Finding Joy and thankfulness amidst immense grief this Thanksgiving!

 Finding Joy and thankfulness amidst immense grief this Thanksgiving!

Leading prayer for the family

Little Alvaro Emmanuel, only lived a short life, yet he is making a large impact on our small community. Baby Alvaro was born at 8 am Wednesday morning and died a few hours later at 11:03 am.

It was just last Thursday that we as a community were celebrating the anticipation of his birth and honoring his brave mother for choosing life as a single mother. And now this Thursday the day that Gabriel and I had planned a thanksgiving feast for the community has now turned into a day of grieving for not only for Amelia and her 2 older children, her extended family and the community but in a large way it has effected Gabriel and I as we grief the realness of the reality in where we live and how the poor are left to grief and try to make sense of death on their own, with no church and no pastoral care to be found.

I ask you for your prayers for God to heal this small community that is grieving today, ask God to stretch hearts and to turn their grieving into thankfulness and allow them to see His goodness in all things. Please pray for Amelia as she finds a way to grief the loss of her baby while remaining strong for her two older children.

To be honest, I must say perhaps I am writing this in hopes of finding healing for myself, as I look for a way to process the sadness of the last two days. Many of you know that being a foreign missionary and braving this front is not for the weak in faith, we are grateful that we are here to walk alongside the community so they can find ways to be grateful. Please pray for Gabriel and I that we may be bold and strong in our witness as we walk with an entire community whose hearts were just broken.

Let us be thankful that despite our denied request from our local priest to come and baptize little Alvaro Emmanuel before his death, we know God is merciful and our beautiful Church teaches that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism.

Let us be thankful that though Gabriel and I are so very inadequate for the mission here, it is because of YOU, our missions’ partners, that we are here living and suffering in solidarity with the poor bringing truth and hope through pastoral care to those in our community that would otherwise have none.

Let us be thankful for all the Good that God will bring from this suffering.

Today let us be Thankful for Alvaro Emmanuel,

Saint Alvaro Emmanuel – pray for us!

Mission Post:

Casa de Santa María Magdalena:

Caserio Santa Clara Peru

Follow the link below to learn more about Santa Maria Magdelana´s home, its mission, and how to partner with us.

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/santa-maria.../

Just a week prior we were celebrating Amilias baby shower

Leaving the hospital yesterday, Amilia is being led by her sister, and her brother is carrying baby Alvaro Emmanuel

There are no words that can be expressed when you are asked to return both mother and baby after such an experience. Needless to say it was a drive up the mountain through muddy roads in silent prayer!

Sweet Baby Alvaro Emmanuel Pray for us!

Gabriel, at 15 he is so mature and such a wonderful missionary. He is like his mother and does not want people to just sit in hopelessness, so he invites them to sing.

Walking to the down the mountain to the local cemetery