I have some good news for you!!! I'm sure you remember Rafaela from a previous blog... well she was pregnant and on Friday she had her beautiful baby boy, Mateus, he is just perfect! She is doing well and he is doing well but vomiting a lot, good considering that the entire pregnancy she continued to use crack - Praise God that so far he doesn't seem to have been affected...
So.. how did I find out that she had her baby on Friday... a situation like this is not like the norm at home.. you get a phone call or a text, or you read about it on facebook... no, she lives on the streets - no family with her, no number, no way of contacting! so how did I find out...
as you know I was travelling and didn't return until 17th November. The day I returned I had such a desire to see her. All week I waited patiently to find a spot in the work schedule to visit the street where she lives/hangs out. Didn't work out! Each day I got more frustrated thinking she probably had the baby when I was away and I wanted to see what happened to it and how she was. The only time I could go was on my free time on Friday. Thankfully a part-time worker in my house, Paulo Silas kindly agreed to stay later to go with me. We went to the streets she sleeps on (she has been staying on one street now).
We arrived, and the other drug addicts told us she had gone the day before or two days ago to have her baby (they didn't remember when). They told us which hospital she was in and so Paulo Silas and I went straight there. It was a long process to explain who we were and why we wanted to see her. Eventually we were told we could go see her but would have to stay a minimum 2 hours (wrong information). We hadn't had lunch so we decided to go home and have lunch and then get together a few basic things - clothes, soap, toothbrush, comb etc for her and someone had donated clothes for the baby. Then we returned after a bit later....
God's perfect timing!!! It was again a long process to get in to the hospital and then to actually find where she was... but we made it.. we found the room.. she was sleeping peacefully. The nurse told us she had had the baby just that morning and had JUST ARRIVED on the ward not a day or two before!!!
GOD'S PERFECT TIMING!!! If I had visited an earlier day that week and saw she still had not had the baby, it would delay at least another week until I go to visit her again other kids to visit).... I would not have known in between she had the baby... but I arrived ON THE DAY THE BABY WAS BORN!!!
Because we were given wrong information and so decided to return later it meant we arrived at the exact right time!!! God loves us so so much and he is really revealing His love for the human race through Rafaela. If you remember aswell from the previous blog about how I bumped into her at the exact right time for her to spend her birthday with us rather than on the streets alone. Now God is showing his love for her through us arriving at exactly the right time. She has no other visiters - her family don't know she was even pregnant.
I went again today with Paulo Silas who stayed another day to go with me, and she was so pleased to see us, even the nurses were saying how pleased she was. God uses us in amazing ways and I am so glad that he is using me to bless her life.
PRAY... PRAY ... PRAY...
* she is now talking about caring for Mateus, this can only happen if they can make contact with her family and someone agrees to be responsible (because she is from the streets she isn't allowed).
*pray that this little perfect baby boy is the PUSH she needs to come off the drugs and off the streets - pray the desire will supernaturally disappear
*Thank God that so far Mateus is well... pray against any other effects that drugs may have on his tiny body
THANK YOU for following our story - mine and Rafaela's... and on behalf of us both - thank you for praying
