now what?

Monday we visited the public hospital to check on Aung Moo. Unfortunately, we can’t convince his friends to stay there with him to help him eat and be cared for. We don’t particularly have the time, nor are we effective at convincing him to do the things he belligerently doesn’t want to do. On Monday, the public hospital requested to send him to the Burmese clinic, where he can finish his antibiotics for ten more days and go home. However, the Burmese clinic will not take him unless someone signs off to take him when the ten days is over–whatever condition he is in.

He has no family, and his friends are hesitant. While he is doing so much better, there is some concern for his mental capacity. It is really difficult to determine now what is brain damage and what is confusion and temporary effects. He still has more antibiotics that may help, and we have been told that it can take two to three months to recover from the effects of meningitis. So we are praying desperately. And meanwhile, we asked if we could hire someone from the neighborhood to care for him during the day–we would give 150 baht, or $5, for him to be cared for the next ten days in the hospital.

We found a man willing to do this, and things were looking up. He went to his first day on the job on Tuesday. And then we learned Wednesday morning that he wouldn’t be going back because he was scared of Aung Moo. And we were suddenly back to square one.

We honestly don’t know what to do. How do we appropriately look after him while he sick? Or as Tim Keller writes in Generous Justice, how do we “give comprehensive care until they are well”? How do we love him?

We are praying. We are hoping. We are encouraging the community to be loving to him and care for him, as they do know his language and are friends. Please pray with us as we maneuver through every new situation that comes our way.