Indescribable Joy

For the last month, the internet in Niger has been non-existent at worst and sporadic at best . . . and the longer this lasts, the more stories pile up that I long to share!  Today, it has already cut once, but I hope it will last long enough to post this story and begin the catch-up phase.

This photo above was taken last summer, when a team from my church came to visit.  This child that I am holding is a miracle!  When  1 in 10 women in Niger die during childbirth, it is always a joy to see a newborn baby.  However, this baby was born to a mother who was barren for 23 years of marriage!  This mother was a teenager when she married and has never given birth - in fact, she didn't believe the doctor when he told her that she was pregnant. 

The joy on her face is unmistakeable - she did not stop smiling during our whole visit.  Indeed, I am sure that she has not stopped smiling since the birth of the baby 8 days prior!  The father looked just as proud and happy.  He has since married a second wife who gave him children, he is in fact already a grandfather, but the joy on his face to see his first wife give birth and have a child with her was just as evident as the smile on her face.

This young baby girl will be cherished.  In a country where 1 in 4 children will die before the age of five, this baby girl has a long and perilous journey ahead!  It was a joy for us - the ladies from my church and I - to pray for this young girl.  We asked the mother what she would like us to pray for, her response: health, and that her daughter would receive and education and grow up maybe to be a doctor.  What a privelege to petition our Father of love to protect and bring health to this little baby.