Wolfgang saw Princess the first time about 2,5 months ago in a hospital he sometimes goes to because he can help big time with his skills in ultrasound - making better diagnosics possible and helping many children and grown-ups to get the right treatment, often life-saving!
Wolfgang would love to see not only as many patients as possible being helped through his skills but also to train others to use it, for there are about 3 ultrasound machines in this country. Standing in the corner and collecting dust for no one in Liberia knows how to use it!
Princess was in the hospital because of severe weight loss and excrutiating abdominal pain - and Wolfgang "found" a huge tumor in her liver, hoping it would be the fast growing kind - a so-called burkitts-lymphoma - for that is the only kind of malign tumor that can be treated with chemo here in this country. They started the treatment without biopsy hoping it would make a difference, and knowing that medically speaking that was her only chance anyway.
Princess came to the ship about a month later and Wolfgang did an ultasound again - hoping so much that the tumor would have gotten smaller as a sign of being burkitts`....
The tumor was the same size - and Princess´s belly had the size of a watermelon now - but her arms and legs were thin like sticks. Her aunt brought her to the ship for her mother had abandoned her, not able to cope with this suffering. She left and went to a different african country, trying to run away from her inability to deal with the situation of her daughter.
We were all struck by the realisation that medically there was no hope for Princess - that we will have to see her die unless a miracle would happen.
We see many miracles happen here - children that are expected not to live through the night and get well after praying for them ... we believe that God is doing so much in the lives of these people, so much that exceeds our limited possibilities by far!
We don´t have answers to why we can sometimes experience God´s intervention in a miraculous way and at other times we don´t see it or experience in the way we would want it. But miracles are so much more than healings: For me it was a miracle to see her Aunt take such wonderful care for this abandoned child, telling me about the deep love she suddenly feels for Princess and that she is even able to forgive Princess´s mom despite the anger and even hatred she felt in the beginning...
The biggest miracle for me was to be able to pray with Princess and see her put her trust in Jesus, asking him to come into her life and becoming the daughter and princess of the king of kings! It was nothing I imposed on her - she wanted it!!! She felt that there is more than just us and our short time on this earth...
I was able to go and visit her a week later at her Auntie´s house and her Aunt told me how much Princess changed after that: Even though her physical status got worse, she had so much peace in her, was smiling often despite the pain and said that all her fear is gone!
Last week Princess died.
Someone from the ship was able to be there when she passed away - and told us that right before she died , her face lit up and was suddenly shining, and she lifted her weak arm and pointed to the ceiling as if there was something incredibly beautiful - well, not visible to our human eyes... She died very peacefully and we know that she is with Jesus. You might not believe in Jesus and trust him with all the important questions in life - but let me tell you: when you experience something like the life of Princess, you stop asking why she had to undergo such sickness - you are amazed to see that obviously there is a better life waiting for us when we place our trust in the only one that can give us this peace, this life in his presence that is so much better than anything awesome we could ever have on this earth. Oh, how much would we have loved to see Princess be healed. But we know that she is doing so well now, not having any pain or need, and experiencing the fullness of the goodness of God - something that we can get a glimpse of here already and don´t want those moments to pass.
Can you read what truth this taxidriver wrote on his old, beat-up car?
Better days ahead!!!
Let me tell you, we learn sooo much ourselves by being here! I hope we can let you be a tiny part of that by sharing our experiences....
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