Guest: An Everlasting Name

I’m so honored to introduce you to my dear friend, Jennifer, the missionary we are serving in Pignon, Haiti. She is an inspiring writer and wants to share her time with us living and loving and serving at Haiti Home of Hope orphanage. Her words will break your heart and inspire you to live James 1:27. This is the first time Jen has shared her life in stories with an audience, so please make sure to leave her encouraging words in the comments. Every Wednesday, I will share a new story from our featured guest blogger.

My Life Is Crazy Too is a new series of reader submissions. This is your opportunity to share stories about life, love, and mommyhood to provide understanding, hope, and compassion in the unique situations each of us face every day. If you would like to submit a story to this series, email me at karigib@gmail.com. Today’s crazy guest is Jennifer Campbell.

The events in this story transpired so quickly that Bill and Jennifer never knew the baby girl’s name. Due to the mental condition of the mother, they weren’t sure she had ever even been given a name. Therefore, for this story, we are calling her Baby Girl.

A deacon in our church brought a sick baby and her mom to see me. They called ahead of time but only said that the baby was sick. As soon as I saw Baby Girl, I knew it was bad. She wasn’t more than a year old and suffered from abuse, neglect, and starvation. She weighed maybe ten pounds. Each tiny breath caused her to moan in pain. Whippings had left open, infected wounds on her back. Her little bottom was raw and bleeding from being left in her waste. She had a swollen black eye and numerous other bruises and wounds. Instantly, my heart broke for her.

As I held her in my arms, Bill and I immediately started discussing our options. With no pediatrician at the local hospital, her chances of survival there were slim. The mentally ill mother had inflicted the injuries to the precious baby so we could not send her home. The baby was close to death.

Baby Girl was starving and we knew she needed food. While we talked of where to place her, Bill brought me a bottle of formula. I tried to get her to suck, but she was too weak. We filled a syringe and I placed a few drops of milk in her mouth. She still moaned in pain and struggled to breathe. After a few drops of formula, I began to rock her. I hoped she would rest and keep down the milk. Swaying in my arms, she settled down and drifted off to sleep. I realized this may have been the first time she experienced tenderness and compassion. As she laid there in my arms, as I rocked her and watched her sad face, she simply passed away. I was shocked. Baby Girl was only at HHH for thirty minutes; we hadn’t even had enough time to figure out how to treat her or where to place her.

What an honor to hold her little body as her soul was ushered into Heaven. While her bruised and broken body still lay in my arms, her whole and contented soul rested in the arms of Jesus. Baby Girl’s suffering was over.

We explained to the mom that Baby Girl had passed away and she took the news quietly. Then, as I held the baby, Bill shared the hope of eternal life with the mother, letting her know that Baby Girl was now in the arms of Jesus. He told the mom that she too could have eternal life and one day see her daughter again. The mom bowed her head and prayed. We do not know what happened in that young mother’s heart, but God does.

We could have so easily judged the mom and blamed her for the daughter’s death. However, rather than judgment, Bill extended compassion. Rather than blame, he offered hope. He wanted her to know that God loved her and desired a relationship with her.

The world would condemn such a mother to prison. The neglect and abuse she had inflicted on her daughter would certainly seal her guilty verdict. However, in the eyes of a holy God, her crimes – her sins – are no greater and no less than those committed by any of us. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). Bill’s recognition of the young mother’s need for love, compassion, and hope was a true reflection of the attitude of Christ. Jesus did not look down on us in our sinful state and condemn us to prison. Indeed, our sinful actions had already sealed our own guilty verdicts. “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17) and “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). His death on the cross frees us from the prison our sin had placed us in and enables us to experience the love of the Father and the hope of eternal life.

The hope of eternal life also awaits Baby Girl who died in innocence before she was old enough to understand forgiveness and salvation. Although she is remembered without a name here on earth, a new name awaits her in heaven. God Himself says, “I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off” (Isaiah 56:5).