Teenagers & Bed Rest

It was a hot morning, the sun already warming up the ground below it.  Today was day 3 of Mexican Mission week…Days 1 and 2 were full of home visits, working on rebuilding a chapel and preparing food for 17 teenagers (with good appetites).  The two days (and nights) had been eventful: catching 4 boys sneaking into the girls’ room after lights out, trying to explain the process of clean up and dish duty in my limited Spanish, and learning what respect does not mean to Mexican teenagers.   

Those crazy high school kids on our mission week!

The knock at the door came right after breakfast and as I opened it I saw a 6-month pregnant Francisca.  She began crying – she was bleeding and having contractions.  We took her to the hospital on our way to the work project while our fellow missionary Bridget took care of Francisca’s children.  We were told later that Francisca had to take an ambulance to Saltillo, the closest major city, where we expected that baby would be delivered premature.  

The General Hosptial in Saltillo
(about 45 minutes by car away from our mission house)

Much to my surprise when I walked into the kitchen Francisca, with baby still in utero, was sitting at our kitchen table with 4 missionaries surrounding her – two American & two Mexican.  She was diagnosed with a serve infection that would prevent her from delivering naturally until cleared up so they gave her medicine to stop the contractions and put her on bed rest for 3 days.  Living in the poverty of Mexico doesn’t make a strict bed rest very possible.  In fact, many Mexican women deliver their babies early because their lifestyle is so active. We invited Francisca to stay with us for 3 days – we mentioned the chaos of having 17 teenagers living in the house for the next few days, but God provided.  We had meals cooked for the teens, so it was a breeze making a plate for one more person.  Francisca had a quite clean room all to herself, probably for the first time ever.  In fact, she mentioned she was a little timid to sleep by herself.

I think the greatest blessing was sharing the rosary with her.  I asked Francisca if she’s like to learn and she was a very eager student.  We gave her a small blue book with pictures of each mystery.  We read the scripture of the first three joyful mysteries the first day.  Francisca cannot read so I wondered if she’d ever heard the entirety of the birth of Jesus, from incarnation to birth.  We only had time for 3 decades that first day, but every time I came in later that day and early the next to bring food, or fill her water bottle or check in on her, she was flipping through that rosary book looking at the photos. 

We can give material things until we are completely depleted.  But teaching someone to pray is an eternal gift.  

I can’t take much credit for sharing with Francisca the gift of prayer.  I have to ‘shout out’ to one of my fellow missionary sisters, Andrea, who spent much time with Francisca sharing with her the gift of prayer.  A testament to this gift is her thanksgiving.  

One morning, earlier this summer, Francisca and her kids came by, as usual, asking for food.  Most of the community had just finished breakfast and were getting ready for prayer.  We invited her in, made her and the kids some food, and when they were done eating we invited them to join us for our morning prayer.  We started by giving thanks…each person went around sharing the beautiful blessings they had received from the day before, a couple sentences or so.  And then Francisca, the litany of thanks spilling out of her lips as she quietly thanked her God for literally everything she has.  She knows where all her things come from, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings!

Thank you Jesus for EVERYTHING we have, for it all comes from you, but most of all thank you for the gift of prayer…to praise and petition our loving God.