The ambulance soon arrived from Preah Khet Melea Military Hospital. A medic cut the cord and transported them to the hospital . The demented woman was now in a place where she could be cared for. Her words shocked the doctors. "I am going to eat him." she declared. In her state of mind no one doubted that she might try to do that. The doctors tried to remove the baby from her but she refused. She was carefully watched.
The next morning Rescue's hospital visiting team arrived. The chief doctor immediately met Sokhan, director of Rescue and explained the situation to her. "Will you take the baby to your orphanage?" he asked. Quickly the committee members were consulted and it was decided that if the doctor would take responsibility for removing the baby from his mother Place of Rescue would welcome him. As the woman slept a doctor quietly picked up the tiny bundle and handed him over to Sokhan. She removed the filthy krama the baby was wrapped in and placed a new clean one around him. Later the woman woke and asked about her baby. She was simply told that the baby was taken somewhere to be cared for and she rolled over and went back to sleep.
The tiny treasure arrived at Place of Rescue to the welcoming love of everyone present. First Marie, advisor to Rescue rushed over to the car to be the first to hold and hug him and to be full of awe and admiration at this perfect creation of God.
Then the house mothers gathered to smile and admire him. Navi arrived with a very special look of wonder in her eyes. "Just like Bunya!" she exclaimed. "So do you want him?" asked Sokhan. Without hesitation Navi answered, "Yes!" Marie handed the little krama (scarf) wrapped bundle over and Navi marched off to her house where she already was caring for ten little boys, including Bunya whom she had rescued as a newborn five years ago.
Navi folded a blanket and laid the little one on the floor. Surely the angels of heaven rejoiced as the little children gathered around him, looking at him with love and admiration. With the efficiency of a woman caught up in the excitement of an important new project she began to list what she would need. Marie hurried to the storeroom to get diapers, soft pretty baby blankets and clothes. Navi purchased other things at the market that same day.
"What are you going to name him, Navi?" It seemed right that Navi should be the one to give a name to this baby she so joyfully accepted. Navi showed me the baby's health certificate she had received the day before when they took the baby to get the compulsory hepatitis shot given all new-borns in Cambodia. This is what I saw written there: Mothers Name: Mean Navi. "If it is O.K. with you, " Navi said, " I want to give him the name Meas and I was thinking of Dara as his name." What a perfect name! Golden Star ( Meas means Golden and Dara is the poetic word for Star) "Oh yes, " said one of the women, "He is a star dropped down from Heaven for us."
My heart was bursting with joy. "This is it folks. This is what it means to Rescue Those Without Hope ( the full name of our organization.)
We are all amazed at what the Lord has done. We look at this wonderful little scrap of life and see that God reached down and chose him for us. Who can fathom His awesome ways.