A Woman Named Amor Infante

Last Friday night, I accompanied my brother-in-law to the ER of a nearby private hospital. While waiting, a woman called my attention asking if I could help her put down her bed as it was raised up. I then called a nurse. After the nurse left, the woman, whom I believed is in her late 50's or early 60's, would keep asking me for the time. I sensed that she'd like to talk so I went near her and I already knew that God is touching me to give her some help. This is her story, as I asked her and as she narrated in tears.

She kept asking for the time because according to her, the hospital would let her go as soon as her blood sugar level go down, that she was only accepted when the nuns allowed her. She is a diabetic. She showed me her left leg that is already amputated. She lives in Luneta, by herself. She begs. She was able to go the hospital because a taxi driver took pity on her and brought her there. She wasn't able to eat properly for days so she was on a dextrose. And she has a wound on her right leg that she was worried about. She kept asking the doctor if they could give her medicine for her wound. The doctor was saying that she has no medicine with her, that her medicines are in her house. But since the woman was insistent, she was given two small containers with cotton soaked in betadyne. She is from Samar. She came to Manila to work as household help until she got sick. She is single. She narrated how difficult it is to live alone in her condition, with nothing to buy her food and medicine. She wanted very much to go home to Samar as she has a brother there. In her desperation, she did ask the bus liner if they could let her ride for free. I asked how much is the fare going to Samar, she said it was 700 pesos. Before this, I already gave her money and told her to use it to buy food and medicine. My brother-in-law is already being discharged so I needed to go. I got her name and told her that I will be praying for her and if there'll be a chance, I may look for her in Luneta. I wanted to pray for her then but there was no more time, so in haste, I told her to pray and have faith in Jesus that He will help her. She said, "Sana nga...", meaning "I hope so".

That night, I told the story to Eve and we prayed together for her. I hope the woman realized that night, that I gave her more than enough so she can go home to Samar. And I am hoping she is now with her brother and family. My mother is also diabetic. However, she already know Jesus and she's not afraid to go anytime. But Amor doesn't know Jesus, yet. And perhaps, I will never know if she will ever get the chance to hear about Him. Nevertheless, I will continue to pray for her. There are people we get to meet just once in our life. Some of them, I believe, happen because of divine providence. To God be all the glory!

Anne's Breakthrough!

We are so happy! We are finally free from diaper expenditures. That's me according to my accounting (lol). For Anne, it's her major breakthrough - from diapers to the toilet bowl, bypassing the potty chair.

For about 4 months now, Anne had not been using diaper throughout the day and even throughout the night. We are really amazed that at her age (2 yrs & 5 mos), she can control her bladder and doesn't wet the bed. But she only pees and poos on a diaper. So when she says, "Poo poo", we let her wear a diaper then she would immediately squat and do her thing. So many times we tried to potty train her. Yes, she would sit down on the potty chair, but she just wouldn't pee or poo. She can and will control it until, in the end, I will be the one to give up because I know it's going to be unhealthy for her. This happened several times that I get frustrated each time and I felt she knows it.

Yesterday morning before she woke up, I hid her remaining diapers. Previous days, we've been conditioning her that there will be no more diapers and that she had to do her thing on the potty chair or on the toilet bowl. She had seen how her jie jie (elder sister) does it on the toilet bowl, she did try it before but to no avail. So when she was asking for a diaper yesterday, I said "No more diapers." She went looking for them and finally accepted there were none. She sat on her potty chair but she couldn't do it. I let her squat on the toilet bowl, still she couldn't. When I bathe her, I carried her and held her for quite a time for her to pee but still she couldn't. It's already becoming unacceptable and I am already tempted to give in. Around 130pm that afternoon, she again said "Poo poo.." so I let her squat on the toilet bowl, we waited for sometime, and then she went. We were both ecstatic. Anne was saying "See!" She kept on saying "Yeh Hey! Pee chair" while clapping her hands. I couldn't wait to tell the good news to her papa and jie jie. They too didn't believe it until they saw it themselves.

That was yesterday. Today she poo pooed. And while looking at her poo poo being flushed away, she says "Bye bye poo".

Anne's First Thanksgiving Prayer!

Remember I chronicled some of my sweet memories of Eve? Now as they happen, I want to post right away whatever little or big thing that that my two kids did that I would want to rave about.

And I am raving about Anne's first ever meal time prayer. It happened last night. We were all gathered at the table and we said "Pray!". With this cue, usually Anne will fold her hands, would seemingly closed her eyes and mumble some words and then somebody among us will lead the prayer, wherein she does not wait for the prayer to be finished but would start picking on some food on the table. But this night was different, the moment we said "Pray!", she started saying "Bless Papa, bless rice, bless carrots..." We all looked at each other, grinning with surprise at what we just heard. It was a family moment for us, specially for Eve as she was the one beaming about it.

And so, I just I want to let Anne know and put on record one of her firsts in her life, with her Lord. She is now 2 years and 5 months old.

When Anne Gets Sick

As of this writing, my Anne is still down because of pneumonia, but she is doing much better as compared to yesterday where her heart rate had increased alarmingly and talking was impossible for her, if not painful, due to her rapid and labored breathing. We rushed her early morning to the ER of the nearest hospital for immediate medical care. After 2 hours, we were allowed to go and continue her medication at home. Good thing, at her age, she's so cooperative in drinking her medicines and even likes to hold the nebulizer by herself. Late in the afternoon, her condition improved drastically that she was already being her playful and talkative self.

This brings to mind how Anne had been so sickly last year that she was hospitalized twice, which happened about two weeks apart from each other that even some of the hospital staff still recognize us. First time for pneumonia, second time for acute viral infection which initially was thought to be kawasaki disease because she exhibited some symptoms. This was a scare to us because this disease was rare. It complicates the heart if not treated right away. Moreover, the treatment is so expensive. God, by His grace, did not allow it to happen to Anne. She was discharged because her symptoms were not enough to be diagnosed as kawasaki.

Like any storm, sickness comes and goes. And to us believers, there is always a reason why God allows such things to happen. I believe, God deals with each of His children differently. It's just up to us whether we'll take them as punishment where we come out more bitter and miserable, or look at it as going through the furnace where we come out more refined and more equipped as ever to go through the next test. As for me, I always say to God that as long as He is with me, I will fear no evil. Psalm 23.

God, In His Mysterious Ways

Time and time again, our God would manifest Himself to His children when they need reassurance of some sort. As for me, He did this just very recently in such an unexpected way. Well, I had been going through something and I had been crying to my Lord about it. I received an email from a college friend whom I have never seen or talked for at least 11 years now. She was not a Christian then, but she is now. I was overwhelmed by her message which I want to post here, so I may go back to it every now and then.

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Hi Mia. How are you and your family. I dreamt of you last night. We were together and waiting for a bus or a ferry which I am not sure of. But we are about to go somewhere else. While waiting for our transport, we were talking how Alvin has taken cared of you. From what I can remember, you were telling me that you had an CF operation. Whatever that means. Then, we were called to go. There were a sack of gifts that will be distributed, looks like christmas wrappers but were colored red and green. Then we saw, Jenni-Lea, a former classmate of ours and she was crying. Then I woke up. =)As for me, I am now in Australia. For about 6 yrs now, I've been walking closely with the Lord. I still remember, you sent me a letter back in college about the Lord and where we wanted Him from our house. Thank you for that sis. More and more, am going back to my past and knowing the different people that comes to my life were a gift from Him to protect me and direct me.I've been reading a few of your blogs, did you know as well that I'm volunteering for World Vision here and is supporting a child in Cebu.I pray for your families protection always. May He bless you more and be an example of a christian family.

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I consider myself "little" in His eyes. Even then, this made me realize yet again, that He does indeed care and He thinks of me as well. It is just amazing! I am inclined to believe that this dream is prophetic. That is what I told my friend. And perhaps God is telling me to prepare for such eventuality. But until then, I will continue to trust in His unfailing love.