Baby Chjantee

Meet Baby Chjantee, she is now almost 5 months old. She was born in a small impoverished village that our church works with. The poorest of the poor live in this village. She has a hair lip and double cleft pallet. ( did I say that right?) She was a small baby and her mother was unable to breastfeed her. At 5 days old she was in hospital and in a coma for two days, not expected to survive. Babies like Chjantee would normally die. Her mother is a Christian and attends the Elim Khmer church. After meeting with our pastor and her Khmer community it was decided that Chjantee had special needs that could not be met in her village. Her mother placed her in the arms of Pastor John and his wife Anne. She is now being raised by our church. She has a long road ahead of her in terms of surgery.

Her short life to date has already brought people to the Lord. For example, her mother passed on her story to a Khmer man dying of Cancer, she gave him Pastor John's phone number. John found a hospice place for him and with his Khmer Church team led him to the Lord before he died.

John and Anne are looking after Chjantee (with a Khmer nanny). At times she is looked after by another key family from church. Her mother gets to see her each week when she comes to church, or when the team minister in her village each fortnight.

On Sunday her dedication service was held. Hence the photo which is of John holding her.

Please pray for Chjantee, she is fortunate to be alive, and a symbol of Hope. Please also pray for the myriad of babies like her, born in poor villages, who simply die within a few days/weeks because their needs cannot be met, and for the mother's in whose arms they die.

Fiona