Finding faith

(A Testimony given on October 11, 2009 at Church of Our King)

Good morning, Church!

I have never really thought about the verse “Whoever has will be given more…” but last Sunday evening, our family was given a totally unexpected gift by God. I was asked by Pastor Jerome to tell you about it.

Em and I were just about to go to bed at around 11:00 pm when we heard a commotion outside. Our housekeeper told us that the guard had thought that there was a kitten persistently crying from the vacant house across the street. He even thought that maybe there was a ghost. But when he went over to check, he saw a baby!

With flashlights in hand, Em and I ran out of our gate. Em got to the spot first and I heard him let out a sound like he was in pain. When I saw the baby, I cried out the same way. The baby was lying in the muddy grass naked. She had a torn blue cloth covering her legs and she was inside a plastic grocery bag. Her lips, arms, and legs were already blue from the cold and she was crying pitifully just like a kitten. As soon as I picked her up and cuddled her to make her warm, she suddenly stopped crying, as if she knew that she was already safe.

When we entered the house, we immediately wrapped her in a thick towel. Em was crying while driving at breakneck speed (complete with siren and flashing blue and red lights)…He was so angry and at the same time felt so bad for the baby. He thought the blood on her head was because of a head injury.

The ER doctor said that she was just a few hours old when she was dumped…maybe even just 2 hours old because she still had blood on her head and the cut in her umbilical cord was still fresh. Since there is a law that midwives are not allowed to deliver babies in houses, most probably the baby was delivered by a hilot. Most likely, the one who put the baby in the grass was also the hilot since the mother probably would still be too weak. She was suffering already from hypothermia, but the doctors were amazed that other than that she seemed fine. Em also called DSWD to report that we had found an abandoned baby. But the lady told him that they would not shoulder the hospital expenses unless we move the baby to either Vicente Sotto or Cebu City Medical Center, plus they didn’t have anyone who could take care of the baby in the hospital. So, Em decided to keep the baby in Chong Hua, saying, “The Lord gave us this baby, so He will provide.”

The whole family is so affected by this. Sarah was shaking from crying so hard because she couldn’t believe how anyone could leave a baby to die like that. Manna couldn’t believe it when the housekeeper told her that there was a baby outside but when she saw me carrying the baby into the house, she thought that it was only in the movies or on TV that you have something like this happen. She put it this way: “I cannot wrap my mind around the idea that someone could do something like this.”

We all shared the same emotions. We were angry at the one who did this to an innocent baby. We were aching for the baby who could have died. We were afraid of what this would cost us financially. We were unsure of what we were going to do with the baby. But Em said that the very first priority was to make sure that the baby was healthy.

We stayed In the ER for 7 hours, and during this time I was praying and wrestling with God, “Why naman us, Lord? You already gave us 4 additional kids! Di ba OA na ang pagka Mother of Multitudes ko?” I was just full of conflicting emotions that I had to call Sis Fem at midnight to tell her what was happening. I asked her that maybe Pastor Jerome and Jonalene would be interested in taking the baby.

But Em believed that God wouldn’t have made it happen that we would find her if she wasn’t for us. On my part, I have to confess, my faith wavered. I had so many fears –How can I be the best mother she deserves when I am already at, you know, the age I am in right now? We have grown up children already. Can we raise a child from square one all over again? Em and I have started a foundation to give livelihood to women in poor barangays. How can I do the work required if we have a baby? How can we provide for her needs when Em had just retired? Why us, Lord? I then asked the Lord to show me positively where the baby should go.

We stayed in the hospital from Monday to Friday, and here God once again showed us His faithfulness. We had already paid P11,000 for the first 2 days, and we were anticipating a bigger balance because of all the tests and antibiotics. Then, last Wednesday, the social services officer of Chong Hua told us that PCSO will shoulder the balance of our hospital bill up to P10, 000! And to top this, we will receive a refund of P2, 700! And there’s more! The pediatrician waived her professional fee as her gift to the baby! Just as Em said, “God will give us a load but never an overload.”

We have all fallen in love with her. The kids take turns caring for her. Nana and Josh even know how to make her formula! We have received so many encouraging messages via email and on Facebook, all saying that we have been blessed. One message came from Jazel Rota and she wrote: “God for sure has the biggest plans for this little girl. He protected her until His angels arrived. Your family Tita are the best people in God’s mind to get His message across that she is His beloved.”

In the hospital, she is registered as Baby Girl XX but we have given her the name FAITH MAKANA. I thought of Faith one night and when I told Manna about it, she was so happy because she had thought of the same name also! Then she found the word MAKANA which is Hawaiian for GIFT. “Faith” because when God gives or allows you to go through a challenge, He increases your faith in His goodness and strength. And “Makana” because, though she was so poorly wrapped in a plastic bag, she is a precious gift from God.

Em and I don’t know yet what comes after today. Are we the ones who will raise Baby Maki or are we the ones to give her away to someone else to raise? Em told me we have to take one day at a time and trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. God has a purpose for sending Faith Makana to us at this specific time in our lives. God knows also our finances at this time so He is sure that God will provide. Em said that God is a perfect God and He knows everything.

So I have stopped asking God “Why Lord?” and instead I am asking. “What now, Lord?”

“Whoever has will be given more…” and so our family of 8 kids says “Thank you, Lord,  for this precious gift called Baby Maki. We trust Your holy will.”

Posted on Thursday, February 11, 2010
Blogsite