The old adage ‘Leave them alone. They are happy like they are’ takes on life and death meaning when missionary Melissa Williamson looks down at the kicking breathing newborn. Her fate: being born second, which in Nagi land, is a death sentence.
The newborn’s pathetic cry grows weaker as no one holds her. No one reaches down to bring her to the life giving sustenance of her mother’s milk.
Melissa asks the baby’s mother to consider saving the other twin. Melissa explains that the 2nd twin was just as worthy of living, but her reasoning seems to fall on deaf ears. Long established tribal traditions and fear will dictate what the young mother will do with her second born twin.
Melissa quietly leaves the birthing hut where one baby is cuddled and the other lies alone upon a mat. This missionary team needs God’s wisdom. What can they do? What should they do? How can the missionaries among the Nagi change the family’s mind? A quick email is sent to ask for prayer. Only a miracle can save this newborn twin.
But a miracle does happen. The birth family agrees that the child can live if someone would take her. Soon another family steps up to take the 2nd twin and raise her as their own. The missionary team provides formula for the adoptive family and shows them how to prepare the bottles for feeding.
Never in Nagi traditions has this happened. The prayers of God’s people have made a difference. Perhaps this example will help the people understand God’s grace when the missionaries are able to present God’s story in the Nagi language.
To leave the hundreds of thousands of tribal people alone means eternal death, and the life they have, now, is not happy, but fraught with fears and taboos, with quarreling and feuds. The innocent die, and those who live, live in fear.
Nagi people need to hear and understand the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They need the redemptive work of God’s Spirit and a new born heart and mind that desires the sincere milk of the Word of God. Please pray this day comes quickly.
Greg Wiens says
I have twins, and I cannot imagine life without both. The world view that comes from God that every person is invaluable to God is the cornerstone to our civilization. But look how quickly we loose that idea when philosophies like Darwinism come in and become our “new truth”. We kill over 200,000 babies every year in Canada simply because we don’t want them.
God will use this child in an amazing way in the future to bring the gospel message to his people. Praise God.
Pray that we will start saving more unborn children in Canada and the US.
Rhoda says
Praise God! Reading this brought tears to my eyes.