Message from Brandon's Trip

Hey everyone,

Got an e-mail from Michelle, she typed up a message Brandon sent her...very powerful stuff...I wanted to post it here...

Peter's Story:

Today I took a group out into the village. David had set our path so that we would visit Sarah, Peter’s mother. (Peter was the little boy who had a heart condition and passed away recently.) When she saw us coming, she ran to greet us (just like Peter used to greet us). She saw me and said, “Oh Brandon, praise God, praise God, because he is good.” She then wrapped her arms around me saying “God is good, he is good.” To be quite honest, I was a bit taken back by her behavior and a little angry. Her son, Peter, had passed away 3 weeks ago to the day. Why was she saying God is good?
She brought us into her home, you know, with the mud walls and newspaper covering most of the inside. The room was tiny, but it did fit our four people, the translator, and Sarah. We sat, she brought us a cup of tea and I looked to my left where I saw a picture of me dancing with Peter, it was on the wall. I almost lost it, but I thought to myself, if Sarah is praising God, I need to hold it together. She opened a drawer and pulled out five other pictures. One picture was of Peter and Michael Welsh; one of Kaitlin Weaver and Peter; and one of myself, Michelle (my wife), and Peter. I don’t even remember taking the picture with my wife and Peter, and/or giving it to him; but it was there. I almost lost it again.
She sat down and began speaking to me. The translator had to translate her Swahili, but she rarely looked at him, she just spoke to me. Her eyes and her tone told me everything.
These were her words:
“After you left last year, he became sick. So, I took him to the hospital. The doctor told me that Peter needed surgery. I already knew. He then told me he could take medicine to help. It was 10,000 shillings a month and I could not afford it. So, I took him to Nakuru. They took an x-ray (which she handed to me) and it showed he had a hole in his heart. There they gave me the medicine for 3,000 shillings. The medicine gave Peter lung problems.”
-She hadn’t shown any emotion yet. It seemed that she was more concerned with filling up our tea cups. After she filled our cups, she continued:
“In February he began to eat less. I asked him why and he told me that he’s just not hungry. Two months ago he had trouble breathing and laid there (she pointed to the bench I was sitting on) all day. He slept for 3 days. When he got up, he was happy and ate. In July he stopped playing. More and more he stayed inside. He asked if I could carry him to grandma’s house. So I put him over my shoulder and we stayed a night at my mothers where some of his family is. The next day he asked if we can go home. I held him in my arms and walked home. I laid him there (same place I was sitting). For the next couple days he only had milk. One morning he asked if I could take him to lie in the kitchen. I took him outside, and we lay together in the kitchen.”
-She was no longer focused on our tea; she just looked in my eyes and continued.
“After I had lain with him for awhile, I asked if he wanted beans, and he said no; corn, and he said no; potatoes, and he said no; milk and he said no. His favorite is rice which I have to go and buy. I asked him if he wanted rice, and he said yes. So, I got up, told him I will go and get it for him. I began to walk o the store and I heard him scream ‘MAMA’, so I ran back and he told me ‘Mama your troubles will be over soon.”
-Her eyes began to tear up, but I told myself that I can’t lose it.
“I would lay with him, and when he slept, I would get up and work our field. Every time he woke up he would scream out to me ‘Mama!’. One day I ran in after a soft scream, and he told me ‘Mama, a car is coming to pick me up and take me away.’ I laid next to him, held him and he fell asleep. He didn’t wake up.”
-Her eyes watered up and once again I almost lost it completely
When she could speak again she told me:
“Over the last 12 years we had been living on this land this is not ours. Since we have had the cow you gave us, I have been able to sell milk. I saved up money and bought a half acre of land. There is nothing on it. The first thing I put in the ground, at our new home, was Peter.”
-She walked me to the half acre lot, holding my hand. We got the property and there was Peter’s grave. I placed pictures on him on it and prayed. We gathered around the site and prayed for Peter’s family. When the time came, we said goodbye to Sarah and I left her with the pictures. I walked away and lost it. Peter’s smile stuck in my mind.

From Brandon Way...