Prayer gave Birth to A Miracle: Her Name is Isabella

The House of Ruth is a home that serves the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of unsupported pregnant women.  Below is a testimony of one of the recent lives changed under their care. Her name is Janelle…

 Alone and pregnant, I desperately wanted a job and to build a better life for myself and my growing family. My pregnancy made me extremely nauseous, and it was a struggle everyday to pull myself together, get out the door and look for work. I had a condition called “hyperemisis Gravidarum” which is basically the inability to keep food or liquids down during pregnancy. It is usually treated with meds and/or hospitalization but I had no medical insurance. On one occasion I made it out the door only to throw up in a bush on the side of the road. New to the area, I didn’t have family or friends to turn to and I didn’t have much money. The worst part was staying in a motel in a scary part of town. I wedged a chair under the door knob in an attempt to give myself a shred of security. I hid under blankets and barely slept.

A local pastor that I contacted through the motel manager paid for me to stay at the motel for 5 days . For three of those days, I didn’t eat. There were stores around and I had a little money but I was afraid to leave the room. I feared that someone would see me and figure out I was alone and take advantage of that. So in the room I stayed with the chair under the door and the blinds closed. I knew my time was running out and I didn’t know what to do. I prayed and prayed for God to show me what I was supposed to do and how I was supposed to do it. I began searching though the phonebook for answers. The last number I called was a pregnancy resource hotline. They gave me the telephone number for The House of Ruth. The next day I set up an interview and went to the house. I didn’t have enough money to get on the bus and the train so I walked for 30 minutes until I reached the train depo and went from there.

I was able to move into the House the following day. When I walked through those doors, I felt God wrap his arms around me. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I could see a future with my unborn child and my family. God showed me His love and how much value my life had by leading me to the house. Within the first couple of days, I began talking to my mother again. My parents were showing me tough love in a way. They had always come to my rescue in the past and this time they needed me to fix my own mistakes. I know how hard it was for my mother and father to hear me crying and hear the fear in my voice and know that there was nothing they could do. I had to do it on my own this time. I had to let open my heart and let God show me the way.

The journey didn’t stop there though. When I was 16 weeks pregnant I started spotting and cramping. After 2 weeks, and 4 trips to the ER, I got in to see a doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies. He took me on as a patient and I started receiving the kind of care that only God could arrange! The problems with my pregnancy didn’t end and at 22 weeks I was hospitalized and diagnosed with a placental abruption. I was told that I may lose my child. I had named her Isabella. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to deal with the loss of my child. I cried at the very thought. I prayed. I prayed harder than I have ever prayed before. God had placed Isabella and I in that house for a reason. People all over began to pray for a little girl that they had never met and her mother. Eight weeks later she was born. Eight weeks after they told me she probably wouldn’t make it. Eight weeks after I had to make the choice to not provide resuscitation if she was born. Eight weeks after it looked so hopeless.

My little girl, Isabella, weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces and was 16 ½ inches long at birth. She was born Sunday, October 8, 2006. She is my life. I tear up when I think of how I almost lost her. If I hadn’t listened to God and went to the House seeking help, she might not be here. She is in the NICU now and she has a tough couple of months ahead but she is perfect. God knew that when I looked at her, I would see HIM. I would see His love for me and for her. He has given me the most beautiful gift, He gave me life. Isabella is small and will have to learn to suck, keep herself warm, breast-feed, etc. but she is here. She came early but she is a fighter. The doctors are impressed by how well she is doing. At the rate she is going, she will be able to come home with me by Thanksgiving. It will be my first holiday away from my mom and dad, but it will be my first holiday with my new family at The House of Ruth.

I know many of you reading this have been praying for me and my little girl. I cannot express how grateful I am to you. Those prayers have been answered. We are not done yet, my girl is still fighting everyday, but because of your prayers, she has a life to fight for. God hears you. God hears me. Being at The House saved my life and my child’s life. Without the people at that house, I would not have all those prayers, I would not have found my way back to my Heavenly Father. Thank you for helping to save a life. Many lives! I believe that the House of Ruth has been the reason a lot of babies are living wonderful lives today. Sometimes, the only way we are able to feel Gods love is through other people and through miracles…Every baby that is born is a miracle to someone. Isabella is my miracle.

Thank you so much and please continue to pray for all of the girls.

~Jenelle

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