A 3 year old should not die alone. A 3 YEAR OLD SHOULD NOT DIE!

Ok...yes...I am up at an insane hour. I was just about to go to bed when I got a message from the wonderful man we may work with in Ethiopia.

He was asking me to pray for a little 3 1/2 yo girl who is in the hospital DYING! She is HIV+ and her mom died about 2 weeks ago. No one really knew they were +.....mom kept it a secret until it was too late. Ugh....and meds are free. It looks like it will be too late for this precious daughter. There is a 10 yo brother who is not +....but that is another tragedy. He lost his mom, he will lose his sister and who will raise him? I was told a neighbor is caring for him. But...will they continue? If or when they realize this boy's mother & sister "died from AIDS" will they believe he is safe to be around? The stigma is still there. I know of two women who just recently were turned away from jobs as housekeepers because they were HIV+. College educated young adults do not completely believe me when I explain the facts to them.

Ignorance is killing people.


What can we do? How soon can we do it? Is God calling us to hospice? To step into the emotionally challenging task of loving people as they die? NO one should die alone. No one should be left all alone. Everything in me wants to BE there right now.

What I really wish is that I could get on a plane tomorrow and be there to hold this little girl...so she would not die alone. Be there to comfort the little boy who will have no family whatsoever. Can you believe I priced the ticket? Oh, yes - and I have it all "figured out"....'cept the money....because I really COULD just go.

I walked about 4 miles tonight...wrestling with God. I am heartbroken and there is no other way I want to be. I cannot be "okay" with life here - the way we live it, the way we WASTE it - when I know a little girl is dying alone right now...because her mom was too afraid to tell anyone they were sick. I know their names.

How many others? Too many. Why is this something we are able to ignore? Are we okay with this....because it does not affect us? Are we human?

I would go tomorrow.

I know people think I am crazy. I guess I just really don't care.


Their names are Frehiwot and Brook.