Update on Sleepless Nights

Update on Sleepless nights.

After the woman, Mariana, rejected our offer to drive her to Port au Prince, she came back to request help, after it was too late in the day to travel. At 4:00 the next morning the family found other transportation to a different hospital located in Mirebalais. This is a very good hospital, but did not have the specialist Mariana needed. Denise and Anita, an American friend and co-worker, had researched where Mariana would be able to get the care she needed.

Mariana went to the hospital and died the following morning.

We have seen the family since and they do not seem to have ill feelings. However, they came to the house and pleaded with Denise to drive to Mirebalais to bring the body home for the funeral. The family told Denise that they could not find any one else to do this.

This would be a 4 to 5 hour trip each way and the country is in turmoil. There are daily demonstrations, and travel is not secure.

The trip needed to take place yesterday, Wednesday. It would require leaving at 4:00 a.m. in order to be back for the funeral at 3:00. Also Tuesday afternoon the casket needed to be picked up.

Denise felt strongly that we needed to do this. I on the other hand did not feel that this was our responsability. I think that we are here to serve the living, and that we had given all we had to help Mariana when she was alive. Denise thought that this was a spiritual need for the family.

After discussing and praying about it, I agreed to make the trip on the condition that the polical climate calmed enough that we would not be exposing ourselves to unneccesary dangers.

On Tuesday morning there appeared to be a lull in the demonstrations and we sent word to the family that we would make the trip. I had meetings in the morning and we planned on going to town in the afternoon to pick up the casket.

When I returned at noon, Johnny and Bermane went to the family to tell them we were ready to go. The family had made other arrangements………

The church was overflowing.