God's Gift of Hope

The first time I saw Ana she was about one month old. I could hold her in one hand and she weighed about six pounds. My first impression was one of sorrow, sorrow for the conditions that so many thousands lived in. My next thoughts were those of pain. Pain that Donna and Hilary would face when little Ana died. How much pain would they be able to deal with as they loved the little lives struggling to stay alive. Each day the moaning and sorrow songs could be heard across the mission station.

With the rainy season approaching I was very busy, usually only home in the evening. Each evening Donna or Hilary would bring me up to date about Ana. Some evenings the update was good and other times it was troublesome. The diagnosis from the doctors pretty much stayed the same. If she survived she would face multiple problems. As the rains came my time at home was even less. My responsibilities were such that during the rainy season I was working pretty much 24-7 .

During the first rainy season Donna faced her darkest hours with Ana. For a period of hours Ana was suffering from seizures. In the rain Donna walked up to the hospital with Ana to talk with her Dutch friend. Dr. Analeese told Donna just to take her home and love her because she would probably not survive the night. When Donna got back home the seizures grew stronger and more frequent. Donna spent a couple of hours singing to and holding Ana. She said that as she sang and rocked little Ana she gave her back to God. She fell asleep in the chair not knowing if Ana would be alive in the morning.

I came in about three in the morning and found Donna asleep in the chair. Ana was cradled with her face in the crook of her arm. As I came close to Donna she awoke with a start and almost jumped from the chair. In an instant she tried to hand Ana to me. And when she did Ana began to stir and then cry. With tears streaming down her face Donna kept telling me, "She's alive, she's alive. That night was a turning point in the life of Ana Syoma, "God's Gift of Hope". Later Donna would tell me of the nights travails.