Elsa was 16 years old and utterly destitute when she discovered she was going to have a baby.
It was the last thing on earth she felt prepared to do. She wondered whether her emaciated, feeble body could even withstand the pregnancy. A gripping fear began to come over her as she tried to imagine bringing a child into the hopeless conditions that surrounded her. And yet, the fear began to dissipate when Elsa imagined the tiny life she would soon bring into the world . . . a tiny life that would change hers forever.
Growing up in a rural village in Guatemala, Elsa’s days were filled with the harsh realities of poverty.
Without access to clean water or proper medical care, she was desperately weak and often ill. Because of the continual agonizing fight for survival, she had nearly given up when the unexpected pregnancy became a sign of hope. She had been given a reason to do so much more than survive . . . Elsa had been given a reason to live.
Mari Audeli was born on the last day of January, weighing only 4 pounds and 3 ounces. Weak and severely malnourished, she contracted an intestinal parasite in a matter of days. Mari’s fragile body began shrinking by the hour—the light in her eyes growing dim.
Elsa fought to remember the hope she felt at the discovery of her pregnancy. Cradling Mari in her arms, she prayed for help to come.
Tears began to pour from Elsa’s eyes when the rescue team arrived without a second to spare. Mari was rushed to the Baby Rescue Center where she received immediate medical attention and remained until she fully recovered.
Today, the light has returned to Mari’s eyes and even seems to tell a story . . . a story of hope for thousands of precious lives in rural mountain villages that could so easily be forgotten.
You can be the source of hope to a mother waiting for help to arrive.
You can restore light to a helpless infant’s eyes.
You can overcome death with the gift of life.
You can join the Rescue.
