MILA’S WITNESS
My name is Mila, I come from Loreto, Italy. I am here because I am in debt to Don Marco and to his parish that prayed for my family and for Irene. Above all, I am in debt to the Lord: everybody is in debt to God because He has given His Son for us, but I am in a larger debt to God than you are. After the experience I had with my family this year I really can understand the Love of God; in fact in January of this year Irene, who was born a few months ago, risked her life.
Last year in December, Irene got sick: she was only two months. We thought it was a virus. We went to the Salesi Hospital, where she was diagnosed with “bronchiolitis”, which is quite usual in winter. But Irene, after a day in pediatric ward, went to the recovery room, even if the doctors gave her very strong doses of cortisone and antibiotics.
When Irene went into the recovery room (we could not stay there), the first thing I did was sending text messages to my friends of the Renewal prayer group and to my relatives asking for help and prayers.
After two days Irene got worse and the doctors did not know what to say, the prognosis was reserved. The evolution of her bronchiolitis was unexpected and Irene needed a ventilator. While the other children who were hospitalized in recovery room were discharged, Irene was stationary and she was not improving.
I knew that when somebody prays for other people he wants to know how it ends; most of my text messages were: "Serious, stationary, do not let your guard down," "Serious, stationary, continue to pray."
I must say it was very hard, because it lasted a month, in which the Lord tried us to the limit and kept us in suspense for a long time.
After so many years of walking, it is true that when the Lord tries you to the limit, the test is customised for you. I was thinking: "Now we pray, the Lord will hear us." Other times I was thinking: "Lord, I thought I had a mature faith, an open heart." I was also thinking: "The Lord is asking us definitely for a great thing, Irene’ life." Since it was so desired, I had twins, however I wanted a daughter so much, I wanted a female baby and I thought the Lord had heard my prayers, and it seemed strange to me that He wanted her back. I asked the Lord to make me understand, I thought He wanted her back because He wanted to try me to the limit in that way.
The Lord has always been close to us with His Word. The words of those people who prayed for us have been accompanying us on that month and have been giving us strength. And this was another small miracle in our favor.
For me that month was a month of grace. In my life I will remember it as a month in which the Lord has come to dwell in my house, in my family. For the first time my husband and I used to say the rosary together every morning during Mass, twice. I had been praying so much the Lord that he could pray with me, and now it had happened. The Lord has wanted to listen to us, the Lord has heard our prayers, especially when Irene was hovering between life and death. But from the beginning He had given us words of hope and He continued to give us words of hope. The Lord has rewarded our prayer and everybody’s prayer. I do not know what the initial design of God was, I just know that He has listened to us a lot. About a hundred people were praying with us. My friends received about fifty text messages a day, but I knew that then they spread because everybody was praying: Don Marco and his parish (I thank them!), nuns, friends, children. I called them the Praying Army that was fighting a good battle with me. In fact, when I could not pray because I was desperate, I knew someone else was praying to the Lord for me, and not let our guard down was important to me, and this was one of the miracles.
The greatest miracle was the prayer with my husband, because this situation has really reinforced the sacrament of our marriage. I recommend it to every married couple: find time for prayers, together. The Lord has been with us with His Word and His presence in our lives. Last January, He has been with us every day and now I cannot help but thank Him for my family .... and as we promised I want to sing His praises, His wonders, because Irene is alive, with us.
