Baby Dedication

It started years ago when a young lady with five children was looking for fellowship with other single moms. She had been going to church, but found it increasingly hard to connect with, or even meet other single moms in the congregation. This particular Sunday, she missed the morning service, but realized there was a meeting for single moms that evening. She was so excited, she ran up the stairs to join Precious MOMents – the Single Mom’s Ministry at the Church On The Way.      

 Just two years before, she lost her husband to gang violence.  As a result of her deep depression, she started abusing drugs, lost her kids to foster care, and found herself in rehab.  While there, she discovered she was pregnant with twins. She was only 26 years old. This was not just any young girl, but a strong gifted woman of God.  Now, it was a must, in order to keep her children, she would have to give her life over to the Lord full time; which she did.  After attending our meetings for a season; she had a multitude of miracles. Her addictions were cast out, she stopped dating and going to worldly places, she received a new home, a new job, and began to move powerfully in the gift of prophecy. Her life was full of blessings.

She thrived for a while, but before long the loneliness was so unbearable, in search of comfort, she started compromising her morals and values. She met a Christian man at church and even though they were monogamous, they began having relations together with the intention of getting married someday.  Eventually she stopped coming to our meetings, but still called every now and then for spiritual guidance or financial help.  I always prayed for her and encouraged her spiritually; and found a great organization in Malibu, called the Artifac Tree that helped her financially.  For the most part she was doing a fantastic job raising these kids alone.  In fact, single moms are my heroes; it is extremely hard to raise children alone.

It was a year ago last month when I received a phone call from her, in hysterics. “What happened? I asked?” She began to tell me the story.  She and her boyfriend had started drinking and that day, he stopped by her house and wanted her to go somewhere with him.  She said no, because she knew he was drunk.  She went on to say, He drove three blocks away, fell asleep, crashed the car and died.  “Do you know that I could have been in that car?  I always went with him, I loved him; I don’t know why I decided not to go that day.”  “I do,”  I said. “God and His angels protected you.  You are alive today because God has a plan for your life.” She cried and cried and cried and cried with an inconsolable travail.  She then asked me when the next Single Mom’s meeting was and it happened to be that next Saturday night.  She showed up; heartbroken, yet grateful for the divine unconditional love and acceptance of our group, and most of all, for our Savior who had spared her life.  I prayed for her and she repented and whaled through the whole meeting–at one point, all she could say was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.  It was so hard to see someone so devastated and hurt so deeply, again.

The Lord prophesied over her that night and said, “For nine months, I do not want you to do anything.   Do not go out, do not do anything except go to church, read your bible and take care of your children.”  He wanted to be her first love again.  Why nine months, well that was revealed just before the funeral.  She began to get morning sickness, so she took a pregnancy test; and after going to the doctor, it was confirmed that she was carrying twins, again.  God not only saved her life that day, but the lives of her two unborn babies.  She was pregnant with this young man’s children.  She told me, Pastor, I can’t do this, and she was tormented by a decision of whether to keep these babies, or abort them.  I fought hard for what I knew to be God's will.  I had to be the voice of those babies and I prayed fervently for their existence to continue.  God already spared their lives once, and now I had to make sure they lived.   It wasn’t long before she decided to keep those two little gifts of life; and has thanked me profusely ever since!

You can only imagine what she has been through; losing her boyfriend, attending his funeral, and going through the next nine months of pregnancy alone, with five other children.  However, God's grace helped her deliver two little bundles of joy. Two double heartaches brought two double blessings.  Today, three months later, I go and dedicate those boys to the Lord. Won’t you join me in praying for this young, beautiful single mom as she humbly and bravely raises seven children alone…

Rev Daina House

12/3/09