a plea for your help

When you receive a call at 4:30am it's usually not good.
When the phone rang on Saturday morning I had no concept of time.
My sweet husband answered the phone in a groggy state of mind
but listened intently as he was told some devastating news
by a parishioner,
a friend.

Alonzo told Greg that in the wee hours of the morning
his sweet little 18 month old daughter had passed away.
Greg listened and didn't ask a ton of questions (he was still sleepy)
but promised to pray for the family
and talk with them again later that day.

When he got off the phone I asked him what happened
(knowing it wasn't good)
and he told me,
I couldn't speak.
There were no words.
Really, there still aren't words.
Sitting here typing this makes me cry.
They do not know the cause of death yet,
the autopsy report could take up to 8 weeks to come back.

The fact that I am coming to you,
to plead for your help
on behalf of this family,
for this reason,
is unthinkable to me.
To lose such a young one, is just unfathomable.
I know God has a plan, I just don't know what it is.

This sweet family is rich with love, care and Jesus.
They are not rich with money.
They are struggling to put together enough finances for
a funeral for their 18 month old daughter.

Did you read that last sentence?
A funeral for their 18 month old daughter.
I hate even typing those words and don't even dare speak them.
I cannot even begin to imagine
their pain,
their questions,
their loss.

But as I spoke with Alonzo this morning I was reassured of their hope.
You see, baby Alondra was baptized.
She was washed clean by the blood of the lamb.
She was made a member of God's family through water and the Word.
Alonzo and April are clinging to the hope of the resurrection today.
It may be the only thing that gets them through these coming
days,
weeks,
months,
years.

The knowledge that they will be reunited with their sweet baby girl in heaven.
Their hope and comfort can only come from Jesus himself.
Who shed his blood on Calvary so that we may live forever with Him.

So, I am asking if you would be willing to help this family.
What can you do?
First and foremost... PRAY!
Pray for Alonzo, April and their daughter Carolina.
Pray that they would have peace that only Christ can give.
Pray that they would know the love of their Savior.
Pray that their needs would be met.
Pray that God's will would be done.

If you feel so inclined I know the family would love
to have a proper funeral and burial for their little girl.
But they simply cannot afford to do so at this time, on their own.
I have placed a paypal donate button
on my sidebar and at the end of this post,
if you feel so inclined to help them out.

If everyone who read this donated at least $5 they would be
MUCH more likely to be able to give their little girl a proper funeral.
Every last cent will go directly to the family
to help them out with funeral related expenses.

You could also spread the word.
Tell people of their story, point people to my blog.
Show people where they can help out and donate.

I will also be donating all proceeds from
my etsy store sales until Friday, July 30th.
So, if you've been wanting a painting,
or scripture photo, or card, now is the time to buy.
Because when you buy,
a family suffering a great loss
gets the help they need.

Thank you for listening to my plea for help.
Please do what you're able to help out as well.