All for 3,000 Kwacha ($21)

I have happy news and sad news. I'll start with the good: The baby that I helped resuscitate yesterday is doing miraculously well. When I went to check on her, I found her kicking and crying. She moved all of her extremities and had good color. I was so relieved. I think that I can honestly say that that was the first time that I saved a life. She seems strong and I hope that she continues to rally.

The bad: Today was a sad day in the pre-natal clinic. I helped do ultrasounds on the mothers to be. Unfortunately, we had to tell 4 of them that their babies had passed away. The worst case was a woman that was 7 months pregnant. 4 days ago some robbers came to her house and asked for 3,000 kwacha (about $21). When she couldn't provide it, they beat her and kicked her in the stomach. This was a fatal blow the fetus inside her and now she must labor to birth a still born. It was a sad sad thing, and it just made life seem so cheap.

Hmmm...Maybe I should have started with the bad, I don't like ending on a negative note.

Tomorrow we head out of town again, this time to the Zomba plateau where we will hike and relax and try to cope with the difficult things that we saw this week while in awe of creation.