Hosanna and Nelson

A few weeks ago Jenn and I moved in with two girls from Brazil. The girls studied at a Brazilian seminary school and have come to work in Sucre for a few years. Last week I had the pleasure of accompanying one of them, Hosanna, to the hospital to visit a very special little boy named Nelson. Nelson was born with problems in his oesophagus which means he was unable to swallow leaving him living in hospital and as a result had been abandoned by his birth parents. One day during while Hosanna was visiting someone in the hospital she met Nelson, when she asked the doctors about him her heart filled with love for this wee boy and she began to visit him daily. After a while Nelson’s father signed over power of attorney to Hosanna so she was now able to make any medical decisions on his behalf.

Hosanna managed to save money from her tight missionary budget and take Nelson from Sucre to La Paz for an operation which would mean that liquidised food could now be pumped straight into his stomach via a tube. This has helped with Nelson’s growth but he is still very small for his age. Hosanna now has the money together to take him back to La Paz for a second operation, and this is quite amazing... they are going to attach his intestine to his throat so that nelson can begin to eat normally.
When we walked into the hospital ward nelson was lying on his bed being fed by 4 staff members. His face lit up as soon as he saw Hosanna, mama he called out to her with a huge smile on his face. Hosanna’s face was equally lit up at the sight of her boy. Hosanna pulled out a balloon for him and began to play with him while he was lying there. After he had finished being fed she pulled colouring pencils and paper from her bag and began to draw, I was super impressed when he was done and he began to tidy up, this boy is so independent, I tried to help him put his pencils away but one look told me to stop and made me laugh a lot! I loved watching Hosanna and Nelson and really see how much they mean to one another.
She considers him in all she does and talks about, during a football match last week I told Hosanna I wanted to visit Brazil in 2014 for the World Cup, she nodded profusely and showed me what height Nelson would be by then. It’s so clear this girl is completely in love with this wee boy. Hosanna would love to adopt Nelson, but that’s a bit tricky as she’s sponsored to be here and isn’t in a financial position to support herself and a child also Hosanna’s single, and as we’re in Bolivia unless Nelson’s parents sign him over to her specifically then as a single person she’s unable to adopt. Even then the adoption process could take years before she is able to bring him home to live with her.
This is a situation that is very much on our hearts at the moment, so please feel free to join us in prayer for Hosanna and Nelson, pray for their relationship, for their health and that God will find a way for them to be together as soon as possible. Please also feel free to get in touch with Jenn and I if you have any more questions regarding the situation or think you might be able to help in any way.
Love and blessings,
Laura <><>