death.

Before I could even finish writing up the events of the sweet little baby's passing, another life was tragically cut short. One of the teenage boys from the bridge was stabbed in the heart last night and died in the grass by the canal.

It's heartbreaking, and I'm so incredibly sad...

I don't really know how write about this at the moment... but I thought I should at least post the entry I had been working on about the little baby's passing.

sunday, june 21

On the morning after the baby's passing, I went back to the park with my parents while Jenn ran around getting the baby's official death certificate and making arrangements at the cemetery.

(I don't know whether it's appropriate or not to post this, but I really want you to see what it was like and understand how almost valueless life can be here... Street child or not, no wake should have to be held in a public bathroom.) Here is a photo that we secretly snapped:

It was a intensely sad scene, and one that I will never forget.

The night before, I contacted Javier, a pastor who works with Nate in the carpentry ministry, and asked if he'd be willing to do a service at the cemetery. He has a heart for street kids and was more than pleased to help out. He brought along his pastor and met us at the baby's wake on Sunday morning.

The parents were very worried about the fact that they had never baptized their little girl. They believed that her soul wouldn't make it up to heaven unless someone performed a baptism. So while Javier was on his way over, I called to see if he'd be willing to baptize the baby and share with the parents. He and his pastor agreed to do a baptism/baby dedication with the holy water that the baby's mom had gotten the night before, and so we gathered in the bathroom with some street kids and missionaries for a simple, makeshift service.

At 12:30, we loaded up 4 cars with a handful of missionaries and some street kids and went to the cemetery. While the cemetery workers placed the little girl's casket in her niche and plastered over the opening, Javier and his pastor shared a wonderful message of hope and good news with the kids from the street. It was an indescribably sad moment, but one that sparked some sincere conversations about Christ among the pastors and the kids.

Two weeks later... and the parents and I went back to leave flowers on their little girls' grave. We also visited another daughter of theirs that's in the same cemetery, and this week we are supposed to visit their third daughter's grave. Three babies from just one couple.