Immediate Need

Sometimes I feel frustrated and overwhelmed being surrounded by so many people in need but lacking a practical way to provide specific assistance. Today I was presented with a real and immediate need for help and I am writing to see if any of you would consider donating as well.

Last night, my friend Crystal asked if I would be willing to donate blood for her friend's niece, Rejoice. Rejoice is the niece of Pastor Noel, who is on the board for My Refuge House which is a shelter for girls who are have either been rescued from sex trafficking or are survivors of other forms of abuse. Crystal is the Clinical Director for My Refuge House and works closely with Pastor Noel.

Rejoice was admitted to the hospital a week ago because of unexplained and profuse bleeding in her gums. Pastor and his wife first tried taking Rejoice to a government hospital (because they are much cheaper), but doctors there had no idea how to help. So, to get medical care, they had to go to a more specialized, private hospital which is much more expensive. Rejoice underwent surgery on Thursday and at that point, doctors said she only had a 50-50 chance of surviving the surgery. Thankfully, she made it through and is continuing to regain her strength. But they still don't know what is wrong with her. After the surgery, she had a CT scan because they are afraid that the bleeding is being caused by a tumor in her gums. They will be getting the results of the CT scan this afternoon.

As you can imagine, Christian pastors in the Philippines do not make an enormous amount of money. In fact, Pastor Noel only makes 12,000 pesos per month, which is less than $260. As of now, Rejoice's hospital bill is already over 100,000 pesos (over $2,200). It will be impossible for Pastor Noel and his wife to repay this huge amount of money as it is close to a year's salary. They have been asking family and friends for money, but everyone is so poor and are unable to help. Pastor Noel just used his entire bi-monthly paycheck of 6,000 to pay for the CT scan and now they have very little money for daily needs. The medicine that Rejoice needs costs 3,000 pesos per day. What's worse is that the way the medical system works here is that you are not allowed to leave until you pay your hospital bill. But of course, the longer you stay, the larger your bill (which you couldn't pay in the first place) grows.

This is exactly the kind of situation that traffickers are eager to exploit. When forced to choose between incurring a huge debt or letting a loved one die from a treatable illness, most people will borrow money from a loan shark to pay for treatment or medicine. It is this loan that often enslaves a family for generations in places like India where bonded labor is rampant. For some of you, its hard to imagine a situation where people watch their children die for lack of basic medical care. Just a few weeks ago, I spoke to one of our IJM social workers to get an update on one of her clients and found out that her baby had died because she couldn't afford the basic antibiotic that the baby needed to fight an infection. This is the reality for millions of people.

All that to say, please consider being a blessing to Pastor Noel and his family. If you are able to give money to go towards Rejoice's hospital bill, I would encourage you to do so. The easiest way would be to wire funds directly into my bank account. I would then withdraw the cash and give it to Pastor Noel. Please contact me via email at hensonla@gmail.com if you are able to help and I can provide you with necessary information. Also, if you are able to give, please do so as soon as possible. As I mentioned, Rejoice cannot leave the hospital until her bill is paid in full.

Also, please lift Rejoice up in your prayers. Please pray for continued healing, wisdom for the doctors, peace for her family, and miraculous financial provision.

Thank you.