William & Stella

Way back in 2008, when I was just 7 months pregnant with Lucy, there was another family back in Tanzania that was mourning the death of their own 7-month, preterm baby who was born early and died after only a few hours.


Since then, my friends William & Stella have lost 3 more babies - 2 due to miscarriages and then another one in May 2010 born preterm at 7 months again, like the first one.


Because of the nearness of Lucy's age and my pregnancy with her to their first baby's death, I was super affected for the rest of my pregnancy.


Stella's body obviously has trouble carrying a baby to full term. She had her cervix sutured to help with the last one. That wasn't God's plan, though.


A little background:

William is the head janitor at the school where I used to work in Tanzania, HOPAC. He is maybe the most sincerely joyful man I've ever met. He doesn't have an easy life. He lives a long distance from the school. He purposefully moved to an impoverished area to plant a church there. He spends his Saturdays playing with the children and living Jesus in front of them. He works long hours at the school each day and then heads back home to share the love of Jesus with his neighbors. 


When we were on vacation in Tanzania this past June, I got to spend some time talking with William on our visit up to the school. It was bittersweet for me because I had my daughter there playing. And as I stood there in the sun, thankful that I had my sunglasses on so that he wouldn't see my tears, I listened to him tell about their last loss, the one in May, just one month before. 


He was sad. He was very sad, understandably. But he wasn't despairing. He talked of their losses, but he also talked about our Savior. He gave praises to the Lord, over and over again. In Tanzania, they say "Bwana asifiwe" which means "Praise the Lord" all the time. And just like the William I knew back before he was married, before he suffered the loss of 4 children, he said "Bwana asifiwe" over and over in the few minutes we talked. 


And as I stood there listening to him, I was embarrassed at my tears; embarrassed at my questioning and wondering how God could do this. William seemed so strong. He seemed at complete peace with the God who gives and who takes away and who seems to have taken away so much from him. At that moment, I was seeing what true, real, raw faith in Christ really looks like. 


"But understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty." 2 Timothy 3:1


"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5


As I type this, Stella is pregnant again, with their 5th baby. 


Below are a few excerpts from a friend's blog who is a teacher at HOPAC. 


May 2010: After they lost the 4th baby
But what makes me even more sad is that this is not unusual in Tanzania. William and Stella's loss reaches into my heart because I know them, but what about the countless other Tanzanian women who experience this daily? Stella's first baby most likely would not have died with American healthcare. I would imagine that this baby would not have died with American healthcare. Her body obviously has trouble carrying babies to term. But will she ever get the treatment she needs to help that problem? And truthfully, with all of her hemorrhaging, she is lucky to be alive. Many times we have heard of women who die in childbirth in this country. I have never heard of a woman dying in childbirth in America.

I grieve for the unfairness of it all.

I mourn for the pain of a mother who has lost four children, for her arms that are once again going home empty.

I believe in a good God who has all things under His control, and this is not excluded. But I yearn for the Day when all things will be made right again, when there will be no more sorrow or pain or babies dying--that Day when William and Stella will get to meet their four lost children.


December 3, 2010: During the current pregnancy
About a month ago I ran into William and he told me that Stella is pregnant again.  I told him I would pray.  I told him I would tell others to pray.

And then I came home and decided I needed to do something in addition to that.  I decided that if money would help save Stella's baby, then I would get that money.  So I started exploring how that would happen.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked him how things were going.  She's now in her fourth month.  He told me that they were going to a government hospital in town, because that's what they could afford.  It takes an hour to get there, on a good traffic day.  He said that the weekend before they had had some sort of scare with her pregnancy, and that it had taken a $60 taxi ride (which is about half his monthly salary) and way too much time to get her there. 

I was horrified.  First of all, I gave him my phone number, and I said that next time he should call me, even if it's the middle of the night, and I would take Stella to the hospital.  Second, I said we needed to find a closer hospital, especially because William said the doctor suggested she live there during her third trimester.

This year we have a part-time biology teacher at HOPAC, Carolyn, who is a doctor from Scotland.  She works her other part-time at a hospital not too far from school.  It's more expensive than the other hospital...but that just means that a birth and delivery there costs $100 instead of $50.  You know, that kind of "expensive." 

I told Carolyn about William.  She agreed to help.  She got Stella an appointment with a good doctor at this hospital.  They went this morning.  And the doctor is suturing Stella as I write. 

So this is the team God is assembling for William and Stella.  A good doctor to monitor her, at a hospital not too far from school where William works.  Myself, who will let others know of the needs and collect the money.  And Carolyn, who will act as the "middleman."  And then, of course, there's the dozens of people who have already told me they will donate towards Stella's cause.  Carolyn says that the doctor will probably want Stella staying at the hospital from 32 weeks on.   There would be no way they could afford that on their own.  Truly, the Body of Christ in action.

Let's pray she gets to 32 weeks.  Okay?  That's why I'm writing.  So that you will be compelled to pray.  I have already written to friends of William and Stella and they have committed money to help them, and if I need more, I will probably ask you too.  But for now, that part is covered.  But will you join William and Stella's team in prayer? Pray...pray for this dear young woman, that God preserves her life, and that God gives her a baby to hold.  We will do everything we can humanly do, but we still need God to act. 

You can be sure I will keep you updated. 



Please join us in prayer for them. If you feel like the Lord is leading you to give them money, let me know and we can get it to them. Right now, though, Stella and William and baby need prayer more than anything. There's nothing on this earth that is as powerful as the prayer of God's people! Join us as we pray for William and Stella. I will keep you updated.