Our first Good-bye

Back in 2009, I came to Beautiful Gate with a mission team and one of the main jobs of our team was having the men build a memorial wall for children who have passed away while being cared for at Beautiful Gate. I never thought at the time it was being built that I'd be back here and the moment that Bryan and I have feared for the past 7 1/2 months has happened. We will be adding a new name to the wall.

A little baby girl who was sick from the time we got her a few months ago and has been in and out of the hospital with pneumonia, possibly TB and complications with HIV has lost her battle and has gone on to be held in Jesus' arms. She will be missed and I am glad that the Bo 'Me' were able to hold, feed, and love on her for the brief time we had her here. I did not get to hold her much as she was sick a lot, but my family and I have been blessed for being able to be a part of her brief stay here at Beautiful Gate (she was not placed for adoption yet for those of you who are adopting from BG and follow our blog).

I don't know when we will have her funeral or what role Bryan will have to play in that ceremony. I don't know the words yet to explain this loss and the causes of it to our children, but do plan to allow them to be a part of the funeral if they choose. I know God will comfort the Bo'Me' who cared for her and He will give us the wisdom and grace to handle this very sad loss of such a precious little daughter of God. So I will write more later but want to leave you with this poem from the memorial wall at Beautiful Gate...

Only a baby's grave-
A foot or Two at most,
Of tear-soaked earth, But a loving God
knows what the little grave cost.

Only a baby's life-
Brief as a perfumed kiss,
So quickly it goes,
But our Father knows
We are nearer to Him for this.