not through my hands, but the hands of their pastor. I slid the cash into an envelope. Then Kim and I were off to the evening service. When we entered the church, I handed the envelope to Pastor Paul.
What were the chances that this need came up while I was in this remote village in NE India? I truly think that it was a case of God knowing ahead of time what would be needed to spare the child’s life, and He had placed me there, just as He had Esther in the Old Testament, “…for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14
