Hey Everyone,
You know, in our lives and in our work, we often have protocols, rules, and procedures. They’re important—they keep us organized and consistent. But what happens when the protocol bumps up against a person in need? What do you do when a life-and-death situation challenges the way you’ve always done things?
That’s the powerful truth I want to share with you today from a story that lives on in the very fabric of our work in Haiti. This story beautifully embodies our 3…2…1 Impact framework: three points to ponder, two quotes to share, and one story of profound impact..
1 Story of Impact
This is Adeline, a mother-to-be who lives in a community called Clair. When she joined our prenatal First 1,000 Days program, we were excited to welcome her. But Adeline was pregnant with twins, and as her due date approached, she was facing a critical problem. Her legs were terribly swollen, and where she lives, there is no easy transportation. With no way to get to a clinic and feeling physically unable to walk, she missed a crucial appointment for a sonogram. In the First 1,000 Days program, we are strict in that mothers must respect appointments. Missing is a big “no-no”. In her condition, Adeline’s plan was to give birth at home—a risk that our medical staff felt was too great for her and her babies.
This was a major challenge for us. We have protocols to ensure we can help everyone in the program consistently. But what about the heart of our mission? Was the rule more important than the person? That’s when the personal conviction of our team took over. Our nurse, Monette, felt a deep urgency about Adeline’s situation. She communicated her concern to our Director of Ministry, Christi, who reached out to a partner organization, MHI, in Hinche. Christi and the director of the birthing center agreed this was a high-risk case, and that it was exactly why a loving environment for birthing was created.
And so, we acted. After we provided transportation for her to get to the birthing center, Adeline arrived on a Friday. On Monday, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and a baby girl! Days later, as Adeline returned to our campus with her healthy twins, she was greeted with cheers from our staff. She was surrounded by love, support, and the prayers of a community that saw a heart-wrenching situation and chose to follow its heart, not just the handbook. It’s a powerful story of transformation that shows the greatest impact happens when a human heart sees beyond a rule. It’s about going the extra mile and being love in action for another.
3 Points to Ponder
Adeline’s story offers profound lessons for all of us in our own journeys. Consider these three points:
- Sometimes, the most important action is to break the script and lean into a compassionate heart. When do you need to push past your protocols and routines to see the person in front of you?
- No one can do it alone. The impact in this story was amplified by the trust and partnership between our team and MHI. Where can you find a partner, an organization, a friend, or even a stranger, to help you solve a problem that you can’t tackle alone?
- Community matters. Adeline’s journey didn’t end with the birth of her babies. The joy on her face when she was greeted by a crowd of staff shows us that the immersive support of a loving community can be just as life-giving as medical care. How can you be a source of encouragement and dignified care for someone this week?
2 Quotes to Share
These timeless words perfectly capture the spirit of compassion over the rules:
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” – John Wesley
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The lives of a mother and her twin babies were saved because a group of people chose compassion over protocol, going beyond the rules to act with love. It’s a powerful reminder that our greatest impact often lies in our simplest acts of kindness. What simple act of love can you choose today that might just change a life?
Feel free to reply and share—I read every response.
Live with impact,
Tim
