Is he still alive? I wondered. Listless and still, Kirlan lay in his mother’s arms. I studied his breathing. He is still alive! The questions I wanted to ask regarding his illness quickly fell silent. Let’s just get to the hospital, I thought.

Geilyn, one of our missionary teachers, had called me regarding this sick little two-year-old boy. He had been suffering from fever, vomiting, and poor appetite, and even his little feet were swelling. So I drove about 45 minutes to the trailhead to meet the parents. They had to hike two to three hours to reach me. Kirlan’s parents had delayed seeking help from the missionaries, preferring their traditional medicine and witchcraft. Close to death, Kirlan would need a miracle.

The emergency room doctor came to assess little Kirlan. I informed the doctor that the boy’s family was from an area where malaria was common, so he checked for it while conducting the other testing. The test returned positive for a severe form of malaria, and the medical staff promptly started his treatment. Due to the malaria, his hemoglobin was also dangerously low. Praise the Lord they had the B positive blood he needed. They began a blood transfusion that night. That the hospital had a bag of his blood type on hand when he needed it so badly was a miracle. Understandably, after he improved significantly and was no longer in the danger zone, he still needed a second bag, which took four days to obtain from the capital city only four hours away.

Little Kirlan improved quickly and was released that Sabbath. His family joined us at the end of the fellowship meal and were also there for the Adventist Youth program. I wish you could have seen how Kirlan smiled at me one day before he returned home. It was precious. Thank you for your prayers and partnership with us in helping precious people like Kirlan and his family.

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