Soon after my last entry we entered into the utility crisis. Yes, I will explain myself. Two of our mothers, Teofila and Alma, live in the same house, one in the upstairs and the other downstairs. One day they had their utilities shut off. We later learned that utilities had not been paid all winter and that there was an outstanding debt of over $2,000. DET was also initiating a theft investigation, suspecting that someone had tampered with the electric box and had been stealing electricity. Alma, meanwhile, was in a heatless, lightless apartment with a newborn baby and two young daughters. She had to move out for a week while we made phone calls trying to learn who was responsible for the theft, who owed what share of the bill and how utilities could be restored. After about a week, electricity was restored and Alma moved back. DET, though, says it did not restore the electricity; we can only assume, then, it’s coming from an illegal source. Teofila, meanwhile, has already moved; and we think it best to move Alma before she is blamed for the theft. And that is too bad, because we spent hours and hours painting and cleaning that apartment when she moved in.
We had one situation for a few days which was almost too much for us. We visited a young mother and her newborn, but found the baby to be listless, unresponsive. The mother then pulled out adult formula cold medications she had been giving the baby. She also showed us a sugar-water solution she had been feeding the baby in order to save on formula. We talked to a couple of nurses, both of whom agreed the baby’s life could be in danger. We prayed, debated, then decided to call 911. Police went to the house that evening, found the baby to be all right. We checked in the next day and, indeed, the baby was alert, the apartment was clean. The mother even displayed a supply of formula.
The abortion mill has been closed many days during the past two weeks. Did the abortionist go on some extended vacation? Has he been ill? We don’t know. He has had a substitute for a couple of those days; nevertheless, we have been able to reach many women coming to but being turned away from the abortuary. In this week alone we have added three new moms to our list.
And of course there are a few moms who’ve been with us quite a while–from a year to almost 2 years. It just doesn’t get any easier for single moms in Detroit–especially for those in an essentially fatherless society.
