Couple Displays Gospel in Adoption

A couple summers ago, a mother brought her baby to POI's orphanage for dinner. That simple decision changed the course of both of their lives. Doris, the mother, was a drug addict and local prostitute who struggled to take care of baby Erick. (Read his full story here.) When she visited the orphanage, she decided to leave him there because she could not take proper care of him. From that moment on, Nelly and Yovani, the orphanage parents at the time, prayed they could adopt him as their own. They had not been able to have a baby and longed to call Erick theirs. After a time at the orphanage, they stepped down from that position so Nelly could take a job as the kindergarten teacher at San Juan.  

With Doris' permission, they began the process of adopting Erick. It was long and tedious, but they finally received custody of Erick recently. His mother is infected with AIDS, but thankfully Erick was spared the disease. Nelly and Yovani changed Erick's name to Santiago, which means James in English. Esteban, our executive director in Honduras, challenged them to think about taking care of his birth mom since the opportunity to adopt Santiago was such a blessing. Although this couple does not have much financially, they began ministering to Doris by paying for her to have a place to live and food to eat. They also help cover medical costs occasionally. They do this not only because they are grateful for Santiago, but because they want to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ to her. As many on the POI staff shared about salvation with Doris, she prayed to receive Christ and left her life of prostitution. Esteban says you can see a difference in her countenance and the way she interacts with church members since her conversion. Although she is dying of AIDS, she has the assurance that she is a daughter of the King. She will also die with dignity with a roof over her head and food to eat, thanks to Nelly and Yovani. What a picture of the gospel!